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Vaani wasn't used to being out on her own. The young yaeli always traveled in tandem with her sisters and rarely left the family property without them by her side. Today, however, was different. They were all busy with their own things and someone still needed to go to town. So, she'd gussied up all the courage in her heart and gone without them.

All she had to do was buy the things on her list. With a basket over her arm, the pudgy little yaeli meandered around the growing crowds with concern. Now, which way was-? "Oh!"

A passing stranger bumped into her, effectively knocking Vaani off her balance and pushing her down onto the street.

"Watch your step!" The gruff old man chastised her before grumbling to himself and moving on.

"But I..." Oh what was the use?

Vaani was slow to pick herself back up, mostly out of an innate fear that he would recognize her crystals and return. In past experiences if she just stayed down for a while they would walk on....So to have someone stop actually gave her more anxiety than the act itself.

But it wasn't the man who came back or even a local yaeli. When Vaani turned her gaze to the hand extended her way her eyes traveled upward...and kept going until she saw the telltale features of an Elarian. For a moment her heart stilled, but...where was the pink? And her eyes...they weren't green.

Cautiously, Vaani took the offered hand and got to her feet. "I've heard it said that when you reach a certain age you just hurt for no reason so maybe he's in pain?" The teenager brushed some dirt off her hips. When she looked back to the other girl, the notably taller stranger, her eyes went straight back to her face. For a moment she simply looked, absorbing the moment before finally offering an awkward smile. "Sorry, that was rude of me; your markings are very lovely and unique and I just...didn't know how to properly say it without sounding....well, rude."

To Vaani she was beautiful. Terrifying in the implications of her birth, but in a way that drew the eye to her. Almost like a plant that could make you sick if you ate it, but whose petals were the richest, most vibrant of colors. The yaeli's cheeks burned and she ducked her eyes, "Just an observation." Her gaze swept back to the old man's back before making a light 'hmm'. There was a droop to her shoulders then and an inevitability that removed whatever steel may have been in her spine.

"Just for us. My sisters and I are cursed so...it's best if you go now. I'm just here for a little shopping so I'll be out of the way soon."

They probably do. If her sister looked anywhere near as unique as she did then Vaani could only imagine the things that were said about them. In her travels into the city she'd seen a scarce few Aishan hybrids, all travelers, that were passing through, but never Elarian born.

"Oh!" Vaani squeaked and found herself being tugged away. She had to struggle at first to find her footing since she was shorter than the other girl, but after a little skip - run she was able to find her stride. "Ah, y-yes. Usually we travel together so shopping for them can be hard."

What sort of luck did she have, to find someone that was also shopping for a sister and was so kind as to help out? "What sort of things does your sister like?"

Vaani couldn't help the laugh that slipped out, but rather than sound mocking it was entirely sympathetic. She even had the grace to flush afterward and pat the other girl's arm. "What about something sentimental? Something that's only special to the two of you?" The struggle of finding that perfect thing was certainly one she could understand, but Vaani had a couple of tricks around it. With four sisters you had to get creative!

"I have four sisters so I understand a little of what you're going through. I don't have much so I can't buy them anything grand, but I like to keep things personal. Take Varshana, for instance; this past summer an Oban tradesman came through with beautiful, thorny flowers, but she couldn't afford one. So, I'm going to see if I can't get a few seeds for her. They won't mean much now, but come summer it should bloom."

It had been a little moment, something that only the two of them had been privy too, but that meant more than anything else, right?

"Well. when you're a quint you're already od-" Vaani caught herself and instantly felt herself shrink a little. She hadn't meant to add that part. Everything pertaining to her curse was supposed to stay secret, as if this entire meeting would blow apart if one word was uttered. "I-I-I'm sorry, I should have said..."

For a moment she was content enough just to walk along to the flower seller and occasionally steal glances up at the taller girl. Was she mad? Or scared or...?

"I think perhaps...a journal might be nice with a design in the cover...maybe like your markings? That way she can write down what she knows and think of you while she does it. Or a bag, that sounds nice too"

Oh, she'd messed things up, hadn't she? If she were any kind of person at all she would just turn back and try again another day! Better she should leave now than bother the hybrid any more than she already had! Still...she wasn't exactly being chased off and it was...honestly a little nice just to talk. She kept stealing glances at Rawiri, waiting for the inevitable and when it didn't come she was pleasantly confused.

"Yes, three more. They should be easier to shop for." When they came to the vendor it took Vaani a little while to find exactly what she was looking for, but when she did she motioned Rawiri closer. A picture of what the seeds would sprout into had been sketched on a piece of paper with kohl and dabbled on with a thin, cheap paint. "I think they're kind of pretty, don't you?"