Bearclaw Valley round town

her ears flick forward to his voice, but she says nothing in response to his apparent appreciation of her gift. she wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it sits oddly in her chest, a little foreign in.

his question catches her off guard. how you been? uh oh. it was not a thing she was asked often, not in a way that meant anything, and her small-talk skills were rather inept.

she huffs, kisses her teeth, contemplates her answer as if it’s never been anything more then ’i’m okay,’ or ‘fine, i guess’. she opts for the less (more?) ambiguous choice, shrugging her shoulders as she speaks: “same as always.” it’s the easiest answer. the safest one. she shifts her weight, thoughtful. “still adjusting, i guess. could always be worse.”