Page 37 of The Sundered Realms

“She already does.”

“Oh. Then Shry just didn’t want the tour?”

Vhannor glanced at her. “Shry is aware of how people perceive her. She probably didn’t want to interfere with your first impression of your new home.”

Her new home. Not a thought she was comfortable with yet: especially not on the heels of realizing Vhannor was referring to people judging Shry on her demonic heritage.

“If Shry’s presence changes how people behave around me,” Liris said, “I’d rather know.”

“I know that,“ he muttered. “But now you’ll have a baseline for comparison if you want to come back into town with her later. But don’t use her to experiment.”

A hint of ice frosting over his voice.

So he was overprotective of Shry, then, no matter how capable she was.

Liris was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and decide that’s what he’d meant, not that he thought she needed the direction. But her tone still had a little bite to it as she said tartly, “Of course I wouldn’t.”

He stared at her for a moment.

Nodded sharply.

Shoved his hands in his pockets and continued walking.

Aaand... nothing else.

Awesome.

With both of them lapsed into silence, Liris tried to focus on reading signs around them without his commentary for a change. In this section they appeared to be in competition for maximum vulgarity, which was a curious strategy for attracting patrons.

“I’m sorry,” Vhannor said abruptly. “I want you to like it here, but I also don’t want you to feel forced to like it.”

Liris remembered what Shry had said before her first view. “You enjoy introducing it, don’t you? You’re proud of it.”

He scowled, and she smirked at him. Got it in one.

“You don’t have to worry,” Liris said. “This place you’re responsible for is going to shelter me. I assure you I’m already impressed.”

“You shouldn’t feel obligated because it’s your only option.”

“Let me rephrase: you have set up a place with systems specifically in place that enable this place to be a shelter. That deserves my regard. I bet you brought Shry here for shelter too.”

The gaze Vhannor focused on her then made Liris’ heart rate speed up.

Possibly that much honesty had been a tactical error. Trying to lighten the mood, Liris said, “If it makes you feel any better, think of it this way: I’ve barely been anywhere else in the world, so I’ll be a very appreciative audience no matter what you’re about to show me.”

Vhannor snorted but shook his head, breaking that intent gaze. “And would you be satisfied clearing low standards?”

“I suppose not. But you have an opportunity to set a high standard for me to match other places against.”

His lips quirked. “Ah, and then I’ll have to make sure to show you other places, won’t I?”

“It’s the only way to test fairly,” Liris confirmed with mock-seriousness.

“You have a bargain,” Vhannor said as if he was actually serious.

He pointed places out along the main path: a shop with boots designed to hold up to travel, as if she had money to spend; one that sold different soaps, as if Liris had any idea what to do with fancy bath supplies. There were certain assignments where she’d have been trained what to do, but lacking that, the best she had was training in not gaping around like an uncultured bumpkin.

She still struggled to take in everything amidst all the people, all the noise. The citadel at Serenthuar had always been quiet, except for specific tests, and at times as she outgrew the other candidates who had yet to be assigned, whole days would pass without Liris seeing a single person.

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