The ways of the above ground were still strange to Snickerdoodle in some ways. Her family - a group of whelps who had banded together - had never seen much point in lying to each other. Their life has been hard, and lies could get you killed.
But above ground…
It was different and confusing. While visiting Lairi's colony to help them with their hunting, Snickerdoodle got sidetracked in the city of Naveh. It was a strange and fascinating place, but she had started to notice something about the merchants hawking their wares. Some of their claims seemed to be outrageous, saying their items for sale would do wondrous things for the buyer. Snickerdoodle couldn't help wonder how such things could exist, but surely the merchants wouldn't lie?
She was staring at one stall, head cocked, as the merchant spoke in grandiose terms about how their gems would heal ailments of the mind and provide calm and mental well-being. She was pondering this when a belemoid sidled up to her and spoke.
"Not thinking about buying one, kid? Those trinkets ain't worth your time."
Snickerdoodle turned to the belemoid, startled. "But they say-"
The belemoid snorted before she could finish her sentence. "Word of advice? Don't trust a word that comes out of a merchant's mouth 'round here. Load of bunk and hogwash. Willing to bet half of his 'gems' are colored glass."
Snickerdoodle pondered this, then followed the belemoid as they turned to walk away. "How do you know?"
"How do I know what?"
"That the gems are fake. And that they won't do what they claim."
The belemoid tilted their head at her, green eyes glinting. "Well for one, I have the real thing." From her pouch, they plucked a gem that sparkled in the light far more than the merchant's had.
As Snickerdoodle leaned in, though, they tucked it back in.
"Ah-ah." They wagged a finger. "That one's not for sale."
Snickerdoodle wilted slightly. "But if I don't have one… how can I tell? And how can I know that they won't help my calm?"
The belemoid tilted their head. "If I'm gonna tell you that, I want to know who I'm telling it to."
"Snickerdoodle. She/they, I'm from… Rekes. Some people are visiting a friend but the city is more interesting to me." It still felt odd to name Rekes as her home, rather than the depths. But it still felt more home to her than here, a strange land of deserts and dry, hot stone.
"Hamster. She/her. So you want to learn how to catch people in lies, huh?"
Snickerdoodle nodded hesitantly.
"Well, you've come to the right place. Everyone lies here - even me. You see?"
Snickerdoodle went cross-eyed at that statement, and Hamster grinned. "But if you want to avoid being swindled… there's a few tells you can spot. The first is if it's too good to be true? It probably is."
Snickerdoodle nodded. "Like very cheap cure-alls."
"Eeeeeexactly. What's harder to spot is when someone is too eager to make a deal or get you to believe something - somethings probably up, huh? And even if they're not straight up lying… well, they're probably leaving something out. Which can be just as bad as lying."
At Snickerdoodle's uncomprehending look, she elaborated. "Like if something is legit and they sell it to you but don't mention the fact that they stole it and the guards are gonna be after you for it? That sorta thing. Lies by omission."
Snickerdoodle nodded attentively. "But how do I tell?"
Hamster led her along the streets, sandstone bricks and flat-topped sandstone buildings lining the way. The watchtowers loomed in the distance, not yet lit though the sun was beginning to set. Up ahead, the clamor and brightly lit adornments of a market indicated their destination.
"You watch what they don't say and how they say it."
Snickerdoodle frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but the belemoid carried on, claws clicking on the stones of the road.
"Their body language - are they staring at you too much, too little? Are they acting shifty? The things they don't say yes or no to directly, but talk in circles around. Some are better than others at hiding it, but we'll start easy." She nodded at the market ahead. "Most of these merchants are lying about something. Can you figure out what it is for that one?"
Snickerdoodle stared at the merchant, the way they called loudly, and how their wares were designed to sparkle and glitter, catching the eye. But something in the way the merchant hawked was a little desperate, a little too cheerful to feel natural.
"Are their wares fakes?"
But when she turned to Hamster, the belemoid was gone, and the small pouch of coins Snickerdoodle had brought was gone.

Baby's First Lies
feat. hamster
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