Whitewater Gorge viii. "i am sorry someone loved you badly"

Though the sight of the snow-pelted northman was enough to charge her heart with an erratic tempo, the exile could see that the presence of her comrades was making the young woman uncomfortable.

"Sorry, those two are like large pups," she joked lightly, turning a reassuring smile in Padma's direction as she jerked her head towards Lokie and Connor with a slight eye roll borne of humor. "They don't mean any harm," she promised gently, shooting the males a look that said, cool it or go back to camp.

"Condatis is a good friend of mine," she added, following the Crowborn's introduction. As her lavender gaze and kind smile turned in his direction, the grin widened into a sweetened beam to light upon him - the noxborn unable to smother the affection she held for him.

"No one here will harm you, either of you," Rhælla promised, earnest gaze shifting between Padma and Condatis. "Come, join us, we will share a meal with you back at our spot," she offered generously, gesturing with a tilt of her dark crown for the pair to follow the fledling group members as she padded into the screen of grass.