Phoenix Maplewood not from others

Ugh. Why did the Morningsiders have to be such a sorry lot? She pitied them at every turn, and it was turning her normally very firm resolve into mush. "Fine," Alya relented, her voice sounding much less harsh than she had meant it to. "Far be it from me to let the low wolf feel uncomfortable," she added, trying again for nastiness. Mostly, she sounded a bit tired.

Alya limped back to the stream to soak her leg once more, keeping one ear cupped toward Desdemona. "Will you say something to me, though? Tell a story or talk about the weather. I don't care. I'm tired of hearing nothing but the trees rattling their branches."