This Little Wolfie Went to Market

[kleineklementine]

"Oh, yes," he laughed, grinning, but not unkindly, "it's definitely in how you wear it. I must have just dong it wrong. Why don't you show me - "

Suddenly, he stopped laughing and looked at her anew. All the great mages wear them, she said. Was she a mage?  "Are you a mage?" he asked, without any airs or condescension. It was clear a wall had just dropped.

He remembered a mage he'd met a few months ago. The old man had told him the token he'd sold Soren would help him control his shifting. The amulet had been expensive and Soren had known that it was a long shot, that he was probably being swindled. But he'd wanted to believe it too much. In the end, he'd thrown the damn thing in a lake. Worthless.

"Eh, sorry," he blurted out after a moment, he was clearly the awkward one now. "All these questions and I never even answered yours." She had asked his name at some point, right? "I'm Soren," he told her truthfully. He saw no need to use any made up name now. "Look, you're not going to go back to that village tonight at this point, are you? I have stuff nearby, we could make a fire, I could actually get dressed."

He paused, but not really long enough for her to answer. He was clearly a little self-conscious now, but not of his state of dress. But because, whatever was going on, he realized he actually did want her to stay, and not just as part of whatever plan he had. He was, actually, kind of lonely.

"Well, of course you can go back now if you want to,"  he added hastily, self-consciously running a hand through his hair, "though I'm keeping that knife, don't get any ideas - but you're not awful company and it can get kind of lonely out here. Anyway," he grinned, regaining his composure a bit, "you never know what nasty, shady characters you might meet out alone in the forest at night!"

[Rhindeer]

Well that was a surprising change! Unable to get a word in edgewise, Pepper blinked in surprise when he went from confident and somewhat intimidating to rambling awkwardly and basically imploring her to stick around. Even his body language had shifted, making him seem younger and, for the first time that night, somewhat vulnerable.

Her mouth dropped open and she tried to speak, but eventually she gave up until he was finished. She cracked a wry grin at his last statement and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure this forest is just teemin' with 'em! What's a gal to do?" she said, and pressed her free wrist to her forehead in a mock swoon. "Without her big bad wolf to protect her?"

She snorted a laugh and straightened up again, then glanced down at the scrolls. Ugh. Well, whatever. He had a point. Cain would probably be in bed by now and she was so late at this point that she didn't think anything could salvage it. And if nothing could save the situation, nothing could hurt it more, right?

And as unwise as this all seemed, this was also the most fun she'd had in a while. She nibbled the inside of her cheek in thought. And wolf boy--Soren--didn't seem all that bad, and that wasn't just because she liked the view.

Besides, an attractive, somewhat intriguingly dangerous (but also the safe kind of danger!) guy asking you to stick around? Well, Kia be damned. Wasn't like she got much attention of that sort back at the college!

All in all, it was an easy decision.

Pepper grinned and shrugged. "Heh, why not? Can't hurt. Name's Pepper, by the way," she said, extending her hand. "And yup! I'm a mage! In trainin'."

[kleineklementine]

Soren took her hand and, with affected exaggeration, bent down to kiss it. "Pepper-who-is-very-much-grown-up-and-not-at-all-a-little-girl," he said jokingly, "it is very lovely to make your acquaintance." Even though the whole gesture was clearly tongue-in-cheek, he let the contact last for just a little bit longer than it needed to. Just half a second too long.

"Who said this 'big, bad wolf' was here to protect you, hm?" he asked as he let her hand go. He was back in stride, but his manner was more relaxed and humorous than posturing. For a moment, he thought that he'd really much rather just seduce her and call it a night. He was confident that he could, and with a much clearer conscience. Well, he decided, he just wouldn't think about it for now.

"In training, huh?" he asked as he led her down the ravine. "You know, for a student, you sound more like a street urchin. They let you talk like that in your classes?" Though their positions were somewhat reversed now, Soren was brought up wealthy and well-educated, and it was still reflected in his speech.

It didn't take long for them to reach a small forest hollow near the stream. Protected beneath a large spreading oak, it had the look of an occasionally-used camp. And that was, more or less, what it was. One of a few places throughout the forest where Soren stashed some things and stayed from time to time. "Home sweet temporary-home," he said. Gesturing to the log where Pepper, he added, "Please, take a seat."

Underneath the tree, he uncovered hollow with his belongings. After pulling out his clothes, he reached to the back of the small pile and pulled out a small, brown glass bottle. "Here, catch," he said, tossing the bottle across the hollow to her. "That should keep you warm."

"I'd ask you to turn around," he told her with a wink while putting his clothes on, "but it seems a bit beside the point now."

Once he was dressed, Soren set about starting a small fire. "I'm actually on my way to see a mage," he lied as he started the fire. "Ah, it's probably stupid, though. I don't know." He sat down, not right next to Pepper, but not directly across from her, either. After a few moments of watching the fire, he nodded to the bottle, "Pass that on when you're done."

[Rhindeer]

Pepper had been expecting a handshake, so when he took up her hand and kissed it...well, it made her heart do interesting things and, needless to say, she got a little weak-kneed. It was so strange, too! He was dirty and unkempt and totally not the dashing prince of the stories--and yet, well, what could she say? She'd never been into those dandies. Yet the gesture was so noble, in stark contrast to everything else about him. She didn't even care about his cheeky remark at that point; she was hardly paying attention.

At least, not until he let go and was on his way. She followed after him, and regained some of her composure as they went.

"This look like a classroom to ya?" she asked, motioning to the trees around them and deciding not to remark on the urchin bit. "I sure hope not, 'cause they don't let students come so under-dressed, neither," she added with a pointed look at his body.

Soon enough, they had reached Soren's camp, and Pepper made herself right at home as she took a seat on the log. "Nice place," she said, and meant it. It was certainly better (and cleaner) than some of the places she'd slept. With a grin, she caught the bottle Soren tossed her way and eyed it before, with a shrug, she uncorked it and took a sniff.

"Kia's tits, this's the real stuff!" she said, and took a long swallow, hissing as it burned on the way down. She coughed a little after--she hadn't drank more than watered down ales and wines since she'd been taken in--but oh, she'd missed it. It had soothed her and the other kids many a night on the streets.

She took another few sips as she watched him dress, making no attempt at hiding that she was. It may have been improper before, but at this point, where all that had long since been tossed out the window? She didn't give a shit. She did, however, rather like the way his muscles moved when he raised his arms to put on his shirt...

He joined her then, dressed (sadly), and Pepper took another swallow before corking the bottle and passing it over to him. "A mage, huh?" She tilted her head curiously. "Fer what? Why'd that be stupid? Lotsa folk need mages."

[kleineklementine]

"Well," Soren took the bottle from her, "as you might have guessed, I don't have a lot of control over this wolf business." He took a drink from the bottle. "Not too convenient. That's, well, one of the reasons I live out here," he said, tipping his head towards the forest.

"Not that I'm saying it couldn't be worse." For several years after his shifting began, he'd been locked in a wing of his family house. Since there had been no real sign of when he would shift, he'd been kept there almost all the time; his only escape had been a smallish walled garden. Compared to that, the forest was delightful.

Soren took another drink from the bottle, watching the fire. "One of the other - well, this guy I know who knows about my... condition, he told me about a mage in a town not far from here. He specializes in transformations, things like that. I don't know," he ran his hand through his hair again; clearly his guard was down again. "I came into a bit of money recently. I thought I may as well go see."

There was a mix of truth and lies in what he was telling Pepper. Of course, he wasn't able to control his shifting and never had been. He had recently come into money, thanks to that grisly job for the client he was now heading back towards. The story about the mage... Well, it was a lie that he was doing it now, but i had happened once. But he figured showing a bit of honest vulnerability would make him more sympathetic, make her trust him more. Plus, though he didn't quite admit it to himself, it was a bit of a relief to talk about.

He took another drink from the bottle. "Well, a lot more money than I have now was spent on it when I was a kid, and it didn't come to anything then." He sighed, and shifted back up to add another few small logs to the fire. When he came back, he sat down on the log, quite close to Pepper.

"So," he said lightly with a  faint air of humor, leaning in towards her as he passed the bottle back to her, "sounds like a bit of a long shot, huh?"

[Rhindeer]

"Not really!" Pepper said, taking the bottle back but not drinking from it yet. "Pah! Ya ever thought 'bout headin' to Serendipity? That's where my college's at. I'm just here on a visit, helpin' an old man with some things." That sounded far more glamorous than the real reason she was here, and what had happened to earn her the trip.

"Adela ain't so great as far as mages go," she continued. "But Serendipity, why, there's so many powerful mages there!"

She flashed him an optimistic smile. Poor guy. It was all starting to make sense. How could you live around people if you could turn into a wolf without warning? That would surely scare people at best, and get you killed at worst. Wasn't like you could tell the hunter that you were actually a person. And if that was why he stole, out of necessity because he had to live rough...well, gosh, she could empathize. She'd been there. And it was only some promising potential that had pulled her out of the filth of the streets.

If he could get his gift--curse? Ability!--under control, maybe he could rise up, too!

She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I could even put in a word fer ya! I know a bunch! And maybe they know people who know people who could help ya. I mean, if this guy of yers falls through. Not sayin' he will! Just, y'know, the folks I know actually got reputations and learnin' and shit." She took a swig from the bottle and passed it back.

[kleineklementine]

Did she just pat him? He turned, giving her a quizzical look. "Are you patronizing me?" he asked with a slow, knowing smile. His look clearly said, 'You're not being sneaky with that bright, forced optimism.' Finally he broke the gaze, giving her a little shove.

"Yeah, we'll see, maybe," he said grudgingly. He was quiet for awhile after that. It was clear this wasn't a new endeavor for Soren, and that he was decidedly less optimistic than Pepper was. He seemed more resigned than anything. "My family is actually Serenian," he finally said, then gave a short laugh. "But I burned that bridge. But traveling that far gets complicated. I might stay a wolf, or a man, for a few days or a few weeks, I can never tell."

All this making himself seem sympathetic was actually starting to get Soren down. He glanced at Pepper. He knew what would make him feel better. But no, he reminded himself, that was not why he brought her here. Still, it felt unnatural to be alone with a girl for so long, at night, alone, and just... talk to her. Even if there was some intermittent flirting.

"Listen to me," he laughed. "Being quite the sad sack, aren't I? And," he added pointedly, flashing Pepper a smile, "when I'm with a  pretty girl. Unacceptable. So," he nudged her, "what's your story, kid? What'd you do to get sent all the way down here from your college?" He grinned and took drink from the bottle, watching her expectantly. Somehow, when no one was paying attention, he seemed to have gotten a little closer to her.

[Rhindeer]

Pepper laughed at the shove, but the humor was short-lived with his next statement. His family was Serenian? So...he was from Serendipity?

Her expression sobered. If he was from Serendipity, that meant he'd probably tried to find help there first--and obviously hadn't had any luck. She wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know, except he had reason to be less optimistic.

"Oh," she said, suddenly awkward. She set the scrolls down at her feet and wedged some rocks in front of them so they didn't roll close to the fire. "Sorry. I guess it makes sense tryin' Adela if Serendipity didn't work out, and uh...maybe Adela'll work better? Bein' all woodsy and wild and all, maybe they know somethin'. Er, didn't mean to say Adela wasn't great, haha, what do I know? Just a student, right?" Erk. Now she felt bad for bashing Adela, because for all she knew, maybe he viewed it as his last hope?

She was glad for the subject change--until she realized it didn't actually save her from any awkwardness. She flashed him a sheepish grin when he nudged her--and hey, had he gotten closer? Not that she minded. Especially not after he'd called her pretty. She scooted a little closer on the log and angled her body toward him, only she didn't try to make a secret of it.

"Uh, well, that's..." She twirled a finger in a curly lock of hair and cleared her throat. "Kinda stupid, heh. I kinda got in a fight with a professor? I was sorta tardy, but he was tardy lots, so I didn't see why he hadda make such a huge-ass fuss outta a coupla minutes. He didn't like when I pointed out his own lateness." She lifted her shoulders.

"I was kinda havin' a bad day? And the day before I shoved a guy that was being a major prat, but he deserved it. Soooo yeah. They figured they'd ship me off to spend a month doin' menial, boring busy work with fuckin' Cain to calm me down 'cause he's the biggest bloody windbag in the world and could make ragin' dragons snore with his stuff no one cares about." She huffed at the end, then flashed Soren a mischievous smile.

"This is much more fun," she said. "And you're much easier on the eyes, lemme tell ya."

[kleineklementine]

Oh boy. She was such a kid.

That was all Soren could think while she stumbled through her apologies about Adela and then relayed the story about her school and why she'd been sent to Adela in the first place. He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable about all this flirting and found that he wished there was just a little bit more space between them. She was just a baby. But he didn't let it show. After all, this wasn't going too badly.

He opened his mouth to explain that she'd been right to assume he hadn't been to Serendipity for a 'cure'... or whatever. That his family had been in Adela for a few generations. But he thought the better of it. Better to let her feel sorrier for him and maybe a little guilty.

Instead, he grinned broadly at her story. "Well, I can tell you're one popular girl, Pepper," he said with a laugh, but not a mean one. "Getting in fights with other students and professors?" he clucked. "What would your mother think?"

"Well," he said, taking another drink from the bottle and handing it back to Pepper, "it doesn't sound like you're too keen to spend a month with this 'fuckin' Cain,'" he imitated her. "So why not come with me? If I'm so much more fun, and so much prettier. It won't take more than a few days, and you can tell dear old Cain that you had trouble on the road. Held up by bandits. Which," he grinned again, leaning in before adding in a tone of confidentiality, "isn't that far from the truth."

[Rhindeer]

"She wouldn't think nothin'," Pepper said with a dismissive wave. "She's either dead or whorin' or who knows what. I wouldn't know. Anyway, it's not like I fight a lot. Just when stuff's...stupid."

Which, okay, didn't earn her much popularity, but she really tried to be on good behavior! But four years among civilized folk hadn't yet shaken 14 years of rough and dangerous living. Her first response to confrontation was still defensiveness and aggression, because the last thing you wanted was for someone to think you were weak or scared, even if you were.

Then came Soren's offer.

And it was a very, very attractive offer.

A 'few' days didn't sound too bad. And she could say she'd run into trouble. She was pretty sure she could conjure up  good story; she had enough material from her own past experiences to make a good one, and she was already starting to look a little worn and dirty, her robes wet from the stream and muddy, besides. A few more days, and she was sure she'd have some tatters and bruises to make it seem an ordeal.

And Soren was right; it wouldn't be a lie...

It was crazy, and she knew she was crazy to even consider it. If anyone found out the truth, she would be so beyond busted, and yet the choice was easy. Scribbling notes and listening to Windbag go on about rocks? Or go for a little adventure with him, the guy that made her pulse quicken and belly flutter? And not only that, but damn, it was just nice being around someone that didn't treat her like an imbecile or a charity case, who teased and could take teasing with just as much grace.

And technically it was a journey involving a good deed...

She smiled and took a swig from the bottle. "Why not?" she said. "Just a few days, right? I'm sure I could make up some sob story, and I'm already late...so what's a little longer?"

[kleineklementine]

"Ah," Soren said softly at Pepper's comments about her mother, watching her dismissive wave. He hadn't meant to cut close to the quick. He considered her for a moment. "Well, mine too, probably," he said after a moment. "Or, at least, so the story goes. You can imagine how much it endeared me to to my father's wife," he laughed. "There was a woman who was not sad to see the back of me."

At this point, Soren was decidedly not thinking about what their errand actually was. He didn't want to lose his nerve, and he was increasingly sure that he would if he worried about it. She was just a sweet, loud-mouthed, illegitimate kid.

"Wonderful!" he grinned brightly when she agreed to come along. That made that easier! He put an arm around her, not exactly flirtatiously, but not entirely fraternally, "Well that's settled, then. A pair of bastards, on a nice little journey!"

[Rhindeer]

Pepper frowned at Soren, not with pity but with sympathy. "I'm sorry," she said, and meant it. Funny to think that he'd been so standoffish earlier, and now, well...now they had an awful lot in common, didn't they, for all their differences?

It was like it was meant to happen, like the wolf was meant to be in that market and she was meant to do the totally irresponsible, crazy thing and follow him. Like some instinct just knew he was a good guy right from the start. And after all, if anything bad were to happen, he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of inviting her places.

Whatever caution had still been clinging to the back of her mind evaporated in that moment.

And so when he put his arm around her, Pepper froze for only a couple beats, afraid to move and spoil it all. And then, glancing at him sidelong, she did a bold thing and leaned her head against his shoulder, setting the bottle aside on the ground beside them and closing her eyes. Less because she was sleepy (though she was; it had been a long day), but more because bold move or not, she felt a little too shy to look at him.

"That sounds awfully nice," she murmured with a smile. "Who needs deadbeats, anyhow? To an epic journey and yer cure!"

Though she was apparently more tired than she'd thought. Between using him as a pillow, draining a good portion of that bottle, the warmth of the fire, and a rather long and somewhat emotional day, it wasn't much longer before the tiredness crept up on her and she began to fade.

[kleineklementine]

"Well, I don't know if it will prove 'epic,'" Soren said, to himself, he realized, as he felt Pepper relax towards sleep, "but it should be a nice day or two until we get there."

That might be true, anyway. Soren waited until he felt her breathing slow into proper sleep. "Alright, kiddo," he said as he picked her up and carried her over to the old oak, leaning her carefully against the tree's wide trunk. He stood back up and watched her sleeping for a moment, then shook his head. A foolish girl, he was sure. What was she thinking, trusting a stranger so quickly and completely?

He banked the fire and sat down next to Pepper, leaning against the oak. He was tired, but there was a heavy feeling in his stomach, and it was some time before he fell asleep.

***

It was still early and the morning was dewy and grey when Soren dropped a handful of small, hard wild apples and a hard tack biscuit into the sleeping girl's lap.

"Um and at 'em, sunshine!" he said loudly while he dropped the bundle on Pepper. "We aren't going to get anywhere sleeping all day. I'm beginning to make a few guesses on why you were always tardy for all those classes. Don't make me send you back to 'fuckin' Cain!'"

[Rhindeer]

Something fell into her lap, and Pepper shot awake with a gasp. For two disoriented seconds, there was a moment of panic as she didn't recognize anything around her and thought she might be under attack, and then the forest registered, the events from last night came flooding back, and she saw that the bundle was only apples and bread.

Once the initial shock subsided, annoyance crept in. Squinting up at Soren, she rubbed sleep from her eyes, and dried drool from the corner of her mouth, and scowled.

"Where's the fuckin' sun?" she yawned, sitting up. Sometime in the night she'd slid down the tree and curled up on the ground, and so there were leaves and dirt sticking to the curly mess that was her hair. She couldn't be bothered to care right then as she continued to stare at Soren like he was some great, unfathomable mystery.

He was a morning person.

"How d'ya people do that?"

[kleineklementine]

Soren looked at her with his hands on his hips and a mock-impatient look. Something about how she was curled up, with leaves and twigs clinging to her, scowling up at him was awfully cute. He wasn't sure how it was cute. He didn't want to figure it out, either.

"Can't lay about all morning waiting for the sun to make its way into the forest," he clucked like an old marm. "Up you get."

If Pepper paid attention, she'd notice that where the fire had been was already covered, and a small satchel of his things were already ready to go.

"Lay about too much longer, and you'll force me to carry you," he warned sternly. "Don't think I won't."

[Rhindeer]

If she was more of a morning person, she might have found this terribly amusing, because right now he was the spitting image of some professors she'd had. But as she was far from a cheerful riser, his own cheer felt spiteful.

That comment about carrying her, however, made Pepper pause and eye him considerably. "That supposed to be a threat?" she asked, and was sorely tempted to find out how serious he was.

Inspecting an apple, she wiped it off on her robe and took a bite. "Sounds more like a perk," she said through a mouthful.

[kleineklementine]

"Oh, you think so, do you?"

Soren shook his head at her, slinging the satchel over his shoulder. Well, he'd waited long enough. He was ready to go.

"Well, aright then," he said, and swooped down, sweeping Pepper up and throwing her unceremoniously over his shoulder. "Off we go then! And," he reached back and took the apple from her hand, "that'll just have to wait. This isn't a dining cruise."

He took one last look around the camp site and then set off, following the stream. He took advantage of every opportunity presented by rough and bumpy ground, taking big stomping steps over roots and stones.

"Well if you're getting a free ride," he called back to Pepper, "I want something in exchange. Tell me something. Why are you always getting into trouble, huh? Wouldn't your school be easier if you didn't talk back to your professors and pick fights with other students? Not to mention," he shifted her weight on his shoulder a little as he started going downhill, "taking off into the forest after unknown creatures when you're meant to be on an assignment!"

What was he doing? He didn't want to know more about her. But, then, he did want to.

[Rhindeer]

With a squawk of surprise, Pepper's world tilted and she found herself slung over Soren's shoulder like a sack. She let out a grunt as the air went out of her, and for a moment, she thought she'd made the wrong choice after all. His shoulder dug into her gut in a most uncomfortable way, and the blood started to go to her head.

And then he took her apple!

"Hey!" she said, getting her hands on his back to try and lever herself up, but then she let out a resigned sigh and flopped back down. Well, fine. She'd wanted this, after all, and she was too proud to admit that it wasn't as fun as she thought. So she'd just have to--oh.

It was in that moment, staring down at the ground, that she realized things weren't so bad after all. Because from this angle, she had a pretty nice view of his bottom, and a good enough imagination to recall what it had looked like unclothed. She propped her chin up on her hand, elbow against his back. Mmmnope. Not so bad, after all. And look at him carrying her like she weighed nothing! That was some endurance...

His words brought her back and she jumped as though he'd walked right into the middle of her very private thoughts. "Huh? Oh, uh, sure, sounds fair. I answer stuff, ya answer stuff, eh?" That wasn't part of the deal he'd laid out, but she decided to push it.

She grunted again when he shifted her, and wriggled to get comfortable. "Hmm, I dunno, really! I guess it would be easier, but I'm not really thinkin' of that in the moment. And I try not to, I do, but just...sometimes people say stuff, and it pisses me off?" Ugh, that sounded so lame when she put it like that. "Some of them folks are just so privileged and I mean I guess I am too, but not like that and they just don't know. Uh. I dunno."

She shrugged. "I weren't raised to take shit, so that humility thing's tough. Anyway. 'Bout strange critters..." She tried to look over her shoulder at him. "Well, ya was stealin', so I figured I'd get it back. I guess like...penance. I ain't done the best things, so I figured that could make up for somethin'. Weren't all selfless, of course. I ain't done anythin' truly reckless in a while so..."

She switched gears. "So anyway! Yer turn! Yer from Serendipity, huh? What part?" And then she nudged him. "A good part, eh? Ya talk awful fancy to be from somewhere trashy."

[kleineklementine]

Pepper may have thought that she was weightless, but Soren thought that she was heavy. Still, if she wasn't complaining about being carried, as uncomfortable as he was trying to make it for her, he wasn't going to complain about carrying her. But really, did she need to dig her elbow into his back?

Still, he listened as she rambled an answer to his question. He had to smile at her explanation, which at first sounded something like, 'I just get mad at people when people make me mad!' But he was curious when she brought up privilege and not taking shit and humility. He was really beginning to take an interest in her, and he wasn't trying nearly hard enough not to.

He laughed, however, when she got to the end of her explanations. "Does that mean you were saving up all your recklessness for me?" he asked her with a hint of mischievousness. "I don't know if I should be honored, or worried!"

"Ah well," he says with a sigh, shifting Pepper's weight again - rather roughly - on his shoulder, "if it'll make you feel any better, I'll send you back to 'fuckin' Cain' with some money for the craftsman who made the knife. I had intended to go and actually buy something. But it's hard to do as a wolf."

Why did he make that offer? Just to placate her?

But Soren frowned to himself when she asked him about Serendipity. She hadn't, of course, caught him in a  lie. He hadn't said that he was from Serendipity. She had caught him in an... allowed misunderstanding, however. Should he lie, make up a story of his family home in some other country? He found that he didn't really want to, which surprised him a little. It was, if he admitted it to himself, nice to have someone he could speak openly with. And anyway, in a day or two, it wouldn't really matter what he had told her or not...

"Well first of all," he started, "that wasn't the agreement. The agreement was that since I was breaking my back carrying your lazy behind around, that you would tell me something. But since you asked, no, I'm not from Serendipity," he admitted. "My grandfather, my father's father, came to Adela. Our home, or rather their home," he corrected himself, a little awkwardly, "it's near the border. My mother - well, my step-mother, I guess - is from Serendipity. Ravensway. She came to Adela as a small child. But she's probably the most culturally Adelan of all of us," the word 'us' felt odd once he'd said it. "She's very superstitious. Always very concerned about spirits lurking behind every tree and stone. And inside every 'possessed' child. My father was less so."

He hadn't really meant to say so much. Why had he? "Oh, I don't know if I 'talk fancy,'" he laughed, deciding not to think about it, "but I suppose we were fairly well-to-do. My siblings and I certainly all had tutors or strict, tightly-wound governesses responsible for our education. And a great boon it's been to me out here, I can tell you," he laughed again.

"Alright, my turn." This was a horrible idea, and he knew it. This 'getting to know you' game. "You mentioned penance. Does that mean you have something to be penitent about? You seem awfully young for that."

[Rhindeer]

Pepper snorted a laugh. She could tell this "Fuckin' Cain" bit was going to haunt her, and yet the more he said it, the funnier it got, whereas in the beginning it had kind of annoyed her. But it was funny hearing him try to talk like her, since it didn't quite sound right on his tongue. Beneath the mirth, however, she appreciated what he was saying. She would feel better knowing that wrong had been righted.

Her mirth was cut short, however, when he shifted her, and her laugh turned into a wheeze. She bit her tongue to keep from saying anything, and instead listened as he spoke.

"Oh. Sorry...I guess I just sorta assumed? I mean ya said Serenian so...ah, whatever! Wherever yer from, I still think ya talk fancy. Or I guess well, if ya prefer."

His next question was a little awkward.

"Well, uh..." Pepper grunted and shifted a little more. It was starting to get really uncomfortable up there, enough that the view was no longer making up for the discomfort. "Yeah. Sure. I got plenty to be penitent fer..."

And it wasn't exactly a secret--far from it--but she still didn't like bringing it up. It wasn't something she was proud of, but it was the life she'd been brought up into. Still, she hated feeling like unwanted gutter trash next to so many honest, perfect people. "So, y'know how ya made that urchin comment earlier? Yeah, that was me. An urchin. Heh."

She hid her face against his shirt. "I ain't lived the most honest life, y'see, but uh...yeah! My turn!" Because she had decided that this was how the game was going to work, whatever he thought about that. "What's with the shiftin' stuff? I mean, was ya bitten by a wolf or somethin'? Is it contagious? I gotta worry about catchin' it?"

She wriggled a little more; there was no finding a comfortable spot now, and she was at the limits of her endurance. She started to squirm. "...And can ya put me down?"