a lot of people will look at you
Aria
“Let me know when she’s old enough to hunt. I’ll teach her.”
For a second, he just looked at her. Then the corner of his mouth twitched, and before he could stop it, the grin came. Not the polite kind, but the one you can’t help when you’ve seen through the bark to find the bite’s got a little soft center after all. He chuckled low, shaking his head.
“Sure. Next season she’ll be old enough for her first real outing, I think.” His eyes dropped to Aria, who was busy chewing the frayed end of the rope like she’d already claimed it as a prize. “But then I’ll just owe you double. Teaching her’s another debt in itself.”
He let that agreement sit between them for a breath, the steam hissing from the cliffs below filling the silence. Then his gaze cut back up, sharp but not unfriendly.
“What do you do to make a living, Thalassa?” His voice had steadied back into gravel, practical as ever, but there was a thread running through it — the angle of a man looking for a way to even the scales. “Could be I can repay you with more than words. I’ve got strong hands, and I’ve built, hauled, and mended more than my share. Point me at something that needs doing.”
Aria punctuated his offer by flopping onto her back, all four paws batting at the rope line, purring loud enough to drown the volcano’s growl.
Damien
but only a few will see you
