Noctisardor Bypass Its entrance gate is rusted shut,

Arbiter was a tough cookie, perhaps now more than usual. She hadn't been willing to trust, but even even the fragments she'd offered to Kaertok had been pretty well trashed. So it was definitely good that he wasn't going out of his way to test her patience. A hint: right now she didn't have any. And yes, perhaps some other time she'd have been in a better mood, but with her it was hard to tell. 

She couldn't recall someone describing themselves as a bard -- at least not in recent history. With the way the world has been lately, best to lead with the latter. How long had it been since she had felt as though folks could relax? Too long. Maybe back on Sunspire before the famine. Practically a lifetime ago at this point -- before her oldest children were born, at least. What do you seek in a home? My pack is one that is designed to foster improvement, and to value all sorts of expertise. I value loyalty here, respect. Things that Kaertok didn't think they were worth, it seemed. That was a bitter note. Dagfinn being weary fit right in with how she saw the world at the moment -- it was enjoying being torturous just for laughs and the misery of the wolves that lived in it.