Cut Rock River Vinnie was a hustler out of Amsterdam

Clover was a class act as always, and the Valle man couldn’t help but smile at her warmly out the corner of his mouth. She was one of the good ones, better than he could ever hope to be. What she and his cousin could possibly have in common he felt he would never know, but he was coming around to accepting it made them both happy. Did it stop him from almost flirtatiously teasing her when they were alone? No, but it’s just who they had always been and it was hard to stop.

Ah now it was his turn. For a moment he considered it, and had Clover given in her gladly would have participated. As it was, he didn’t feel like looking like a fool like this Malien did. But, taking a leaf from the woman’s tree he did his best to be polite. ”Ah, I think the shininess might make me look a little too dark and not mysterious enough” But, he wasn’t as good as her, ”But I’ll take some home for my kids. Children always like silly things.” Well, he had tried.

Grabbing a chunk before Malien could say anything else, Viorel turned to leave, giving Clover a meaningful look. He was done with this whole interaction, and maybe the children would actually like whatever this was. Then he disappeared into the foliage back in the direction of the pack.

Viorel exit

Thankfully Malien took her refusal with grace, even going as far as offering her a compliment. Had she been a more vain wolf she might have preened, but instead she simply offered a half smile at the wolf. He then offered Viorel a chance, and as she expected he turned the wolf down. However she was not expecting the jab at Malien - unintentional? She wasn't sure.

Though she said nothing, Clover watched Viorel grab a small chunk of the glimmering substance with another raised brow. His dark form retreated into the Backwater, and once he was out of ear shot she finally turned back to Malien. "He didn't intend for that to come off as rude," she said, hoping to appease Malien just in case he was offended by the remark.

"Are you heading anywhere in particular? Perhaps I could point you in the right direction." It would be rude for both her and Viorel to simply leave Malien alone with the remainder of the strange substance, and though she had plenty of tasks to do, she could afford an amiable end to the conversation before they parted ways.

He's gearing up to respond, to soothe him and assure him that it would do nothing but complement his raven-like coat, but before he has a chance Viorel's grabbed some of the tinsel and turned away. Clearly it is an exit, and Malien is left looking at his retreating back with a somewhat perplexed expression. His ears flick a few times, and then he looks to Clover.

"Are you sure?" he asks, but without bitterness. He's willing to believe her, that it was just a clumsy remark and that he hadn't meant to imply Malien was a child (though, honestly Viorel, if you're not willing to play, are you even alive?). Then again, the dark wolf hadn't meant to come up to him at all, so it wasn't very surprising he got out the moment he could.

"Ah, no," he responds. Most of his playful demeanor is gone, subdued by Viorel's abrupt exit, and he lowers his head to try to get the tinsel out of his teeth, rubbing it against his leg and wriggling at it with his tongue. "I'm still fairly new to these parts, so I'm just, mhrf, exploring."

At the very least Malien didn't appear too affronted by Viorel's abrupt exit to the conversation, though she could tell he had been left a bit confused. "Yes, he's just been quite busy keeping the children under control, they get a bit too adventurous at this age." She was unsure if Malien was a parent himself, but figured it was common knowledge that raising children to adulthood was quite a task.

Her ears flicked forward as he spoke some more, nodding and humming softly to herself. There did seem to be a wolf every now and then who passed by their home while simply getting a feel of the land around them, and she was more than happy to direct them if they so desired. But it didn't seem like Malien had any specific area he was wanting to head towards.

"There is a pack to the east on the mountains, and a smaller group further south among the willows. The north is a tad bit more inhospitable, so I wouldn't recommend heading that way until winter passes." Clover hoped her information would at least help guide him so he wouldn't become too lost.

"I should also be heading back, never know what the children might get up to when left alone too long. Good luck with your exploring!" She gave Malien another smile before turning away herself, moving to follow Viorel's path back home.