Bramble Falls i’m losing the other one in quicksand

Most names meant nothing to Nori, so even if she had known of Jay’s negative feelings about his own, she wouldn’t have cared. Far be it from her to judge anyone, really.

This was going better than she thought it would. Wolves who were as receptive to her personal way of communication were few and far between, so she found herself genuinely enjoying this interaction. It showed in the relaxation in her body, the gentle sway of her tail. This was fun, and she hadn’t had fun in a long while.

Nori let out a light laugh. My lady was a funny thing to be called, but she certainly didn’t hate it. The second part, though - the initial dismissal of her compliment - she wasn’t as big a fan of.

“C’mon - learn to take a compliment,” she teased, leaning in a little. “A simple ‘thank you,’ or ‘I know,’ would work.” Perhaps encouraging vanity wasn’t the best idea, but Nori was incredibly vain, herself, and she’d gotten this far in life. How bad could it really be?

She perked up a little at the wink, a hint of heat flaring across her cheeks. She hadn’t thought it would be reciprocated, but the mild flirtation wasn’t unwelcome at all. It was a game she liked to play. She stepped back and gestured with her paw toward the water, inclining her head. “Of course,” she invited. “It’s all yours.”

Learn to take a compliment, the other fake-scolded. Sounding, maybe, as if she were just a little bit offended that he hadn't. As if.. she was genuinely a little bit hurt that her compliment hadn't been accepted at face value. Jadon knew she was right, of course. It was disrespectful to reject her words, but it also was not easy to just let go of a literal lifetime of memories. The wanderer tried, looked away, but probably failed to completely hide the stab of pain those words inflicted, blinking it away as quickly as he could.

It reminded him a little bit of Mika, and of the conversations they'd had. The lack of judgement his acquaintance from the mountains had showed was a rare form of grace. What would Nori think, if she learned of his truth?

"You are right. I'm trying." He spoke, softer than he had yet. For better or worse, he would let that game fall for now, as it had to eventually. "I'm not accustomed to hearing things like that. Thank you, though, Nori."

She would gesture for him to approach the water, which Jay did so wordlessly. He kept an ear back to catch any sounds, speech or movement from the other as he reclined for a quick drink.