She hears his apology, but she does not respond to it. She has never been the type to welcome apologies. They make another feel weak, unconfident in what they say. When he apologizes for offending her, she cannot help but think that perhaps he meant to offend her, and just doesn’t want to admit it. It would be the first time someone has knowingly tried to offend her. The problem was that Sloane was rarely offended. She just huffed lightly, ignoring his words all together.
When he says that he too works best alone, she wonders how efficiently he works. Based on how he had snuck up on her, she cannot say with confidence that he’s been successful at his attempt at trying to find whatever beast has been lurking in the forest.
He explains that because he hasn’t met many of Delumine’s residents, that he must be protective of himself. There was nothing scary or untrusting of anyone here. They were all, for the most part, passive individuals who avoid conflict. “Most of Delumine avoids conflict, I’m sure you’re safe. Most of them probably are looking for the beast in groups of three or four. None of them are brave enough to be out here alone.” Or rather, none of them are stupid enough to be out here alone. They know the dangers and they know they don’t have the balls to stand up for whatever lurks in the shadows. Sloane could take care of herself. After all, that’s all she’s done since the moment of her birth.
Sloane tried to tell him that he had picked a horrible time to come to Delumine. With the beast in the forest and the boarders closed, there was nothing pleasant about Delumine. Not even the library with scrolls from floor to ceiling could keep her occupied enough. Sloane hated to be kept a prisoner in her own home.
And yet, he continues, saying that he intends to find the beast. And since the both are after the same thing, he offers to work together in order to achieve the goal. Eyes look to him cautiously, unsure of if she really wants to work with anyone. Working with someone requires good communication and talking to others was not something she was good at or enjoyed doing.
But before she could decide on whether or not she really wanted to work with him, he introduces himself as Rouge. “Sloane.” She will only tell him her name once, he better remember it. For a moment she ponders his offer to work together. It is then that she realizes that he will probably stick around, even if she doesn’t want him to. So with a heavy sigh, she looks back to him. “If you are going to work with me, you need to work on your stealth skills. I can hear you coming a mile away and I bet the beast has better hearing than I do.” He was going to have to watch where his feet fall so he doesn’t shuffle along the leaves or snap twigs. He also would need to learn (or perfect) the art of patience. After all, the beast would not be easy to find.
@Rouge
