Page 45 of Orange Town
“He was just asking me if I’m okay. And I told him yes.”
“You evensmiledat him,” he accused me.
I placed my hands on my hips, arms akimbo. Is he spoiling for a fight?
He looked down at me but I made myself poised as if I’m a head taller than him. My nose is probably way up in the air.
Roqs snorted. I lost it and I was laughing right there in the middle of the street. Everything is surreal.
I held my middle as I laughed out loud. I noticed Zirc’s tail swinging back and forth at a leisure pace. Okay, so he’s not so mad after all.
I stopped laughing and looked up. He had his put-upon face on. He sighed deeply and turned around, passing Roqs on the way. He is determined, it seems, to go to that weapons store. Amazing that they have swords and guns from what I can see. Even some similar medieval tools from our time.
Roqs has his amused face on. But at the same time, I noticed his eyes are a bit sad. I don’t know why so I went to him.
“You okay?” I asked and placed a hand on his arm.
He did not shake it off. Just raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
He placed a palm on top of my hand on his arm and turned me to walk towards Zirc.
“You seemed kind of sad,” I tried to make it like a joke. It’s so gentlemanly of him to match my stride with his while he held my hand.
“I see. Your kind are sensate as well?”
Senstate? Does he mean like sensitive?
“We can feel things. We are what you will call humans. I think you feel like me as well.”
“No. I mean you can see through a person.”
“Like an empath?” I asked and wondered if there’s a direct translation in their language.
He nodded. “Yes. Exactly.”
We stepped over the threshold and entered the shop.
Zirc saw how Roqs is still holding my hand. I raised my shoulder to indicatewhat can I do?
I saw Roqs’ reflection on a shiny shield and he was smiling.
Zirc shook his head and went back to perusing ammunition on a shelf.
I asked Roqs the one thing that bothered me. “Can you communicate through telepathy?”
We paused near the shield’s area. Now it’s like being surrounded by mirrors. In one of them, I can see Zirc glanced at us once, then went back to his shopping.
“Your kind cannot do that?”
Hmm. How to answer? Then again, what do I gain by lying? “No, we can’t.”
“But you can feel some emotions?”
“I - Yes, we do feel emotions. But an empath? Well, that’s not common where I came from. For me, I learned how to study people but I don’t think I’m that advanced. My being fem-”
He placed a finger on my lips. His finger is warm.
Right. I forgot. I can’t tell anyone I’m female.
