Crash

Thane 8

Three days passed without incident. Aria avoided my grandmother and worked on her ship for hours so I was left to bounce between the ship and the house. Eventually we were running low on food nana blamed 'that half terren girl.' refusing to use her name most days and sent me to the market. I offered to take aria with me but she was hesitant to as she put it 'go in blind.' so she stayed to work on the ship for a while more. Everything was going fine i found all the food nana needed and a few things i knew aria could eat before I spotted them. Five people all wearing red jackets with a fur collar they scanned the crowd with a predatory gaze they stopped the occasional person to talk to them. Something felt off about the entire group. I tried to shrug it off but the feeling lingered. On my way out of the market I realised they were lingering by the gate needed to leave though I sighed and hung around a jewelry stand pretending to look at something waiting for them to leave.

"Looking for something special for someone special?" The girl running the shop looked at me through her eyelashes.

"Something like that." I sighed out actually taking a look at the stand something caught my eye. Silver rings each one getting smaller, all attached by hinges they folded out into a sphere. It had quir's stars and their names  stamped into the metal I picked one up and inspected it.

"Those aren't too popular," the stand girl commented leaning towards me "the tourists seem to like them though." I looked at it considering it for a moment

"How much?"

The group of people didn't leave and after a while I just decided to go for it and hope they don't stop me. Sadly I'm never that lucky.

"Hey kid." I ignored the call "you with the ears!" I sighed when a hand landed on my shoulder and spun me around.

"Sorry I didn't hear you." the woman in front of me frowned the dark markings on her face morphing.

"No problem." she smiled easily but I could see something glint in her eye "one of my friends' ships crashed somewhere around here and I've been looking for them, would you know anything that could help?" my instincts were screaming at me. Don't tell her. She's talking about aria.

"Nope, i heard something come down a while ago but I was too lazy to check it out." I gave a dismissive shrug. Her eyes locked on something on my shoulder and one long ear on the top of her head twitched.

"Okay, thanks." she said slowly she stepped to the side to let me pass. I didn't realise until I was half way home that a bright pink hair stood out against my dark shirt. I was quick to get home. I glanced behind my shoulder to make sure no one followed me. As soon as I made it home I made a beeline for the barn looking for aria.

"Aria?" I looked around fei popped his head up from where he was laying down "aria! Is she here?" Fei shook his head and I slammed everything I bought down on the crates that had become arias bed and took off towards the ship. I was halfway there when something colorful slammed into me both of us went down hard