A Day Off

[Nesrin Aziz]

Nesrin was happy to sit back and observe; you could tell a lot about people from their reactions and the way they interacted (or didn’t) with the world around them. And it gave her a moment to think things through. Not that she had any stellar alternatives lined up, but she liked to consider it from all angles; predict the things that could go wrong. It was one of the ways she had survived so long – not because she avoided trouble, but because she was good at getting out of it.

“Mmhm,” she continued, calling no outward attention to the way Cade had completely clammed up beside them after the child came and went. “It has quite the long legacy. Not so common these days.” She half smiled, a little mischievous, but didn’t elaborate. She was surprised Anna recognised the name at all, so it was likely she knew enough about its “improper” origins and persecution — enough that she might be interested. Nesrin pretended many things about herself, but the best lies had a firm rooting in some truth. She wasn’t a student in the sense her MSU hoodie suggested, but she’d learned a great many things. Still, she doubted they wanted the history lesson.

“I could teach you some, as a thank you for giving me a shot at the club? Not as a dancer, I mean – I’m happy enough with the bar.”