Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kani had been starry eyed the entirety of their time in the town they'd wandered into, and given her unfamiliarity with the area had trailed close to Morain's side. At the mention of food her own stomach gave a growl of protest, sheepish smile spreading across her face as she looked towards the inn. Zoryn too bounced around her feet, his soft huffs of noise through his nostrils alerting her that he too needed to eat. She pressed her fingers to her own bare stomach and nodded, turning to head back to the inn.

"Supper sounds fantastic, especially given our day of exploring. Do you think they have any specials for non-locals?" She didn't exactly know what a special would be other than a lack of fish. "Maybe lots of berries given the trees?"

The warmth of the inn was comforting as she wandered in, though the innkeep always eyed Zoryn with a bit of disdain despite his good behavior. "Perhaps I could assist with work here in exchange for some food so we don't have to keep using our funds?"

Kani chewed her lip as she listened to him speak, nearly missing the chair as she distractedly took a seat with Zoryn curling around her feet. "Mm. That's fair. And it would mean less time spent together which is not ideal," she admitted, reaching over and patting Morain's hand. She noted the shift in his expression, her brows knitting together in concern. She squeezed his hand lightly then and tilted her head towards the food being made.

"Considering eating them out of business?" Kani teased, trying to distract him from whatever thought had darkened his expression in a way she hadn't really seen before. It concerned her and despite not knowing what the issue was she wanted to fix it.

"I can go ask them to hurry with food. Or drink. Whatever you would like, dear," she continued to try and soothe, thumb brushing against the top of his hand.

Kani was pleased to see the change in Morain's expression, relaxing more into her chair and watching him wander off. Morain was a beautiful figure amongst the sea of leaf beings around them. She worried that they would take advantage of him being an outsider, but quickly waved the thought away. Morain was more experienced than she was. He could handle it far better than she would be able to.

"I think he's someone I'd like to keep being around. What do you think, Zoryn?" Kani spoke softly, petting the zanteer idly. Zoryn perked his ears but otherwise stayed curled around her and ignored her words.

It was silly to say something out loud to him, especially given the fact she was sure Morain didn't consider her like that. She didn't even know what he thought of her. They were friendly with each other, and often touched hands or bumped shoulders, but what did that even mean???

Kani felt her face heat and quickly took a large chug from the wine glass, sputtering while she considered the taste. It was sweet, but burned as it went down and warmed her far more than she had expected. A soft giggle spilled from her lips, fingers brushing against the glass. Oh that was nice. Wine was good, very good. Kani eagerly took another sip, some trailing down her chin with the unsteadiness of her hand.

"Good. Very good. I like this. Do you like this? Is it better with me here?" Kani laughed more, reaching over and squeezing Morain's arm. Her head already felt fuzzy and she didn't know how much more it was going to get.

Kani smiled and brushed her lips against his finger as she accepted the offered snack, looking up at Morain innocently. "Reeeally?" she drawled out, lips continuing to brush against him while she spoke. She couldn't tell if it was the wine causing her to flush or the somewhat intimate situation they were now in, but either way Kani was enjoying their time. The wine loosened her usual filter on her words, her desire to tell Morain what she thought hanging heavy on her tongue.

"You're incredible, have I told you that? If not, maybe I should tell you more."


She continued to enjoy the way her lips brushed against his skin, reaching her hand out to draw him a bit closer to her.

Kani made a face at the sudden distance between them, turning to look at the barmaid with an easy smile. "Thank you very much," Kani nodded, eagerly sipping at more wine before reaching over and stuffing a glazed root into her mouth. After waiting for the barmaid to leave Kani turned back to Morain and leaned close once more. He had been planning to say something, his voice soft and inviting. She wanted to hear what it was.

"Tell me, dear. What were you going to say?" she asked just as softly, tapping her fingers up his arm in a gentle rhythm. "I'll listen to whatever you want to tell me."

Another giggle came over her, battering her eyelashes at him. Did it make her look more enticing? Was that what she was trying to be? Or more convincing? Maybe that was the one?

Wine with friends. Friends. Right. Even through the slight haze of the wine she disliked the way Morain had said that. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with what he'd said. They were friends, of course they were, but she didn't like how it sounded. It was wrong! Kani leaned back in her chair, sour look on her face as she busily shoved another bite of food into her mouth. She looked sidelong between Morain and the food, forcing herself to aggressively chew it and ignore the words.

"I see. Pardon my question," she grumbled, biting down hard on her lip. "I did not mean to pry."

There was an awkwardness to her movements, her hands settling in different places. She couldn't quite decide what she wanted to do with them other than placing them on Morain - which was a big no especially given his words. She'd been reading too much into it, of course.