17.Jun.18, 09:12 AM
Dessa smiled slightly when the child climbed up beside her, and she could hear the woman making herself comfortable behind them. Glancing back to make sure she was settled, Dessa nodded once and then turned her attention forward again, giving the reins of the horse a gentle flick and they were off. The child’s gentle voice had Dessa glancing towards her with genuine interest, and her lips twitched in a small smile as the names were given.
“Well, it is wonderful to meet you, miss Nlani!” Dessa said, pleased to finally have names to go with both of their pretty faces. Dessa studied the child quietly from the corner of her eye, appearing to watch the path ahead of them as she thought. The child was no older than a handful of Turns, and her mother – while clearly haggard from the attack and travel – was not particularly old. Dessa decided they were no older than she when she’d had her first child, if the woman, Onari, were even that old.
Turning her gaze to the child, Dessa frowned at her sadly, deciding to prod, just a little. “Your papa not in the picture anymore?” She asked gently. Clearly the father was non-existent; no man she’d ever known would willingly let his wife and daughter travel alone, without a guard or at least a mount or cart to make the way easier – not even the lowliest of drudges travelled alone. Add to that the lack of carry-items, even though the pair had been robbed they should have had more than they did. Dessa’s assumptions immediately jumped to the father dying, and the woman and her child fleeing an arranged second marriage. She could certainly understand that train of thought.
Glancing over her shoulder at Onari again, Dessa supposed that the woman might well be a drudge herself. Perhaps whomever she worked for had decided her daughter was old enough to be relocated, and she’d stolen away with the child in the night to avoid being separated? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d seen or heard of such actions being taken. Dessa made a thoughtful sound under her breath and decided not to let her mind wander too much. She didn’t believe that the pair could bring any true danger down upon her door; after all, it wasn’t like either of them were big enough to cause harm to someone! Besides, so long as she nor her daughter were the offspring of someone of importance, the likelihood of them being sought after was low, right?
Giving herself a little shake to disrupt her zigzagging thoughts, Dessa tilted her head and peered down at the little girl. It had been so long since she’d had a child underfoot! “Nlani!” She said, her voice cheerful and with a twang of playfulness. “Have you played ‘I Spy’?”
“Well, it is wonderful to meet you, miss Nlani!” Dessa said, pleased to finally have names to go with both of their pretty faces. Dessa studied the child quietly from the corner of her eye, appearing to watch the path ahead of them as she thought. The child was no older than a handful of Turns, and her mother – while clearly haggard from the attack and travel – was not particularly old. Dessa decided they were no older than she when she’d had her first child, if the woman, Onari, were even that old.
Turning her gaze to the child, Dessa frowned at her sadly, deciding to prod, just a little. “Your papa not in the picture anymore?” She asked gently. Clearly the father was non-existent; no man she’d ever known would willingly let his wife and daughter travel alone, without a guard or at least a mount or cart to make the way easier – not even the lowliest of drudges travelled alone. Add to that the lack of carry-items, even though the pair had been robbed they should have had more than they did. Dessa’s assumptions immediately jumped to the father dying, and the woman and her child fleeing an arranged second marriage. She could certainly understand that train of thought.
Glancing over her shoulder at Onari again, Dessa supposed that the woman might well be a drudge herself. Perhaps whomever she worked for had decided her daughter was old enough to be relocated, and she’d stolen away with the child in the night to avoid being separated? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d seen or heard of such actions being taken. Dessa made a thoughtful sound under her breath and decided not to let her mind wander too much. She didn’t believe that the pair could bring any true danger down upon her door; after all, it wasn’t like either of them were big enough to cause harm to someone! Besides, so long as she nor her daughter were the offspring of someone of importance, the likelihood of them being sought after was low, right?
Giving herself a little shake to disrupt her zigzagging thoughts, Dessa tilted her head and peered down at the little girl. It had been so long since she’d had a child underfoot! “Nlani!” She said, her voice cheerful and with a twang of playfulness. “Have you played ‘I Spy’?”