Guess who got stuck doing nothing?

Did you guess me? You did? Good. You win nothing. Just like I did.

Gods above, does it have to be so hot?! I mean, sure, I know it's a desert and all, but come on! The sun had reached well and overhead by the time anything else happened. And even that? Jeeze, I know I might not have been moving much, but I felt like I was sweating up a storm!

Soon enough, my new mother came over and set down her basket, picking me on up again and grinning though. "Oh heya there! You are doing so good!~ Hanging out and playing while your Momma works~ Precious little Cinder~"

Hey! I'm more than precious, I'm me! And bored! Words are fine, but it's boring after a while! I mean, sure, it's not like there's a lot else to do at the moment, but the point stands!

Still though, when she picked me up and scratched my chin? Anyone woulda wagged their tail at that! Just natural when it's comfy like that okay?!

She smiled and laughed at that, her rusty void echoing as she helped heft me up onto her back. A pat to help me stay stable, and off we went again! Heh, finally! Actually get a move on to see some more of the town!

At least that was my hope. But,no. No such luck. My new mother was more than happy to follow a few others and continue walking on back out into the desert sands, further on out over the dunes. And, more than a few folks came with us actually. Not everyone by the looks of it. But a fair few.

On down the dunes on back to a little central building. Thick heavy adobe walls rose to a peaked roof, a few small vents seen dotting along it. But, soon as we got close enough to it? I could smell it.

Food~

Something thick. Something heavy and that just smelled... good. Almost with a bit of a kick to it? Yeah, certainly with a bit of a kick! I sneezed, confirming as much!

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry honey, just taking a lunch break for a bit is all~" The soothing, chiding voice of my new mother lulled on back. Ah, right on the money then with food.

Wait, hang on. Lunch break? They're going back on out there after this? Ughh.... gross! Gross gross gross. I mean, sure. It's work. It's not meant to be fun. It's not meant to be easy. But it's just....

Sitting there!

Literally waiting for time to pass!

Well, that and rambling a bit, but still!

Fine then, I huffed a bit and just thumped my head back into her back with a sigh. Fine. Would at least get some more enunciation practice. Lacking a soft pallet is hell.

On back into the building she carried me, and the building itself was... pretty plain actually. A few steps down, the roof doming on up above us with a few wooden struts, and simple wooden tables and benches littering about the place. On to a side, a little strip of counters, a few Mahun behind serving what looked like stew.

Actually, hang on... Mahun?

Yeah.... now that I look about it, there actually are a few of them on around here, even despite the heat! They looked to be kitted out with some simple light clothing on like the rest of us. But it looked... .bulky?

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Woah, wait! That guy, over there with the others! He's got a sword even! That's...!

That's.... pretty normal? I guess?

No one else seemed to be reacting at least. Least of all my new mom.

Nah, she just went on through the line, snagging a bowl of this.... thick brothy paste. Might look like brown sludge, but the smell? Mhmm! Smells good enough to eat! Hopefully.

... Might be a bit peckish okay?

Seat snagged, and on to another bench, she plopped herself down with just a heavy groan. Much to the other's laughter. Seems lunch wouldn't be quite alone as I imagined! Granted, with the proximity for others, made sense...

"Oh come on Myrtle! It's not that bad, first day with the kid is the easiest!" A booming voice came from the side, a tall lizard, er, Nyarel nodding on back to my new mom. "Still fresh, still exciting! It's when they get bored and can ask questions, that's the toughie!"

"Oh, nothing like that. Just," she turned her head back to me, now slung on more to her side and held close. "She's just quiet is all. Sure, Sybil was loud and obnoxious but Cinder..."

Big baleful eyes turned back to me as she ate. Just a few spoonfuls at a time, the rest of the hall seeming to ramble and chatter on.

Me? Had... Had I done something wrong? I was just trying to not be a pain! Let people poke and prod and bother and just move on, right? Why did she look to me so....

Worried?

Did she expect me to be more of a problem? I mean, sure I'm a baby right now, but being reincarnated means I'm not just going to just.... Wait.

Right. She didn't know I was reincarnated. To her, I was just.... a kid.

A quiet kid at that.

"Sorry..."

The word just.... kinda slipped out there before I thought about it. And the effect? Well... I'm sorta glad I said it quietly is all.

My new mom just looked at me confused for a second. Concerned again, and then just.... confused as she looked back to me. Soup like slurry forgotten for a bit as I took too much of her attention.

"What...? Did.... Cinder? She just, did you...?"

Okay. How do I handle this.

I can either, one, pretend and babble something stupid. Pretending I didn't just say something at a brand spanking newborn. Have my new mom doubt herself, question what's happening, and hope that she thinks she was just hearing things.

You know. Lie.

Or.... I could outst myself here and now. Fresh and defenseless in a world that might be a lot worse than the one I came from. Potentially scare her with the truth.

I.... Just looked back to her for a moment. My little hand raised, claws wiggling as I waved on back up to her, an attempt at a smile given.

"H-hiya..."

My mother said she would have to take the rest of the day off.

Hustled on up, holding me in her arms as she set on back out of the hall. Food left behind and seemingly forgotten.

By her at least. Smelled good to me. I'm hungry alright?

But, seems my words, few as they were, had some sort of impact. Whether her dashing through the dunes on back to town was a good thing or a bad thing though....

Well...

I'm hoping it's a good thing.

She has that worried... sorta scared look in her eyes though. Less like something unexplainable and good was happening. And much more something unexplainable and bad. Or worse, it had an explanation.

Shoot, Had I shot myself in the foot already?!

Yup. Yup, that's a mistake.

Back on into town, she rushed on down the streets, wandering down thin paths and back where the ground turned sandy behind the walls. Twisting and turning and winding on back past small earthen huts and homely wooden structures. On down and around till she slowed, panting. A hand loosed, pressing into the wall as she held me close and tight. Shivering.

Shoot.... Shoot! I'd messed up. Messed up big time. Now she's just gonna drop and abandon me and it's going to be all sorts of terrible! Going to die before I even get to live and jus-

"Hello?"

A different voice cut through the fog. The confusion and worry that had become abundant over that run. A smooth quiet voice, calm and slow..

The owner of it, a thin looking Nyrael peeked on out the door. The.... door. Right. It wasn't quite a wall my new mother had been leaning on. A door.

When his eyes fell back on her, he cracked his maw open wide with a smile. Especially as he saw me. "Oh! Myrtle! Congratulations on the little girl. I was just wondering when she-"

"Taloks, I need help." She cut him off, looking on back down to him with the sound of desperation in her voice. She didn't grip me any harder, but the hold was.... I could feel it. The pulse of her arms as she just held me. Trying. Holding on

This.... Taloks fella though? He just smiled, a softened, elderly look to him. Irritating though, he didn't even look as old as my mom!

"Myrtle, relax. You've raised kids before. Even if she was hatched with the Warming Stone, you're still a perfectly-"

"She talked Taloks. Talked." She was shaking her head now, the soft rustle of scales clinking above me. "She talked! Not even a day and a half old and she...."

Now it was his turn to look a little puzzled. A tilt of his head, looking to her, then on back to me. "Talked? Well, that is something. But, I suppose some kids start earlier than others and-"

"It was clear, Taloks. I'm not talking baby babble. I'm talking, she was.... W-well..."

For the first time since she was eating, she looked back at me. Meeting my eyes. Asking silently to explain in but a word what she couldn't in many.

Shit....

I.... slowly turned my head on back up to this Nyarel. Tall, lithe, and with a wirey frame, as he clung to his door, only halfway peeking out, I couldn't help but feel, of all of us, he was the most reptilian.

And his eyes.... ugh. They looked at me so.... expectant? Curious? Just... felt... strange.

Still... She's counting on me.

"H-hello.... Talko.... Tah... Tal-oaks"

Shoot. That's a hell of a name.

Taloks though? He seemed to shocked! Delighted too if that wild grin had anything to say, but shocked too! "My word...."

His gaze lingered for a few moments, before he seemed to catch himself, grinning like a cat, even as my mom looked near mortified. "Right! Sorry, come in! Come in. There is much to discuss I imagine! In, in!"

A sweep of his hand, pushing back a curtain and... we ducked on in.