Delphine stood on the street. Arms wrapped around herself. Face still flushed but now with shame rather than embarrassment.
"I'm sorry." The words came out immediately. "I couldn't, I tried but—!"
Alaric sighed. Pulled his scarf down slightly. "What happened?"
"I just, it felt disgusting." She looked away.
Her voice dropped further.
"It made my skin crawl. I couldn't do it."
Alaric studied her for a moment. Seeing the genuine distress written across her face. The way her hands still trembled slightly.
She's not trained for this. She's just a street merchant. He said internally, I need to stop treating them like tools that work exactly how I want.
He sighed.
"Alright. Let's go."
They walked in silence. Back toward the meeting point near the siblings' stall.
The streets had filled more. Teryn was waiting when they arrived. Leaning against the building. His expression brightened when he saw them approach.
