She seemed timid at times, but with a sharpness just beneath the surface at others. Mostly, though, she was a quiet creature, and her wariness of him was only wise. He had interrupted her call to the luxere though, and though she had interrupted his morning's sleep, it wasn't a fair trade to begrudge her the creature's blessing. It wasn't as though he owned any part of the woods, after all. If he wanted to be assured of quiet he would need to find a proper house... something he still shied away from. He'd been a wanderer too long to be comfortable setting down roots so soon after arriving, even with the bitter cold of winter upon them.
"I may ask you 'why' later," he murmured, settling down and retrieving his instrument. "I assure you, you've done nothing that would require an apology. Neither to me, nor to him." The morning was cold but still, the rising sun turning the east a warming pink in herald of its approach, and the notes of the flute rang out with soft clarity, coaxing the luxere closer. Jigano could have sung - and sung well, as part of his trade - but doing so would have been a rudeness the young woman didn't deserve. Rather than make her feel even more self-conscious about her voice in comparison to his - foolish, since he had training and made a living with it, but how often was the heart rational? - he chose instead an instrument that he hoped would give no sense of competition.
He couldn't smile as he heard the humming begin beside him, soft and tentative at first but growing more confident as Amalia found his tune, but his blue eyes warmed and crinkled at the edges. When she began to sing he didn't miss a beat or change a thing, continuing to play the simple, cheerful little tune and appreciating how well her words fit into it. Her voice was fine and lovely enough for the luxere, clearly, who perked his ears forward and stepped towards them, wariness fading at the welcoming music - and smell of oats in the bowl. A few steps more and his velvety nose had found them, lipping up the meager offering and then stepping closer to sniff Amalia's hair for more of the tasty treats.
"I may ask you 'why' later," he murmured, settling down and retrieving his instrument. "I assure you, you've done nothing that would require an apology. Neither to me, nor to him." The morning was cold but still, the rising sun turning the east a warming pink in herald of its approach, and the notes of the flute rang out with soft clarity, coaxing the luxere closer. Jigano could have sung - and sung well, as part of his trade - but doing so would have been a rudeness the young woman didn't deserve. Rather than make her feel even more self-conscious about her voice in comparison to his - foolish, since he had training and made a living with it, but how often was the heart rational? - he chose instead an instrument that he hoped would give no sense of competition.
He couldn't smile as he heard the humming begin beside him, soft and tentative at first but growing more confident as Amalia found his tune, but his blue eyes warmed and crinkled at the edges. When she began to sing he didn't miss a beat or change a thing, continuing to play the simple, cheerful little tune and appreciating how well her words fit into it. Her voice was fine and lovely enough for the luxere, clearly, who perked his ears forward and stepped towards them, wariness fading at the welcoming music - and smell of oats in the bowl. A few steps more and his velvety nose had found them, lipping up the meager offering and then stepping closer to sniff Amalia's hair for more of the tasty treats.
