In his own lightness of mood, Noah had felt Elann emitting the pressure of fear and her other conflicted feelings down the length of their bond. When they were lifted he was relieved inwardly, making it easier for him to laugh out loud at her jab at herself.

He looked around the tent as she called it homeless as well. It was bigger than most of the small ones he had seen and thus resembled the closest thing to a home a camper could get. In his time over Syliras Noah had encountered a great variety of people who camped out in the Bronze Woods, even hunting with one of them though they never knew of his Kelvic nature, thinking him an eagle simply sharing a downed deer with them. Noah derived joy out of the deceit of others, though it was innocently had. He hid his true nature in order to observe the human nature upclose, especially if they were walking in his world with no fear.

“That’s a long walk...” he trailed uncertainly. It would be uncomfortable for him to saunter that far out but the promise of cleanliness was tantalizing. “I’ll try to go that far.” He would make an attempt because he wanted to get clean and because he was hoping it would help him heal. Atop that, the regaining of self-sufficiency was imperative to him.

“You’re going to lose,” he shot back after the ten was revealed, granting him a point.

Noah’s words, though they were said because they were the truth of his mind, seemed to hold some part of Elann as she went to tell him she enjoyed his compliments. He smiled softly at her, glad that she was appreciative of his words. He recalled her telling him people normally complimented their significant others, it was another of her coaching sessions of trying to form him to be human. He kept the lesson in mind but didn’t act on it, also sticking to his own belief that said words meant a great deal when spoken, they harbored the truth. A part of him felt as if consistently complimenting Elann would cheapen the value of his words, as if they were spoken to the point of non-meaning.

What Elann recited about what others insulted her with made him feel guilty for it though, made him feel as if he should be attempting to bridge the gap between compliments and insults inflicted over her life. She didn’t seem bothered by them but he was, the darkness of his brows furrowing in miffedness.

“They’re petch heads,” he said, annoyed.

Noah flipped over the card, revealing a six. He couldn’t revel in the minor victory though, his mind still on the various insults. “Your voice isn’t like a whiny dog, it’s nice. I’ve never seen a camel but your hair is better than that, I like it, and your chest is fine,” he said, eyes flickering down to look over her breasts quickly. “They’re liars, too.”

“I guess lower.”