Walls

It was after she spoke again that he could see she was not necessarily an aggressive woman. Her tone remained cold, but the movements she made suggested at least the barest effort of politeness and that was enough for Mikhail to think the iciness may be the facade. On the other hand, he had no reason to expect more from her (or less, for that matter). She obliged him with her name moments later, her head dipping at last in what was a proper greeting. He noted no change in her features - no added warmth. It was the edge of civility. If it irked him, it didn't show on his face, nor in his actions: he gently reciprocated her gesture, his head lifting as a question came from her lips.

A vague smile toyed at the man's lips as Mikhail continued to take in this young woman. She was a little hard to read, but her question suggested she was curious. It was a trait he would encourage in any young wolf, even those out of puphood.

"No, you won't have heard it before I suspect. It is a word of my people's tongue... and I have never heard the language spoken here. It is..." he paused, searching for good summation of the term before proceeding deliberately, "...a polite term for a young lady. I believe 'miss' would be an appropriate equivalent." Mikhail's blue eyes did not leave her, though he mused to himself that he could lose himself at times - that he could forget others did not understand the words he had grown up speaking. He spoke well enough the language of most others in Alacritia, but his accent would always give him away: he was not born here, or in any land adjacent.

She mentioned a place like this being a good one to run through. It was wide open except for the wall. Plenty of room to run physically... or to let the mind run metaphorically. Not only that, but she implied she was no stranger to this place - she had come this way before. Was it a place for her to ponder, as Mikhail thought it might be for himself? "So, Miss VentFlurrer? Do you come here to run?" His question could be taken for face-value. Or perhaps he suggested more, given her cold demeanor and former comments on finding another in a place she expected to be alone. He supposed there were plenty of things to escape: friends, enemies... one's own mind. He could only hope he spoke what he meant well enough, and that her reasons for being here were not too personal. It was not his intent to pry... not really. But if he were serious about not prying, he might not have asked at all... Nevertheless, a flicker across his face seemed to suggest he had already realized he may have made an error and an apology was already forming in his mind should the words be necessary.