The last thing she wanted was for anyone to feel sorry for her, and she kinda suspected that maybe he would feel the same. She appreciated the gentling to his expression but didn't linger on it. When he made his remark on the difficulties of being alone, she nodded slightly but ended her gesture in a shrug. "Yeah, but everyone has their own set of trials." She started. Everyone had dead people. Lost friends. Displaced homes. Their own struggles and shortcomings. But if all anyone ever did was linger on their grievances, nothing else would get accomplished- or at least that was how she felt. "That is just one of mine." She finished softly in an attempt to bury the hatchet once again.
That cheshire grin of her's resurfaced with playful conversation. When he insisted that he was far from any prince, she didn't argue. Just kept shuffling her work with an entertained glow. Though when he went to describe his actual responsibilities, she tuned with much more interest. "Hunting isn't a bad gig." Kiliaen said, nodding along. "There is some solace to it, I imagine." Even if you were hunting in a group, it wasn't like there would be an endless amount of empty conversation. You'd scare all the game away. The rest of it, she wasn't so sure about. "Patrols and training seem a little daunting, though." The autumn fae wasn't sold on how it would feel being a cog in a machine.
It turned out, the question of 'what to do now' didn't need a vocalized answer. Balthier made a move towards the echo of the falls, and she was all to willing to follow, not needing any further indication. He didn't need any guidance this time, knowing exactly where to go and how to get there. Once they entered the semi-hidden cave, her eyes adjusted to the lower lighting and the dying fire. It immediately entered her mind to add some kindling and fuel ... but she wasn't given the opportunity to do so. She watched with casual interest as her gentleman caller read her mind and proceeded to pull from a supply she had stashed- in the same place as the last. She met him at the shallow blaze just as he began to tend it, reclining to her haunches just a stride away as she watched him work.
That wasn't the only surprise, though. Once the fire was going more steadily, he withdrew from his bag two bundles of something that had already been cooked and flavored with smoke by its smell. And not one bottle of wine, but a couple ... with the promise of a third if necessary. It brought a soft chuckle from her lips in amusement. "Well. What I think I can handle, and what I can actually handle are probably very different things." She responded playfully. In reality, they weren't. She had only tasted alcohol a couple of times in her life. So, it was a safe assumption that she was going to have a low tolerance. But, a little fun now and then wasn't going to hurt. "But the sentiment is appreciated, nonetheless." She assured, offering a friendly nod as she waited for him to complete his distributions and settle before continuing.
When he asked for her take on their candlelight dinner, her expression quickly brightened "I'm impressed!" Kiliaen answered with genuine enthusiasm. "I can't imagine it gets much better than this."
When he did join her, she gently unwrapped the morsel he had offered her. She couldn't tell exactly what it had came from, but it smelled amazing. After taking a small bite, her attention settled on Balthier once more. "That is really good!" She praised. "What is it?" Nothing she had ever tasted before.
