Harper dropped their hand with purse of their lips, disappointed. Harper loved making friends now that they had been here for a year. It was the only thing that relieved the pain of helplessness they felt over their mother.
“Mama told me not to get too close to town. They never saw nobody with a tail and pointy ears. They knew mama was a witch too. Didn’t help them looks feel any less evil. They looked at me like I were dangerous, vermin that they needed to squish.” Harper wiped a single tear from their cheek. They hated feeling that way. Every single blow made them sad.
“They chased me on the mountain and next thing I know, I’m here. My mama was sick and I was tryna get some herbs to make her feel better. I feel like she’s gone now, but I can’t get back to check.”
The disappointment went over Tip’s head, who was already on edge from even having to consider shaking a hand. But she did listen, her curiosity piqued. Cautious though she may be, Tip was never very good at containing feelings of enthusiasm, and was eager to learn in spite of nerves (and how apparently harrowing the story seemed).
“A witch...?” Tip repeated, under her breath, as Harper continued to speak. She was listening, but she had to interject with a quick thought. “Can’t you just--” Here, Tip made a vague gesture, first to herself, already partly concealed with a glamour, and then to Harper. “--You know, hide them?”
Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to suggest such things after the fact. Tip caught the glint of a tear just before Harper wiped it away. “Sorry about your mama,” Tip replied. “Do you think she left the mountain?”