He watched without looking as she took note of her own cuff. Come on… come on. he thought quietly to himself. The entire con depended on her taking them off. Neither he nor Strai wanted to take on the Dire in a straight fight. That wasn’t his style, and the scrappy youngling in his care was far too small to try. Not that he wouldn’t if given half a chance.
He gave his bracelet a fond pat, and then pretended to only just notice her eyeing up her own. “Did your dad give you them as well?” He asked, motioning towards her cuffs. “My dad insisted on this big coming of age ceremony with these. They’ve been in the family three generations” He said proudly. The lie flowing off his tongue without a single stumble. The subtle hint of fond awe and mild embarrassment of over the top parents infused in his words. She seemed to be a loner, young to be out on her own. Just like himself, and Strai. Those cuffs probably meant something to her. Given by dead parents was his top guess, and that’s the play he was giving.
As she moved to place her own cuffed thank goodness next to his own, he gave her space. Taking the steps towards the hot springs so she’d feel at ease to put them down. It wasn’t him she had to worry about.
She joined him on the edge and he gave her an easy grin. “Of course… oh, that’s warm” he said as he placed a paw into the water. It wasn’t unpleasantly so, but more than he had expected. He gingerly eased his back paw into the water, wincing when the thorn touched the surface. “How long do you think I should soak it for?” He asked, glancing over at her as if her advice meant something to him. He padded out a little further into the hot spring. Dragging his back leg around as if he was just trying to ensure it got a full soaking. And not that he was taking them further away from her cuffs.
