The more this boy talks, the stranger he seems to be. I crinkle my nose at him, not to be rude but because I'm very confused by the things he says. A tiger? I look nothing like Neerja. I also don't know how my name could be so small. How can names have sizes? Somehow, it looks like he's just as confused as me. What an odd day this is turning out to be.
"I'm named after my grandmother," I try to explain. "I don't know how big she was, but I guess I could ask Momma…" I trial off as he inspects my costume more closely. Perhaps like Shadow Man, he's never seen a phoenix before either.
"I'm a phoenix! At least for today, although it would be fun to be one all the time. They can fly like you, you know. Flying seems like a lot of fun," I say, finding myself looking curiously at his wings now. I really am so jealous of all the winged creatures. I could explore so much more of the world if I shared their ability.
He doesn't seem to want to give me many details about his home, which is surprising to me. When others ask me where I'm from, I'm so excited to tell them all about the Night Court and Momma. Yet, all he says is "the woods". Not where in the woods, or even what woods he's talking about since there are so many all over Novus. There is so much to a forest, how could he not want to tell me more? "Which woods? I've been to the ones in Deloo...Delly… uh… where Dawn Court lives. That place is really pretty. Oh, are you from Dawn Court then?"
Though I wonder after I suggest it if he's from any Court at all. There is something off about him and then he makes a comment about how loud it is here. Aren't all the Court towns loud? I guess it is, but I've grown so used to all the noise. "I mean, this is my home, so I guess so? I kind of just tune it all out after a while," I reply, but then remember how it was back in the forest. It did seem quieter in comparison but still loud in its own way. It makes a little more sense now why it might be scary for him if he's not used to it.
"Over there is just a band that plays music. If you listen closely, you'll hear the beat of it and it's not just noise. There are music notes and stuff, it sounds really pretty." I don't know if my explanation would help him listen to the noise differently, but I hope it might. It's different from just listening to the crowd of voices and all the footsteps in the market. This is noise with a purpose and it can be really beautiful if you know how to hear it.
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