Ocean's Breath Plateau wind sister

He explained. Towhee listened, wondering if he intentionally stroked her ego. Either way, it worked. She wasn’t so much angry as baffled—and, admittedly, a little irritated—by these customs, though Chakliux’s words placated her.

-“For the record, I’m not opposed to any of that and I won’t reject it if someone ‘repays’ me. I’m grateful if they want to offer that. I just don’t expect it, much less require it, you know? I don’t want anyone thinking I do. I teach for the honor and privilege of it.”-

She glanced at the small morsels laid out on the kelp leaf again, once more sniffing the air and cataloging the scents. But Towhee’s eyes quickly raised back to Chakliux’s face.

-“I don’t have that many years,”- she insisted.