Already, she had learnt that he would likely correct any and all errors on her behalf - perhaps it was the first thing any wolf had to learn of Pan. Nonetheless, she had found herself smiling lopsidedly, a cocked brow as she watched him in expectation. Of course the correction came and she was quick to titter under her breath, smiling almost smugly as she stepped forward to meet his eyes.

"Perhaps you merely did not know the name of where I lived."

Hm? Undoubtedly, he'd already thought of that but nonetheless, it felt almost good to nip back at him. She almost felt bad when he moved away, taken aback as if she had somehow scared him off with her words - unlikely as it were, Niviaq had always been the one to worry over such things. Always afraid of scaring others away, making them uncomfortable or merely believing herself to be more important to them than she actually was. Even now, she could already feel the insecurities creeping beneath her skin, just waiting for him to move just a little too far away or to side eye her just a little too much. Whatever had happened, somehow she felt not quite right without the young man near her and already she had fretted over if it had merely been her own imagination or not. Had she gone crazy? She could feel her teeth gritting anxiously as she watched him - the moment he confirmed that no, she had not gone crazy, she breathed a sigh of utmost relief.

Of course, it could very well have been that they had both gone insane. A mutual insanity, after all, would surely account for the way they stepped together and then back, a mesmerizing activity that seemed almost... fun. It was hard for her to suppress the smile that crept over her muzzle, trying her hardest to not take away from the seriousness of the situation. Perhaps, she thought as they came to their gradual halt, it wouldn't be so bad to risk insanity if it felt so right. She even dared step forward to him just a little closer, testing the gap between them with tentative steps. Even as he spoke, she ushered forward curiously - until he spoke.

In love!? Instantly, she recoiled back several small steps, stumbling over any attempt at speaking for a moment as her heart pounded nervously. The only response that came to mind was to zone out and stare, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide like a doe. The questions didn't help, frazzling her mind until she shook her head and frowned.

"I apologise for not blinking enough."

She huffed quietly, taken aback by his implication that her staring had to be something wrong - or perhaps she simply felt insecure of such a thing with it having been pointed out. Really, she supposed she did stare often. Why? Because it was... good. She got to see a lot more things and really notice the subtle details of things which was an important trait when one collected many trinkets. For now, though, she was offended and she eyed him wearily, lowering her head almost defensively with her ears flickering back.

"As for a mate... I... he is not here anymore. I know love, and this does not feel the same way. It is... stronger."

And perhaps more taxing, though she kept that the unspoken truth. Really, he was a tornado - one moment, she wanted to be right beside him, grooming that perfect fur and the next, she wanted to kick dirt at him and sprint away in embarrassment. At her age, it felt almost ridiculous to feel or think either of those things. Still, she couldn't help but lean in slightly, expecting her statement to be corrected into the most logical light possible - that wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps then he wouldn't be under some kind of... illusion that he loved her. It was different to that, and really, she wanted to know why it was. She straightened then, nodding slowly at his (she supposed) miniature life story before he came to yet another insane conclusion - he wanted to move to Spirane. Again, she was baffled. It made her task of recruiting easier but... really?

"Don't you... I don't know, maybe want to know me better before you do that? If you come to Spirane, you're going to have to see a lot more of me. And what of the other wolves? Of the pack? We aren't anything like Glorall... did you see the ocean there?"

The words were like vomit, rushing from panicked to almost excited, her eyes and ears alluding to each sudden change of her mood. She couldn't make sense of it at all - she just wanted to lay down, or maybe swim. Something to calm herself down.