John
*He nodded his head to her thanks.* "You're welcome, Ves." *He was confused on why her expression was so intense. Was she trying to use mind magic? Was this a notion in her culture he didn't know? Granted he knew jack shit about Kobolds besides how they tasted and how they were easy to kill. He had never once called one pretty - or anything pretty. So why did she stare at him like he did something bad?*

*His newfound confidence wavered a bit but instead of apologising, he knelt down to look at her head on. He was a bit away from the ocean but he could notice her lack of reaction to her predicament. She only looked at him. Just him. Not the birds, the sand, stones, water or shells. Just him. It made him feel kind of confused and intimidated. He didn't met this show though, a Goliath is never intimidated. They never back down.*

*He rested his hand on one of his knees and softy spoke.* "Ves...? Are you okay? Did I go too far?" *He had to know. He just had to know if she was happy or angry or confused or what. He began to overthink, why was this complicated? His entire known life had been simple: Wake up, train, kill, eat, kill, sleep. It was that for years and years until he met Ves. Now if was filled with if, buts, and maybes. Her intense stare, the way she said his name, the way her scales felt when he carried her. It was never simple, never easy. But in a sense, he liked that.*

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Christina
Ves' eyes followed him as he knelt before her. She shook her head slowly. "No. You've done nothing wrong. I'm okay. I'm just..." She hesitated, trailing off. She swallowed her fear. *Be strong. Be brave.* "I just... No one has ever given me a gift before. And no one has... Has called me pretty. I'm not pretty."

There. She said it. She should have felt relief, but her heart was thundering in her chest. She felt a little light-headed. She shifted her gaze at last, looking downward at the water rushing around her bare feet. Her eyes shifted towards Björn's feet as well. Even their feet were different. How could he possibly think she was pretty? She was so different from him. 

Maybe he meant it as though talking about a seashell. Or an animal. But even if that was the case, Ves wasn't a shiny gem or beautiful sunset. She was only a Kobold. A lizard. Ugly and small and stupid. Her tail flicked at her thoughts and her long ears drooped. Then she glanced up again with a look of determination. There was no sense in dwelling on what could not be changed.

"We should keep going. I see some huts down the beach and there are boats. We must be getting close to town."

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John
"Not yet." *He said sternly and looked down at her, he used the side of his finger to keep her eyes on him.* "You are pretty Ves. You are like a clean sword or a freshly lit torch... No... I mean, like a blood spatter on a wall! Wait... That doesn't sound right..." *He thought and thought, his mind racing to try and compare her to something.*

*All he could think of was the last few days they spend together, running from the law. They hid behind bushes, watched each other's backs and ate cheap rations, sleeping under a starry sky with no bed or blanket. It was hard to find anything to compare her to... Then he had an idea.*

"You are like a small campfire, shining bright... A cool gust of wind. You're like a travel ration: reliable and always there. You are like the Rain, you're refreshing. You... You are like the shell. You have lots of small details and always have a point..." *He made an awkward chuckle as he looked away.* "Heh... Get it, because you're smart? Smart people have a point. Shells have a point."

*He looked at her again.* "Look, my point is that I am not pretty to me, I have one working eye, covered in scars and cracks and I have a tattoo. I put blood on my face as paint and I leave food in my beard. Yet you still touch my face, feel my scars, clean my beard. You do all this because you want to. I gave you the shell and called you pretty because *I* Wanted to."

*He paused... Thinking, he had just said a lot of words. Words he didn't fully know... Why did he say all that? He felt lighter for saying it, yet he felt as dumb as a rock. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything after all...*

"Forgive me Ves, I spoke out of turn.

It won't happen again."

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Christina
Ves opened her mouth to object, but Björn spoke over her protests. Her ears flicked backwards as he tried to explain. Pretty like a blood splatter on the wall? What was that supposed to mean? "Björn, please," She pleaded softly. There was no sense in trying to spare her feelings. She knew what she was.

But then... Then he began to collect his words. And as he spoke, Ves grew very still. She gazed up at him, searching his expression as he explained his meaning. At first she didn't know how to respond. She wasn't entirely sure if he was mocking her. But no. Björn was too honest for that. He wasn't cruel. He wouldn't laugh at her. Not like those Dwarves had laughed.

Tears began to swim in her eyes, blurring her vision. Was she really all of those things? The fire, the wind, the rain, the shell? Did he really see all of that when he looked at her? Ves felt very exposed at that moment. Nobody had ever been so kind to her before. She didn't know what to do or how to think. It all felt very overwhelming.

The tears trickled down her cheeks and she lowered her eyes. She choked back a sob as a tear fell onto the sand at her feet. Another followed. She was trembling slightly and looked unsteady, like the wind might blow her over at any moment. He was so kind to her. *Too* Kind. What had she ever done to deserve such kindness?

"I..." She tried to speak through her tears, but it came out squeaky and raw. "No... No, Björn. You didn't... I just..." Another sob shook her tiny body and she covered her face with her hands. 

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John
*Seeing such a change in her consume her, watching her shake with tears, her voice choking up... He didn't know how to react. Instead, he did what she did to him. He gently grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into the warmest embrace he could muster.*

"I am here." *He said, such sincerity coated his words, his voice. He was present, in that moment. He didn't want her to feel fear or sadness or pain. She deserved more.* "I don't know why you are sad, but I am here." *He rubbed her back with his hand as he tried his best to comfort her.*

*Being as emotionally stunted as he, comforting was not his strong suit, his strength was... Well, his strength. He was a brute, a goon, a meathead. He wasn't a poet or great thinker. He had his knowledge of the world as small as the grains of sand he knelt on.*

*He rubbed her back before rubbing her head, trying all the different things he thought would bring her comfort.* "Do not cry. You aren't alone. If there was something I could do to help, I would." *He solemly said, not knowing how best to treat her shaky, sobby disposition.*

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Christina
Ves closed her eyes tightly as she felt Björn's warm arms wrap around her. She leaned into the embrace, inhaling shakily. His scent flooded her senses and grounded her in the moment. She felt the sand beneath her clawed feet, heard Björn's beating heart, tasted the salt in the air. It was just her and Björn. The rest of the world faded away.

*Be brave. Be strong.* Ves repeated the mantra to herself, but felt the exact opposite. She felt cowardly and weak. Her tears were pathetic. Why couldn't she be stronger? But no. Even Björn cried and he was the strongest person she had ever met. Crying didn't make her weak. Crying meant she was capable of more than just basic instincts. It meant she could think and feel. It meant she was capable of greater things.

The Kobold slowly began to regain control. Her sobbing grew quiet and her body stopped shaking. She was leaning quite heavily into Björn. Swallowing a few times, Ves mumbled against her friend, who was drenched with her tears. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to start crying. Your words... They weren't what I... Expected. You took me by surprise. Did you... Did you truly mean them?" It was a dumb question. Björn wouldn't have said something he didn't mean. He wasn't really capable of lying.

She finally looked up into his eyes. When was the last time she had actually cried? Truly unabashedly cried? Had she *Ever* Really sobbed openly? She couldn't remember doing so, not even as a child. And here she was, bawling her eyes out over a compliment. Gods, she was a silly thing. Very silly and very lucky to have Björn by her side.

"Thank you, Björn," She said, but it was unclear what she was thanking him for.

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John
"Why do you thank me? I have done nothing." *He was truthful in that. All he had done was comfort her till she stopped crying. He leaned forward and used his finger to wipe latent tears from her eyes. She needed him, and he knew it.*

"Every word I said, I meant. I did not mean to suprise you. In truth, I thought the Kobold who kissed me on the first day of knowing me would have expected this." *The hand he used to wipe her tears came to her cheek and rubbed it slightly. His hard was rough and coarse - the hands of a warrior.*

*As he caressed her in that moment, he gave her a small nod and a smile.* "You deserve happiness. You are one of the only good ones. Ves... You are great. Do not worry for tears, tears are strength. I think you are very strong. I will always say that. And I won't lie to you. You are pretty Ves, every scale." *He gave a small nod before taking his hand away.*

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Christina
She tilted her cheek against his coarse hand, closing her eyes at his comforting touch. Ves sighed gently, her tail motionless for once. She lifted her gaze to meet his as he drew away. Already it felt cold and empty without his touch. So she stepped closer and reached for his hand as it drifted away. She intertwined their fingers and smiled up at him.

"I'm a silly creature, Björn. You think I am bold and clever, but I'm actually timid and frightened. The world is a big place and I've been all alone. Until now. Now I have you. And I can't even begin to explain how much that means to me. I can't describe how you make me feel. How the sound of your voice in the morning makes me smile. How the scent of you reminds me of our moments alone. How your rough touch brings me comfort. I..."

"You mean so much to me. I'm thanking you because you're my friend... The dearest friend I've ever had." Was that all he was? Or was there more? Ves wasn't sure she was willing to admit more than that. Not yet. There was still too much unknown. Too much that still needed to be explored. Too many thoughts and feelings that Ves just didn't understand.

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