Tayui found herself grinning in return when the male responded with a shake of his head and a hopeful smile. Pleasantness was infectious, she found, and she didn’t mind sharing these good feelings. If he was happy, she would be happy. And all she wanted was to be happy again.
Tayui flicked her ears forward and leaned in closer when the male spoke. His voice was soft and he had a noticeable stutter, just like her boy Claudius. Luckily, Tayui was well-versed in understanding the halting, often broken words, so his slow attempts at conversation were easily received. She nodded encouragingly, hoping that he did not get in any trouble for how he spoke. She knew Attila had teased Claudius for his stutter, which would only make it worse. The boy was so sensitive – she just wondered if it was the same for this stranger.
He paused and then frowned to himself. Tayui wondered if this was the same thing Claudius would do – where he would be so frustrated with himself for being different for everyone else. Tayui waited patiently and did not have to wait long. It took him half a second before he piped up again.
She frowned at his words, wondering what he meant. Help him get lost? Was he… propositioning her? Was there some sort of innuendo she didn’t understand?
“What do you mean, son?” she asked gently. She didn’t want to offend him if her guess was wrong, but she didn’t want him to think she was willing to help him ‘get lost’ wherever he wanted to go.