Ara was pleased at his friendly reaction, watching as he turned with a start and smiled in her direction. Most wolves, though, she'd found to be quite friendly. She was blissfully unaware that the fact that most wolves were kind toward her was often because her own demeanor was so warm and nonthreatening - though she wasn't at all naive to the evils of the world. At least this brute didn't seem a threat, and so slowly she would take a few long strides closer to him, her own expression brightening with a meek, but genuine, smile.
His words showed he appreciated the sight, which was enough to officially pique her interest. "Miraculous is a good word for it," Ara agreed easily, nodding slightly as though to stress her agreement. "Though it's interesting, too, in my eyes. Is this your first time here?" Talking to her, or even hinting at her, about plants and herbs and even fruits was enough to get the introverted woman to open up quickly, like a flower bud unfurling in the sun, without intention. "If you think this is miraculous, you ought to come here in a few months, when these trees and bushes are all blooming with more fruit than you can imagine." Ara had always liked this place, and her eyes lit up as she explained it, hoping it might catch his interest. But her soft exuberance was short-lived, the female calming slightly once she realized that she'd started talking a bit excessively.
She smiled softly again at his question, her gaze briefly dropping to her satchel. "Oh, this is something I found a few years back. It's surprisingly useful for carrying things - mostly herbs and flowers for me." Ara was sure she would've never thought of it if Novel hadn't found a similar one so long ago. The satchel reminded Ara of her missing wife, and once she'd seen something that she thought might be the same.. she hadn't been able to let it go. The thing was tattered, but still worked for its intended purpose, though she was cautious in traveling with it for fear it might get snagged and rip on something. It seemed he wore something around his own neck, too, which she admired from a distance. Though she'd never had an affinity for trinkets like that, she could certainly appreciate them from afar.
Finding herself more comfortable now, she too mirrored his actions, lowering herself to her haunches nearby. "It's a pleasure, Setekh. My name's Ara." She had long since dropped the surname she had taken from her wife's family, finding it easier to exist without needing to explain, in the off-chance she came across another Destruction. The hurt had been bottled up for so long that she was content to avoid anything that might upset that perfect balance she'd worked so hard to maintain.
His observation earned another quick nod. "It is quite awful right now, comparatively. I'm telling you - return in a few months and you'll be enchanted by the beauty here." The corners of her lips twisted up in another smile, stronger and more certain this time. "And right now it's not all bad," Ara shrugged gently, her gaze sweeping across the lands, wondering if she could find a few sprouts of growth here and there. Maybe not of the fruits yet, but perhaps some bits of foliage had started to peek up from beneath the light layer of snow that had begun to melt.
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