Aery saw the beggar approaching her, and had quickened her pace to avoid her. When the woman called out to her, she stopped abruptly, her hand going to the needles next to her purse. But she made herself relax and forced a pleasant, if apologetic, smile, as she turned around to face the beggar woman. The needle that she'd subtly pulled from her belt and tucked in between her fingers also made her feel much better.
Her city urchin accent was readily called up, and as she dipped a small curtsy to the woman (for she had decided that it was always a good idea to respect her elders, which this woman undoubtedly was. As a princess she would never have spared a curtsy to the woman, but she was deliberately acting as far from the palace as she could.) she said softly, "My 'pologies, Mother, on'y, I don' got no money but what my lady gived me, and tha's only enough for bread and cheese." Then, after a moment's thought, she added, "Is there somethin' else you'd like from me, afore I get on my way? My lord don' like it when I'm late with the bread an' I'd rather not get a beatin' tonight." Which technically wasn't a lie; if her uncle found out that she'd been in the city without a chaperone... He'd have the guards beat her bloody and shackle her to her bedpost. It had happened once before, when she'd spent too long out and had missed dinner, and the young lordling who was supposed to have been her dinner partner had complained to his parents.