Grinning, Koel decided not to let any lingering weirdness from the last time they’d seen each other continue to bother him. This whole experience was so surreal and strange that he needed company more than ever; besides, their last private chat had been trending in a direction he ended up deciding he liked, so if she was willing to indulge him he was game. Maybe they could get back to a good place between the two of them. "Basics, huh? Guess that’s all you know. Pity. I thought you were good for more than that." No doubt that would sting the woman’s easily bruised pride: Edrei might talk a good game but Koel remembered what it was like to be that young and hotheaded. He was being gentle with the teasing, but he would make sure not to take it too far. It would be just his look to manage to actually offend her by making one joke too many.
"Fortune favors the bold. And it’s about time I get some much needed love and attention." For too long he’d been content to support others in the hopes that they’d throw him a bone. No more: if they were stuck in this new world, which very much seemed to be the case, then he’d play by new rules of his own making and to his own liking. Not that he’d been particularly good at playing by the old ones, but at least he’d made an effort to keep the peace. However, that had all gone out the window—along with their entire society, basically—when they were transported here, as far as he was concerned.
His eyes twinkled. If Edy thought a bit of dirty humor was going to fluster him, she’d forgotten who he was. Indeed, he felt he’d already proven himself on that particular front, even if it he’d ended been all bark and not nearly enough biting because they got teleported to this new world before it could progress. "I mean, they are always telling authors to flesh out their characters. That’s what that means, right?" Winking at her for good measure, Koel felt his smile grow as she continued on with the discussion about their respective characters. "I mean, we can talk about it if you'd like, but if I’m the hero that makes you either the sidekick or the love interest, since you’ve already said you weren’t good at and didn’t want to be the villain of this tale." Maybe he was being too bold, mentioning love interests like that, but considering their last private encounter he didn’t think so. If she wanted to be a different kind of sidekick, though, she’d have to bring it up; Koel was done making decisions for people. If they didn’t want to do things that were in their best interests, that was their prerogatives.
It did seem, though, that she was willing to follow his lead when it came to the actual scouting mission. That was probably for the best; while Edy was many things, stealthy and subtle didn’t seem to be her forte. While there was nothing necessarily wrong with that—and a lot that was good, since bold and brash had its place—it did make him a bit wary of trusting her to act appropriately in an unknown environment. Still, he wouldn't turn away any help right now. "We quietly check out these fields, try to see if there’s any hidden danger and if they can be used for agricultural purposes." It was tedious work, most likely, but Koel wanted to be certain it was safe out here before he sent non-combatants to farm the land. All the playfulness was gone from his voice and his face now; in place of the flirty and witty eagle was a competent professional who wouldn’t allow any nonsense to get past him.
koel ambray
Taking the path of most resistance
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