She snorted, shaking her head she knew the request had been made in spite - still, she hardly in a position to fell even the slimmest of saplings and he looked better suited to the task of it than herself. He seemed to accept her command rather readily. While she viewed the speed with which he'd changed his tune from snide to snide but trying to be apologetic as grounds for suspicion, this wasn't a gift horse that Mel felt the need to examine the teeth of. If he got her a stick, great! If he didn't, well, what had she really expected?
Mel shifted the bundle across her chest, meeting his gaze as he mentioned his eyes, somewhat dumbfounded that he had mentioned such a thing, particularly to her. A twinge of self-consciousness averted her gaze where all his bluster and hostility had failed to, shrinking behind the flax roots. She did not answer him on the matter, though met his gaze again a moment later and wondered exactly that - who had he reminded her of? She caught a whiff of the sea on the wind, and suppressed a shiver.
"I'm not going that way, I was coming this way. I'm gathering flax to make cloth." She lifted the bundle as she explained the task matter-of-factly. "I read once how to spin the fiber into thread and thought I might try - learning new skills almost seems a necessity since we're here. I need another one and a half bundles like this one before I can go home or it won't be worth it at all, though." Mel wondered how far his apology extended, how much she might have to manipulate him to help her out even further. How much she could manipulate him. Tipping her head to the side she offered a shy smile from behind the dusty stems. "You look like you could do that in no time, if you're really worried about me getting back to Sanctuary in one piece..." She didn't think he was, but she knew how to play to a man's desire to feel not only wanted but useful. "Maybe you could help me out. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, what do you say, Mister...?"
Mel shifted the bundle across her chest, meeting his gaze as he mentioned his eyes, somewhat dumbfounded that he had mentioned such a thing, particularly to her. A twinge of self-consciousness averted her gaze where all his bluster and hostility had failed to, shrinking behind the flax roots. She did not answer him on the matter, though met his gaze again a moment later and wondered exactly that - who had he reminded her of? She caught a whiff of the sea on the wind, and suppressed a shiver.
"I'm not going that way, I was coming this way. I'm gathering flax to make cloth." She lifted the bundle as she explained the task matter-of-factly. "I read once how to spin the fiber into thread and thought I might try - learning new skills almost seems a necessity since we're here. I need another one and a half bundles like this one before I can go home or it won't be worth it at all, though." Mel wondered how far his apology extended, how much she might have to manipulate him to help her out even further. How much she could manipulate him. Tipping her head to the side she offered a shy smile from behind the dusty stems. "You look like you could do that in no time, if you're really worried about me getting back to Sanctuary in one piece..." She didn't think he was, but she knew how to play to a man's desire to feel not only wanted but useful. "Maybe you could help me out. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, what do you say, Mister...?"
