Blacktail Deer Plateau Spoken Word

"south of here," he responded absently, much more engaged in what she had said. "minnesota? where is that? it seems awfully far from here. how did you come to be in these parts?"

it reminded him of his mother's--and hari's, he supposed, as well--tales of bharat, the land from where their not-so-distant ancestors had come. a place that seemed the stuff of dreams and legends, but was in fact as real as the ground on which they stood now. . .just tucked away, across the vast ocean.

something else came to him--something he had forgotten in his curiosity--and he added, before she responded, "not aap. tum. aap is for parents, elders. we're friends. tum." aditya gave her a warm smile, nodding and falling silent as he waited for her response.