If Pavak hadn't had such a well-developed sense of balance the thin fingers that clutched at his forearms might have toppled him over, so strong and sudden was their grasp. He had a brief moment to blink down at them in surprise before Seda seemed to remember herself, snatching them back with an embarrassed shake of her head, glancing down at her own hands as if they were traitors with minds of their own. For a few seconds she held his gaze, her wide blue eyes rimmed with too much white, her breath fluttering in like a wounded bird before she smoothed her expression. Pavak felt a frown flicker across his own brow, and hurriedly smothered the wonder that he knew had flashed in his own eyes. What manner of strange, half-wild elf he had stumbled across, that alternated between pushing him away and clinging to his arm? Who was so strong, and yet seemed so broken?
He swallowed down the lump of pity that rose in his throat and lowered his gaze to the dusty tips of his boots, crossing his arms to keep himself from reaching out towards her. He doubted she would welcome any sort of touch, no matter how comforting he intended it, given the way she had flinched from him earlier. Perhaps she thought him some sort of freak, something repulsive. There had been women in the past who had thought less of him for his shifting abilities, had snubbed him as a deviant. He prayed to whatever spirits might be listening that it wasn't simply because he was a man. The thought that she might have been victimized clenched his grip around his upper arms, and his upper lip curled briefly with disgust at the thought. Cowards, if so...hardly deserving the label 'man'.
Shaking himself free of such infuriating thoughts he tracked her as she moved towards the fire, a small smile curling his lips at her invitation to stay. He hadn't honestly expected her to offer, but now that she had he felt something tight and wary loosen in his chest a bit. She seemed more confident, now that a decision had been made, but he was unsure of her mercurial temperament. Not more than a few minutes ago she had been on the verge of tears, curling in upon herself with the look of a wounded animal. And now she was scolding him, one hand on her hip like a disapproving nursemaid as she lectured him? Pavak grinned at her and chuckled warmly, smoothing his leather vest with both hands.
"I suppose it's not exactly practical for the weather here, but I assure you I am positively over-dressed for a Rivainian spring. I did not have much of a chance to change before I made my inelegant departure from Dairsmuid, and the working clothes of a thief are hardly bulky." Rubbing briskly at the chilled flesh of his bare arms Pavak sauntered over towards the fire as well, the thin linen of his grey pants soaking up the heat quickly. A small sigh slipped from between his lips as he flopped gracefully beside the fire, reclining back on his arms and staring up, tilting his head to one side and meeting her eyes as she loomed over him.
"Are you planing on sleeping right away?" He had seen the keen interest that had flitted across his face at his brief tale of exile, and thought perhaps another story might settle her shifting moods. "I could tell you of my homeland, or anything else, if you were curious. A bit of entertainment is the least I can offer, for imposing on your camp."
He glanced around, looking for a tent or other form of shelter from the elements, but the campsite was little more than a small fire and utensils in a bare clearing. Where did she sleep? Would she be nervous about having another person around? Fortunately, he had the perfect solution to that, one which would appeal to the both of them.