Remedy had been expecting the praise. Most kind people didn't take things like that without some sort of protest. However, she hadn't been expecting the sudden confidence in his stare, the way he met her eyes and locked that gaze and then his paw raised and she flinched as it landed on her beak and she watched him speak with wide, shocked eyes. When he spoke, he became a completely new person, and her heart skipped a beat.

He spoke of her parents first, how great they'd been as leaders for the Maji, and it surprised her to hear it. She'd only ever heard bad things about her father's time here. He didn't like to talk about it, and from what she'd heard, it was easy to guess why... but to hear that some thought him a great leader? That her mother had been, before her break and demise?

Remedy felt the heat across her cheeks before she felt the knot of discomfort in her stomach. What he said next had her shoulders slacking, wings drooping to the floor. He spoke with such confidence and determination, she couldn't help but find truth in those words, and to think he thought her brave and smart and super special? When he finished, she was silent and still stared with wide eyes at him...

...but now her eyes were damp with tears.

She brought her paw up to his, and carefully brought it down to chest-level, clutching it so long as he didn't pull away. Her paws were tiny compared to his, dainty and delicate to his bearish mitts. She didn't notice, though. She hadn't looked away, hadn't broken that eye contact. She couldn't bring herself to.

"...you really...?" Her voice shook, and she hated that quivering tone, but with a deep inhale, she tried again. "You really mean all that?" It felt alien. She couldn't think of anything to say back. No witty retorts, no clever one-liners, no flirty remarks. Nothing. She had a few idea of what to do, physically, but none of them seemed particularly appropriate.

Was it socially acceptable to hug someone you'd only just met?

@Baroque

Baroque could see the wetness in her eyes as he fought, desperately, to bring a spark of joy into her broken heart. It was so difficult-- even just thinking about what it would be like to lose his mom, he could barely handle it. As Remedy took his paw, he felt magic prickle through his body. He struggled to fight it back, his tail twitching at the effort. Why did his gifts try so hard to surface at the worst times? He didn't want to experience that horror again. He certainly didn't want the blackness to return.

The girl asked him if he really meant it and he felt the tears-- oh, Caves, the tears-- sting his eyes. A huge, doofy grin broke out across his face, so broad that he had to shut his eyes. Tears trickled down his cheeks again, but he was beaming as sincerely as any kid could. "Of course, Rem'!" He exclaimed, a nervous laugh breaking into his chest. He started to purr, struggling to hold back from breaking down. He just wanted her to be happy so badly, even though he didn't understand why he knew it was the right thing to do.

He couldn't fail her, not when everyone else already had.

@Remedy