She shrugs. "I've always preferred them to people, anyways. Yourself?"
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"I don't have a preference," he admitted. He was fond of both of them, despite Rowan's qualms in regards to humans. Animals were different, just as he was. But there was something comforting about being in the company of humans. He wasn't sure if it was because he had spent so much time living among them or because of all of the good they carried in their hearts; perhaps it was a mixture of both. "Animals are nice, but I also love spending time with people."
"I've always found them to be...complicated, and not worth my time nor effort. The wilds accept me. I understand them. That is not so with people, human or elf."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"People don't really accept me," he admitted, giving a sheepish little smile. "But it's alright - I'm used to it, I guess. I think it's why I try so hard to be accepting."
"Funny, it's the same reason that you try to be accepting that I am the opposite," she observes.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"I guess I just don't want anyone to feel as alone as I have," he quietly said, suddenly feeling quite foolish. It seemed like such a good thing to say in his head. But once he said it aloud, it sounded like the hopeless fantasy of someone who knew nothing of the world.
"Unfortunately, it seems I'm not quite so optimistic, for better or for worse."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"I mean," he admitted, "it hasn't always been like that. I've just had time to change. I used to hide myself away and not interact with anyone; which was surprisingly easy, though dreadfully lonely. But then I guess I just had enough of that and decided I wanted to try something new?"
She nods. "I see. I..." Rowan pauses - she hasn't opened up to anyone in a long time, and her nature is still quite distrustful. She glances down, awkward. "I did the same thing but never...changed. It's just me and Shyriik."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"That's alright," he comforted her. "Thinking that you want change is the first step, and the ones that follow might need a little gentle nudging before they show up. I had a lot of time to change, and it was thanks to a handful of people that I was able to."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
I'm sorry for taking so long to reply! I've been in a roleplay low the past week, and the thought of replying to this one (as well as the others we're both in) completely slipped my mind.
He tilted his head down in a slight nod of agreement. "I am. But sometimes, when I look back to those times, I'm not sure if it was me or if it was them who helped me change the most." He briefly glanced up at the sky. If it was night, would he have been looking at the stars their planets orbited? He looked back over at her. "But I think our conversation is a start, isn't it?"
"Perhaps so," she replies, still watching the bird. After so many years, she's not sure if she's willing to change.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
His gaze returned to the bird. He wished he could do something more than offer hollow words; they only gained meaning when they had amounted to something. Right now, he sounded like he didn't know what he was talking about - even though the conversation was something deeply personal.
