Reflecting back on the past month, Étoille feels a bit dizzy. After spending so long aimlessly meandering, it is odd to so quickly be so embedded in his new home. Though in many ways he is still an outsider he cannot help but feel a certain weight in the missions bestowed upon him. He was, after all, the one to spot Arlo's body, even if he holds no emotional connection to it.

Still: he has a couple days rest and then the larger trip begins. There is part of him that still hopes he will encounter Mirabella, the mysterious woman who'd accompanied him on his trip up to Drageda. She'd chosen to move on and he respects that, but a nagging part of him misses her - or at least wants to make sure she's stayed safe without his company. And what an arrogant thought that is. The titan had been unable to even catch her scent in their travels, but perhaps he will pick it up on their longer journey. 

He is resting when the choupinou seeks him out, taking advantage of their precious days off to rest his weary limbs. Accostomed to long bouts of travel, Étoille nonetheless appreciates the opportunity to relax. Laying amongst the redwoods, he smells her before he sees her, and he turns his large head to offer a friendly nod. "Chou, allô," the man says, and shifts slightly, offering the spot next to him for her to join him.

 Though still somewhat nervous of stepping into Eske's territory, Étoille is rather fond of the girl child. He is pleased to see that she is already looking healthier. The condition she'd been in when Wanlida first brought the girl to camp had alarmed even he, and he knows the trip took a toll the small creature as much as it did the rest of them. 

A faint smile reaches his eyes as she settles beside him. "I am too," the kru agrees. He feels a sudden urge to - do something, groom her, perhaps, but he doesn't exactly know what to do with it. Instead he huffs a little and lowers his head, voice quiet when he speaks again to inquire, "you are settling in." 

  Étoille is not privy to the girl's thoughts, but he understands, a little, what it might be like. He is an outsider to their way of life, same as she. In truth this doesn't bother the titan too much. He's always been pretty... unaffected by such things, and he feels he is contributing well enough. But, still: he can understand.

"Hm," he says, feeling an odd pang of affection at her question. "I am afraid so, choupinou." The man feels a little bad at letting her down, but not terribly. He will not be gone long and his mission is important, and she is safe here in their home. Gently he nudges her with his massive snout. "You are safe here," he says, a tad apologetically. She seems a bright child: he is sure she will understand.

 Furi's investment in him is .. something almost alarming, but at least unexpected. Étoille is young but he is by no means a youth and yet he has not given much thought to the idea of children, or of having children. He's always been a somewhat aimless drifter, rarely even indulging in romantic dalliances. Putting it into perspective it sounds quite bleak, but Étoille has never been unhappy in his solitude.

 But the way Furi looks at him now stirs something in his chest. He is suddenly immeasurably grateful to Eske for saving the girl, to Heda for allowing her to stay. Warmly the man leans forward, tapping the crown of her head with his nose. "Oui." He reassures. "And Wanlida will still be here." The titan is glad that Eske will be staying, even if it's a matter of practicality - he would hate the child to be left alone so quickly after they found her. He licks her snout almost hesitantly, unused to showing such affections but - really, really wanting to, for once.

 The man feels soft, watching the child droop. Watching her eyes grow heavy reminds Étoille of his own tiredness, and so he lays his massive head on his paws. "Rest," he murmurs, and does not say anything further, giving in to his own urge to do so.