What's the word?

Absinth sat quietly, listening to Ollie speak of his passion, a soft smirk playing on her lips. His excitement was infectious, captivating even. It was pleasant, and he was a cute boy. He reminded her a bit of Karaka, but the thought itself made her teeth grit within her inky maw. No good dwelling on the past, though. His voice was bubbling with energy, practically bouncing as he shared his knowledge with her. She hardly knew anything of plants or healing, only the family of plants that had given her name. Perhaps he would find interest in that.

She nodded, her eyes sparkling with appreciation, a grin on her face as her tail thudded against the ground behind her. His knowledge and dedication were impressive, especially for someone so young. But.. When she thought about it, she had been as young if not younger when she arrived to these lands herself, alone and having already endured great difficulties. So, he was not a child, but his innocence reminded her of the vast differences between them.

When he continued, her eyes followed his movements, taking in the way he held the plant up to the light. ‘Less common? Well…’ He looked down at the plant, clearly searching for the right words. Absinth leaned in closer, her expression inquisitive as he began to explain. Emeralds peeking up at the larger boy as she waited for him to finish speaking. Oh, haha. A girl's heat. She was tickled by the way he’d said it, so naive. “It seems to me that Yarrow is very useful! It’s good to know that you’ve learned the various ways it can aid in healing. I can only understand if I think of it as a weapon, and how a knife can do many, many things to my quarry.” She hummed, rocking back on her haunches with a wink.

She glanced at the herb he held again, a slightly dramatic tone to her roughish voice now. “But I suppose I am just a brute in that regard.” She continued, her voice whistfully thoughtful and drawn out.

wormwood