[open] visual cues

The young male was on edge, not necessarily because of his company, but rather because of himself. He caught the glimpse of a smile from the woman, and as he stood there awkwardly waiting for her response to his clumsily woven together introduction, he instinctively gave her another glance over. She was pretty, with soft, curly red fur and striking golden eyes. She was also quite older than him, but not by too much. He wondered what trade she was in; where in the guild she stood. But he couldn’t wonder for long because once he caught her gaze again she spoke with urgency. Don’t leave? Her hastiness brought an immediate small smile to his lips. She chuckled, probably at herself, which allowed Ruka’s smile to grow by a hair.

"Sorry, I was just hoping for some company, and now here you are. I wonder if these brands give us some kind of telepathy." she said, tilting her branded shoulder towards him so that he could get a better look. He did — it was just like his. Not that he was expecting anything more or less, but to have haphazardly come across another with the same brand was… reassuring. Maybe there was something about them that was special, as she had mentioned, and the thought pulled a little chuckle from him.

The woman introduced herself as Soralai, or Sora, and the first thing that came to his mind was how their names rhymed. He thought it to be amusing and before he could comment on it, she disclosed that she, too, was a spy. The reveal caught him off guard, indicated by his widened eyes. Ruka returned her knowing look with one of momentary puzzlement before the realization finally struck him. Quickly wiping the dumb look off his face, a smile replaced it.

His heart continued to race and his nerves still jittered. Social situations were never his strong suit and introducing himself the way he had certainly did not help things on his behalf. But the woman, Sora, waved a distracting paw and as his eyes returned to her, he caught her gaze again. It was nothing but kind, which was able to remind him to try and get a hold of himself. He believed he had been hiding his nerves well, but he was not, since she was able to pick up on his nervousness.

With ease she was able to redirect Ruka’s attention to the nearby tree. Am I here for that? He blinked blankly a few times at it before understanding what she was implying. He wasn’t here for the store necessarily—not that he was here for any real reason, other than curiosity, or maybe loneliness. But he wouldn’t pass on the opportunity for an evening snack.

“Yeah!” he blurted quickly, realizing he hadn’t yet said anything despite being already halfway there. He approached the mark, stopped, and stared at it, before looking down at the base of upturned soil. It was then he began to timidly dig, pulling away experimentally at the dirt and slowly uncovering what lay underneath. He was expecting it to be empty but to his surprise, it wasn’t! There were some hares and squirrels, not too stale but he wasn’t picky. Gingerly grabbing whatever his teeth touched first he stood and began to pack the soil back into place, with little to no technique. A little squirrel hung in his jaws, dangling by the hair of its tail.

Backing away from the store he decided to lay down, his jittery nerves completely gone and almost completely forgotten about, when he drew his attention back to Sora. “Thank you,” said Ruka, perhaps a little out of the blue. Timber had been the only guild member he’s met, so to have met another who had an amiable air about them—and the same trade no less! He felt compelled to express his gratitude, if not at the woman, then at least at how fate had led him here.

“Other than the boss you're the only other member I've seen around here. Not that I expect to see many of us passing through.” Ruka chuckled, maybe a little ungainly at his attempt to start another conversation. Try as he might, he had no clue how to do that or even how to keep one going. He just didn’t want to fall into an awkward silence.

Razza