Firefly Glen beautiful glass

If he found her rambling strange in any way, Taltos didn't make any indication of it. Perhaps that was why he was a Counselor; he could be observant but impassive, reserving any implication of judgment. Now that she thought about it, there was something very mollifying about his mannerisms. Something about his calm, stoic and well-spoken demeanor invited trust, even though Wildfire had only met him the once.

All the same, she still felt strange about rambling on like that. Her lips pressed together as Taltos answered succinctly, condemning Charon's delivery before moving on to the importance of all hands on deck. Indeed, she did know. She nibbled at her lip, then paused thoughtfully as she weighed his question.

"I honestly thought I was going to die," she said simply. "It was just two of us at first. I took one look at its claws and I knew it could easily chop off my head with one lazy swipe. I was too small, so fighting back seemed pointless, I guess. I didn't really think, I just... I cowered, until backup arrived," she confessed quietly and guiltily.

She let the ugly truth linger in the air between them a moment before adding, "I'm not usually a coward, though. Even though I'm small, I've never failed like that until now." Why was that? Was it because she'd left home? Was it because of her lost fight with Eigma? Was it because of Charon's disparaging criticism? Did the reason really matter, if it was clear that fighting battles wasn't her forte?