Abhaya Bhairavi #Wattys2020

Chapter Sixteen

'Let's meet by the momo aunty's stall in an hour?' Bhairavi inquired in Samanya's mind. He stood apart and nodded before speaking in a subdued manner, "Absolutely. Just keep a lookout for other Rakshasas and try to not stare at them or see through their Maya. They'll be able to feel the intrusion."

'Okay, See you. Act shady,' Bhairavi replied before adjusting the scarf around her face and walking upto the momo stall. She pointed at the momos and inquired the price with crude hand movements.

"40 rupees for one plate of chicken momos, and 25 for one plate of veg momos," the middle-aged lady said, smiling kindly. Bhairavi pointed at the chicken momos and showed a finger. The lady nodded and began preparing a plate of chicken momos for her. Bhairavi looked around the village market, lost in thought.

She had wanted Samanya to move about and look shady, but she had not been very honest about her decision to disguise herself and go to the market. She was not here to buy things she needed. She was out here for two reasons, one, she did not want to stay locked in the room, and two, she wanted some closure.

The last time she had been in Aritar, it had been a wonderful holiday with her beloved Maa and Baba. But this time she was here to avenge them. Last time they had only gone to the tourist spots and enjoyed themselves as tourists. This time, she wanted to mingle among the locals, and feel the essence of the place, for her heart was burning in righteous anger and she had to temper the flames, keep herself calm, till the right moment.

"Here, madam. That's 40 rupees." Bhairavi paid the lady and took the metal plate. It had a bowl of chicken stock soup, eight pieces of chicken momos, and a small cup of spicy red sauce. After blowing on the steaming momos for a while, she could wait no longer and forked a piece. Dipping it into the red sauce, she bit into it before her eyes watered at the feel of the heat.

Damn, she could conjure flaming darts but not eat piping hot momos, the irony! After her tongue got accustomed to the heat and felt semi numb, she spooned some of the lukewarm soup to soothe the poor muscle before attempting another bite.

This time, she felt the full burst of flavor. The soft, outer covering of flour and the spicy, tangy sauce made her tastebuds water while the juicy chicken caressed her tongue before sliding down her throat. Softly moaning at the delicious taste with closed eyes, she opened them to lock eyes with a curious, teenage Rakshasi.

The sudden appearance startled her enough to make the food go down her windpipe and she started to cough violently, her eyes watering from the burning and chaffing in her trachea. "Here, aunty. Sorry for startling you. Please have some water."

A stunned and gasping Bhairavi took the offered bottle and drank from it, while her mind wildly attempted to concentrate on the piece she had half choked upon and remove it. After a couple of sips, she managed to calm down and focus on the piece stuck in her windpipe. It immediately shot up the way it had come down and she spit it out into the plate, heaving a sigh of relief.

'Thank you,' she signed before realising the Rakshasi would not understand ASL. Fumbling for her notebook, she took it out and wrote, 'Thank you so much!' The Rakshasi smiled widely, "You're welcome, aunty. I am so sorry for scaring you. It's just, you look so pretty and exotic, I couldn't help but stare."

Bhairavi was very surprised by her politeness and sweetness, as well as the fact that she could see her real appearance without the girl realising it. 'Oh no, don't apologize. I was just taken aback. Thank you so much, that's very sweet of you.' She decided to play along and see if the girl was lying.

She focused on her necklace and probed into the girl's mind. She felt scattered thoughts....Wow she is so pretty and has green eyes....I wonder why she doesn't talk....Is she mute...I hope I didn't scare her with my real looks....Why can't I manipulate the Maya well...the locals are used to my appearance but what if she thinks I am a freak...Oh God, Maa will be so angry that I left her side and talked to a stranger...and Bhairavi zoned out of her mind, satisfied. The girl was innocent.