(wow! That's some impressive lore!)
Charlotte's eyes widened as she listened to his experience. “… Well, now I feel like you really know a lot about us.” she blushed. “You have a good technique there and the fact that some have left you that in return is… It's really rare for that to happen. Usually, that’s a personal thing. Leaving shed dust. My mom said that only wild fairies have enough to leave behind like that.” she explained.
(It really is! It's so chef's kiss beautiful but hasn't been updated in months)
"So I've heard. The main one I believe is high fairies? Something about ancient magic, royal lineage, something like that. From what I've heard, they can shed more frequently than the others or at least give off more. They don't like to take without giving something in return. Guess they don't get fed very often because the expert I took it too seemed really surprised that I had so much from just one night. And I only knew to leave something because I was told by some other travelers to leave something sweet for the fairies when I told them I was going through those woods."
“I've heard that too.” she nodded. “And it makes sense that high fairies would prefer to live more “wild” than fairies like my parents. But I think it's true that you can't see them unless you're… like you said, a virgin, or if they allow you to see them.”
"That part I didn't know about. That's interesting. But regardless, I now always keep a little jar of fairy food in my bag in case I ever go through fairy woods. Plus I keep some of the sleeping powder on me too. Helps to knock someone out for a while when they need to rest after an injury."
“Both are good ideas.” she smiled at him. “Keeping that jar might help you get out of trouble if you accidentally offended someone. And the dust can heal a lot.”
"Oh believe me, I've been in a group that was unaware of how to deal with fairies. We pissed off quite a few and dealt with the consequences. From having stuff switched between bags to holes cut in our clothing. It was an absolute nightmare."
Charlotte hummed softly and nodded. “Sounds like you actually got lucky. That's not the worst most fairies can do… But I suppose it depends on what you did and what kind of fairies you angered.” she admitted, her wings fluttering gently in thought.
"Maybe we did. But it caused a lot of issues within the group and was an expensive mistake to fix. I thought I would lose my mind in those woods."
“That's a fair point.” she nodded. “Even if you did get lucky, there's always consequences when dealing with angered fairies.”
"Yep. Kind of sucks but hey, at least I'm still alive. I've heard of some real nasty consequences of angering fairies."
“I’m sure.” she giggled. “We small but fierce when we're pissed.”
"Yes yes, I'm aware." Rodney laughed with a roll of his eyes. "Is there anything else I should be warned about?"
She hummed thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging. “Not that I can think of. I’m sure you've heard plenty of the well-known warnings. And traveling with me should help as well.” she smiled.
"That's true. I try not to say much when meeting with other races, especially when I'm first meeting them since I don't know what will offend them."
“I see. I'm not a fan of politics but when you're on someone else's territory, it is better to let them set the tone.” she nodded.
"Exactly. See? Why can't everyone be like you? It would make my life so much easier if everyone could just understand me."
Charlotte giggled, feeling her face warm again. “Well, I… You're easy for me to understand. But I have a hard time with some people as well. I doubt you want everyone to be like me.”
Rodney raised an eyebrow at her, curious. "Easy to understand? Me? What makes you say that?"
“Just that.” she shrugged. “I can tell when you're being over dramatic… Most of the time, and you're easy to talk to.” she explained.
Rodney blushed, turning away from her with an embarrassed smile. "Now I feel exposed. I try so hard to be this mysterious cool guy and now I'm getting told I can be read like a book."
“I know the feeling.” Charlotte laughed, remembering when she found out how easily Rodney read her when they first met. “But you're still a cool guy. You've done so much and been to so many places… You have plenty of mystery around you.” she smiled.
"Mm, good. I'd hate to be read so quickly. I want to have some level of dramatic mystery to me. That's the entire point of my travels. Plus being able to see the world."
“I think, in my case, it's just because I've been spending so much time with you.” she said with a shrug, holding back a giggle at his tone. “But I agree with you about seeing the world.”
"Well, that also might be true. I guess I should've seen that coming." He laughed, looking around at the remaining stalls. "Anything else you want to look at while we're here?"
“Probably. But you've been traveling on your own for a while.” she pointed out with a giggle. ”Umm, no. I think we've seen everything. We definitely bought more than I thought we would.” she admitted.