Killing the snake had been a necessity, if not now, then later. Jael wouldn't be letting them get her eventual chickens, rabbits, goats-- none of them. Not on her watch. Worrying Gil... maybe she felt a little worse about that than she anticipated. She wasn't made of glass, but Jael knows that she's not quite as recovered as she maybe thinks she is. Though it had been a couple days, she was still sore. The wounds were clean and healing well, and processing the massive carcass was more than enough to keep her busy for now. Skinning, fleshing, and stretching the hide had taken up her day yesterday.

Now she stood before the beast, sizing it up, borrowed knife clutched firmly in hand. Someone had been kind enough to strip the usable meat, so now she was left to process the rest. The beast's head would be first up, and Jael couldn't help but wonder about the trade value. At least the teeth, sure, but the skull too maybe? What were the markets like on the mainland? Opalescent eyes glimmering in the afternoon sunlight, Jael settled to work on her project. Carefully stripping away the skin first, then the flesh. Peeling, pulling, and poking away as she began to clean the skull.

It was safe to say that Gilgamesh liked to keep a close eye on Jael. Not only for her healing injuries but also for the fact that she was his small. The world was a dangerous place and after her interaction with a giant snake, he didn't want her wandering anymore. At least not without company. Whether it was him, his companions, or someone else he trusted. Which frankly was far and few between these days, but still. She would be protected.

Speaking of said charge, Gil found her that afternoon with a knife in paw and the head of said snake laid out in front of her. As he stood in the doorway, yellow eyes glancing over her craft, he wondered what she was thinking. He hadn't thought to ask too much of her past in case it rustled up unwanted feelings. Yet, as he watched silently, he noticed how precise and apt she was at skinning the snake. Did she have practice in such things? Had she skinned many things prior to their meeting?

Instead of moving closer to her, he stays lingering in the doorway. Leaning his shoulder against it, he is silent for now. Content to watch her work the afternoon away until either she or he was hungry.

"speech"

CODE BY SHELBY

Jael could feel his eyes on her always, even when they weren't his. She's safe here, protected. Nothing happened on the island that Gil didn't know about. Jael was grateful for that. Grateful for his nearness, and for the comfort that provided. It felt less like stealing these days. Was this her life now? It seemed like it, though she wasn't sure what exactly she'd done to deserve it.

She works away at more of the snake's flesh, the pile of scrapped sinew and muscle piling beside her. Thankfully, snakes weren't that greasy. With her knife steady and poised, Jael is able to free the tissues from inside the skull, teasing it free. It was gory, messy work but didn't phase her much. Viscera clung to her coat in places, but it's fine. Hell, she'd probably do well with a bath before the end of the evening anyway.

"Come sit, you don't need to hover." Jael gently set the skull down after a long moment, acutely aware he loomed large in the doorway behind her. Jael's tail gave a little wag, finally tilting her head to peer behind her. A little smile, a little pleading in her expression... that should do it, right? "Will you tell me what trading is like here?" Her attention returns to the skull after a moment, though if Gilgamesh comes to sit, she'll find herself subconsciously leaning toward him while he speaks.

Her words have him raising a brow. A hint of a smile on his lips. Hovering? No, that was indeed not what he was doing. He was watching. Admiring her work away at the delicate sinew of the snake's head. Yet, as she glanced at him over her shoulder with those pretty eyes and a little wag of her tail, he couldn't resist. Letting out a dramatic sigh as if it was so much work for him to cross those few feet toward her, he allowed himself to take up more room than necessary as he settled in beside her.

Still giving her enough room to work, he raises another brow at her question. That at least was a question he could answer, but hesitated anyway. He didn't want her leaving even if he knew the other packs wouldn't harm her. If they knew what was good for them. "Trading is bountiful around Boreas and Auster," he begins as he stretches his legs and gets comfortable. "Our closest neighbor, Avalon, has animals, mead, and other wares. They are farmers and crafters, good wolves. Their leader, Corbie, is intelligent and knows her stuff," Gil pauses as his gaze lifts from the snake's head to Jael. "Another pack, the Armada, they have a market, but..." he hesitates, his lips twitching before he continues, "they are not quite friends with us," he doesn't add that she is allowed to go there and hopes she doesn't question it.

"There are other packs, twelve of us in total, and each one has its own specialties. Any questions?" Gil lets his words linger for a moment, wondering just what she wanted to know.

"speech"

CODE BY SHELBY

As she catches his gaze on her shoulders, Jael understands. A little knowing held in eye contact, a little held breath. Intense, but not in the same way her stare often is. This is different. Perhaps there's something strange about longing so very deeply for something that you can touch. But she's not here to think about longing, she's not here to think about want. She's here to think about trade, and about snakes, and about rebuilding her life. Maybe he can be on her mind, when she thinks about that last bit.

Snakes. Right, there was still a snake skull to process. Reaching for a long, sturdy piece of wire she'd scavenged from somewhere around the house, Jael begins to dig at the brain. It would take some smushing and some rattling, but it's a fairly effective method. He weaves through names of places she has yet to see, but very well plans to. Places that Jael will insist she get to see, but also knows that she won't go alone. One of their neighbors had animals, something that draws her attention up from the skull. Her ears perk, her tail twitches. That was good news, at least in her mind.

And comes the news of another, the Armada. Not quite friends, and she catches the flicker at the corners of his lips. Jael is not wholly unfamiliar with the ways of raiders, pirates, rustlers-- they're not always the most upstanding. Tensions were natural, and what was life without a little spice anyway? She will let sleeping enemies lie, this time. Instead, she inquires on something that will perhaps occupy her mind in a more concrete way. "Are there any glaring gaps you see in the market right now?" Jael's gaze rakes across his face, taking him in. Really, she can't help herself. Lingering, before near-reluctantly returning to her work.

Gil continues to watch Jael work the snake's skull. The sound of brain matter squishing and sloshing around wasn't his favorite, but if it kept her occupied, he wouldn't complain. A beat of silence separated his words from her's and then she has him thinking. When he glosses over the other packs, he's not entirely sure.
He lets out a hum of thought before concluding that maybe if he just listed it aloud, she could help him find the gaps.

"If we start from the top, Armada has their market and weaponsmiths, you can find almost anything there as many crafters come to sell their wares. Avalon has their herd animals and mead, Ethne has flocks as well, the Hallows has their own weapons and wine, Heidinn I heard has been keeping sheep and they have ample healers who can produce good healing supplies, Insomnia has hides, bones, things used to make snares and traps, Tojo-kai I've heard has exotic spices and fish, but Ashen, Elysium, Norad, Valta I have not yet had a chance to scout their niches. So far, we only produce booze, the hard stuff, but it would be nice to get something else going," he lets out a sigh because man, he didn't like talking in such long bouts.

"Can you think of something we could specialize in?" Gil questions her, ears perked and eyes lingering not on the snake anymore but on Jael herself.

As the rest of the brain drains from the skull and falls among the pile of refuse, Jael makes a bit of a face. Sometimes the work was a little... gruesome, for her tastes. Maybe a little gory. Oops. Accidentally turning her own stomach in the process wasn't something she was proud of, but the girl takes this as a good excuse to set aside the skull and dump the refuse into the appropriate bucket. Ew. She could deal with that (or get someone else to deal with that) later. Jael moved away to wipe her paws clean on the sand before returning to give Gilgamesh her undivided attention. When she settled beside him, it was perhaps a bit closer than socially acceptable. Just a bit. She was relatively clear of guts, and he didn't strike her as the squeamish type.

Right, the market, the gaps. There was the name of the pack again, the Armada. The ones who they weren't on the best terms with. Jael rests her chin on her paws as he speaks, looking up into his face. "You say we aren't friends with the Armada, do our traders still go to their market?" Surely it would have a poor impact on their standing and the deals they'd make. Jael thinks it through, but there's a glint in her eye. She wants to see the market for herself, and there's an excited little expectation in her gaze as she looks to Gil.

"The island is full of treasures from the ones who came before. Things in abundance here that should have a lot of value to the right buyer." Jael is observant. She's seen all the things hiding among the dirt. Bits of plastic, glass, building materials that could be broken apart and repurposed. "I want to see the natural resources on the other islands. Feathers for crafters and if we can harvest them alive the exotic pet trade is a big deal." Before she can realize what exactly she's said, the words taste funny on her lips. That felt... odd. Jael's gaze dropped. How did she manage to make herself feel this way?