So he walked down some streets, looking for someone whom he could relieve of his purse again....
By now, Kay was starting to wish that she hadn't bothered to take the leftovers with her. The weight dragged annoyingly at her waist. It didn't even help much to loosen the ties around her waist (so that the pouch could bang against her hip instead). *I wish I dared to just dump this stuff somewhere.*, she thought idly to herself.
There.That girl there had something, Ann'dra thought. He walked a bit faster and hurried up to overtake his victim. Then he suddenly turned around and bumped into her (she was, indeed, actually taller than him).
He muttered an apology and doing so, he slipped his fingers to her belt and quickly grabbed the purse or small bag or whatever it was. Then he turned tail and ran as fast as he could...
Kay was startled when a small scruffy-boy abruptly bumped into her, almost hard enough to knock her from her feet. As she felt the ties come undone on her pouch, she didn't bother to grab for it. There was nothing important stored there -- her Terran id cards were tucked away in a far safer place. But no crash of breaking glass interrupted the brief apology the boy mumbled. He'd grabbed the pouch and was now running off with it.
Still feeling nervously-edgy after her recent conversation with Master Painter, Kay's temper flared back up (the way it always tended to do when she'd had a fright). She could have been hurt. Angrily, she took off after him, her long legs eating up the distance between them.
As the boy turned a corner, Kay jumped forward and bumped him into the side of the building. Scolding words poured from her mouth in caheunga as she grabbed him by his shirt-collar and shook him, "Ye should ASK rather than grab. Ha' ye no better manners than one o' them Zandru- bedamned-Comyn, who play with people as if they were toys ?"
Ann'dra was surprised to hear the girl running after him and even more surprised that she caught up with him. He was a fast runner, after all. When she bumped him into a wall, he fell down and stared rather dump at her with big eyes. He was too shocked actually that a girl would beat him up...
Then all of a sudden, she stopped. The anger drained out of her face, to be replaced by horrified amazement, "Ye're HUNGRY, aren't ye ? Blessed Avarra ... I am sorry", Kay said, in a much kinder voice and starting to blush bright-red in embrassment.
"..." For once in his life he was speechless. First that girl smashed him into a wall - his arm was still hurting - and then she apologied!
"I am called Kay, and ye may keep the food with my blessing and that of the Goddess. I only wish that I had more to gi' ye. And I would ask your forgiveness as well, I didn't understand that your need was greater than mine", she continued as she let go of the boy's shirt and stepped back.
"Is there anything I could do for you, by way of apology ?", she added impulsively.
Ann'dra blinked several times. He rubbed his hurt arm. "I- I..." He blinked again, then narrowed his eyes when he got the meaning of her words.
Kay sighed. "Goddess preserve me from the folly of young mens' hot-headed pride", she muttered, hoping she hadn't hurt the boy too badly.
"I don't need yer pity! T'is what I chose!" He took the stuff that he stole from her and put it harshly back to her, then made a step back to turn and run away again but only bumped once more into the wall.
Kay frowned at him. "So the sweetshop's fare is no longer good enough for you ? Is that it ? And if ye think it's just pity, then ye're full of cralmac reish!", she retorted, feeling her temper slip partially out her grip again.
Staring him boldly right in the face, Kay demanded "Do you CHOOSE to run around the city with your eyes full of hunger ? Do you CHOOSE to go around doing ill to those who had done naught to you ?". Goddess alone knew why young men had to be so difficult. It was a wonder that ANY of them survived long enough to reach their full manhood.
"D-d..." He was, ahem... still speechless.
She decided to try again, but from a different angle this time. "I know not who, but someone ha' clearly ill-used you. Such things are a blasphemy in the eyes of the Goddess, for we are all her children", she began. Perhaps it would make more of an impression on him if she explained more of WHY she was offering help to a stranger.
Ann'dra narrowed his eyes again - he didn't know what to say but his anger rose. Who did she think she was?
Kay noticed the look the boy was giving her. It occurred to her that MOST people on this world would find her rather odd right now. He was probably wondering to make of her ... a young woman with a strange Terranan name and obviously-Terranan jacket ... one who was as bold as a hardened Renunciate -- but wearing an outfit suitable to a lady and speaking fluent cahuenga like someone from the hills. Perhaps he thought her to be a fever-dream, or a demon escaped from one of the nine hells.
"No one's ever 'ill-used' me. And I don't care for your goddess either", he added but ducked. He was not more or less religious than other Darkovans, no Cristoforo, not at all, but perhaps one of the Hali'imyn was listening...
She shrugged, then commented nonchalanty "As you wish, mestru". It was clearly obvious from his reactions that even HE didn't believe what he'd said. But if he wished to deny it, she'd not bother arguing the point.
"And ye needn't duck -- I was nae going to throw anything at ye", she added, her tone making it clear that she felt insulted. He'd shoved her only once, and she'd already paid him back for it. So as far as SHE was concerned, there was no further quarrel between them.
Kay thought for a moment, then told him softly, "Honour demands that I offer what aid I can, and that I ask nothing of you in return. Everyone needs the hand of another at some time in their life. And I still owe a debt of honour to those few who aided my ma soon after I was born".
"...?", the boy exclaimed wordlessly, his attention suddenly caught.
A look of remembered sadness passes across Kay's face before the words continue to flow again. "She was hunted 'cross this world by some filth what called themselves nobles and sorcerers --- and wi' me a wee babe in her arms". At this, Kay paused again and looked hopefully at the boy. "Ye could help me pay back that debt in part", she suggested, "and at no cost to yourself. I'll not even ask who ye are, nor from what ye're running".
"But...", he protested in confusion.
Kay pushed her pouch back at him, insisting that he take it. "Even if ye don't want it now, ye may change your mind in the morn, when yer stomach starts shoutin' for breakfast", she stated.
Recalling a few coins tucked in her shirt pocket (under her zipped-up windbreaker), Kay added "In the name of the Goddess, will ye at least come eat wi' me at a cookstall ? Or are ye too afraid to do more than act like a rabbithorn seeing its own shadow ?".
Ann'dra was standing there, now again with her pouch in his hands, and looked up to the girl. He didn't know if he should get angry or just continue to stare at her as if -she- was a rabbithorn - one with three horns, two tails and yellow-blue fur. He blinked several times and stared to her, then gulped before he spoke.
"I... am... no rabbithorn..." He said slowly. "And I'm not afraid of you."
"I'm glad to hear that", came an approving reply. "Then I dare ye to PROVE it ...", she added in challenge. Kay had expected to be paying Master Painter today. But perhaps it was customary here to pay when you collected the work. So regardless of what the boy chose, there was sufficient coinage available to pay the bill.
She hoped he'd make up his mind quickly. It was getting a bit chilly out here. Absentmindedly, Kay tried to rub some warmth into her arms. The temperature was starting to fall, and she wished that she'd thought to bring her cloak. "Pick ANY eating establishment in the city -- it matters not which one, as long as the food's decent ...", she prompted.
"Eh...." Ann'dra frowned again and looked about, then shrugged. "I'm new to Thendara. I don't know where to go." Of course he wasn't afraid of her. He'd prove just that.
"Well then, if you've no problem with it, let us choose the first tavern we come to", Kay suggested. She rubbed her arms again, and added "I no longer feel warmly-dressed enough, now that it seems to be getting colder. A bowl of something hot and a seat near a fireplace would do much to remedy that". She turned and began walking, without looking to see if he was following.
*There must be one around here somewhere*, she thought to herself. Some of the shops didn't need to have their signs sounded out -- what they sold was obvious. One in particular caught her eye. Kay stopped abruptly in front of the stall, reached out a hand and pulled free a large bundle of thick, well-worn dark-coloured wool something-or- other. "I'll take these .. and 'tis NOW that I'm cold, so ye needn't wrap them".
Her other hand dipped inside the collar of her Terran windbreaker jacket and began to fish around the area of her upper chest (much to the growing embarassment of the shopkeeper who stared at her, his eyes growing wide with shock). "Is this enough ?", Kay asked innocently, her hand finally emerging with a reis.
The man's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
"What is WRONG with you people ? That's TWICE today ...", Kay muttered irritably. She reached back in for a second coin, then pressed the pair of them into the man's hand before turning away with her prize.
Ann'dra stared into Kay's face with big eyes and turned then around and watched the market place.
"NOW I'm ready to eat ... thank ye for waiting", she said more warmly to the boy, "If ye ha' no objections, how about we eat there ?". Kay pointed up ahead, where she'd spotted a sign bearing some sort of silver-coloured bird. While she waited for him to answer, she gave her bundle a shake, separating out a man's rough-and-somewhat-shabby tunic which she pulled over her head with an expression of delight.
Ann'dre narrowed his eyes and looked at the sign. He couldn't read it anyway, if he wanted to but he wanted at least to look as if he could.
"Sure, why not..."
There were swans on that sign - at least the picture was clear. Something was at the Silver Swans or whatever that inn was called... something... If he only could remember.
Kay noticed the boy's odd expression as he stared at the sign. Perhaps he was even worse at reading it than SHE had been. Ah well, 'twould be rude to comment upon it.
He gave the girl another strange look when she pulled on the tunic and tried not to grin, then followed her slowly into the tavern. It was clearly too large for her, and bore evidence that its previous owner (mostly likely male) had worn it for rough outdoor work.