How excited he was, and how happy it made her to see. Théadan had had a hard month or so, being tortured by his family, losing his brother, recovering in difficult circumstances, fighting off the Beast, having to recover difficultly all over again, and then leaving his country to be cooped up on a ship. It was enough to drive any person to depression, but he had handled it admirably. Navia wanted him to enjoy their time in Terlingua all the more upon seeing his reaction to having the chance to wander a new place without injury or sorrow inhibiting him. He even tugged on her hand to increase their pace, causing her to chuckle in response to his eagerness. In all truth, she was eager as well. As nice as the<i>Uttarana</i>had been for them so far, she had been struggling with such a constricting setting for days. It was all the more pleasant to have the sky above them, street below them, and the bustle of life around them.<br/><br/>Some of the buildings were shops or homes or both, but many were establishments meant for drinking and merriment. It did not matter it was the middle of the afternoon, people were bustling into establishments for drinks and conversations. Laughter and music poured out of them in equal measure every time a door opened. A steady stream of carts and goods were headed past many of the buildings though, and Navia figured they were headed toward the markets Risho had spoken of, so while Théadan pointed out the languages people probably needed to know to live on such an island, she steered them in the direction she assumed the markets were in. “I think you’re probably right,” Navia agreed, taking in the flourish of cultures that seemed to mix and melt together. There were so many different flags flapping in the sea breeze above shops, so many she did not recognize. It was in the air too; she could hear snippets of Khluri and the common, but also other languages. Other cultures. It was all so mashed together and thrilling.<br/><br/>“We should work on learning each other’s languages more,” Navia suggested as they came to the mouth of the center of the city, “I’d hate for you to have no one to speak to in Mes’Mo’Tanian. I know I missed speaking in Khluri.” Terlingua had been laid out in somewhat of a semi-circle with the markets in the center and what forestry the small island had as its backdrop. No full shops were there, but a hodgepodge of carts, trailers, and stands. More music from a number of competing instruments was in the air, along with more flags and voices. It would be intimidating to some, such a boisterous atmosphere, but Navia found it invigorating. “I don’t even know where we should begin,” she admitted, but it was not with trepidation. No, she was happy to have so many options.<br/><br/>It was a flurry of color and squawking that caught her attention first, and it was Navia’s turn to give their hands a tug. She changed their course to veer to the right. “Come look at this,” she pointed to the mouth of one of the aisles leading into the maze of vendors where a tree limb had been turned into a stand and three brightly colored birds sat upon it. Two were brilliantly red with wings of blue and yellow, but it was the vibrantly turquoise one with a yellow chest that drew Navia over. The birds were large with curved beaks, fast eyes, and white faces. An elder woman stood beside them, her skin and hair reminding Navia of that of a Khluri, but her facial features different and her skin a few shades paler. Her clothing was also not at all Khluri, but more earthy in appearance. Navia offered the woman a friendly smile, but her focus was more on the bird that had caught her eye. “It’s so beautifully colored,” she remarked in appreciation, glancing at Théadan to see if he agreed as she reached out to run a knuckle across the turquoise’s bird plumage, “What is it?”<br/><br/>“Be careful,” the woman warned in an accent Navia did not recognize, causing her to shift her attention to the woman long enough for the bird turn and nip her offending finger with its strong black beak. Navia jerked her hand back with an alarmed gasp, bumping into Théadan some while the woman chuckled and finished her warning, “They bite.”