He saw when the tension in her bearing eased and knew she had given in a bit. Her shoulders seemed to lose the tension they'd been holding and her eyes turned soft as she continued to look at him. He watched a thoughtful expression form on her face and found curiosity well up within him. He was surprised to find that he very much wanted to know what she was thinking.<br/><br/>She finally broke eye contact and he forced himself to take a very small step back, respecting the modern requirement for personal boundaries. She finally looked up at him and spoke. He suspected her words were directly linked to the thoughts he'd been watching play across her face. She wanted to be friends, and yet fully expected him to deny her. What could possibly cause such a beautiful creature to think so poorly of herself? He knew then that if he ever found out who had caused the abuse that broke her spirit, he would tear them apart.<br/><br/>"You offer the honor of your friendship, when I clearly do not deserve it, and yet you expect me to be foolish enough to turn you down? You must think me quite the dullard to believe I would not anxiously jump at the opportunity to befriend a rare and beautiful flower such as yourself."<br/><br/>He smiled at her, consciously allowing the expression to soften his eyes.