Bearclaw Valley help is on the way

She was excited at first, then bashful, all of which made Larus want to laugh - but he'd forgotten how at some point, so the most he could do was smile, letting the warmth of the expression penetrate his gaze. The corners of his eyes had tiny crow's feet branching from them which vanished as soon as she began to blunder over her words — and when she decided she was too flustered to stay, he opened his mouth as if to speak but she was already moving. Larus stood there like a fish gasping for air, and Blondine excused herself, sauntering back the way she'd come before he could compose himself enough to say anything.

In the end all he murmured was, oh, okay... as he watched her warm coat dwindle in his line of sight.