When he swung his head around to meet her gaze, she realized why he was so different. His eyes looked so very old and so incredibly tired that she felt her heart twinge merely at the sight of it. She felt compassion for this poor creature, but also recognized that he would not want her pity. No one ever did, so she tried not to express her inner emotions too openly. She had become much better at hiding what she was feeling and become very adept at bottling up her emotions as of late.
He closed his eyes and then spoke. Tayui was surprised to see him do this; she didn't think she would want to show a moment of weakness before a stranger. But she also supposed this wolf was a very different creature from herself. Perhaps he, unlike herself, could do such things because he could protect himself. Tayui was obviously very ill-suited as a warrior, but understood why she had chosen the rank. Even now, she realized he was much more of a warrior than she. He inclined his head and then smiled politely at her. Tayui tilted her head in reply, but did not smile. She was not sure why he had done it, so she did not reciprocate the action. At the same time, she did not want to be rude, so she hoped she would remedy this with her words.
"Ah," she replied primly. "I was thinking you were out wandering looking for something. Or lost. I know these parts pretty well, but if you're not lost, then I don't think I'll be of any help!" She emphasized this with a quiet chuckle. Perhaps she could show him she was polite, too.