One For Me, One For You

Valkyrie seized on the stranger's words. She saw a chance to get rid of the bird and gain something that looked more manageable. Primates were fascinating, useful creatures and the more she thought about it the more she wanted to get her paws on one.

She forced her expression to soften as she made eye contact with the baby monkey. "Perhaps I can help you after all. You see-" she was interrupted by another round of struggling from the bag. This time she let the bird poke its head out so Acere could see what she had. With its head free the bird briefly froze and Valkyrie was able to continue speaking without raising her voice. "You see, while I may not know a thing about birds like this one, I know monkeys."

 

She was lying. Valkyrie knew nothing about primates, but she thought pretending to know how to care for them when this male admitted he didn't would increase her chances of acquiring the infant macaque.

"She does look hungry," Valkyrie said in a soft voice. "Perhaps..." she trailed off thoughtfully, letting the promise of aid hang in the air for a few seconds in the hopes of drawing Acere in. After a beat she nodded to herself as if deciding something, then said, "This island doesn't have much to offer a baby monkey, I'm afraid, but I know a place that does. Perhaps I could interest you in a trade? Clearly this bird would be better suited to someone else."