i wish i could not say then i wouldn't have to lie

starling was rapt by her nostalgic reprieve, but like all thought-encounters, she was reminded sharply of the real world as a gentle voice steered her back to the present.

she opened a singular wintergreen eye slowly, the catlike pupil landing upon the winsome features of a strange male. how stupid of her to be caught in the open again by another male -- starling was still smarting from her encounter with crescendo. her second eye opened and she focused her attention upon the agouti figure.

something about this male was much more fortuitous -- much more affable than crescendo had been. she offered a threadbare smile to him, one that suggested she had been caught a little off-guard by his approach. "the winters here are milder than back home." a statement that likely would reveal she was a foreigner to the wilds. "i will take your word for it. i'm starling." she took in a breath: "starling saturnin takanaami endore."