He is used to the silent observations of others, their eyes flicker across his scars and he sees the wheels turning in their heads. It is something you get particularly used to when you don't explain yourself much. Either because or in spite of this, Eik has never been particularly bothered by the judgement of others. He is who he is, steadfast if sometimes half-vacant.
(somewhere distant, across the veil, a dry wind rolls dust across warm glass windows. A lonesome whistle blows and the trees gasp for fresh air; everything here and there is in a race for survival)
It certainly never rained while I was there
Eik's ears prick forward in interest- in his travels he does not often meet others familiar with Solterra beyond what they've heard in stories. And you could write books and books about the place but it isn't the same as being there, smelling the sage, watching the sunsets- each evening a different show than the night before. "You must have had a good reason to visit... We don't get visitors often." Especially those without wings- the sandwyrms in no small part to blame.
"Odet and I-Po-Meah" He bobs his head, as though physically filing their names away. Po prods gently- ever gently- and Eik simply nods his head. He knows he does not need to explain himself, that he does not owe this man or anyone an explanation... but he finds that he wants to share his thoughts with another. Enough solitude will do that to you. "I wanted to watch the leaves change... I hoped to learn- why orange?"
As he meets the man's gaze, his attention is caught by the flower crown on Po's head. His thoughts travel to the first conversation he had in Solterra, and surprised realization draws an almost childlike smile across his face. "You must be a flower picker." He says, eyes crinkling in pleasure at finally understanding the term. In his rather confusing introduction to court politics, he had been accused of being a flower picker by a rather cranky king. The phrase has never made a drop of sense to him, and it still doesn't. Is it part of some odd religion? The man before him doesn't seem like a fanatic... It might be some aesthetic, or the mark of some group of people.
Maxence had used the term 'flower picker' derogatorily, but it sounds so harmless that it does not occur to Eik that Po may be offended by it. Still-- since flower picking had elicited such a visceral reaction from the commander, he must choose his words well. He looks to his companion, trying to read if he is offended or not. After a moment of deliberation, he finally, cautiously asks-
"Why do you do it?"
- - -
There is no better way to know us
E I K
than as two wolves, come separately to a wood
@Ipomoea xD
Time makes fools of us all
