"C-can I take a picture?"
I blink at the
reddish-haired
teenager, entirely caught off guard. People on the street have not
particularly
talked to me at all since I’ve been here.
Except
the blind old man and the charity woman. Actually, somehow that still makes me feel bad about my appearance...
Ah, his phone is already half-raised. I lift my chin and
lightly
,
playfully sneer
at the child.
"And why, exactly, would you want to do that?"
He flushes
deep red
while starting to nervously adjust his weight from one foot to the other. Meanwhile this
bold
dog moves over and sniffs curiously at my shoes.
A small,
shaggy white
thing that I could hold in one arm. Truly,
fearless
.
"Um, it’s just you... just look really cool? The hair especially."
He gestures vaguely at my twin tails and I struggle not to lose
my composure
at the praise. It doesn’t mean as much from a stranger who is obviously
masking
his real thoughts, but it was still nice to hear!
That woman at the bakery also
complimented
me, but I was a little too frazzled at the
choices
to think about it that much...
"Please? My friends won’t believe I just talked and ran into someone so..."
He trailed off, apparently searching for an
appropriate
word. Probably one that would not reveal his
deeper
thoughts.
"Someone so...?"
My free hand rests on my hip as I adjust my stance. Raising my chest to look more
imposing
,
daring
him to lie.
"Pretty. Like, magazine model pretty."
He answers in a rush before
slamming
the device over his mouth. Despite myself, I feel a smile growing on my face.
Hearing some
honest admiration
in his voice is oddly refreshing. And truthfully it is rather...
cute
.
"Is that all? So you wanted to use me to show off to them?"
I ask with a
softened
tone. He nods back
vigorously
, then reddens brightly again.
> His skin tone really shows his blood pressure... Honestly, I’d been avoiding thinking about it but if this was my world I’d be mistaken for a porter. Moving goods between locations for low pay... Yes, I’m going to call the ideas Helene formed in the past while taking her pictures ’techniques’. She may have been ignorant of a lot, she may have made choices I never would have... however Vrika... She was intelligent and could have made something more of herself. That’s why I’m sometimes so frustrated when I look back at her life. Males in puberty... it’s hard to hate them when their little urges are controlling them. <
He smiles a
little too wide
beside me in the photo. His
little dog too
, is there looking curiously at the camera as he holds to one side of his ribs.
"Very dynamic and striking. Good job."
"This is awesome! It’s so good! I can’t believe I’m the one who did it..."
He exclaims while tapping at his screen.
Unfamiliar interfaces
coming and going in seconds.
"I’m so going to post this right now to my private account. That’s alright, right?"
I think for a moment before
shrugging
. As far as I know, that means that very few people will see it.
Just
family
and
immediate
friends. His next words, however...
"My cousin Victoria is going to freak when she sees I met someone this cool just walking her dog."
My smile
freezes
.
"...Victoria? Whitecrest?"
"Yeah, my cousin. She’s always going on about knowing all these important, pretty people in the city. Now I’ve got something to show off too!"
The
hostile
werewolf from the spa had a
cute relative
like this? Of course I wouldn’t notice...
An Omega does have an
identifiable scent
, but it’s weak. Something I might not notice if
covered up
with anything.
Especially a
very low dose
scent blocker that someone with their family’s means could easily afford. I imagine she provides them to that
Lucinda
woman as well.
"Oh, what’s your social name on the net? For the tag?"
"I prefer not to be tagged."
I’m only a little certain what
that phrase
means in the first place, but I answer quickly. Without affirming or denying whether I actually have an...
internet presence
.
Technically, Helene did have a
secret
one - but I have no intention of
reviving
that.
It can stay
buried
, just like that hunter which I did
something
like this world’s rites for.