Verdigris Ravine 'tis time that i fare from you

Still dwelling on his faux pas a bit, Talis made a point to listen very attentively to everything S’ari said. It wasn’t difficult, since what she shared genuinely fascinated him. He had never heard the term “sunling,” though he gathered it was another word for a child. In many ways, her culture and upbringing stood in stark contrast to his own, though the picture she painted actually meshed pretty well with his hopes for the future.

I like that thought, he told her after taking a moment to process everything. I had a good childhood, being raised by my dad, but it might’ve been fun to have a bunch more people around, Talis mused aloud, heart quickening at the idea. Maybe my kids could have that.

He hadn’t mean to say that out loud, though he didn’t really regret it. He’d told Candle about his desires, so they weren’t exactly a secret. Still, he wasn’t sure of the social etiquette around this topic, though now that he’d shared that, he supposed he may as well embellish.

I’d love to have a bunch of kids, Talis admitted, catching S’ari’s eye for a quick moment before glancing away, toward the stream. I know it’s pretty standard to find a mate and have kids with them, or at least that’s what I know. Does it work any differently here? he wondered, looking up at her face again.