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Cecilia was unhappy. Mind, saying Cecilia was unhappy was about as enlightening as saying the sky was blue or water was wet. Cecilia was always unhappy in the same way she was always gray eyed and wire haired. At the moment she was unhappy about being out of the house. She was unhappy about being accompanied by the disgusting scorpion-like being that she shared her dwelling with instead of the slightly less disgusting female she preferred. She was most unhappy about being forced to toddle down the street like a base animal and was demanding, with little success, that the scorpion, Taima, carry her.

"Up! Up now!" She demanded as Zives did her best to peck in Taima's exo-skeleton. The small, bejeweled bird was having little luck, but at least she was trying. At least someone was listening to her.

It was about at that point that she began listening herself, her attention caught and held by the sound of singing nearby. Jerking out of Taima's grip (and Taima, with her pinchers, could only grip gently or too well), she quickly covered the space between herself and the singer. Having reached him, she stared with rapt attention then sat abruptly, showing no particular concern for those who would now have to walk around her.

By the time the boy finished his song and asked his question, Taima had rejoined her younger sister. There were many, difficulties to being, essentially a large humanoid scorpion. But if it didn't help make friends, it did help one navigate crowds a little faster.

Thus, as Cecilia made a sharp series of whistles in answer to the question, Taima was able to interject with a somewhat gruff, "She's Cecilia."

Cecilia did not particularly appreciate Taima's interruption, nor did she like the pressure of one on the scorpion's legs against her arm, an implicit signal of her desire to be moving again.

No, Cecilia was sitting and now she intended to remain sitting, a resolution helped some by the fact that Taima was not actually capable of carrying her. The odd insistence that she needed supervision was frustrating. She was, as best as she could tell, the oldest in their household, current body notwithstanding.

"Go away." She snapped, sending Zives buzzing about Taima's head again before turning her attention back to Dante. "Sing more."

Cecilia wrinkled her nose in irritation when the boy did not immediately begin to sing on command. If he was a male in her household, but no, those were not the thoughts of a believer such as herself. She would not hold this boy up to the standards of Rru. Him, or any man.

"Don't know songs," she muttered irritably. At least, she didn't know any in any language he'd be able to wrap his vocal cords around. Just look at the way she'd slaughtered her own name. Zives flew down to land on her shoulder singing sweet nonsense in a vain attempt to offer comfort.

"Just ignore the brat." Taima said from where she still stood behind her 'younger' sister. "She's an alien."

Which was probably how she'd describe the little b***h even if it wasn't true. She tapped her with one of her lower arms, none too lightly. Fair enough for all the pecking she put up with.

If Taima was aware that she'd offended in someway, she certainly didn't show it. Admittedly, her face was a bit hard to read. What she did do was take a few steps back, enough so that Cecilia was unlikely to send Zives diving at her again. It wasn't like the little brat ever listened anyway.

Cecilia was rapt the moment the boy began to sing. It wasn't the song, but just the experience of being sung to that brought her back. Really, he could have been singing just about anything and gotten the same effect. She didn't listen to the words anyway, it was too puzzling to try and work out their individual meanings. Instead she listened as she had once listened to the hymns in the old language, following tone and rhythm and letting those form a meaning of their own.

Cecilia studied this transaction curiously, puzzled and not exactly pleased with the idea that the music would now stop. She knew the local currency well enough to recognize it, and she wasn't incapable of drawing conclusions from the facts presented, even if she didn't like them.

"Songs for money?" She asked, and one could conclude by her tone that she didn't like this idea. She didn't like most things, though, so why worry about it?

"Not--" She paused, as she searched her limited vocabulary for the correct word, "Married?" Again, the frown, but it seemed less aggressive now, not directed at Dante specifically. She was not yet good at judging ages, especially with so many diverse species to learn the mature forms of. So she simply assumed in both directions at once, "No mother?"

The thought of her brother's situation was a bitter memory, and one she did her best to push from her thoughts. She stood as he did, as if she intended to follow.

Behind her, Taima continued to observe in silence. This was a hint at sides of the grumpy young alien that she had not yet seen. She wasn't sure what to make of it either, and so let it continue.

"My--" Cecilia tapped picked irritable at a frayed bit of skin as she searched for a word, pulling it back to reveal a flash of metal, "keeper cooks. Get hungry. Come sing. She feeds. She sings." It was the one thing she liked about the woman.

And, with that odd little invitation, she was apparently done with the boy, turning back to Tabia without bothering to say goodbye. If it occurred to her that such an invitation should be cleared with her parent, or at least accompanied by an address, she certainly didn't show it. Instead, she grabbed at Tabia's claw irritably. "Tired."

And then, a bit wistfully, still looking at Tabia, not Dante, "I singed. Everything singed."