Repayment

Back against a large tree, Rhea kicks her legs out in front of her and crossed them at the ankles. The bark was rough and somewhat uncomfortable, but it was better than nothing and the large benches that scattered the city were ill-suited to her size. She shifted, looking for a more comfortable position, and longed momentarily for the smooth bolders and cold stone walls of her home. Her tan skin spoke of time in the sun, though really, she much preferred the shade and places underground. Stone had been her existence as a child and through much of her early adulthood; she'd left the safety of her home some years ago, but the old habits clung to her. The sun shone bright above her, but the tree's wide branches deflected most of it away from her, leaving her with a soft and comfortable light. As she trailed her fingers through the grass, they found the small tablet that sat beside her. It was a miniature chalk board and her most important possession. Without it, she was left only with the intricate - and uncommonly known - language of hand signals and signs she had learned. Or was she? She sat up slightly, picking up the tablet and turning it over in her hands. Not two days before she had met a man who had offered her a possible solution. Whether it would work was anyone's guess, but to even have such an offer... I have to do something for him, she thought, hands closing tighter on the tablet. She hopped to her feet, using the clip she's fashioned to hook her tablet onto her chainlink belt. I know exactly what to do, too. A smile turned up the edges of her lips and she hurried back to her inn room across town.