Mount Apikuni ii: bugs, underfoot

He watches her look at him, watches the open-close of her mouth, the smilenot-smile on her lips.  The look in her eye reminds him of someone — nadine — that he refuses to think about.  There is something sweet and saccharine in the tone of her voice that might have piqued his interest once upon a time.  He remembers @Quail then, somewhere trailing behind him, and his tail sways behind him just once.

Who is asking?