“Yeah, I noticed you've got some nice weather here. Is it like this year-round?”
“Yes. Yet another reason why our port is always busy. The ships don't have to deal with icy water.”
“Cool.” I nodded as my attention went to another strange sight—a hooded man who disappeared. I don't mean he hid in the dark, though the shadowy alley he was in probably helped. He really vanished. I could still see his hood, but there was nothing in it. “Cool, cool, cool.”
“Yes, literally.” Kas tugged on my hand. “Mate?”
“Huh?” I looked back at him.
“Are you all right? Is this too much for you?”
“No. This is good. I want to see everything and everyone. Uh, but, um, a guy over there just disappeared. Poof, gone.”
“He's probably a Raltven. They can go transparent. They wear dark clothing so they can merge with the shadows, and then it's as if they vanish completely.”
“Why not just go naked?”
Kaspian chuckled. “As I said, they go transparent, not entirely invisible. In sunlight, you'd still be able to see them. In the dark, however, if a Raltven is naked and transparent, they're very hard to see and most likely up to something criminal. They make excellent thieves and assassins. Most of the other races steer clear of them.”
“Oh. That seems kinda, I dunno, racist. They can't help being born like that.”
“There are many races on Serai, and each has their attributes. Racism isn't the same here as on Earth.”
“If you say so.”
All the makeshift stalls, carts, and billowing tents erected along the docks darkened the pale buildings. I wondered if the Raltven had a harder time finding dark spots to blend into in other areas of the city. Then I wondered how much it would suck to be labeled a thief or assassin from birth. Sounded like regular racism to me—nothing complicated about it.
“I may not have spent a lot of time on your world, Mate, but I think I understand your idea of racism. You dislike it very much because you feel it is unjust and even malicious. There is no malice in classifying a Serain race under its attributes. I am stating facts.”
“Yeah, I get that. It still sounded as if people avoid Raltven just because they’re born Raltven.”
“Their race has embraced their gifts. Others can't help but assume things when most of a race embodies those things. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, a lot of them became thieves and assassins because of their magic. So now when people cry 'Raltven,' they hear 'assassin.'”
“I'm not sure what that means.”
“It's a reference to an Earth story. 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.'” I sighed, wondering if I would spend the rest of my life without another person truly understanding me. “Never mind. I just mean that it feels wrong to vilify an entire race because the majority did bad things.”
“Is it? Or is it prudent?”
I winced. “And that's where you make me very uncomfortable. I have a feeling you'd be canceled on Earth.”
“Canceled?”
“Forget it. We'll agree to disagree. You judge people by their race, and I judge them by their actions.”
“Ah, I understand now. You think I'm unfair. What you don't understand is that there is a difference between individuals and entire races. I may attribute certain traits to a whole race, but that doesn't mean I will assume it about the individuals.”
“So, if you met a Raltven, you wouldn't automatically assume they were a criminal?”
“Exactly. That would be unjust.”
I blinked. “Oh. Well, all right then.”
My stomach growled.
“Perfect timing!” Kaspian waved at a cart with a table in front of it.
