He winks and it is charming - deepening the smile that she cannot shake. There’s an urge to laugh, but she bites down on this - knowing the cause is nerves but aware it could be interpreted as unkind (and certainly not wanting that). She has no idea what to do next, though, and as Gale turns his gaze back up to the sky she finds no clues there. What’s the response when someone winks at you? She shifts her weight, thinking about moving closer to him, but second-guesses herself before her hoof can to more than shift and she remains where she is.
The only thing that bridges the gap between them is the quiet word she responds with. “Perhaps.” It’s a small lie but she wonders if he can hear that for what it is - hear the way her heart beats in her ears as she says it - as though over this weird day she hasn’t already become incredibly fond of him. Mazikeen’s made friends in less time than this before but, at least for her, this feels different. She’s uncomfortable with the sense that she’s in new territory with rules and expectations she can only guess at. There is a part of her wants to flee from this, from him, and fly away until she can breathe and think again.
As in all things, though, Mazikeen is far too stubborn to back away.
There’s a small stretch of silence where she enjoys just watching him before she speaks again - that note of humour returning as she tilts her head slightly to the side. “So, are you done coming up with excuses for us to delay our rematch - or do you have any more?” Though she does not want to fight fight anymore, there is the promise of a spar she has not forgotten… and she will happily ignore the fact that she is injured and tiptoeing her way to exhaustion for a friendly wrestling match. But if he has more excuses to delay, she cannot truthfully say she’d mind that either.
@[Gale]