17.Jun.18, 08:07 PM
Maybe the woman had regretted her question, because as soon as she let it slip, she was already escaping it, trying to distract Nlani with a game.
The damage was already done, though. Nlani's face was directed toward her feet, her hand squeezing Onari's tighter.
There was no use explaining, at least yet. Not in front of the girl. But Onari's mind was already working, frothing over with ideas. Asking after a father was common, and it led to an alibi for their solitary travels. It wasn't uncommon in Pern, unfortunately, for men to act out in ways that left women in dire straits. Escape became necessary in those situations. Escape to places where no one knew who they were or where they were from.
Good. That could work.
"That sounds fun," Onari piped up, a soft squeeze of Nlani's fingers prompting the child to look at her. "Be a nice way to spend the time, huh?"
Nlani didn't appear all that enthused, but she seemed to know when she was being maneuvered. With a soft sigh, she glanced about at her environs, top row of teeth scraping against her bottom lip in contemplation.
"I spy with my little eye something, uhm," Nlani stumbled, head tilting. "Something purple."
The damage was already done, though. Nlani's face was directed toward her feet, her hand squeezing Onari's tighter.
There was no use explaining, at least yet. Not in front of the girl. But Onari's mind was already working, frothing over with ideas. Asking after a father was common, and it led to an alibi for their solitary travels. It wasn't uncommon in Pern, unfortunately, for men to act out in ways that left women in dire straits. Escape became necessary in those situations. Escape to places where no one knew who they were or where they were from.
Good. That could work.
"That sounds fun," Onari piped up, a soft squeeze of Nlani's fingers prompting the child to look at her. "Be a nice way to spend the time, huh?"
Nlani didn't appear all that enthused, but she seemed to know when she was being maneuvered. With a soft sigh, she glanced about at her environs, top row of teeth scraping against her bottom lip in contemplation.
"I spy with my little eye something, uhm," Nlani stumbled, head tilting. "Something purple."