[My name is Serena,] she shaped the thought with softness, aiming for gratitude. [Thank you for the opportunity. I will not be a burden. I don't require shelter; I can rest in the highlands, out of your way.] She thought it was a generous concession, a way to ease their practical concerns about housing a stranger—seeing as she had nothing of value to show for now.
The reaction was not relief. It was mainly appalled horror. Arvid looked physically pained. The grizzled hunter's mouth hung open. The teenage girl simply giggled at the idea. Even Salih stared at her as if she'd just suggested drinking engine oil.
"Out of the question!" barked the elderly hunter who was the first to lower her shotgun. Her hair was steel-grey, plaited tightly against her scalp, and her eyes were the colour of flint. She had an air of authority that silenced murmurs instantly. "You are a person, not a stray wolf to be left on the doorstep."
Serena blinked, mentally scrambling. In her life, solitude was a desperate craving. In Virgil's, it was a sovereign's right. The concept of obligatory hospitality as a non-negotiable community standard was, in a way, foreign.
The hunter threw her rifle over her shoulder with a definitive gesture. "Salih. You brought this puzzle to the town. You are responsible for it. You will house her, supervise her, and write a report for the council by tonight." Her eyes swept the others. "The rest of you, back to your duties. Go."
The crowd dispersed with reluctant nods, casting final curious glances at Serena. The crisis, for now, was managed.
She turned to Arvid. "Arvid, you're also at fault. You have a good heart. Assist her if she asks, within reasonable limit." She shot a look at the mage. "Salih is brilliant, but his practice of emotional intelligence is a... concept." Salih scoffed, crossing his arms. She gave a final, assessing nod to Serena and strode away, her boots crunching firmly in the snow.
Arvid stepped closer, his kind face earnest. "My house is the one with the blue door, three down from the smithy. Everyone is always welcome. And..." he hesitated, then smiled. "My Natalie, my daughter. She's clever. Reads too much. Gets lonely for company. She might like to meet you."
The offer was so genuinely sweet it almost ached.
'I'm at least thirty years old, with the memories of a millennia-old tyrant. Why does he think I could be a friend for a twelve-year-old?' Yet, the intent behind it—a father trying to connect his lonely child to something new and interesting—was endearing. She nodded, and with that, he walked away.
"Follow me," Salih said, his tone all business. He led her out of the square down a side lane. "I live in the northern side of town. It's quiet. I have a guest room. You will use it."
[I truly don't need—] she began.
"You will use it," he repeated, cutting off her protest. "Part of your probationary community service is integration, which requires learning norms. Norm number one: everyone sleeps under roofs here. Norm number two," he continued, casting a sidelong glance at her, "you need to learn to speak. Properly. With your mouth."
[Is my telepathy unsatisfactory?]
"It's deeply unsettling," Salih stated bluntly. "It bypasses the ears. It feels... invasive. Predatory. It is the communication of mind-flayers and ancient spirits, not of neighbours. If you wish to be seen as anything other than a threat, you will learn Lyric. The common tongue."
'Predatory.' The word landed heavily. She'd been so focused on clarity, on efficiency, she hadn't considered the sensation for the receiver much.
Virgil had used this spell for commands and intimations of terror, forcing people of different tongues to know his will of conquer. A fresh wave of embarrassment and self-disgust, hot and human, washed over her. Of course it was frightening, even if hers wasn't powered by the same intent.
[... I'm sorry.]
"Just do better," he reassures.
Then, the practical implication of his order dawned on her. Learning a language required study. Study required materials.
[You have books,] she sent, the thought tinged with sudden, eager curiosity.
"Obviously. Though I don't know if you can decipher any text."
[A library?]
Salih stopped in front of a sturdy, two-story timber house with a sharply sloped roof. He pointed a thumb at the large building next to it. "Public library. It's quite big for a single town. Everyone can use it. My home," he said, unlocking the door, "contains my private study. The texts there are university-level and mostly irrelevant to basic education."
He ushered her inside into a dimly lit room. It was dominated by furniture overflowing with books, scrolls, and peculiar metallic instruments. It was chaos, warm from a burning fireplace.
'... Safety hazard.'
"And," he added, hanging his coat on a peg with deliberate care, "I have a 'computer,' as I believe your kind also called it? It is linked to academic networks. It contains access to more knowledge than that library next door could ever hold."
Serena's breath caught. A computer. Networked knowledge. The historian transmigrator, records of others like her, the state of this world—it could all be there. The scholar in her from her first life awoke with an excited hunger.
Salih read her expression perfectly. His gaze turned stern, his glasses glinting in the firelight. "It is also off-limits. Entirely. To be frank, I don't entirely trust you. The security protocols are keyed to my magic alone. If you so much as breathe on it with intent to pry, I will know. And if you are caught attempting to access it, I will personally escort you to the town limits and recommend permanent banishment. Is that perfectly clear?"
The threat was cold, sharp, and utterly sincere. Now, Serena saw not just an academic, but a guardian of secrets. She bowed her head slightly, a gesture of acquiescence. [Perfectly clear. The public library will be more than sufficient. Thank you.]
Salih gave a short, satisfied nod, the sternness easing back into his usual pragmatic demeanour. "Good. Your room is upstairs, first on the left. It has its own private bathroom. Let's discuss your probationary community service later. For now, take a bath and change your... clothes."