I bite my tongue and I torch my dreams
She had not expected anyone to come to her rescue, let alone someone she knew. Her pleading with the shopkeeper was supposed to be just between them, but it reached the ears and attention of another ascended. To be honest, Letha had not even noticed anyone else in the shop when she came in. Her mind had been hyper-focused on the wind chime and the owner of the shop, she hadn't given any attention to whether other people were around, perusing her goods.
Nate's attention, help, and presence was not at all unwelcome by the dark-haired woman. He closed the distance between them, his arm wrapping around her and his words claiming her as sister. The fact that he was intentional in how much contact his body had with hers was not lost on her. Letha glanced at him from the corner of her eye, briefly, before turning her attention back on the shopkeeper. Nate's charm -- credibility? -- made the woman think twice about what Letha was offering. She tried to offer the woman a smile, but her lips did not lift too high as to keep her fangs hidden. The shopkeeper grumbled for a moment before huffing at the pair of ascended. Leave those on the counter and take the chime. But next time, bring some better shit.
Relief and joy filled her briefly before she nodded and turned away from the woman. "Thank you," she said to Nate and the shopkeeper under her breathe, moving quickly to drop off her offering and snatch the wind chime from the window. It was more beautiful up close than it was when she observed it in the window. She smiled, this time broadly, for just a whisper of a moment before she gently wrapped it in a scarf and placed it in her pack. "Thank you." She said a little louder, looking up at Nate.
