It was so sad that the poor girl was mute, Rowan thought, but she was obviously well off enough to have all this wonderful food and nice clothes. She reached cautiously toward a pear, a bit nervous to just take it, and was about to ask when she saw saw that there was something being held out in her direction.
Oh! This girl had gems on her? Oh that wasn't safe to just show around. She should be careful. But Rowan didn't want to chide her, so she said, “is that an opal? It's very lovely.” Then she noticed how the girl was pointing to herself after the gem. Was she saying that it was hers... or... “Oh! Is that maybe your name? Opal? That's a lovely name if it is. And very lucky of you to have one with you to help tell people that! That's very clever.” She smiled brightly.
“I'm just named after some silly tree... or so my mama says,” Rowan paused and corrected herself. “My... mother says. But, I'm Rowan... but everyone in my old village called me Red because of this cloak my grandmother made me. I don't know anyone here.. My mother just sent me to live with my Aunt Beatrice not long ago.”
Since she hadn't grabbed the pear, her hands folded together instead. “Do you write on a slate or anything? I can't really read much yet, though I'm supposed to learn. But the inn, in my old town, the couple that owned it... their little boy was deaf and he had to learn to do this talking thing with his hands and they brought in a tutor from some kingdom across the way... and the tutor taught the boy's family to talk with him too, which was really nice. I learned to talk with him a bit... but I'm kinda out of practice now because unfortunately he died... got hit by a runaway carriage.... terrible thing... and,” at which point she realized she was just sort of talking on and on at this poor stranger.
“Anyway, I'm glad to meet you. Were you offering to share? Because that pear looks good and I didn't want to presume. My Aunt says my manners are atrocious. I'm not sure what that means, but I guess it is bad.”