To be with the House of Light now reminds the boy all too keenly of what it was like to be with the House of Wolves before and of some times spent in the City since. He’s not oblivious to the way these strangers respond to him — the expressions they make, the ways they react to his appearance, to his scent, the looks some of them give him when they think he can’t see.
He feels exposed. Overwhelmed. Like he’s surrounded by eyes and teeth and seething hunger. Evris notices — gently suggests the child find somewhere quiet, and he’ll come find him when it’s time for bed.
So he hides, as he did when he was much younger. He takes to one of the buildings that appears empty in the hopes no one will be there. For a short while, at least, he’s alone.
Then he’s not. He hears footsteps and presses himself further into the corner he’s chosen and hopes whoever’s just entered will overlook him. Maybe, if he’d closed his eyes, he would’ve been lucky.
Instead Xariks shrinks into himself and wishes he’d stayed with Evris.
He recognizes the Eliksni in front of him from the first time he was brought to visit the Quarter. She’d been mean to Rook, like some of the City people had been mean to him, and he didn’t understand why. He still doesn’t.
It takes a moment to register what she says. He’s had to readjust to speaking Eliksni again, here, and the words take longer to process than they used to. Uncertainty and trepidation about the Eliksni in front of him don’t help.
“…Evris… Helping others…” the child murmurs meekly, gaze dropping as anxiety rises. “Should I… Leave?”
Seltras drew a deep breath of ether as the child fumbled with his Eliksni, tried not to let her frustration with his guardian bleed into her interactions with him, for what it was worth. How could that stupid Exo not see how not being with other Eliksni was affecting him? He was scrawny as a half fed Drekh, hardly able to speak their language anymore. And she dared call him her child?? More like a pet. It was only the vague nudge of common sense (and the fact that Misraakskel was in earshot) that kept the Eliksni medic from outright striking her.
She kept a hold on her patience as the boy shrank away, but offered no means of physical reassurance (that might just give him a heart attack). He finally speaks and she sighs again, a shimmer of ether visible in the dim light.
“No. It doesn’t look like you’ve done any harm hiding in here,” she said, glancing at the stored supplies. “As long as you keep out of the way, you can stay here until Evris comes to get you.”
She got to her feet and began putting away the boxes she’d brought in. Something nagged at her, even though she knew asking might just scuff her plating…
“Do you actually enjoy being with that Exo? She’s not here right now, you can tell the truth.”
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