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“Don’t…princesses have to be rich?” Tiny Leana asked, cradling her hand, and babbled onward. “I’ve never met one. Have you? Our country doesn’t have them or kings. Just ‘ambassadors’. And they change. One stopped by our house, from our city, once! His horse had hurt itself, and he stayed with us for a week, while Mama and Papa helped it.”

Nathair stared at her like she was some foreign animal he’d never seen before.

Her mind had already completely dismissed his insults and turned it into a monologue…or conversation or…something…She just refused to get angry! Or leave.

“But…why do I care?” She shrugged, staring at him with her big starry eyes like she could save him. “You’re a person. The Star Breather loves you. What other reason do I need?”

Nathair snorted and buried his chin in his knees, but he didn’t try to yell at her again. He just grumbled ‘stupid princess’ under his breath, loud enough for her to hear it. She acted like a princess. Ingratiating and stubborn like somebody who’d always been cosseted and just so frustratingly better and kind.

He was determined not to make ‘friends’ this time.

 

 

“Not because it’s different…” Nithel said, measuring his words some. Alessio glanced away half expecting him, like most grownups, to just want to dismiss his outburst. But Nithel continued to explain. “Different helps us grow. But their bites kill people. My father-in-law…almost died, because of a bite. He lost a leg. I don’t want any of us to get hurt.”

The boy thought it over and nodded, still deflating at little as he watched the spider inquisitively.

“Ok.” He said, and bit his lip remembering he was supposed to say ‘yes sir’ or something.

“If you’re not affected by poisons, throw it out the window! Because some of us are.” Interjected Ohel, still clutching his book. Wait, shouldn’t he have build an immunity to poisons too since he’s related to some king or powerful whatawhat? And he was still affected by poisons it just wouldn’t kill him.

Alessio quickly looked at Nithel and compliantly reached for the spider to throw it out the window. He dangled one of its fuzzy, spindly legs up curiously as the creature crawled on his hand.

“I’m sorry Mr. Spi-is it a boy or a girl?” He asked, “It won’t get hurt if I throw it, righ-?”

“Not out the window!” Angry Lady roared, causing Alessio to flinch aaaand drop the spider. With a gasp he watched the thing scurry past him, and he ducked between his shoulders trying to disappear. Raised voices always meant bad things.

“I have a jar! And it has a lid.” Search was saying. “You can put it inside with some…leaves from the foundation. Inside this jar. Now.”

Except…

He dropped it.

“I’m sorry!” He stammered, and backed into Nithel for protection.

While the spider crawled on somebody’s foot *probably initiating howls of panic*

 

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