He smiled gently as she repeated his name. She seemed to be a bit eccentric, popping up out of nowhere and talking to him so freely. Loviere had always been able to appreciate individuality. In a way his mind was programmed to disregard the small differences that others frowned upon. He did not see a flaw, but a distinct personality trait. It was natural, not forced.
When she asked him her question, he was slightly surprised. Not exactly common conversation, asking a stranger if he could fight or not. He understood her curiousity though. It was odd that a wolf, even a luperci, with a bum leg could manage life alone. Not that he was completely alone, but he did spend a fair amount of time wandering. He bent down to retrieve the stone knife that he had dropped earlier and held it out to show her.
"Well, I've got this, but... I'm not a very good fighter." Something about the woman brought down his walls just enough that he could tell her the truth. Indeed, Loviere often relied on his words not weapons to resolve conflict. In this new, more populated land, he had heard stories that some did prefer battle to peaceful compromise. He had used his knife exactly twice in his year of wandering. The first incident, a juvenile bear had almost killed Octavian. Loviere almost got his other leg broken in the small fight that occurred, and the memory of the adrenaline rush and the chill of fear still lurked deep within his brain. The simple man blanched at the mere sight of blood - the act of purposefully drawing it was almost too barbaric to imagine. The second incident had been less traumatic. A trader had attempted to steal Loviere's sculpture collection and the young man had challenged him with the knife in his fury. It was not an event that Loviere enjoyed remembering, by any means.
He took a closer look at Alyssum. She looked strong. Strong enough to easily take him out in a fight. He blinked sheepishly. A woman, more athletic than he ever would be. The young Luperci found himself slightly impressed. "I'm sure you're far better at fighting, Alyssum."
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