Page 46 of Culture and Curiosities
Yes, I’d even paused in the right place because I could feel Wren’s pride and giggles coming through the bond.
“Good job, Daddy.”
Sending him pleasure and thanks, I stayed focused on the human-plus man. “Oh, but be careful with the Canadians.”
Dropping my voice to a whisper, I made sure to sound like I was sharing a secret. “They…let’s just say they forgot to pack their manners.”
And common sense based on the stories I’d heard from my mate.
“I think they went over to the candle store.” More laugher came from the human-plus man. “I’ve heard stories about how badly that went.”
That did not surprise me or my mate.
“Don’t worry about Texas. We have manners even if we’re weird.” Wren’s laughter made the other man smile but he was still very curious.
“That’s one word for it.” He probably thought his voice was too low to be heard, but better-than-human hearing had itsadvantages. But his tone seemed genuine when he spoke louder again. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
Glancing between us both, he grew more thoughtful again before shifting the conversation. “I think I met a visitor a few months ago that might be related to your…family?”
What?
Wren’s thoughts mirrored mine but he was more adept at conversations that required careful negotiation.
“Really?” Bouncing back to me, he was holding up a brown costume that had a lighter-colored stomach. “Did he say where he was from?”
“California.” He didn’t seem to believe that any more than Wren did, but he didn’t say it in words. “He was looking for work and helped me with some stocking issue for a couple of days before he decided to keep going. He said he was going to have fun exploring new lands.”
“Fuck.”
Wren’s concise description had me mentally sighing.
“I agree in this case, my mate.”
It took him a few seconds to understand the problem and my tone.
“Oops. Sorry, Daddy.”
“That’s alright. You were startled.”
And smart enough to understand the problem of his language quickly.
“Exploring is always fun. Hopefully it was one of our more cheerful people. Some are…grumpy.” Shaking my head as Wrenlaughed got a smile from the almost-human. “Following the rules and laws is always important but so is not making everyone want to shake you.”
It was a mix of expressions I had heard from a very grumpy mage, so I was glad when it got another more genuine smile from our interrogator.
Wren’s mental snicker and the way he didn’t disagree with me said he agreed.
“Like Klynn.” Shaking his head, Wren looked a bit like a parent getting ready to tell a story about their child. “He’s so grumpy but he’s incredibly smart and loves romance novels. We were on our way to the bookstore for a present for him when I got distracted by the costumes.”
Klynn had made one short trip into town, possibly because of curiosity, but the first person he met was a diner man, so he’d gone back to camp and had refused to come into town.
Holding up his prize, Wren focused on me to give the store owner time to think. “I’m gonna be a squirrel, Daddy.”
For some reason, that alone made the human-plus man more comfortable.
The people of Earth were curious creatures.
Again…my mate could not disagree.
