Claimings 5, chapter 2

I am writing a little slower because my ergonomic keyboard broke. Yes, I immediately ordered a new one from Amazon, and the delivery has been pushed back three times. I even went to Walmart to see if they had one. They didn't.

Amazon is great for finding rarer items... until it isn't great. Then it's frustrating. The new delivery date is tomorrow, but I wanted to get this out. So, enjoy.

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Chapter Two

“That was profitable,” Liam said softly in Rownt.  No doubt many humans had translators, but hopefully none on the street. Ondry had found humans considered the proper pride in stealing all the meat off a table was called ‘bragging’ on Earth. He did not wish for Liam to be disparaged by humans.

“You chose trading partners well. Ondry had especially appreciated the way Liam had ignored the humans’ many, many attempts to appeal to Liam’s emotional connections to his home. Few Rownt had interests on Earth and fewer still long-standing contracts, but Liam had secured a profitable one.

Liam looked around the street, walking close enough that his shoulder brushed against Ondry. “I thought poverty would have eased since the war ended so long ago.” A homeless man stood on a corner, a sign in hand, and every time the traffic control lights changed, he walked the length of the waiting cars asking for money. He had best never come to Prarownt because an adult who could not care for himself would starve.  However, given that humans did have programs to reduce poverty, Ondry was equally surprised to see visible evidence of such privation. 

Discussing the failures of another adult was uncomfortable, so Ondry asked, “Do you wish to secure food?” Ondry was not fond of Earth food, but most was edible if enough garlic was added, and Liam no doubt missed the familiar foods of his youth.

“Great idea. Let me check on local restaurants.”  Liam tapped on his wrist communicator.  Rather than risk having him walk into a street sign, Ondry put a hand on Liam’s shoulder and guided him. Even after so many years, the pure trust Liam showed in following Ondry’s guidance without hesitation gave him a frisson of possessiveness. 

Liam was his, and he was Liam’s in return. Ahead, a human short enough to be either a child or one born with dwarfism paused and put his backpack down on the sidewalk, forcing the humans to step around him. Strange, all other humans had abandoned the street, some making high-pitched noises of alarm before running into nearby buildings. This one didn’t notice them.

Ondry tightened his hand on Liam’s shoulder, causing him to look up. The short one lifted the backpack and stumbled to the side before catching himself.

“Whoa. Hey, are you okay?” Liam darted forward, catching the small one by the bag.

When the short one turned, Ondry could see it was a child. Although he struggled to identify human ages, this one was far from maturity. 

“I’m okay,” the child insisted. Ondry understood the need for independence better than most, but the child was physically too small to handle the bag. As no other adults were tending this ambitious eggling, he and Liam must.

Liam crouched down, and a human on the other side of the street raised his camera to get a better angle over the cars.  “That looks heavy.”

The child raised one shoulder in a gesture Ondry recognized as a refusal to speak of difficult subjects. Liam often used it, and it looked just as odd on a smaller human.

“Hey! You have a tail!” The child pointed at Ondry.

“He does,” Liam said.  “He’s a Rownt. He’s very strong. If you let him, he’ll carry the bag.”

Ondry tilted his head the way humans expressed confusion or harmlessness.  Liam had told him he looked like he had less status when he did so, but Ondry was no dalit to reinforce his own status at the expense of a child’s comfort.

The child looked at Liam with a suspicion that looked wrong on the face of a child. Children should learn about the world, and Ondry had no qualms with seeing one striking out on his own, but such distrust in the world should not exist in one so young. Ondry himself had escaped his mother’s attention as often as he could, and he had made a habit of stealing fruit from the edges of their neighbor’s fields in order to try his own hand at trading. However, he had trusted every adult who walked past.  Even when he grew old enough to suspect that his neighbors would disapprove of his theft, he didn’t fear them.

This child felt fear.

“I can carry it,” the boy said.  He had to put the bag down again, an action which undermined his claim.

Liam looked to Ondry, and Ondry wished he had a way to ease the child’s fear and make it more likely that he would accept help. He felt as if he was failing the child and failing Liam who cleared wished for Ondry to present a solution.  But all he could do was gaze back at his palteia, helpless despite his desires.

“No doubt you can, but wouldn’t it be easier if Ondry did it? I make him carry my stuff all the time because he’s stronger than me. We don’t have anywhere to be for an hour or two, so we can walk you home.” Liam’s voice took on a cajoling tone Ondry wasn’t used to hearing, but most adults changed when a child was in need.

The boy shook his head almost violently. “My parents don’t want anyone in our place.”

“Then we won’t go in your house,” Liam assured him.  “Ondry and I were going to try a new restaurant before we went back to our ship. Would you like to eat with us?”

The boy tightened his grip on the backpack’s strap and lifted it a few inches before letting it drop to the sidewalk again. “I shouldn’t,” he whispered, but even Ondry recognized the desire behind the world.  Shouldn’t and wouldn’t were linguistically separated by a chasm, despite the similarity in sound.

“We need someone local to make sure we don’t eat at a terrible restaurant,” Liam whispered to the boy as if it were some great secret.

The boy chewed on his lip until the skin appeared red and raw.  “Okay, but only because I saw you on the news.  I bet people are taking your pictures right now. If you do something bad, everyone is going to know.”

Liam winced, and that was the first time Ondry realized why the child felt fear. He feared being hurt like Liam had been by the monster Mort.  Ondry paled so much that his guts roiled with the need to tear an enemy to pieces, but Mort and Kaplan—the two who had abused Liam’s paletia nature—had died before Ondry had gotten the pleasure of killing them with a dull weapon that forced them to feel as much pain as possible.

Ondry was grateful that he and Liam could speak in Rownt and maintain privacy from the child. “Is this normal behavior for one this age?”

Liam looked up. “No. But someone has warned him to be wary of strangers, which means someone has tried to protect him. Still, he’s too young to be out alone, and telling us we can’t come to his home suggests there won’t be adults there.  I don’t like this.”

Dislike was far too mild a term for the homicidal displeasure Ondry felt. Children ought not fear. “Then we will investigate,” Ondry reassured Liam.

“What are you two talking about?” The child asked.

Liam smiled at him. “Ondry asked how old you were, and I told him it looked like you were seven or eight. He hasn’t seen many human children.”

“I’m seven.” The boy stood up straighter.

“You’re a very mature seven to be out here by yourself.” Liam stood and picked up the bag, handing it to Ondry. The weight was negligible, but Ondry shifted it several times, trying to get a sense of what was inside. The clinking sounded like bits of metal. The child watched with the skittishness of a prey animal.  It was disconcerting.

“I’m not a baby. I can do things on my own.”

“At your age, I could, too,” Liam said in a voice slower and lower than normal.  “But many seven-year-olds can’t. They stay with their mothers all the time.”

“Only babies have to stay with their parents all the time,” the boy said with obvious disgust. “My parents are busy. I can’t wait for them.”

“The Rownt admire those who are independent.  Ondry learned to trade and support himself when he was still very young, as well.” Liam gave Ondry a sad smile that made it clear that he was thinking of the pain Ondry had endured because he had forced others to recognize his status too young. It had been difficult, but it had left him a need for companionship that few Rownt felt, and it was that need that allowed him to recognize Liam’s true nature. Ondry would regret not one moment of his life.

“Do you have a favorite place to eat?” Liam asked.

The boy arched his neck, almost like he was baring his neck in submission, but Ondry knew from his studies that this was more likely to denote bashfulness.  The two emotions were close enough that Ondry allowed his instincts to lead him.  He offered a gentle touch on the boy’s head.

The boy looked up and smiled, his uneven teeth showing.  Ondry smiled back, his own teeth covered as was proper. He could cross the cultural divide between their peoples, but he had no interest in showing his tooth to a child.

“Maybe,” the boy said.

Liam held out a hand. “Maybe you can show us since we are new in town.”

The boy made a weird noise.  “Everyone knows you’re new. You just got back after being gone for fifty years. You don’t look that old.”

“I age well,” Liam said, not explaining Imshee genetic engineering.  The boy frowned as he stared at Liam, but he took Liam’s hand.  It’s just a block away and lots and lots of people are there.”  His words made Ondry wish to kill those who put children in fear. However, he controlled himself so he didn’t vocalize even a hint of trill, although he couldn’t prevent his lips from thinning. That would require supernatural control, and Ondry lacked that.

The boy led them to a store with a large crowd standing in lines and pressing computer menus with food displayed in bright colors.  Ondry was used to choosing a food cart based on reputation or smell, so this was confusing. 

“I’ll order,” Liam said.

“I can order my own!” the boy protested. His head swivelled around as humans fled the dining establishment, dragging children out with them. Ondry would have reassured them that he meant no hard to their children, but he was more comfortable in a less populated space. He wanted to be able to protect Liam and the eggling, and having too many unknown individuals near made him uncomfortable. 

“I was talking to Ondry,” Liam explained as he walked up to a screen with several different foods pictured. “He won’t recognize any of this food.”

“Oh.” The boy’s voice was suddenly softer.  He looked up at Ondry, his neck arching as he leaned back to look at all of Ondry. “What does he like?”

“He likes bitter food, broccoli, kale, spinach, fermented food, and hot food. All Rownt like peppers and cinnamon.”

“I like cinnamon.”

Liam smiled at the boy. “So do I.  Rownt and humans are actually more similar than any two other alien species.”

“How many other species are there?”

“Several,” Liam said without going into detail.  “I’m going to get Ondry a hot chili burger with extra, extra onions and onion rings.  What would you like?”

Despite his claim he could order for himself, it was clear his small arms were too short to reach most of the pictures. He pointed.  “Chicken nuggets.”

Liam touched a picture that appeared more like industrial dross than food.  “Fruit, french fries, onion rings or salad?”

“Fruit!” he practically yelled.  

Liam made the appropriate choices on the menu board and touched his ident chip to the payment symbol. Then took the three cups that fell out the bottom of the display.  “Can you show me where they have the drinks?” Liam asked.  By allowing the boy to be the expert, he was bypassing all the young one’s defenses.  Ondry imagined that if an adult Liam had come to Prarownt before Ondry had taken his first status, he would have gotten past Ondry’s defenses as well.

They were alone in the restaurant now, and Liam filled the cups with various liquids.  A mechanical voice called out a number, and the boy shouted, “I’ll get it!”  He ran to the front where a long counter had a single display lit with the number the computer had just announced. The boy pulled a tray with various boxes on it.

Ondry widened his eyes as he searched for food, but the tray had only boxes.  Liam handed him a cup full of water, and Ondry followed him to a table that was far too tall for humans, but it came paired with tall chairs.  “Would you like to sit here?” Liam asked as he took the tray from the boy and put it on the table.

“Sure!”  He held his hands out and let Liam lift him into one of the too-tall chairs.  “Your friend is really ugly and tall.”

Liam had been opening boxes, but he fumbled and a box opened and little chunks of… something… tumbled out.  The boy reached for the closest and shoved it in his mouth.  “I got you milk,” Liam said, putting a glass in front of him. The boy’s disappointment was obvious, even to Ondry, but he took a drink before eating another chunk of what might have been chicken, or at least putting it in his mouth. Ondry wasn’t sure he had swallowed at all.

Liam put a box in front of Ondry, and he opened it carefully, sniffing the contents. They did not resemble food, but Ondry would not offer insult if this was the boy’s favorite.  He took the round bread in hand and bit into it.  He got a faint taste of onion, which was mildly pleasant, but overall the experience was that of eating soft dirt.

“The Grandmothers are much taller.  Much, much taller,” Liam said.

“You’re lying!”

“I am not.”

“Your grandmother, too?  She’s human, right?”

It took a moment for Ondry to realize the eggling had gotten confused by the word.  A Rownt used a different intonation when talking about the mother of one’s parent and the leader of one’s town.  

“Grandmother is a term for the leaders of a town or ship. The Rownt want to be led by someone old enough to be a grandmother and someone who has grown children living in the place where she rules. That way she will want the town or ship to succeed.”

“The boy’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t elect leaders?” Ondry had not expected an eggling to ask about how a species ruled itself. From the human vids he had watched, he expected a child this young to be less insightful.

“Sort of,” Liam said. “If people don’t like how they lead, they can walk to the next town. Since every town has different rulers, they’ll find someone whose rule they like more.  Ondry trusts the Grandmothers on our ship, but if he didn’t, he’d pick a new ship or we’d go back to Prarownt and he’d find a town with rulers he respected.”

When the boy looked toward Ondry, his eyes focused on the bag, and then he loudly said, “I need my bag back.” The boy held out a hand toward Ondry.

Ondry put the backpack on the chair next to the boy. The boy put an arm through the strap and went back to eating. 

“I’m Liam Munson, and this is Ondry.  What’s your name?”

The boy muttered something, but Ondry could not understand because he had food in his mouth.  Liam must have had the same problem.  “Can you say that again?” he asked.

The boy swallowed.  “Moryan.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Moryan.”

He nodded.  “Thank you for the food.”

“Thank you for sharing your favorite restaurant,” Liam said.  Ondry thought that calling this establishment a restaurant was rather like calling a square of dirt a farm. However, he didn’t correct Liam.

“Sure,” Moryan said.  He drank his milk and then shoved fruit in his mouth. “The news vids are all talking about the Rownt coming back. They said you haven’t been here for years and years.”

“We were visiting other planets and other places,” Liam said.  “Have you always lived in this city?”

Moryan nodded.  “Sure.”  Fruit vanished into his mouth and Ondry struggled to eat the portion of terrible food Liam had ordered for him.  “Where else would I go?” he asked around a mouthful of discolored strawberries.

“Lots of places,” Liam said.  “Sometimes it’s hard to live in a city and people might send their children to live in smaller towns. That happens a lot with the Rownt. A parent with an eggling might choose to leave a ship and go back to Prarownt where the smaller village let children explore on their own. The Rownt believe in letting children have a lot of freedom.” For some reason, that made Moryan tighten his hold on his bag’s strap. “It can be hard to let children run free in a ship.”

Moryan looked at Liam with unvarnished confusion. After that, they were quiet for a time as Moryan ate every bit of food out of his paper boxes.  Ondry would have offered the uneaten portion of his own meal, but he didn’t know if Liam had purchased him something that would be unhealthful for an eggling.  That thought kept him chewing and swallowing, even when his tongue protested the taste.

Eventually they were all finished and a large crowd was gathered outside, visible through the large windows.  “I think we attracted a large crowd.  We should probably walk you where you need to be,” Liam said as he put all the paper squares onto the tray and put it inside a strange contraption.  The city had changed to an almost unimaginable degree, but Liam still seemed to find things familiar.

“I’m okay.”  Moryan jumped off the tall chair and then tried to pull the bag off the chair by the strap, but he couldn’t catch the weight and it fell to the ground with an unholy crash.  Ondry tensed, but forced himself to allow Moryan to sort himself without offering help.

“You’re not going to be able to push through the crowd, I’m afraid,” Liam said.  “If you walk for a while, most people will wander away.  I suspect lots of people actually want to have lunch in here and they’re waiting for us to leave.  Just let Ondry carry your bag for a little bit.”

Ondry may not believe in the gods, but he would have offered prayers if it made this eggling accept their help.

“Fine,” Moryan finally said with a roll of his eyes. “You can walk me part of the way.”  He started toward the door, and Ondry scooped up the bag which clanged as it moved.  Then he put a hand on Liam’s back and they followed the suspicious eggling who kept glancing over his shoulder. 

Ondry only hoped that if they proved trustworthy, Moryan would allow them to provide assistance. After all, it was the obligation of adults to allow children to steal a little meat from the plate.  Ondry didn’t know what he would do if he had to abandon a child who required assistance.