Hushed Willows reaching up to the maze of light in the sky

---

the woman's response might have been demeaning, yet Dawn understood that it was very much not so; rather, perhaps an attempt at empathy. she let it fade with no contrary words nor agreement, allowing her gaze to fall to the inkstain's muzzle as it twitched into a half-smile. 

the girl's interest in her was explained by a simple sentence; vague and curious, met with a quirk of the sterling girl's brow. the girl was most certainly interesting, and Dawn signified her willingness to entertain her intrigue by reclining neatly on her haunches, ears pricked atop her skull. she listened carefully as the wildling explained - a wanderer, then - of her stories; and her trades. 

she did not miss the suggestiveness of the girl's final remark, and at once some part of her was taken aback. her first thought was of Aditya; but nearly a fortnight of anguish had passed since they'd separated, and the thought of him ignited less of a painful spark in her chest, fading faster than it had in the first few days after they'd separated. she did not know if she would dare press further, but was suddenly struck by the knowledge that she could, if she wished. Fen had been a release, a test off the edge, something new, spurned by grief and guilt and a wish to be free of it. she'd not pressed, merely given in and allowed to happen what she regretted bitterly.

but she could choose, now, to push and live and maybe outlast all the hurt. and so she grinned, reminiscent of what and who she'd been long before the start of all her mistakes. it was touched with wildness, fleeting, yet there. "I have stories, wanderer. It depends on what you'd like to hear." she canted her head a fraction, intrigued in turn. she already had an inkling of what she might ask in return, but waited first for the inkstain's pointed words.