Agree to disagree? Kaliban couldn't help but think that was a ridiculous idea. It made more sense to him to make her see his way of thinking...Then again, he didn't even understand that. Even he could see the difficulty in trying to convince somebody that feeling compulsed to follow a stranger was a good thing, or at least not a disagreeable thing. So, all he could offer to that comment was a huff, neither of frustration or relief. Just of...concession.
In any case, at least she saw it fit to talk to him. Kaliban had kept his distance despite the strange, creeping feeling of wanting to be nearer, but he'd held back and it had paid off. His ears pressed forward when she spoke, hungry to catch every last word even if they bit at him like gnats - tiny terrors, her words were.
He blinked, then gave a half-grin. He wasn't afraid to admit that he was determined. "It helps you get insight though, doesn't it?" He countered with a tilt of his head, brows furrowed. With his name, she could ask questions, find information, sniff out all kinds of things. Names were like...They were like a scent, really, or so Kaliban thought. That had to be it, because his mother had worked hard to keep her own concealed from strangers and even friends alike. There was power in a name, even if Kaliban didn't totally understand it.
When she spun around, he was forced back a step. He instinctively ducked down lower, eyes wide and flickering with a sudden fire. His heart pounded and for a moment, it felt like he'd been on a hunt - had he been the hunter or the prey though? With her eyes on him, it was all too hard to be certain of which one he was.
He straightened slightly. Instinct should have told him to be more cautious when she spoke with that kind of tone, but Kaliban's instincts were playing other games. Instead, he felt himself grin. Cautious, she was, but she had a serious fight in her too. He wondered...Would she fit in with his family more than he thought...He shook his head to dismiss the thought. No, Kaliban assured himself, that kind of thought wasn't his own. It was just some far-away part of his blood.
"Your parents have simple tastes when it comes to names." As if that was the kind of thing somebody wanted their name to reveal. Still, it was something, right? "And that even though you say you were given it, you chose to keep it. So...You must like your kin, at least." He nodded, and then straightened up a little more. He had made guesses, sure, if only because he didn't want to admit that she was right...Her name didn't tell him much at all, but it still felt...something...to have been given it. It felt like he had been given a little piece of her, something he could keep close and chew on even after she managed to get away from him.
"How else would you stop being strangers?" He asked with a great effort to be nonchalant, hoping she'd be invested in the question and give him answers...So that he could act on those. Otherwise, Kaliban wasn't sure how to bridge that gap between 'strangers' and 'non-strangers' at all. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he knew what being anything other than a stranger meant. He had siblings, pack-mates, family...But was everybody else a stranger?
He bit down on his teeth, frustrated at himself. It was so much effort! All the talking, the holding back...His heart felt like it would either crawl out of him or eat him from the inside out. Whatever thing she made him feel, he hadn't been prepared for at all. Kaliban started to move, almost as if to circle her, but in truth, he just needed to keep moving to keep himself thinking, and to keep himself from focusing too much on how damn unsure he was.