He accepts her gratitude, not because he deserves it but because it's her gift and he can't turn away anything she offers him. It's thrums down through the connection between them though, his gratitude to her in return. She's been his shelter and his home - and she's welcomed him back to that no matter how far or how long he ran. He took it for granted before. He'll never do that again.

Her nosy curiosity has him smiling and before he answers with words he answers with emotions and caught memories. Feelings of someone soft - and sharp edged hard, someone awkward and alone and willing to give with all their heart when they believed. Spark and fire and polite manners. A vulnerable soft warmth and the steel to take orders against her grain and still see them done. And, his humor leaks in, a quiet persistent nudging after what they want with a silent bull dog determination. Savage fire carefully contained. He feels protective - and yet relaxed.

Mako Mori

It's our job to protect her until she's got her feet under her



You'll like her, Gipsy. I like her too