Page 52 of My Date is a Polymorph
Ekron grabbed her arm, and she reacted to being nagged and followed.She grabbed him, twisted his arm, lifted him in the air, and slammed him to the floor.She looked at him.“No touching.”
He was breathing roughly, and then he calmed himself.“You are a heavy-hitter.”
She smiled.“I am not.”
She smacked his face lightly and turned to Techor.“I am going to get some food.Are you going to step to the side?”
Techor stepped to the side, and she smoothed her dark pink dress and walked past the staring crowd.She glanced at the judge.“Get the shiny idiot on his feet.He’s drawing a crowd.”
Techor nodded and helped Ekron to his feet.
Zera swooped in and linked arms with her.“Lalli, try not to do that again.”
“He grabbed me.”
“Yes, but your patron is here, and he recognized the little tap you bestowed.”
“Ah.Oops.”Lalli grimaced.“Sorry, but Ekron is just so annoying.”
“I know.We all know.What does he want you to do?”
“Sing publicly and professionally.You know that’s against my people’s beliefs.”
“Yeah, nothing to gain you attention for profit.It’s a weird rule.”
“We can all enthrall our audiences if we try.Therein lies a supervillain in the making.And we have had sirens take over entire communities, so now it is punishable by death.”
Zera blinked.“Well, fuck.”
“Indeed.My parents raised me right, so I just protect people and work in a kitchen.It’s a good life.Since I hauled my buddy with me, we are both having fun away from home.”
Zera frowned.“Wait.Why didn’t I know you had a buddy?”
Lalli chuckled.“Because we didn’t make a big thing about it.We chose different occupations but get together a few times a month.That’s one of the rules of living away from home.We have to be able to support ourselves.”
“And she obviously doesn’t sing for a living.”
Lalli snorted.“No, she doesn’t.”
Lalli deliberately didn’t look toward the kids’ section, where a woman in an expensive gown was crouched to talk to a set of three earnest kids with their two older siblings.The woman lifted her head, pursed her lips, and bubbles filled with children’s stories began to float throughout the kids’ area.Breena was really good with kids.
Hever and Krix were wandering through the gathering, accepting congratulations.Lalli walked over and said, “Congratulations, you are both glowing with happiness.The dress was Khassi?”
Hever nodded.“She did me a huge favour, and I can’t believe the details she put into it, but yes.She even put my favourite colours in it.”
Lalli smiled at the black, deep green, crimson, and snowy white with accents of gold.“You look like the embodiment of the holidays.Perfect for the turn of a new year.Everything bright with promise.”
Krix smiled.“Thank you.You have a way with words.”
“Oh, yeah.Misspent youth in a library.”
Hever smiled.“She was my first friend when I joined Mom in her travels.She explained to me about the world and looking different and what it meant to others.When we went to Sethir, I knew what I had to do because she had warned me what would happen.”
Lalli smiled.“People can be funny if you look different.”
Hever blinked.“How many tattoos are you up to?”
“Forty-seven.I have to go back for a few more.”
