Qualin
The capital city of LaMihinnia is quite large. it covers the rolling hills, with the palace at the approximate center and highest point. There is one major space shuttle port for civilian travel, where our ship is docked.
It's a fair distance from the palace, which will be a challenge. But boss man said he'd aquire land cruisers to make a faster get away. But I'd most likely be left to get back on foot. which was fine. I'm much faster than most people.
As for guards, I noticed a few patrols, but they were obviously busy helping to coordinate for the upcoming festival. Doing the job during this time was obviously a good choice. There were bound to be plenty of guards still in the palace, but it was rumored that the royal family always attends these festivals, which meant the royal guard would be with them, and the palace treasury would be less-well guarded.
I perched on a rooftop, hidden by some low hanging trees. The air was brisk but this near the planet's equator, even the winters here were likely to be mild.
I'd spent the previous evening and most of the morning getting familiar with the path from the palace to the port. If I successfully got into and out of the palace, getting to the port should be easy enough. Then it would just be a matter of seeing if boss man could fly us far away fast enough to lose any pursuers. I'd let them worry about all that. My only focus was doing my part.
Every city has a flow, and once you figure it out, it's a lot easier to make your way around. So it didn't take long for me to make my way back to the outskirts of the city, down by the little creek. Boss man and the others would be preoccupied for most of the day, so they wouldn't notice me slacking a bit.
To my delight, my ears were greeted by the same pure voice as the previous day.
I let my feet dangle over the bridge and just listened for a minute. When he finished his song, I let myself hang upside down and a gave a round of applause.
"Oh hey!" He smiled and laughed. "I was wondering if you'd drop by."
"I was in the area." I unhooked my feet and flipped to land in front of him.
"Here, I brought some goodies, if you'd like some." he held out a small sack that was filled with warm bread and pastries and the smell of salted meat. My mouth began to water a little. "Oh, and there's some bacon, too." He pulled out a tightly wrapped cloth. "I don't eat meat like this, but I figured you do, based on your fangs."
"Thanks." I happily took the offered food. "so you don't eat meat?"
"My family has a... special diet. But we love fruits and sweets." He took out a pastry and set the bag between us before beginning to eat.
I watched him for a moment, realizing something. "You don't seem too put off by my fangs, or other features."
"Why would I be?" He shrugged looking me straight in the face like I was a regular person.
"Well, I've noticed there aren't too many beastlings around here. Most people find me curious, at least."
"Oh." He laughed. "Well, my family and I travel a lot and we see all kinds of people, so nothing really phases us."
"Hmm. Most don't think we even count as 'people', they assume we are more animal." I bared my claws and attempted a sarcastic growl.
It actually made him laugh. "Nah, you're not that feral. You're definitely a person."
"Humph. The other common assumption is that we are evil beings, descended from supernatural beasts that bred or possessed people." I waved my hands around like I was casting a spell and faked an evil laugh.
"Pfft? What was that!" He nearly fell over in a fit of giggles.
"Not scared at all, huh?"
"Nah, sorry. You just don't have an evil aura. I have a nose for these things." He said matter-of-factly as he took another pastry and handed one to me.
"Huh. You're weird." I took the pastry. It was probably one of the sweetest and tastiest things I'd ever eaten.
"By the way, my name's Minor, what's yours?"
"Minor? That's an odd name."
"I get that a lot. It's for this," he pointed to a white, diamond-shaped birth mark just over his right eyebrow. "We call them star marks. They're kinda rare for our kind, but a lot of us in my family have them. Each one is unique. In fact, its the main difference and the only way most people can tell me and my twin brother apart. His mark is high over his left eye. Our marks reminded our dad of a minor and major star system you can see from our home world. That's how we got our names."
"Huh. That's cute. Well I wish I could tell you some cute story to go along with my name, but I have no idea what it means or how it was chosen for me. I'm just, Qualin." I offered my hand in greeting, half testing just how comfortable he was with me.
He took it without hesitation and a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you, Qualin." His hand was soft and warm.
"Likewise." I took my hand back and studied him a moment longer. It was tempting to mess with him, and maybe see how far I could take this. But I decided not to risk it. I couldn't afford complications or trouble if it went sour.
Instead, it was better to just relax and enjoy the small respite.
***
Minor
We spent an hour or so chatting. He did talk me into singing a couple songs. I tried to get him to sing along, but he adamantly refused. Still, I enjoyed his company.
Qualin is definitely the playful sort. He came across as open and carefree, but also had a bit of distrust. I noticed that if I gestured with my hands or moved towards him too suddenly, he would pull away or tense up, ever so slightly. He probably wasn't even aware of the habit. It was best to keep my hands folded in my lap.
Based on that and his earlier comment about the assumptions people usually make about his race, it seemed like a safe bet that he'd dealt with some abuse or prejudice in his life. However, he seemed to be coping well. It was tempting to pry, but it felt wrong to invade his privacy. Most people don't like personal questions, and hate it when you read their minds.
So I put the thought aside.
"Shit." Qualin's eyes seemed to notice how long the shadows had gotten. "I need to get going."
"Oh sorry to have kept you so long."
"Don't worry about it." he stood and stretched.
"Well, tomorrow's the festival, but I'll be free most of the day if you want to drop by again."
"Sorry, tomorrow's our busy day, then we'll be heading off world." His voice sounded a little regretful.
"Oh, well do you come to LaMihinnia often?"
"Nah. This is likely just a one time job. Picking up cargo, you know. we'll probably head back to the outer systems. doubt we'll be back this way any time soon."
"Oh. Well, my family and I go all over, so maybe we'll run into each other on another world. And if you ever do come back, we're usually around."
"I'll keep that in mind, but seriously, we tend to just jump from job to job... so... you know..." Qualin was already back on the main road, I followed him, climbing up to the rock wall.
He turned, taking a few steps backwards and hitting his hands together. looking hesitant to actually leave. "It was nice getting to know you. Thanks for letting me hang around." He lingered for a moment longer, then turned back around and started walking.
He was leaving. I didn't want him to go. He was making it sound like we'd never see each other again, but more than that... he made it sound like he was brushing me off, but it felt more like he thought we shouldn't see each other again. It was a strange feeling. I wanted to reach out and touch his mind, to understand what he was thinking. But that would be invasive and not for a very good reason...
Maybe I should tell him the truth, that I'm a transformer, a creature that can teleport anywhere, pretty much any time. I could literally pop by for a visit anytime he wanted, wherever he was... but maybe that would seem to bizarre to him. People are often uncomfortable with our intrusive abilities.
I felt my heart sink a little as he walked out of sight. It was strange. I had to resist the urge to follow him for several minutes.
Finally, I let out a long sigh. "I'm being ridiculous. I barely even know him." But I also knew that if he did come looking for me, I would hear him and I would teleport to him. If that time came, I would tell him who and what I really was.
"Well, now I understand why dad is so pushy and tends to just insert himself into people's lives. It's hard respecting cultural boundaries." I was speaking out loud to myself, but wasn't the least bit surprised to feel a few of my siblings' minds press against mine in understanding. And dad's mind gave a playful poke and scoff.
It is a sensation that is hard to explain, but our family has become accustomed to just occasionally reaching out and brushing against each other's minds. It is almost like a physical sensation, but more personal. Each mind is rich and unique and the connection is a constant source of comfort and reassurance. Only a few of our friends welcomed such mental connection, and even then in limited doses. Callie and her family were the most open, which was probably why we were so close to them.
I suddenly wondered what Qualin's mind felt like, and wanted to try it. I shook my head. he probably wouldn't appreciate it. I was being weird and crazy. Better to focus on the festival. The others were practicing together. that's were I needed to be.