The silly banter that the two were exchanging seemed to have a little bit of weight behind it, but it was sufficiently camoflauged to prevent Beppe from feeling awkward about it. The muscles that held his smile open were starting to get fatigued, but it was somehow impossible to give them even a little bit of rest. They would have to put up with it and just be sore the next day. Beppe could deal with that. All in all, it would be worth it. He didn't offer a solid reply to the promised protection, instead continued to walk while wagging his tail. The wolf had just met her yesterday and there was already a defense pact between them. It made him feel much safer.
Beppe had thought it was strange that English did not have feminine and masculine forms of the words, and still sometimes called an object by 'he' or 'she'. It seemed like a way to assign value to something, to acknowledge that it is also important. The trees, the skies. 'It,' to him, was such a cold word. "Ahh, yes, they are very similar. There are words like that in Italian too, that are almost the same as English. I cannot recall any this moment, but maybe I will to you tell some later. It is very interesting, this, how they are so much the same."
It was a little surprising to the boy that Empusa was not actually born in France, but he understood how parental influence could affect one's way of speaking. "Your mother, she has raised you by herself? Without the pack, I mean. That is very strong." His gaze rested on her gently even as they walked. "I have just come here a while ago, but I was on a big ship for a while. Italy was a long time ago, I miss her."