Ara had always thought fondly of these lands, despite having not lived here for long. Her parents had been born here, and though they'd been content in these lands, they had wanted to spend the rest of their days among closer friends - and thus they had moved further east, to live with the Destructions. And yet she always enjoyed coming back here, especially given how quiet these parts tended to be. She watched as Loccian followed her gesturing, noting the excitement in her eyes, and she found herself glad to be able to share whatever knowledge she had of this place with her new.. acquaintance? Friend?
Either way, her soft blue gaze was alight with joy and wonder at her honestly genuine reaction. Perhaps she could show her around this place, if she was interested? It'd been a long while since she hunted with anyone, and the thought of finding some decent prey - rather than the small rodents and birds she was used to subsisting on - was quite appealing to her. Her own stomach, as if in quiet agreement on Loccia's own thoughts, rumbled in low agreement. She had a good feeling about this woman, and about a potential friendship (or at least a feeling of camaraderie) that could form between them.
She hadn't anticipated such a reaction to the stranger's question, and if she had there was no doubt that Ara would've thought about it twice before asking her. She was normally rather observant, and timid when it came to asking for information from others, but memories of her first mentor had resurfaced suddenly upon hearing this girl's name. Though she meant no harm, obviously Loccia couldn't tell that, and Ara found her own ears flattening slightly against her skull in response to her own visible discomfort.
"I'm sorry, maybe that question was too forward of me," Ara offered gently, shaking her head. Her voice was softer now, as if apologetic for asking a question that caused her to react in such a way. "I knew your grandmother. She helped train me when I was young, in the field of healing." Ara gestured to the bag of herbs at her side, gently twisting around to nose it open and show the bundles of herbs within. "She was a lovely woman. I'm not sure I would've gotten so interested in herbs if it wasn't for her." The smile she wore now was a wistful one, clearly remembering the days of her youth quite fondly.
