“No, not clever,” she said simply a smile gracing her features at her correct guess. It was a pleasure for her to know that her senses would not fail her and any situation that reinforced that belief only increased her mood. “You smell like the fresh breeze, and there is a distinct scent to certain traits such as curiosity, intelligence, and cunning, all of which cling to you. They are as telling as if you had held up a sign.” She elaborated closing her eyes briefly as she once again took in a deep breath trying to reinforce the fragrance into her mind for later use if needed. “Once I encounter something or someone the smell is usually memorized and used to identify the thing or person later on. It has only taken me this long to finally understand because it has been a lengthy amount of time since I have last encountered one of your kind.” She finished finally opening her eyes to once again regard Calovan.
His next words surprised her. How could he ever think that she would judge him poorly because of his inner animal? Yes, she had been cautious at first because of it but that was her personality and upbringing shining through. She being a Kelvic, herself, knew all about prejudices and misconceptions based on her race’s forms, and though she would use her knowledge of other animals to her advantage on how to act or how careful she should be around them, she would never judge them on that alone. Her own natural form was frightening to some, and it made her wonder what human would find a raven so loathsome to behold. She herself found them to be quite stunning creatures and with their dark, shimmering feathers and graceful wings, they were the sky’s own living art.
Resting her chin in her hand, she traced circles into the grain of the wood absentmindedly her thoughts on human misconceptions. “If you are considered savage, I must truly be a beast,” she said quietly aware of the nearby tables. “You have already guessed that I am feline, yet I’m quite certain most would not find me a ‘pleasant pet’ as you put it so nicely,” her eyes twinkled with unspoken mirth at that laughing silently at his mistake. “I’m a black panther and besides my fur being a nice adornment on someone’s wall, I doubt many would be partial to having a wild cat in their home.” She fell silent at that and the morbid image of what she had just described flowed into her mind. Shuddering lightly at the sight, she tried to banish the thought but despite the effort she was quite certain the image would haunt her dreams tonight.
Her eyes flicked to his quickly as she distracted herself focusing on his words that flowed over her deceptively smooth. She frowned lightly at his avoidance of the real meat of her question, but batted the disappointment to the side. His statement unlocking a her competitive side. Was that a challenge?
To his question, her brows furrowed lightly as if she was concentrating on unearthing information long forgotten within her mind. “My secrets?” she questioned as if genuinely confused. “Truthfully, I don’t have many. Yes, I am reserved and I do not easily reveal facts about myself yet I do not actively hold back certain information from others. Besides even if I did have dark secrets, I wouldn’t so readily give them to you, now would I?” she pointed out not worrying whether she was being slightly rude or not.
She paused for a moment as if deliberating and used the lull to sip from her glass before continuing, “But, I suppose it would not be right of me to expect details about you when I do not offer any myself. I’ll offer you a small deal. I’ll answer any one of your questions to the best of my abilities in exchange for one of my own.” She offered a single raised eyebrow prodding him to ask one.