”Well if you’re the only two with griffins, I assume you’d know him.” I say assuredly, feeling the eye roll work it’s way out through my voice instead of on my face. Which is... marginally better, I think. ”And there’s not many people in the Hollowed grounds, is there? Don’t you know of near everyone?” Though maybe not everyone is like me, making everyone their business. I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t be though, the things you can learn by being just the right amount of nosy are astounding.
I smile toothily when he offers his name, with hardly a moments hesitation, my bright gaze meeting his. ”You’re not from here, are you? Not originally?” I guess, the question mostly rhetorical. ”You have a very pretty name. Sunjaaata.” I draw out the sounds and laugh, the sound tinkling in my ears. ”I am Tarasha. It is my pleasure to meet you, Sunjata.” I blink at the preferred hand for a moment, then reach out to take it in both of my own hands, figuring it’s more rude to refuse. His hand dwarfs both of mine, a fact that has me staring for a moment longer, eyes wide. I knew the grounders were bigger than us, but... well so far it’s still bigger than I’d imagined.
My assertion of his flightless was is proven wrong quite easily as he shrinks down, but I can’t bring myself to be upset about it at all. Instead, I lean forwards, over the bowls I’ve set out, to look more closely at the brilliant blue. He shifts back before I can fly over the food, and the greedy gryphon devouring it, but I am still leaning forward, spellbound. ”If you ever lose any feathers, could I have them?” I don’t even think about how strange the question might be, my mind swirling with ideas of pigments, a new brilliant blue to add to my colourful designs.
What have I heard? I want to laugh at that, but instead I reach out and pop another berry in my mouth, chewing deliberately slow while I make a show of thinking about it. ”I’ve that heard you’re all monsters and murderers, working with a fake god to destroy the world.” I don’t sugarcoat my words at all, though I am still smiling, my expression completely at peace. ”Those have been proven wrong so far though.” There is probably some truth to the rumours, there has to be, but I don’t find it believe able to think that a whole area could be filled with just bad folk.
I notice the amusement on his face almost immediately, and fix him with a very deliberate smile, my head tilting to the side in the picture of innocence and naïveté. ”Is something funny?” I ask, putting him on the spot, just to watch the reaction.
Tarasha
the adnascentia of my soul will crack the earth
