Snippet #2675683

He smiled. The change seemed to ripple through him almost disarmingly, giving the tall, stoic stranger a suddenly unexpected friendliness, even a softness. His tail even wagged, which surprised her though she considered that it really shouldn’t have—he was, she knew now, more wolf than human—and Gaele’s own smile brightened as he did. The answer he supplied her with, odd as it was, made her laugh with a quick, amused chuckle. Our gratefulness? Surely if he’d given the anklet to someone else, there was no telling what results he would have gotten. Maybe I’m a bad person to test that on, the human woman thought silently, taking into consideration her bias for jewelry and finery. But she’d gotten a new piece of jewelry out of it, something that she likely wouldn’t have thought to purchase for herself, so there really wasn’t much to complain about.

From the way he spoke, it sounded as if him being received by the queen was going to be equal to something like a gift for his kingdom, though Gaele for the life of her couldn’t comprehend it. Politics had never really been her strong suit, and the horrible conditions in Argohahn had left her with a sour taste about everything related to it. Nako sounded much more involved and even more knowledgeable, but it was still not quite enough to overcome her dislike of the political subject. But the people, however, did intrigue her, as did the not-Lycan strolling along beside her. “Why shouldn’t they be grateful if things here go well?” she asked, seeing no reason for him to receive anything but a positive reception if he was able to complete his mission in full. Wasn’t that the whole point of missions, to complete them and return home successful?

“If they’re ungrateful, you shouldn’t do anymore things for them,” she added matter-of-factly, though even as she reflected on her words Gaele saw a hole in her logic. There weren’t always times when there was an opportunity to say no. She’d seen as much back home inside the Argohahnian kingdom under the rule of their mad king. Disliking the route her mind had taken, feeling her mood dampen even so gently brushing upon the topic, she tried again to change it. “Well…regardless, I am grateful,” the human clarified, repeating herself but feeling it necessary. “You didn’t have to get me anything, but you did. And without asking for any repayment. It was very generous of you.” She smiled again and resisted the urge to lift her skirts as she walked so that she could see the anklet glittering against her ankle with each step, but even here in the quiet before the gate it felt too open and exposed of a place for it. She’d have to wait until she was inside somewhere. Until I’m in my room. Wonder what that will be like…