"It has its charm," he agreed with a wry smile. He glanced at his cohort of crows and then briefly to the sky, considering how he had once cared little for flying when it was under the power of another's magic. Now that he had his own wings... well. It still wasn't as good as four paws and ears that could hear the sound of a mouse moving beneath two feet of crisp snow, but it was pretty damn good. "I have heard..." he began hesitantly, then paused, wondering if the girl was human or a mage, and not wanting to be so gauche as to ask outright. "Well. I know someone who prayed to the old gods for their blessing, and was granted the ability to transform into an animal." He shrugged lightly, lips quirking back towards a fond smile as he thought of his heartsister and the softness - and fierceness - of her snow leopard form.
He chuckled at the faint rumble of the young woman's stomach, though his own appetite was too soured from the metallic taste still lingering in his mouth. "What does he - er, she? They? - eat?" he hazarded, not wanting to be rude to someone else's companion, however strange it was. He had only intended to scatter some corn for the crows and get the humans water, but Melita's obvious hunger had him rethinking what he could borrow from Rory's cupboard for her. There were some early apples and there was always goat jerky to be had on the farm, so maybe a bit of that, just enough for a snack... He'd let his friend know what had happened when the hunter returned, and offer to help restock the stores from town himself, he decided, as water finally began to flow and splash down, clear and cool, into Melita's mug.
He filled his own as well, then indulged himself by splashing some of the water over his own face and hair while his crows stole drinks from the horse trough nearby. A bleating of grumpy goats had him chuckling, and he paused at the fence to scratch a few heads. "I want to know... everything!" he told Melita with a laugh and a wink. "But let me think what to ask about you, specifically. Give me just a minute--" He ducked into the barn to steal a scoop of corn and two apples from a barrel that would grow fuller as the season wore on. The corn was tossed to the crows, who descended on it with approving caws and a bit of tousling amongst themselves, while the apples were brought to a rough-hewn bench in the shade of the barn, where the bard settled and patted the wood beside him for Melita to join him, as close or far as she felt comfortable.
"Will you tell me where you're from?" he asked then, tilting his head with a wry smile. "It's the usual place to start here, I think, if you're not Caido-born. Was your world very different from here?"
He chuckled at the faint rumble of the young woman's stomach, though his own appetite was too soured from the metallic taste still lingering in his mouth. "What does he - er, she? They? - eat?" he hazarded, not wanting to be rude to someone else's companion, however strange it was. He had only intended to scatter some corn for the crows and get the humans water, but Melita's obvious hunger had him rethinking what he could borrow from Rory's cupboard for her. There were some early apples and there was always goat jerky to be had on the farm, so maybe a bit of that, just enough for a snack... He'd let his friend know what had happened when the hunter returned, and offer to help restock the stores from town himself, he decided, as water finally began to flow and splash down, clear and cool, into Melita's mug.
He filled his own as well, then indulged himself by splashing some of the water over his own face and hair while his crows stole drinks from the horse trough nearby. A bleating of grumpy goats had him chuckling, and he paused at the fence to scratch a few heads. "I want to know... everything!" he told Melita with a laugh and a wink. "But let me think what to ask about you, specifically. Give me just a minute--" He ducked into the barn to steal a scoop of corn and two apples from a barrel that would grow fuller as the season wore on. The corn was tossed to the crows, who descended on it with approving caws and a bit of tousling amongst themselves, while the apples were brought to a rough-hewn bench in the shade of the barn, where the bard settled and patted the wood beside him for Melita to join him, as close or far as she felt comfortable.
"Will you tell me where you're from?" he asked then, tilting his head with a wry smile. "It's the usual place to start here, I think, if you're not Caido-born. Was your world very different from here?"
