The lady imitated his bow but mistook his words for a title. The near reaction of Pripyat was one that had been lost to him the past few moon cycles. Nearly two months has elapsed since the smoke of the fire Pripyat had set took Arye up into the heaves and away from him. Since then nothing had tickled his funny bone, because quite simply life was not funny. Life was full of false happiness, and Pripyat knew he should have realized this before. Knew he should have been on guard when his mother had run away from his father and him. Should have seen the truth in the defeated face of his father as he handed Phoenix Valley over to a strange man with the perpetual cloud of smoke engulfing him. Yet Arye had blinded him to all that.
Arye had place a blind fold upon his eyes, unscarred then, and he had happily followed her along. And he had been happy. And he had laughed, mostly when he was alone with her but also with the others. He had not laughed in more than two months now, and even the thin smile that spread on his lips as Indira mistook the customary greeting for his name could hardly be called a laugh. At least it was there, for a moment. Before he spoke the amusement had vanished just as soon as it had sprang up and Pripyat shook his head, his stony voice speaking matter-of-fact manner. "No. I am Pripyat. Pripyat Soul."
And then, because she had asked him to the man moved beside her, filling the empty space she indicated with himself. It was strange, to sit beside another in such a manner when he preferred to be wandering by himself and the grey and white body of the boy was stiff as he turned to her, glad to have at least something to speak of to the woman who was quite obviously new to the clan. "Namaste is our greeting in Ichika. It means, 'I acknowledge that which is within you.'" Or that which is divine within you, but Pripyat felt his definition sufficient. The boy wondered how many Ichikans knew the meaning of their words, and how many simply recited what they heard the others say. Staring at Indira he decided it did not matter, and waited for the lady to take control of the conversation.
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