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 Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 12:07 pm
Nahuat moved a few pillows from his pile for Melusine to sit on, then took a seat himself, "Very good. You're picking it up very quickly, I'm proud of you." He said, putting his chin in his hand, "As soon as you feel like you're ready to start simple reading, you can."
The naga woman led Varinia towards the group of guards standing in a semi-circle around Nahuat and Melusine. She leant down a little and said in a hushed voice, "You watch your mouth with him, for your own sake." She assumed all children were likely to speak their mind, regardless of who they were talking to. She approached Nahuat, but kept a fair distance, "Your Majesty," she gestured with her spear towards Varinia.
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 4:15 pm
Unsure for a moment, Melusine deliberated upon whether to sit on the Prince's cushions. Would it be acceptable for a common naga like herself? She decided that since he had offered it would be rude to refuse, so she slithered forward and curled herself neatly onto one pillow.
Melusine nodded earnestly. She had memorized the alphabet and the different sounds for each individual letter, as well as combination sounds like 'sh' and 'th'. Now, the next step was to learn to apply them to words and she felt confident that she was up to the task. She lifted her chin and spoke with conviction, "I am ready."
As the female guard approached with the other naga girl-child, Melusine quieted herself and observed the exchange.
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:00 pm
How disgusting. Everyone living so close together, some chatting happily while other slunk around antisocially. Not one to stand out in a crowd of naga herself, and since she was mainly scouting, she hugged the center of the path so as hot to be hounded by the pathetic peddlers on the sides. Pitiful. Hunt and use what is caught. What else was needed?
She glanced up the hill to where the red head and the prince were. Were children up there too? Reacting in no other way than a slight tensing of her shoulders, she resumed her exploration of the make-shift village, lost in the crowd. If asked, no one would remember she had been there.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 6:35 pm
Varinia flicked her tongue out at the guard in annoyance. She'd watch her mouth when she felt like it! But she didn't really know why the naga lady was being so fussy. What could she, Varinia the nobody, have to say that would offend the king - er, prince? Little did the naga girl know, the guard was right. As a child, Varinia was really quite tactless.
When pointed at, she bowed slightly in respect. Her eyes were on Nahuat's face, but she had noticed another naga girl about her age sitting on a pillow. One of the prince's pillows. It was probably comfortable. The other girl must have been special. But more special than Varinia herself? It was a very distracting thought, and one that she quickly pushed aside... for the moment. It wouldn't do to not pay attention to the prince, right? That's what everyone else around her was doing, anyway, and she certainly didn't want to get in trouble.
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Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:56 am
Nahuat caught the scent of another stranger. Another female. He wondered briefly about the lack of males, but didn't dwell on it for more than a brief moment. He scanned the crowd, then brought his gaze back to Melusine.
"We'll get you started on that later this evening. You can take a break until then. Doesn't help to overwork your brain," he said as the guard and the other girl approached. He lifted his head, eyes settling curiously on the finely dressed girl.
"What's your name?" he asked lightly, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together, "A little strange that a young girl like you would come wandering in here alone..."
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Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 7:43 pm
"Varinia," she replied smoothly, then feeling something was missing, she added, "...your majesty." If the guard had called him that to his face, it must have been acceptable. "Um... I chose to come here. You look respecting... respected? Respectable?" She shook her head. She wasn't quite sure what the right form of the word was... she wasn't even sure how she knew it. Must have been instinctively drawn from her infant memories. "You're pretty, like me!" She didn't want to admit that she was lost, and really had no other place to go since she couldn't remember where she was from.
She glanced up at his feathered headdress. It sure was pretty... but she liked her hair decoration too, simple though it was compared to his. Plus her clothes were prettier. But the girl on the cushion didn't have any pretty adornments, so how come she was treated so special? "Can I have a cushion too?" she blurted out. Oops. Oh well, at least she'd asked politely.
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Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 7:56 pm
Nahuat watched the young girl with raised eyebrows. Her attitude and attire made him very curious, and he gave a small nod, pushing a cushion forward with his tail, "Where are you from, Varinia?" he asked, leaning forward with a small frown, "Your clothes suggest nobility. But you are a regular naga," he continued, refering to her lack of hood. "Is your family here, or are you alone, child?" He had a feeling of slight uncertainty from her, and felt she may not be able to answer his questions. This intrigued him even more. It wasn't often he saw a regular in the garbs of the noble.
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Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:47 pm
Varinia grinned widely, her eyes bright with happiness as she made herself comfortable on the pillow, though she was still sitting in a ladylike fashion with her back straight. After thinking a moment or two on his question, she shrugged. "I don't know, I don't remember my family. But I know I'm special!" she added quickly. That was the one thing she was sure of, that she completely believed. How true it was or in what way she was special, she had no idea, and as a child had never thought about it. She had probably been told how special she was so many times that it was completely ingrained into her mind.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:37 am
Although she was eager to begin reading right away, Melusine nodded obediently. She did not think her brain was overworked, indeed she hungered to learn more, but she thought it best not to disagree with the Prince as he had been right about so many other things. Still, he could not keep her from quietly observing the exchange between himself and Varinia and learning what she could from that.
The other Naga girl was indeed “pretty”, although Melusine was not sure what she meant by “special.” Was one special if they wore soft fabrics and elaborate hairstyles? If that was the case, Melusine did not want to be special. The clothes and hair were pretty enough, but she thought they might get in the way. What if she needed to fight? Her clothes would be ruined. What if she needed to blend in? She would stick out like a male harpy.
No, Melusine liked to keep things simple.
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