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“You okay?” Bill asked, sitting down next to her.
“Long day,” she said, smiling gratefully at him.
A loud thump had her almost jumping out of her seat.
Kian had set his flagon down hard enough that it sloshed over the sides.
“Somebody’s hungry,” the sheriff joked pulling out a chair on the other side of Kinsley.
She instinctively pulled her chair slightly closer to Bill’s, not wanting to encourage the sheriff to get any ideas.
A sound that was almost like a growl came from across the table, but when she glanced over, she couldn’t tell where it had come from.
Lyslee and Avril were trying to hide their smiles though, so maybe it had been one of them. Kinsley had almost no knowledge of Grummish culture, but maybe growling was part of it.
The deputy began passing around the bowl of venison and a platter of what looked like some kind of rolls.
“They’re drinking Grummish brew,” Bill said quietly. “But it’s bitter for Terrans, so I’m having vino.”
He held out the wineskin in offering.
She nodded and watched as the purple liquid sluiced into her cup.
“That’s good,” she said quickly. “I just want a taste, to celebrate being home.”
“Home, eh?” Bill asked. “You’re committed to this, aren’t you?”
“This is where my daughter is,” she said simply. “Wherever she is will always be home.”
She could sense Kian’s eyes on her and looked up to find him studying her with a pensive expression.
“Your people don’t feel that way, do they?” Bill asked Kian politely.
“Hm?” Kian asked, glancing at the other man disdainfully.
“The Invicta,” Bill said. “Your homeland is important to you.”
“Of course,” Kian said brusquely. “That information is in every child’s history book.”
Bill nodded respectfully, then turned back to his food.
What a snob,Kinsley thought to herself.Just because he’s some sainted dragon warrior, doesn’t mean he can treat other people like dirt.
She cut a slice of venison and put it in her mouth.
It melted like butter, and she closed her eyes, savoring it.
“Do you like it?” the deputy asked quietly, leaning forward so he could see her from his place on the other side of the sheriff.
“It’s incredible,” she told him. “And the sauce. Is that really made from lichen?”
“When you’ve been here a bit longer, you’ll learn that we make as much as we can from lichen,” the deputy said with a friendly smile.
“Everything else has to be imported,” the sheriff laughed. “Like it or not, you’re going to beliken’ lichen.”
The deputy laughed politely, in a way that told Kinsley the joke had been made many times before.
Things warmed up after that, and though she was still hurting over Kian giving the Grummish girls so much of his attention, the savory meal was a worthy distraction.
