no subject

[Maybe he was rubbing off on Hayame a little too much, for her to even bother to entertain this double conversation for as long as she has. Or maybe she, blunt and direct even as she is, finds misdirection easier as he does, for once. Still, she's here, and not leaving, or rejecting him outright despite all his fears telling him she would. His false smile fades, even as he feels like his heart is being seized in his chest. She is here, just as proud and stubborn as ever.]

Then... Let's talk. [He says it softly, his hand dropping from his wyvern as he faces her properly.] Though I assumed you didn't want to. Actually, I was pretty sure I'd scared you off for good.

[A wry smile, this one more honest, more vulnerable. Once again, he didn't know Hayame as well as he thought he did.]