"Okay, okay. Sorry. I dunno much about rocks." Tal realized too late that pissing off the woman who knew where they were going was probably a terrible idea, but graceful exit from a bad conversation was a skill he'd never bothered learning. And it didn't look like he was going to make any progress now, either.
But he was trying. Maybe that would count for something, someday.
Maybe.
The cries of the crows crawled under his skin and made his shoulder blades itch, and he kept tossing glances behind him worriedly. Even Boreal seemed to be growing annoyed with the echoes, shaking her head repeatedly and huffing a small plume of smoke as if stoking her inner fires in preparation.
Boy and dragon rounded the corner as Melita finished talking, and Tal let out a low whistle. "All that? She must really like you guys. Did she ask for anything in return?" A slightly wary question, not implicating the minutiae so much as the broader prices; from a man used to goddesses who traded in favors and ice-locked futures.
But he was trying. Maybe that would count for something, someday.
Maybe.
The cries of the crows crawled under his skin and made his shoulder blades itch, and he kept tossing glances behind him worriedly. Even Boreal seemed to be growing annoyed with the echoes, shaking her head repeatedly and huffing a small plume of smoke as if stoking her inner fires in preparation.
Boy and dragon rounded the corner as Melita finished talking, and Tal let out a low whistle. "All that? She must really like you guys. Did she ask for anything in return?" A slightly wary question, not implicating the minutiae so much as the broader prices; from a man used to goddesses who traded in favors and ice-locked futures.
