It was wonderful to see Ash, but all Nereyda wanted was a day alone with her little family. As they headed into the trees, Reyn kept a tight hold on Eli’s arm, her other wrapped around a giggling Nya. There plans to head into the city changed as they stepped through the gate and Reyn blanched, unable to handle the noise and bustling crowds.
I can’t. I just can’t.
“Noo,” her voice is so tiny, as her heels dug into the ground pulling at Elijah’s hand as she quaked, “E-eli nooo.”
As he stopped and looked at her she burrowed herself in his arms, Nya squealing in annoyance at being hugged so tightly. Nereyda shook her head back and forth, her free hand digging into his skin as she tried to push them out of the gate. Hiding in the bedroom suddenly looked so much more pleasing, or anything that wasn’t so loud and crowded, making the normally confident siren feel overwhelmed.
“Go b-back,” she whispered, shoving him back harder, “T-take me b-back.”
He obviously understood, wasting no time to pull her out of the gate and away from the city. The farther she walked, the more she relaxed under his arm wrapped around her slender shoulders. And the more she relaxed, the more sheepish she felt, knowing he had wanted to spoil her. And it hadn’t been a bad idea either, Reyn always loved getting new clothes and having her man all to herself. If anything could get her out of this draining mood, it was his undivided attention.
With a few soft spoken words, they decided to find a smaller town instead, where she could shop and not feel overwhelmed. There was one not too far off, and they were soon strolling through the streets, peering into shops. It was a fair sized town with a small courtyard in the center, circled by shops and an inn. The door jingled as she stepped into the first store with Nya while Eli finished his cigarette outside the door, immediately drawn to the colorful shirts on the right
“Hello,” a brunette entered from the back room, hips swaying seductively as she strolled over to Reyn, lips pursed, “Can I help you?”
She smiled and shook her head, holding off speaking due to the sound of her voice. The shopkeeper looked at her with a raised eyebrow like she was being rude, then down at Nya with a grimace before walking away. Picking out several shirts she liked, Reyn found her way to the back of the shop where a corner had made into a dressing room with a curved poled hanging from the wall holding a curtain. Stepping in and closing it, she placed Nya on the floor with her blankie, letting the almost four month old sit and giggle while the siren tried on shirts. As she pulled on the first shirt she heard the door jingle and peeked out, seeing Eli entering the store.
“Hello,” the shop keeper’s voice rung once again from the back room.
Returning to trying on clothes, she listened intently as the woman’s heels clicked into the main room, stopped, then continued straight for Elijah. Typical. Reyn held her tongue though, trying on a second shirt as she listened in.
“Can I help you find anything?” her voice had changed dramatically from a bored store owner to a sultry tone.
Rolling her eyes, Reyn pulled on the third shirt, smiling at her daughter as she opened the curtain and stepped out to look at herself in the long mirror beside the counter. It was a cute pink top the had a wide collar and looked nice on her. Turning her head slightly, the siren was able to glance at how Eli was faring with the brunette. The shop owner was trying to put the moves on Elijah, her breasts practically falling out of her low shirt now as she leaned over a rack, batting her lashes. Reyn opened her mouth to say something, but Nya let out a shriek, obviously done with entertaining herself. Picking her daughter up, she heard the brunette cough, turning her head to stare at her.
“If she starts crying I’ll need you to leave,” she stated calmly but matter-of-factly, distaste in her eyes.
Reyn turned back, closing the curtain with the rudest sneer she could muster. Her blood boiled harder as the shop keeper continued quieter, obviously trying to hide her words from the siren’s heightened hearing.
“I’m sorry about
that,” she spat the last word like it tasted wrong, “I don’t normally let tramps in my store, you know. I wish our inn keeper, Brian, would stop hiring these unmarried women who sell their bodies for a few coins. They all end up pregnant, at one point or another. Unmarried girls with babies on their hips, it’s a sin in God’s eyes.”
Reyn stiffened, holding Nya to her breast in shock. Sure she didn’t have a ring anymore because a bitch of a demon took it from her, but how did that make her a whore?
I mean…I used to be. But not anymore…not with Nya.
Throwing the curtain open, Nereyda grabbed her black shirt off the floor and wanted nothing more but to storm out without paying for the shirt she wore. Instead she caught Elijah’s eyes boring into her as Nya let out a second cry, sensing her mother’s discomfort.
“Either pay for that or leave. I don’t need a screaming baby in my store, disturbing my customers,” the woman snapped, wrinkling her nose at Nya as the baby balled up tiny fist and let out a third squeal of annoyance, her eyes squeezed shut.
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