Through the coming days the pair continued to try and find what the child should eat, Myria remaining unconvinced that it didn’t. That was not how dragons worked. While she was unaware that she was correct, both of them were aware that they were probably making fools of themselves. They didn’t eat, they didn’t drink- and in trying they had only seemed to amuse Nazoc.
The little dragon would bring them things, and they would ‘eat’ them. Berries and thorny plants- Telyn ate a whole barrel cactus once, and Myria ate a small handful of rocks, pretending the different colors had different flavors.
Nazoc never laughed or giggled the way that they would’ve expected a dragon to do, but the little stridulating chirp and a shivering of his headfins seemed to convey the amusement. Still, they did not see him eat.
Deep in the desert, they knew where one lived who might know. A merchant with enough abilities to likely guide the wanderers, and one who seemed to live alone enough that it was unlikely they’d face trouble they couldn’t escape.
“Well now, it’s not every day I see families out here.” The spiral purred as they entered her shop. A ‘shop’ carved out from a sandstone boulder, with an extension on one side of colorful fabric, and all manner of jewelry hanging from the cloth wall.
Myria bowed her head, and gently pushed Nazoc forward. “We have heard your reputation, and hope to seek your council.”
“Council? Oh, I’m not sure that you’ve heard the right reputation. I don’t really offer advice. Only... hope.” She ran her claw along the silver chain of a pendant.
“We do not need hope, we need to know what a child like this eats.”
Looking between the very odd ‘fae’ and the very odd ‘skydancer’, Wealthy could only give a confused smile. “... Yes, I’m quite sure you’re in the wrong place, dear, but probably your... child... there... eats insects. Like me.” Though she was perhaps a bit nervous to liken anything with an exoskeleton to herself. Still she dug through one of her own chests to pull out some candied grubs to offer the little one.
Without hesitation Nazoc scuttled forward to eat them from her hand- his mandibles lifting from the side of his face to eat them. A chirping sort of purr escaped him, and he fanned out his headfins.
“... You’re welcome, little one. ...” Becoming more uncomfortable as she looked up to the unblinking stare of the two ‘parents’. “Would. You like to buy some insects, then? It’s not really what I sell, here, but this far in the desert they’re much easier to find than meat.”
Packing up as much as she could bear to part with, Wealthy hands over a couple large bags of insects.
“What do we pay you with?” Telyn asked with a tip of his head, and continued unblinking eyes.
Seeing an opportunity, however, Wealthy smiled. “A dream.”
The trio left with Nazoc’s food, and Wealthy hung a new sapphire tailjewel on her wall. Interesting.
First || Second || Third || >>Fourth
“Don’t look now.” || Beetle Son || The merchant
