Steel's heart wasn't totally cold - just mostly. Keeping to himself, keeping his emotions locked deeply inside, was far safer than sharing them with anyone else. At her open eagerness, the pure joy she emanated in his presence, he couldn't help but smile. He hated to admit it, but it was quite contagious. He was content to follow her lead, since she seemed to have an idea where they should go tonight and he had no idea at all.
His gaze was solemn as he watched the fireflies, their lights disappearing and reappearing in a different location a moment later. They were entrancing, and he felt his focus sway as he watched them dance in what seemed like a unified rhythm. His focused continued to dance from one light to the next, though he followed Esarosa closer the the pond.
Steel should've known, if she heard frogs, she'd go after them. They did need to eat eventually, after all, but frogs were not really.. a priority. For him, at least. His head bowed as he watched her through the darkness, watched as she crouched down and peered through the reeds as though ready to snatch the thing. She did move, too.. and what had seemed like solid ground was actually mostly water, and she went splashing into the pond with little grace. The man couldn't help himself, and a loud snort emitted from his muzzle. His friend was quite the character, and it was difficult to not enjoy himself around her, even if he rarely showed it. That fleeting smile appeared again as she climbed back to solid ground, this time lingering a moment longer as his tail flicked idly where it lay limply at his hocks.
"Maybe you should take a break from frogs," he'd comment lightly, a teasing note audible on his voice. "They seem to be more trouble than they're worth." Steel's voice was hoarse from the silence he had grown accustomed to, and he hardly realized that those were the longest few sentences he'd spoken in ages, even to her. He took a few steps back, letting her shake out her coat to attempt to dry it before setting off again.
It didn't take long for her to find the spot she'd been searching for. The tree, old and slightly dilapidated, had strong, wide roots that gave them plenty of room to sleep beneath. He was unused to sleeping so close to others - he hadn't shared a den since he'd traveled with Faria, and those times seemed to far in the past now. "Looks fine," he'd agree, slinking beneath the roots to join her. The area was... snug, to say the least, but it was not meant as a permanent shelter, and at least it would get the two of them out of the rain for the evening. He shuffled down to his belly, trying not to stretch too much and take up more room than necessary, though it was difficult to truly find room to rest without being pressed up against Esarosa. Hopefully she didn't mind.
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