Flightless Bird

Better to clip our wings than to fly free into a storm.

[flywithabrokenwing]

↳An Air's Got to Eat [for Miraj]

[flywithabrokenwing]

Rana watched her brother’s face after she finished speaking. His brow furrowed and mouth turned downward. She knew that he wouldn’t take her news well. There wasn’t a reason for him to not react negatively. However, if she had been an Earth then he might have been proud of her achievement. Being asked to perform for royalty was a very high honor. Dancing at the new king’s coronation would be an even higher one. She was sure there were girls who would do anything to be in the position she was in.

Her eyelids lowered and she mirrored his action of crossing his arms. “Regardless of if you think there’s more to it, do you think you can stop me from going? You don’t have to let me go.” Rana stared at Miraj for a good long moment, challenging him to find a way to make her unable to go. There was no way she was not going to go just because Miraj said no.

This was something she wanted to do and had already set her mind on. Good luck trying to talk her out of going.

After a while of silence the waitress finally arrived back at their table with food. Rana slowly broke eye contact with her brother as his attention also turned toward the girl.

“Here you two are” the waitress said as she set the turkey sandwich on the table in front of Rana and the hand pies in front of Miraj. “Now, if there’s anything else you need just let me know.”

“Thanks” Rana said as she shifted in her seat, leaning forward to be closer to her food. She examined both halves of the sandwich before deciding on one and picking it up to take a bite. As she chewed, she relaxed her hands and let her arms rest on the edge of the table.

She didn’t speak again until the waitress was out of earshot and most of the food was gone from her mouth. “I know nothing I say is going to help, but I’m not stupid. I know what I’m doing and what I’m getting myself into. I’m not going just so I can wreak havoc and extract my revenge” she said with a small roll of her eyes. “Seriously Miraj, what do you think I’m going to do?”

[chinupeyesdown]

Tension had crawled its way up from Miraj's tailbone, along his back, across his shoulders, into his neck and forward through his jaw, which clenched tight.  His squat nostrils flared.  "And what exactly is this plan of yours, then?  You say you 'know what you're doing,' so what exactly is that?  Tell me.  I would love to hear it."  He grabbed a hand pie and took a bit bite, some of the filling escaping onto his chin.

Cursing, he wiped his mouth on his arm, then wiped his arm on his pants.  He'd need to wash them when he got home, anyway.  "Because I have no idea.  All I know is that you're sure as the sun rises hot and early not intending to go there, enjoy the 'honor' of dancing for the King, and come home."

The glare with which he fixed his sister held for several seconds more before he turned it to the window instead, muscled arms folding across his chest.  "You know how dangerous this is, right?  They could catch you, lock you up, kill you.  And then, either they come for me or they don't, but either way I'll lose my sister.  But you don't care about that.  You just do whatever you please."

Raising his sister had been difficult.  But, if nothing else, he'd never been completely alone.  Without her, who was he?  What was he working toward?  And why?  Rana was the reason he worked so hard.  

He wasn't offended that she wasn't satisfied with the meager life they'd scraped together.  That only made him work harder still to try to improve it in any way he could.  But that she would put herself at such risk....

And she didn't even know the half of it.

[margot-of-night-vale-blog]

Ask the mun questions about their muse. Fill up ask boxes!

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[flywithabrokenwing]

↳An Air's Got to Eat [for Miraj]

[chinupeyesdown]

Miraj thought there was something more to say about wealthy women and their dresses and their “daddies.”  About the fact that they should learn to let themselves laugh through the stress and strain of their own daily lives.  That maybe if Rana allowed herself to find happiness in something small, she wouldn’t be quite so bitter toward those who had so much more than they did.  And if Rana was happy, he would be happy.  That much seemed clear as the bells that tolled for the upcoming coronation.

The appearance of the waitress wiped his mind briefly clean, however, of saying any of those things (and probably for the best, as Rana had never been the calmest listener to suggestions like those).

“I…oh,” he sighed, scratching the back of his head as his eyes swept the menu before he cleared his throat and looked up again, lips spreading in a broad grin.  "I’ll have one pheasant handpie, and one raspberry?  And maybe ah…whatever the special is today, for the third one?“

The waitress chuckled at him and gently gave him a pat on the cheek, charmed by his heavy appetite, then collected their menus and left them there to deal with each other alone once more.  Miraj could tell by Rana’s presentation–right down to the way that she /breathed/–that she had something on her mind.  He took a breath, then let out a heavy, rough sigh, eyes fixing hard upon his sister.

“Well?” he asked insistently.  "Come on.  Out with it.  If you think waiting until we eat is going to help, you’re wrong.  Instead I’ll just be even more nervous about whatever it is you’re not telling me.“  He kicked her foot under the table and took a sip of water.

[flywithabrokenwing]

As soon as Miraj’s foot hit hers, Rana kicked his back. She frowned and furrowed her brow before speaking. “It’ll definitely help the purpose of the food you just ordered.” Although, she knew that her brother wasn’t one to go about wasting food. Even if he wasn’t able to eat it at that exact moment, he would definitely save it for later. He did just order some hand pies, which would be easy for him to pack up and bring with. She assumed it would have to be something extremely dire for him not to eat.

Her pale green eyes turned away from her brother as she thought of the best way to bring up what was on her mind. If she just blatantly went out and said exactly what she was going to do and the purpose, he would kill her. At least if she built up to it his anger and worry wouldn’t be quite as bad. And, of course, it wouldn’t hurt to keep a couple of small details from him.

“Sooo…” she dragged out the word longer than it needed to be, stopping once her eyes dropped back to Miraj. “Of course you know about the upcoming coronation, and how to royals are going to have a lot of entertainment during their after party thing” she said before taking a few large swallows of the water in front of her. “Well, one of the dance schools they invited people to perform was the one I’ve been going to for a while. Sorry I didn’t tell you about that by the way. But anyway, I’m going to perform with a bunch of other dancers there.”

Rana knew that her brother wouldn’t take well to knowing she was going to be so close to the royal family.  She was going within the grounds of the royal palace, and that was extremely dangerous for an Air. But it wasn’t as though she was going to go in there and start making a wind tunnel just to fuck everything up. She also knew that it was best to at least tell him, even if it didn’t react favorably.

In another part of her mind, she wondered how he would react to finding out she’s been learning dance. Would he even believe her? Who knew?

“And before you ask, no one in the dance group even knows who I am. So I’ll be fine.”

[chinupeyesdown]

The longer Miraj listened, the nearer together his brassy red brows knit.

Apparently, Rana had been secretly attending dance lessons at a school that just happened to have been invited to perform at the palace following the coronation ceremony that week.  It was the sort of thing that an outsider might have found odd, sure, though if they'd known Rana's status as an Air, perhaps they wouldn't have been terribly shocked that she'd hide such intentions from her worry-wort brother.

But Miraj knew his sister.

His eyes narrowed; his nostrils flared.  His mouth pressed downward with upperlip faintly overlapping the lower in the way it typically did when he just wasn't buying what she was trying to sell him.  He blinked twice, almost sleepily, then said, "I wasn't going to ask that," in a flat tone.

His sister was and had ever been smarter than he was.  Reckless, yes, but smart.  She wouldn't reveal her status to the members of a dance troupe that she was clearly using to get into the palace.  But why?

His arms folded across his lean chest. "I don't know what you're playing at, but there's no way I'm going to let you do it."

[flywithabrokenwing]

↳An Air's Got to Eat [for Miraj]

[flywithabrokenwing]

Rana shrugged when Miraj said he’ll wait to order. Her eyes turned down to the menu that had been placed in front of her and she lifted it up, opening it to scan the different items. She wondered if she should go with something heavy or light. Probably the latter. Her stomach and wallet didn’t seem up for something that would weigh her down.

Upon hearing her brother’s voice again jade eyes slowly drew up to look at him as she lowered her menu. She watched him for a moment before shrugging. “Yeah, let’s go with that. They laugh like there’s not a care in the world” she said as she let go of the menu with one hand and drew it outward in a wide, open gesture. Her eyes closed for a moment before she opened one to peek at her brother, a smirk on her lips. Finally, after a couple of seconds, she put her hand back onto the menu and pulled it closer to her so she could take another good look. “Except for which dress daddy should buy them. The blue one or the purple one?” she mumbled the comment, letting a huff of a laugh leave her.

She knew that her brother was right, in a way. And honestly, she couldn’t remember the last time that she laughed. Not a polite or sarcastic laugh, but a genuine laugh that came naturally. Perhaps she lost that ability when she was younger. Her laughter was stolen from her.

Rana remained silent while she searched the menu. Only once she decided on what she was going to order did she set down the menu and speak up. “I’m good to order. What about you?” Before he could answer, the waitress returned with glasses of water and asked if they knew what they wanted yet. “I’ll have the turkey sandwich” she responded. The waitress scribbled something down on a small notepad before turning her attention to Miraj.

As her brother made his order she pushed her menu toward the waitress so that she could grab both of them as she left. As she left, Rana sighed and stretched her arms before leaning back into the seat. She glanced at her brother for a moment, seeming to contemplate something before turning her eyes away. It was obvious that she wanted to bring something up, and she definitely would, but she wanted them to eat first.

There was no doubt in her mind that she would end up upsetting her brother. And if she did do before they got their food, he wouldn’t be able to eat.

[chinupeyesdown]

Miraj thought there was something more to say about wealthy women and their dresses and their "daddies."  About the fact that they should learn to let themselves laugh through the stress and strain of their own daily lives.  That maybe if Rana allowed herself to find happiness in something small, she wouldn't be quite so bitter toward those who had so much more than they did.  And if Rana was happy, he would be happy.  That much seemed clear as the bells that tolled for the upcoming coronation.

The appearance of the waitress wiped his mind briefly clean, however, of saying any of those things (and probably for the best, as Rana had never been the calmest listener to suggestions like those).

"I...oh," he sighed, scratching the back of his head as his eyes swept the menu before he cleared his throat and looked up again, lips spreading in a broad grin.  "I'll have one pheasant handpie, and one raspberry?  And maybe ah...whatever the special is today, for the third one?"

The waitress chuckled at him and gently gave him a pat on the cheek, charmed by his heavy appetite, then collected their menus and left them there to deal with each other alone once more.  Miraj could tell by Rana's presentation--right down to the way that she /breathed/--that she had something on her mind.  He took a breath, then let out a heavy, rough sigh, eyes fixing hard upon his sister.

"Well?" he asked insistently.  "Come on.  Out with it.  If you think waiting until we eat is going to help, you're wrong.  Instead I'll just be even more nervous about whatever it is you're not telling me."  He kicked her foot under the table and took a sip of water.

[chinupeyesdown]

✿ ♆ ✚

Send ✿ for a happy memory.

His mother and father singing in unison, their voices twined together like a spell, as they put him to sleep.

He can't remember what they looked like anymore.  Not really.  He has pictures in his mind but were he to see a portrait of them he imagined it would look different.  He can't remember his nursery or his crib or his nursemaids.

He can't remember what their voices sounded like, speaking normally.

But he can remember the singing.  Just a few notes.  

Send ♆ for something my muse hates.

Leeches.  Worse than figs, even.  Sometimes in monsoon season, the market streets flood and fill with mud, and as though having sodden shoes weren't bad enough, his legs come out of the flooded areas covered in leeches.  Awful.

Send ✚ for one of my muse’s prized possessions.

Miraj has, in his pocket, a small gold button.  If he sold it, it may buy them a few meals.  He's a practical young man but he's never been able to muster up the courage to get rid of it.

It's one other little memory he has.  It was from his father's tunic.  He always used to play with it, as a baby, and was scolded to stop as he got a little older.  But when they were led into the castle to meet the Earth King, his father knelt, ripped the button from his jacket, and handed it to Miraj.

He'd pocketed it.  And had carried it ever since.

[chinupeyesdown]

➷, ღ, ♆

Send ➷ for a sports headcanon.

Miraj is fit and built athletically, but that doesn’t translate to prowess in sports.  Sports required some sort of coordination.  Miraj had been invited, once, to kick a ball around with some of the other kids that lived on the market street.

There was a reason he was only invited the one time.

Send ღ for a crush my muse has had.

Miraj has had several crushes in the course of his life.  Many of them on women with whom he’s never spoken.  A few autumns ago, he and the girl who manned the apple cart went on a date.  It had been cut short when word hit the street that the authorities knew about a pair of airs hiding out.  Out of fear they were looking for him, Miraj had abandoned his date.

He’d never seen her again, but rumor has it she and her sister had been dragged off by the guards that day.  Airs, the both of them.

Send ♆ for something my muse hates.

Figs.  They aren’t sweet and they aren’t tart.  They were supposed to be fruit, but to him they tasted like cloying blandness.  Like sucking on a rag that had been dipped in sugar water, but it still mostly tasted like a rag.

[inboxstuff]

Send me symbols to learn more about my muse

Send ✚ for one of my muse’s prized possessions. Send ✿ for a happy memory. Send ➷ for a sports headcanon. Send ♆ for something my muse hates. Send ϡ for a sleep headcanon. Send ღ for a crush my muse has had. Send ✄ for a favourite movie (play?) of my muse’s. Send ☂ for a weather headcanon. Send ✎ for a school headcanon.

[flywithabrokenwing]

↳An Air's Got to Eat [for Miraj]

[flywithabrokenwing]

“I know for sure I’ve got enough money for myself to eat at the pub” Rana told her brother as he picked up his rickshaw and they started to walk back to their guardian’s shop so they could drop it off. She remained relatively quiet on their way there. It wasn’t until they arrived, Miraj dropped off his cart, returned to her and then they began walking to the pub that she spoke again.

The idea of Miraj thinking that she sounded jealous about the other women made her roll her eyes. “By the way, what is it that you think I’m jealous of with those women before? Their clothing that makes it almost impossible to breathe? Or perhaps the ton of layers that they sweat through on scalding hot days? I’d much prefer my thinner clothing, thank you very much” she said with a light huff at the end. Sure, they might be able to afford beautiful items, but that wasn’t anything Rana was ever really envious of. It was true that money was always an issue, but they did get by. If only barely. And with the help of their guardian.

Having a bit more money might be nice, but that was not why she would be jealous of them. The only thing she was jealous of…was their freedom. They didn’t live under constant fear of someone finding out what they really were. There wasn’t a risk of them being run out of town. Or thrown into jail for the smallest reason. Or being killed for something as small as hitting a noble Earth who harmed them first.

If Rana was jealous of them, that was the only reason. But she highly doubted her brother made the comment with that specific reason in mind.

When they reached the pub, she walked into the building and glanced around for a small empty table. It wasn’t quite as busy as she knew it would get later that night, so they were able to seat themselves and not have to wait for a table to clear up. Setting her eyes on a table with only two chairs near the window she walked over to it and sat down in one of the seats, knowing that her brother would follow. Almost as soon as both of them were seated a waitress came over and set down two menus for them. “Hello, you two. Did know what you wanted, or did you need some time?” she asked with a polite smile.

“I don’t quite know, but Miraj might. I will take a glass of water though” Rana responded to the waitress. She knew that her brother often got the same items to eat. However, she much preferred to try something different.

[chinupeyesdown]

Miraj's eyes rolled in his head. "Calm down," he said flatly, though he knew that phrase was only likely to rile his sister up further. Fortunately, she appeared focused on her own musings and did not respond, giving him time in silence to consider an answer to her question.

What was she jealous of?

Inside the familiar walls of the pub and in their oft-used booth, Miraj awaited his chance to respond, nodding politely at the waitress. "I'll wait to put my order in."

Once she'd walked away, he said it.

"Their giggling." He said. "Their laughter, I mean. That they laugh so easily. About nothing."

That they had so many things to laugh about; or so little to cry over. He often heard intrigues trickled down from on high while manning his rickshaw, about some lord or lady who had been unfaithful or had stolen this or that. Stolen. As though they had anything to want for.

Miraj had come to the realization that the reason the wealthy did any of the silly things they did was because they could. Because they were bored. They had nothing better to do. Their lives were that much free of concern.

And so they could laugh at everything, or nothing. They could laugh.

The girl who ran her family's applecart in the autumn had once scoffed at the wealthy ladies in the market. "Their laughter is so false," she'd told him. But it didn't seem fake at all to Miraj. It sounded as free and real as birdsongs, ready to fly.

Ironic that the Earths were the ones who could sing and take wing like birds.

[flywithabrokenwing]

↳An Air's Got to Eat [for Miraj]

[flywithabrokenwing]

“It might not be creepy to you, but to them it would be. Think about it. If they turned around and saw some random guy on the street staring at them? You might not be following them, but they don’t know that. And I’m sure that plenty of them are arrogant enough to think that some guy would gladly follow them around just to get a glimpse” Rana said, rolling her eyes at the last sentence. That was especially true of the high class females. They always tended to be full of themselves, giggling when a rich handsome male paid any mind to them but becoming vicious and bitchy when anyone else looked at them.

She let out a light, airy snort as she turned her eyes completely away from the people in the park. “And you know if they got really annoyed they would find some law or loop hole to get you thrown in jail. Or something… Especially if they found out what you are.” She mumbled the last sentence, sending a glare toward the park before starting to walk forward again.

Miraj took up her offer to go and get food. Now all they needed to do was find someplace to sit down and eat. Rana didn’t mind eating alone, but it was always nice to occasionally eat with her brother. And she was sure that they both could use the food. The only thing now was to find a place that would be comfortable to eat at. She wasn’t about to go to any kind of restaurant and risk having some asshole Earths there. She wasn’t one to sit and listen to the bigoted speech of the “better” race.

“Was there any place in particular you wanted to go? Or would that small cheap pub we usually go to be okay?” She shifted her eyes toward her brother as she spoke, waiting for his answer. The pub was comfortable, but it was nice to try a new place every so often. At least that way they knew whether or not it was a good place to go.

[chinupeyesdown]

"'Just to get a glimpse'?" Miraj snorted back at his sister in disbelief, a dramatic roll of his eyes following the words. "A glimpse of what? Their skirts moving? It isn't as though they dress revealingly, and I think they themselves are well aware of that fact." His scowl was replaced by smugness as he idly shoved his little sister and leaned toward her. "You know, much as you pick them all apart, it makes you sound /very/ jealous. I hope you realize that."

As his sister was asking where he wanted to go, he was already taking his rickshaw in hands again, intending to put it safely away for the evening prior to filling their stomachs.

"Well, do we have enough money to eat sit-down? If not, I vote we get hand pies." Madame Mowyn's Hand Pies cart was located one block down the street from where they lived, was cheap, and therefore was a staple of their diets any time they actually ate out. Granted, Miraj was more than happy to eat the same food every day, but his sister tended to prefer a little more variety.

The pub was another fine suggestion, however. It was the cheapest sit-down accommodation in the area, after all, and though no one there knew on glance whether patrons might be Airs, Miraj had heard that the owner of the establishment was favorable and sympathetic to the plight of the less "desirable" race, which despite secrecy withstanding, made Miraj a little more comfortable to dine there.

"Pub's fine, yeah," he said, sounding mildly uncertain despite his words as he dove one hand into his pocket and drew out his day's earnings, before giving a more confident. "Yeah, let's just drop this--" he jiggled the handles of the rickshaw, "--off and go."

[flywithabrokenwing]

↳An Air's Got to Eat [for Miraj]

[flywithabrokenwing]

The feeling of a small, light object hitting her calf drew Rana’s attention downward as she stopped walking. Her eyes moved away from what had hit her and moved toward where it came from. Just as she locked her eyes on the source an unamused look played across her features. “I did work, actually” she told her brother as she began walking closer to him, stopping when she was only a couple of feet away.  One of her hands found its way onto her hip and she glanced toward the park across from him. “Did you do anything besides sit and watch women from the shadows?” she asked, allowing her pale green eyes to settle back on her brother as a light smirk appeared on her lips.

“You know, it probably wouldn’t be quite as creepy if you actually talked to some of them every once in a while. What if someone starts to think you’re stalking them?” Her eyes moved away from her brother once again. “We don’t need that kind of trouble” she sighed, closing her eyelids and shaking her head. She remained silent for a few moments before opening one of her eyes and glancing down at Miraj. She smirked again and allowed both of her eyes to open.

“We’re you just taking a break from carrying people around, or were you done for the day? I was just on my way to grab something to eat if you wanted to join me.” She wondered how much he had eaten in the day. Hopefully enough to keep him going throughout the day. However, he was usually good at taking care of his body. Especially if the weather was going to be bad outside. Although, she did know he liked to push his luck at times. But so did she.

[chinupeyesdown]

"Very funny," Miraj replied drily though his face flushed at having his hobby pointed out and teased by his sister. "Yeah, you know. I just take my rickshaw around with me for fun and then don't use it. Not a pain in the ass at all." At the mention that said habit was creepy, he scowled and followed after her, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no part of his rickshaw was in anyone's way and to gauge how far away from it he was allowing himself to get, not wanting someone to come and steal it.

"It isn't creepy in the first place," the air insisted, "in order to be a stalker I would have to be keeping tabs on a specific one, or a couple of specific ones, right? I'm not. I don't know where they live or who they are. I just like to watch them giggling at each other, is that so weird?"

Rolling his eyes, Miraj waved dismissive and exhausted hands at his sister and made his way back to his cart, sitting down beside it again, though her following words told him he'd be standing again very soon. "I'm done I think," he sighed, rubbing a raw palm over his sweaty, salty face. He could feel a bit of dirt rubbing into the creases of his nostrils, gritty and fine, but he ignored it for the moment and instead nodded in cconfirmation, standing up once more. "Food sounds good."

It usually did, but that was beside the point.

[flywithabrokenwing]

↳An Air's Got to Eat [for Miraj]

With another sunrise, came another day. The sunlight leaked through the curtains covering the window in Rana’s room. Just by looking at the curtains it was evident that they were handmade. The fabric used was thin and allowed the light to pass through its threads. However, the main problem was that they were not the same size. One was a couple of inches wider than the other, causing them to meet closer to the right side of the window. The other issue with them was that they didn’t touch. There was a space between them that allowed the light to shine through and land on the bed.

Rana tried her best to get as much sleep as possible, but when the line of light hit her pillow and she began hearing the hustling and bustling of people outside she knew it was time she got up. The sounds of people outside were louder with her window open a crack. At times it was better to keep it closed depending on the rain or how much dust was being picked up by people and carts. However, she enjoyed the breeze. Her room felt extremely stuffy and twice as small as it actually was –and it was a very small room- when the window was closed.

Throwing the blankets off of herself, she sat up and swung her feet off of the bed. She sat there for a couple of moments as she stretched before standing up. Walking over to the window, she opened the curtains and glanced outside. People were in full swing and ready for the day. It was definitely morning, but it wasn’t the crack of dawn. She knew that her brother, Miraj, must have already woken up and went to work. She wondered what he would be doing for the day. His work always varied. He appeared to enjoy doing odd end jobs. Perhaps it was a way to keep himself busy?

She turned her attention away from the window and to the tiny dresser where she kept her clothes. Grabbing an outfit for the day, she opened her door and walked across the hallway to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, being conscious of how much water she was using, and finished using the bathroom by brushing her teeth and hair. It didn’t take her long to put on her clothes and walk back into her room. She tossed her pajamas onto her bed and slipped her feet into her boots. As she walked down the hall she paused to lift up one foot and pull the boot all the way on before taking a step and repeating the process with the other one.

While Rana might have picked up an odd job when it was requested of her –which was a very rare occurrence- she mostly just worked in the shop under where she and her brother lived. The entire small building was owned by their guardian. He was their parent’s friend. And while he was always patient and kind, Rana wondered if he ever felt that she and Miraj were a burden. They were getting to the age where it might be easier for them to get their own place, at least to ease the strain it was putting on their guardian. Although, it wouldn’t be as simple as they might like it to be. Living space in the capital was expensive. And living alone always posed its own dangerous risks. Especially if anyone found out their race.

Once she was down stairs she entered the shop from the back and greeted the owner before getting right to work.

The work day was rather dull, and by the time Rana’s shift was over there wasn’t much else to do. She spent a lot of time cleaning and straightening up. “I won’t be out too long, I’m just going to find something to eat and then I should be back” she told her guardian with a smile before walking out of the building and onto the street. She hadn’t seen her brother all day, which meant he was definitely busy. Rana wondered what time he would get home, she hoped he wouldn’t be out too late. He needed rest just like anyone else.

A light sigh left her as she walked past a small stall and glanced at a few of the restaurants she passed. Most of the restaurants on the street she knew, but occasionally one would shut down and another would take its place. It always depended on how well the place did. And which one Rana chose to eat at always depended on the atmosphere. She wasn’t about to sit and eat somewhere that Earths went to loudly belittle Airs.

[chinupeyesdown]

Miraj had been up before dawn. He preferred it that way, as he could get some work in before the oppressive and inescapable presence of the sun made every little task just that much more unpleasant.

Operating a rickshaw was good coin in the capitol, but sweaty, gritty hands and shoulders made his cart's wooden handles either painstakingly difficult to hold onto or torturously rough. Years of physical labor left him with his health and resillience and plenty of callouses to protect his hands, yet a tiny stone caught in the wood grain on his right grip could tear his palm as though for the first time.

And it had.

At sunset Miraj sat beside his cart, the harness he wore for it slung over the posts to indicate that he was taking a break, and worked rough fingertips against rougher palm, pushing the sharp little stone out from beneath his skin.

He had not chosen to sit where he was accidentally, as evidenced by the many glances up from his hands made toward the park across the way, where a couple of lovely young Earth women were having a picnic, laughing every ten minutes as though the world were full of nothing but joy and there simply weren't enough hours in the day for them to cover all they needed to laugh about.

The tension melted from beneath his cocoa-freckled caramel features to be replaced by wistfulness the longer he watched them.

Some took baths or played games or listened to birds to calm themselves down after a long day. Miraj liked to watch people--women, in particular. His sister often told him that it was a creepy habit, but he wasn't watching them /lewdly/. He simply found a wonder in the way they moved and behaved. The exception, of course, was the one who had just stepped into the street in his line of vision. He whistled sharply, throwing the bloody pebble he'd pulled from his hand at his sister. It was too small to sail true, but brushed her calf. "Did you even work today?" he called out to her for a bit of insurance to get her attention on the chance the pebble was ignored.

[chinupeyesdown]

[chinupeyesdown]

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Nowhere.  I think it's best we stay right where we are.