Ravensblood Forest the fat pelican

Her reluctance to answer his question led him to believe she was at least conflicted about how she felt about him, which was better than being outright hated in his humble opinion. He gave a small "mmph" when she mentioned her surprise, followed by another hum when she asked him the obvious question. He considered being cryptic, perhaps obtuse or dancing around the answer, but that wasn't the Tartok way, and it certainly wasn't his way.

I went back to my family for a time, but I couldn't shake the thought of you. On the advice of my mother, she suggested I seek you out. He did, of course, leave out the bit about his suspicion that Raleska and he were meant to be one another's aokkatti. He let his explanation sink in, wondering what she might think of it.