I'll drown eventually so don't save me
Sympathy overtook any remaining peevishness as Asta seemed unable to let go of the fear towards crows. Feeling bad for having induced it in the first place, Maea leaned over to nudge his arm briefly with a shoulder in a rare moment of outreach. "We don't have to talk about it anymore if you'd rather not," she offered gently.
His suggestion was a good distraction. "I'd love to," she replied simply. Stuffing the snake skin into her pack, Maea thought she might as well shift too. It would be awkward to carry the backpack as a tiger, but she figured it was better to stop talking at this point. The mood between them felt brittle, and the last thing she wanted was to step in it and made things worse.
"Race you to the next cave?" she suggested once she was done; to settle the food, and raise spirits, and perhaps the mood as well. This was one time where she wouldn't mind losing at all - apparently lials were fast, or so she'd noticed that one time where she hunted with one in the Grounds.
His suggestion was a good distraction. "I'd love to," she replied simply. Stuffing the snake skin into her pack, Maea thought she might as well shift too. It would be awkward to carry the backpack as a tiger, but she figured it was better to stop talking at this point. The mood between them felt brittle, and the last thing she wanted was to step in it and made things worse.
"Race you to the next cave?" she suggested once she was done; to settle the food, and raise spirits, and perhaps the mood as well. This was one time where she wouldn't mind losing at all - apparently lials were fast, or so she'd noticed that one time where she hunted with one in the Grounds.
Maea
