Niya starts her day with a little youthful vandalism.
Having been woken up at the crack of dawn by her dear mother, she feels good about this.
She's supposed to be watching her little brother, Tiuten, and escorting him to the market to pick up some Earth-tech. He's twelve and more than capable of going by himself. So she sends him on his way and instead finds herself with a bucket full of paint, a blank wall and a vision.
Her mother is going to be furious... she can hardly wait.
"Damn it." Guli reaches into a pocket and breaks a vial of herbs while reciting some short magic words.
The structural integrity of the doorknob is much less structured. Guli breaks the thing with a kick and the door swings open.
And they find Tiuten nearly huddled into a corner, looking very very uncomfortable. Between him and his siblings is a very tall augumented man. He turns and looks at them, stunned.
"You broke my door!" The man yells.
Of course. "It was shoddy work anyone could've broken it. Could you do us the favor of explaining what are you doing behind closed doors with our little brother?"
Tiuten uses this opportunity to slip past him and to his siblings. He steps close behind Niya and whispers.
"Wanted me to buy a bunch of crap. Wouldn't let me leave when I said no."
The man hears this and gets madder. "He's a liar. Disrespecting in my own shop."
"We would more than glad to respect you away from your shop. Niya, take Tiuten home."
She looks at Guli and then glares at the tall augmented man. Several seconds go by before she nods and starts moving back. "We'll wait for you outside. Be quick."
"Don't worry." Guli says glaring at the augmented man in all his 8-feet-ness.
Minutes later Guli shows up outside rubbing his left eye. It's turning purple. "Well, that is dealt with."
"Hey! He punched me! A little- okay, a lot of sting in his eyes is not that bad. And I don't think a single shop would have enough pull to ban someone."
"You're being paranoid, baby brother." She holds him closer and gives him a squeeze. Then she starts smiling, a broad grin on her face. "Oh, I can't wait for mother to see you face, Guli."
"I'm glad to help. That was why I took a punch from an guy twice my size."
"No." She snatches his wallet from his pocket. "This is your punishment for wandering off. You promised me you would stick to the main stretch."
"And we are all late and if we take any longer mom is going to spontaneously develop a wakefulness gift out of sheer stress."
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