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Her mother began to laugh, and Laesara glared at her, her pride stung. “Mama...” she protested, as her mother's laughter increased.

“Oh, sweetie...” managed Saaramos, unable to resist. She doubled over, almost choking with laughter, “It's just... your face...” she howled, “It's priceless...”

I'll show you priceless grumbled Laesara, frowning at her mother, and then at the very smug-looking hastar, You'll see. It's time for plan C. She reached into her pocket for a bag that crunched and crinkled in her hands.

I guess 'C' could stand for 'Crunch' she thought idly, giving her mother another glare as the woman continued to laugh, It's not as nice as B for berries, but it will have to do.

She opened the bag to reveal honey-encrusted oats. Saaramos stopped laughing, though her eyes still crinkled at their edges. “Where did you get those, Lae?”

“From his feed.” Laesara said, shaking a little onto her hands.

“No, the honey. Where did you get the honey?” Saaramos held back her laughter a moment more, though her daughter's new 'decorations' made that difficult, but her concern helped. “You didn't raid a Vispiri nest, did you?”

“No. Mal did.” said Laesara simply, handing her offering to the hastar with all the dignity she had remaining after being spat on.

Copperbreak stared at it in apparent surprise, sniffing at it curiously. Laesara watched, barely breathing, as he did.

Will this be the one to work? Will it be C for crunchy? or... her eyes widened at the realization, her heart racing at the perfection of the symmetry, C for Copperbreak?!

Oh it had to work now. It simply had to. Laesara watched with stilled, baited breath as the hastar leaned down... and bit her hand.

“Yow!” she yelped, jumping back, the bag of honeyed feed falling to the ground as she nursed the indentations on her unbroken skin. Her mother burst out laughing again, and her frown deepened. Laesara could feel the burning in her eyes that meant that tears were coming, and she did not want them to come, but that only made the situation just worse enough for them to begin to drip down her face. Humiliated at the tears, covered in spit, and with a sore hand to boot, Laesara began to cry.