Kolchais slipped out of the compound and pretended not to see or hear the small group of loiterers who waited there. They started yelling insults and obscenities as soon as ey opened the gate.

The harassers had appeared the day after their presentation at the temple. At first just one or two, growing until there were nearly a dozen of them now. They stayed on the opposite side of the street, never approaching, and the guard seemed content to ignore them unless they ‘started causing trouble.’

Kolchais hadn’t mentioned them to the rest of the family. Neither had Kyatchais or Chotaikytsai, who had to have run into them as well. If any of them had, Lefeng would have insisted on accompanying them everywhere, and they didn’t need that. The guarding-one still didn’t full understand city life and would just as likely make a confrontation worse. Until there were actual physical threats, it was better ey stay home.

Besides, Kolchais had a lot of practice ignoring insults.

Ey walked past the hecklers without comment, thinking determinedly about the latest commission they had received to keep a small smile on eir face. Soon ey had left them behind, and the walk to the crafters market was not long.

It was a nice day — one of the days that only came in the cool season after the bright days but before the storm season began. The sky was a bright blue with few wispy clouds overhead, and a rare seaward breeze blew, bringing fresh air from the mountains in a rush over the city. This part of the city was kept mostly clean by the pride of crafting families who lived here, but other parts of the city were practically open cesspits, and most days the city smelled like it.

So Kolchais walked slowly, not pushing emself. There was no need to complete eir errand quickly, no need to prove anymore, to emself or anyone else, that ey was good enough or worthy or–

“Will you never stop shaming us?” a familiar — and hated — voice sneered.

Reflexively, Kolchais closed eir eyes and hunched eir shoulders, waiting for the blow that so often followed those words.

No blow came, but the words continued. “I thought we were done with you when you left our family, but then you took up with that disgraced weaver and made your failures knows across the city. But even that wasn’t enough, and you plotted with these barbarians to undo the very fabric of our city! Is it some scheme for revenge? Some plot to harm us by tearing the city apart?”

Struggling under the weight of a lifetime’s learning, Kolchais made emself stand and turn to face “Grandparent of the Distance-Runners,” ey took a breath, relieved that eir voice only shook a little. “What an odd chance that brings you to market now. I thought you had children and grandchildren to run errands for you.”

“Some errands,” the grandparent sniffed, “even an elder runs for themselves.”

“I suppose I should be flattered,” Kolchais said bitterly. “You broke from your normal current only to seek me out? But why should I wish to speak with you?”

“I do not care for what you wish, only that you cease rolling in stagnation and dragging a great family down with you!”

Kolchais wished desperately that ey had told Lefeng of the hecklers, that the guarding one was with em now and would drive away this ghost of the past as easily as ey drove away Kolchais’ fears and self-doubts. But though Lefeng was not with em, Kolchais knew what the once-walker would say.

“Rolling in stagnation?! Dragging down a ‘great’ family?” Kolchais looked around at the gathering crowd. “It was not me who made a spectacle of us in the middle of the public street!”

“I–“

“Live in a world where all currents run through you. I learned that lesson well as a child. But I am no longer a child and you are no longer my parent. I have a new family now. One which is proud of me and one, though you are too blind to see it, that is worth being proud of.”

It was almost funny, the way eir jaw flapped open. How long had it been, Kolchais wondered, since any had dared cut Tsawaw off? Certainly no one from eir childhood would have dared.

Horrified, and a little proud, of what ey had just said, Kolchais turned eir back on the grandparent and hurried into the market.

Perhaps Lefeng was right. Perhaps ey did have the strength to be head of family.

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