After returning the question to her, Venari retained the eye contact, not want to be rude and look away as she answered (if she would answer at all). He thought back to the first encounter and mused as to how exactly he had forgotten how... aloof this soul had been. She wasn't menacing, just... cold. Could he blame her though? In his second year of life, all Venari could do was stare at others, muted and repressed through his own crippling fear. While he knew not of her exact situation, he already held a degree of empathy for her. Perhaps during his relic search, Ven would encounter her a few more times and they could become a little more friendly.
Her answer seemed truthful, from the corner of his eye he had also seen her attention divert and look to where his eyes were roughly. So in this case, they shared the same intention. Was the conversation warmer, Ven might ask if she would search alongside him, however he thought better of it this time and held his tongue. He knew what it was like to prefer isolation and thus he would respect the vibe he gained from both her words and body language. Venari remained halted but cleared his throat to reply, ice blue eyes still retaining a soft contact. "Ah, I see," he paused for a moment to snort unwanted air from his lungs and to ponder his next words. He didn't want to be intrusive, yet he wanted to keep the conversation going a little longer.
"I've had no luck as of yet; I'm beginning to think the whole thing is a farce," Ven laughed lightly during the tail end of that sentence, knowing full well it was a silly thing to theorise. He did not mean it as a serious fact and he wished to convey as such. All he intended to do was lift the mood a little. "I hope you don't mind me asking but..." he trailed off, pondering whether the next question was sensible and received well. He thought against it on both counts but was already committed; sighing slightly, he finished his sentence with a false positivity. He hoped she didn't notice the ever so slight shift in vocals.
"Have you had much luck?"
*
TAGGED: @Akhlys
NOTES: overthinking 101 with Ven
TIMELINE: Seventh relic location, third day
