Zawyne had not truly been expecting an answer. After all, what was she to he? Hardly more than acquaintance really, or maybe he viewed her as an extension of Vera. At any rate, they had no rapport, no reason to trust another one another, nor any reason to share the vulnerable descriptions of their emotions, nor the pained side of their soul. Such things were private, intimate, and would allow others precious insight into the soul of another, and thus allowing a glimpse of their weakness. The two are nothing to one another… So why did she feel so… Something. She no longer felt alone - not just physically alone, but lonely. She had talked to him, and he had listened, instead of passing judgment on her, he had shared some of his own words. She felt safe - she felt safe in so many different ways, and it had been so long since she had felt that way. Yes, he had tried to protect Vera, and she had died. But that was not his fault - and as he stood towering over her, she knew that if some thing or someone was to attack her right now, he would do all that he could to protect her. But it was so much more than that. Here, she was not a princess, but a commoner, no different from any other wolf, aside from her bright colorations… Apparently, deep down in some dark corner, she had worried that without it, without the power her position appointed to her, she would not be wanted. Back home, she had been generous, always contributing to those who had less than her, spending time comforting the dying, the sick. Without the gifts that she could share, the resources, would anyone still want her around? It was a fear she had not even truly realized until this moment, but there it was, like a blackened shadow hovering over her soul. Yet as dark as it was, and as black as her guilt was for Duma, Archangel was the son that was breaking through the storm clouds, giving her hope for something better. She was not even hoping for much, just some happiness, some memories that would leave her with a smile instead of with a tear. In their few brief moments together, somehow, Archangel had provided her that - a hope of a better tomorrow.

She listened intently to what he had to say, listen to him as he had listened to her. Zaffy wrapped her plume around her paws, protecting her digits from the bite at the spring air - it was warmer than the winter had been, but still not quite warm enough for Zawyne's taste. But aside from that, she did not fidget, she remained completely still as she listened to why he had stayed with Vera - he had stayed because she had made him feel. He had had every intention of leaving her, but then she made him feel. It was as if he was describing exactly how she now felt about him - so much had been dark and dreary, if he was the outlier. Despite of her efforts, even more tears began to flow down her face, these ones not in sadness though, but in gratitude. She had been bottling all of this up, and it had been like a ticking time bomb, waiting to decimate her very ore of goodness. And he had disarmed it… Had defused that which sought to destroy her. But it was only one bomb among many, yet still she now had hoped that he would be able to save her after all.

He finished talking about Vera, and unbeknownst to her now, but in the coming weeks, months, Zawyne would find herself jealous of Vera, despite her being dead and her absence. She would feel second rate to her in Archangel‘s eyes, feel like a sloppy second, like the teddy bear made to comfort the loss of an older one. Though the new teddy bear may be bigger, brighter, better… It could never hope to outshine the old one, which had so many memories and had been so dearly loved. But that was all of what was to come, not what currently was. And for now, Archangel was switching the conversation to instead focus on herself - to her saltine drops that still flowed from her pools. And even those he did not judge - Instead he made her feel as if they were acceptable, as if they were all right, as if it was okay to cry. He even gave her an explanation - that she was able to feel so so much, that her body simply could not contain the emotions anymore, and that they poured out through her tears. Then he just had to go a step further - he called her ability to do that, her ability to feel that much… ‘incredible.’

A single word. That was all it took for Zawyne to develop her first crush. It was an innocent enough word - he had not commented on her beauty, nor her looks, nor made any sexual reference. It was innocent, likely meant just as a kind gesture, but it was the one feather that tipped her over the edge, and opened her heart to the possibility of romance. As previously stated, Zawyne still had not seen herself as an adult, not as a teenager, but as a pup. Only now, now she started to notice things, take note of her self - was she sitting too close to him? Too far away? What if she said something wrong… Would he leave her? And were her paws too big for her body? Was her body too small? It was the first time she had ever been self-conscious about her appearance, and it would come to hit her harder the next few days that followed. For now, the fact that he called her incredible would be to her enough to keep the plague of doubt from ruining the moment. She broke eye contact with him, heat flushing up in her cheeks and she peered down.

“You think… I’m incredible because I can cry?” She giggled, and the sadness left her. It was not gone completely, but now it was like a dull throb as opposed to a sharp, stabbing pain. It was manageable. And he stood up suddenly, and moved slightly away from her, but she took a step closer, maintaining the distance that they had had, too close for comfort, yet somewhat comfortable for her. “And why do you stay now, Archangel? Your Vera is gone… Do you stay because we remind you of her? Do you not fear the vampires?”

⁂Here^I_{am a}Commoner⁂Teen⁂