"I should've known I'd find you here."
The voice was male, though not deep. Amused, maybe even a little sly. Talashia jumped and whirled around, prodded from her moment of somber reflection into one of overreaction.
Benin was there, tall and narrow of build; a far cry from his father's thick arms and beard, with his smirking grin and his green tunic and dark brown pants, holding his hands up like she had him covered with a crossbow. That grin made a mockery of it though. It made a mockery of everything.
"Easy there, cuz! I'm no ranchdog."
Talashia realized belatedly that her fingers were sparking. She grimaced and forced calm, finding her center again. Why had she startled so much just from a familiar voice? Stupid...she'd been caught in a vulnerable moment, and overreacted. She had to watch that. Another townsman might not be so jovial about the implicit threat.
"Sorry," she grumped, lowering her hands. "
Didn't recognize your voice."
He grinned wider.
"You're still a terrible liar, you know."
"What are you doing in town?" Talashia asked, trying to bludgeon the conversation off course to more favorable terrain.
"Helping with the festival?"
Benin's grin faded a bit, and he sighed.
"Actually, I live here now. We all do."
Her mouth fell open.
"But...is everything all right?" She'd never expected them to come back to
Sandpoint of all places. They'd been so desperate to get out!
"Oh yes, everything's great," Benin replied breezily, waving her incredulity off.
"I'm not even being sarcastic. In case you haven't noticed, Sandpoint's been growing. They get ships coming in here now, you know. More ships means more cargo, and more cargo means more barrels... Father's had to hire two boys to help him out this past year." He studied her for a moment, then asked,
"Did you get my present?"
"Your what?" Talashia asked dumbly, then realized what he was talking about.
"Oh! Oh. Yes."
He had a gift for that, she remembered. Always keeping her off balance. Though they were cousins, they were near enough in age that their relationship had always been more like siblings. Until he and his family had moved up the coast north to one of the larger ports, where his father's trade as cooper would be more in demand.
Had she missed him? A complex question. Her life had been made easier without him around. No small amount of trouble she'd gotten into had had him at the center of it. But it did feel a little as if a bit of cloud had crossed over the sun as well...things had been a little colder and a little darker after that.
"Well?" he prodded.
Talashia stared, still catching up in her head.
"Well...oh, the present." She fished the little brass disc with its butterfly filigree on the front out of her pouch.
"It's pretty, I suppose. I can't read it though. Is it really father's?"
[sblock=OOC]Hehe, had to remind myself to stop. I was thinking Benin took the thing from Tala's dad as a keepsake when he left, having overheard that he wanted to send it away with Talashia when she finally left town. But of course, by then, it was gone. So now he's bringing it back to her...annnnnd kind of hoping she won't tell her dad, his uncle, about it all too.
But if you have a different backstory in mind, go for it![/sblock]
