He bowed his head at her not-quite derisiveness, accepting her judgment without removing the guard from his tongue. Until he saw the problem he couldn't be sure it was as bad as he feared, and it was all too easy to jump to the wrong conclusions without knowing more. The Fae were already unhappy enough with the barrierfolk as it was; the last thing he wanted to do was earn Arduinna's ire as well.
Her transformation into an owl was unexpected, but so much of what she did surprised and awed him that it no longer stopped him in his tracks. He drew in a sharp breath, struck by her beauty anew and the way the light danced along her silver wings. She gave him little chance to appreciate it before she was off, however, and he tightened the strap of his instrument case over his chest and set off at a swift lope behind her. He was quick and steady in his pace, though he was panting by the time she touched the ground again.
He hesitated as he joined her in surveying the damage, keen eyes striving to pick out those bits of metal, that glint of glass, of something inorganic that didn't belong. "Everything..." he murmured, a trickle of fear lacing his voice and the taut lines of worry marring his face. "From the largest life to the smallest...?" The bard knelt to run his hands through the leaf litter and soil, trying to see how deep the withering went, and when he stood again he impulsively offered the dangerous Fae his arm in support. "I... am sorry, Arduinna. Do you know how swiftly it happened? All at once or over weeks or...?" The bard paused and then shook his head. "We can talk elsewhere. I would not see you hurt if we remain here longer."
Her transformation into an owl was unexpected, but so much of what she did surprised and awed him that it no longer stopped him in his tracks. He drew in a sharp breath, struck by her beauty anew and the way the light danced along her silver wings. She gave him little chance to appreciate it before she was off, however, and he tightened the strap of his instrument case over his chest and set off at a swift lope behind her. He was quick and steady in his pace, though he was panting by the time she touched the ground again.
He hesitated as he joined her in surveying the damage, keen eyes striving to pick out those bits of metal, that glint of glass, of something inorganic that didn't belong. "Everything..." he murmured, a trickle of fear lacing his voice and the taut lines of worry marring his face. "From the largest life to the smallest...?" The bard knelt to run his hands through the leaf litter and soil, trying to see how deep the withering went, and when he stood again he impulsively offered the dangerous Fae his arm in support. "I... am sorry, Arduinna. Do you know how swiftly it happened? All at once or over weeks or...?" The bard paused and then shook his head. "We can talk elsewhere. I would not see you hurt if we remain here longer."
