Starsong

Scene 32

{--} Piya {--}

          "Well, hello!" The man said as they walked inside the store together. Piya looked around, wide-eyed-- there were all sorts of things here! Bottles and rolls of bandages and cloth lined the shelves, and the store actually smelled nice-- When Ren told her that they were going to a store with medicine, she'd been wary. Medicine usually smelled too sharp, too strong against her nose. But in here it just smelled a little soft and sweet.

          Ren nodded shortly to the man in response, quickly walking over as though to avoid the question--

          "Do I know you?" He asked, sounding a little... Scared. More confused, but definitely a little scared.

          "No." Ren said sharply, like she had three times already since they got to the village-- like she had when they met Ferie-- and picked up a small bottle of alcohol and a roll of bandages. She quickly went over and put them down on the counter, cutting off the man's thinking. "How much for these?"

          "Oh, ah--" He looked down at them, a little startled, "...That would be about twelve coins."

          "Twelve?" Ren stared in mild horror, then dug around in the bag of money Lilith had given her. Piya knew that she'd said that there were too many in there for just alcohol and bandages, but now that she was pulling out the money he asked, it was nearly empty, "Stars, things were never so expensive when I used to do this."

          "Ah! Retired adventurer, yes?" The man asked cheerfully.

          "...No." Ren said firmly. "Just retired."

          The man stared at her a little, thinking about what she meant, then somehow just managed to notice Piya. "Oh! What are you?" He asked, looking her over with equal parts actual curiosity and just confusion.

          "I'm a beastfolk!" Piya grinned proudly before Ren could stop her.

          The man's eyebrows knit together, "...Never heard of someone like you... Two legs?"

          "Mhm!" Piya shifted from one to the other, "I'm from the desert!"

          "The desert?" He asked, wide-eyed. Before Piya could continue, Ren stepped in front of him.

          "Yeah. More immigrants from all over after the siren treaty, you know. We have to go. Come on, Piya." She pressed her hand to Piya's back, guiding her out.

          "It was nice to meet you!" The man called.

          Ren didn't return the compliment.

          "Why does everyone think they know you?" Piya asked as they walked out.

          "Don't know. I have a common face." Ren answered shortly.

          "I've never seen someone like you."

          "Good for you."

          "Why didn't you want me to talk to that guy?"

          "Piya--" Ren pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing deeply, "Look. You know how Tok was being sold when we first met him? That's because he's a siren. It's illegal now, but some people don't see anything other than a centaur as a real person. Just... animals. Smarter animals. Oddities." Ren's voice was sharp and bitter as she crossed her arms, "If sirens are still being hunted, then what do you think would happen if some novelty collector got a hold of you? A creature nobody in this country has ever seen before?" Ren held up her hand before Piya could answer, "I'll tell you what would happen. You would be caged up and sold back and forth before someone finally decided you weren't entertaining alive anymore and that your severed paw would be a neat trinket to have."

          Piya felt her skin crawl, "That's-- you don't know that!"

          "Piya. Maybe you grew up killing scorpions and surviving deadly heat, but I know this world. You should know about things being unfair. Heat waves don't care that you're a kid. I'm sorry to say that people don't, either. If you're of use, they'll use you."

          "But you didn't use me!" Piya insisted, "When we went to that market--"

          "When you went behind my back and came with me in the middle of the night." Ren corrected.

          "--You protected me! You wanted to keep me hidden! That guy who was selling siren parts wanted to talk to me-- he could have been one of those guys! And that's why you told me not to talk to him, right? So he couldn't hurt me!"

          Piya watched Ren bring her hand up to her chest and look away. "I'm not the norm, Piya. You got lucky. If you had talked to anyone else... It wouldn't have gone the same."

          "But what about Lilith?" Piya kept pushing, "She didn't try to hurt me! Heros and Aro didn't! What about Ferie! He's been really nice so far! I mean, he hasn't really talked to me, but he's nice!"

          "It's... I know. I know that you're safe with them. But that's because you're stupidly lucky. It's always a risk, Piya. That's why I don't want you to leave my sight until we get to Springspire. I don't trust people not to take advantage of you. Lie to you." Ren's grips on her sleeves tightened a lot as she said that.

          "But I know how to--"

          "Aro!"

          Both of them straightened up, looking around for Lilith and Aro. Piya caught sight of a flash of yellow light out of the corner of her eye and started running for it. She just saw Heros's tail disappearing into the mud before it closed behind him, and Lilith slid forward into the mud, starting to dig into it and only finding more. Where had he gone?

          Piya recognized the feeling. The specific kind of magic in the air. The same one she felt two days ago.

          Aro had found a trial.