He sighed before taking her by the shoulders and trying to meet her gaze. "People rely on you, Tez. You're important to..." He hesitated. "You're important to people. Come to t he market if you want, but be careful. You could have died,"
"You get used to them. Most people will stop for you. That one didn't. Just... be alert. Keep an eye out."
She hesitated, looking around before wrapping her arms him. She pulled away from him, taking his hands brightly. "Well thank you for saving me this time!"
He stiffened instantly, struggling for a moment as she pulled away and looking down at their hands when she took them. A strange, visceral reaction seemed to come over him and he pulled away quickly, looking genuinely fearful. "Don't do that!"
Her eyes widened as she realized her wrong. She looked apologetic worried as she hovered nervously. "I'm sorry! I didn't know.. Is that offensive? I'm.. I didn't know. Are you okay?"
The fear faded from his eyes quickly and he was silent as a new panic filled his eyes. "Y...yeah. That's really rude in elf culture," he said, seeming shaken.
He glowered at her before pulling away. "Do your shopping," was all he said before he turned to walk back into the crowd, heading back to the Center.
She hesitated, before slowly going back the Mikö. Her curiosity towards the market was no longer with her.
When she arrived at the Center, she would see Lark and Mikö talking, huge smiles on their faces. Lark moved forward and gave her a big hug, laughing slightly.
Tez watched for a moment, her expression thoughtful and blank. Her eyes widened after a moment and she entered. "Miko! That's offensive!" Her voice was insistent, and Miko looked concerned. "Hugging isn't offensive at all..?"
Lark looked over at Tez, an unsure smile on her face. There was a slight flush on her cheeks, but she raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Tez?"
She crossed her arms. "I hugged Rowan. He said it offensive. He knows everything, so he must be right."
Lark's expression changed with understanding. "Ohh... well, but that's Rowan. You don't hug Rowan. Everyone just kinda knows that."
She frowned. "Why not? He protected me." Mikö squinted. "You're not going to gift him an eel, right? Because land people don't really like eel gifts, I heard. I know it's customary to someone protecting you, but I would really advise against it."
Lark glanced at Mikö with an affectionate smile before turning to look back at Tez. "Just... don't try to do anything physical with him. Don't touch his arm, or hug him, or take his hands. He gets really freaked out."
