Meadowlark Prairie codeine scene

She could've left it at that, let the silence linger between them without a second word and taken it for what it was. He was curt in his answer, final; this was the world he knew. For the briefest of moments, she felt envy tug at her heart. If only life could have been a transaction so simple and not a convoluted, confusing mess of love and pain and—

Do they? She challenged the notion with an air of severity, raising a brow as if it were a joke, her tail uncurled once more; forcing him to confront it, blunt as it was. Resting her head on her paws, she would trade the severity for bated sensitivity, quiet on her breath as she let out a sigh. ..I appreciate what you've done for me.

She knew which game to play. Gratitude and soft words.