staring, in this case, was not really staring at all, but more observing the other at her side now. when they first met, names weren’t exchanged, but impressions were definitely made. she probably knew his of her - stand-offish, cold, pompous, that was everyone’s first impression of her - and her’s of him only seemed to solidify with his careful taking of the seat and words.
he was a gentle young man, absolutely, trying very hard to keep his dirty shoes off her blanket and taking on a stray. that meant he also no doubt had a good heart as well, a solid set of morals held together in a level head.
even though she couldn’t exactly tell if his suggestion about stretching her legs was a joke or not, she decided to take it as one and smiled a little. “ oh, but if i did that, i’d disturb this wonderful new friend of mine, ” she replied, the dog settling longways between them but his head settling on her tight-clad thigh. “ should’ve done it when he was getting comfy. guess i’ll just have to suffer pins and needles when the time comes. ” her voice was faux-defeated, and she sighed dramatically to accentuate her teasing.
none of it was a big deal, though. despite her exterior - clean-pressed clothes, layers and mary janes, and that classic umbrella of her’s with it’s hand-carved handle - the brunette did have a very soft heart. “ oh, terribly cruel, ” she agreed, hand resting on the dog’s head, petting almost idle and automatic now. “ no collar, scrounging in the alley for scraps, skinny as can be. he needs a very loving hand to bring him back up to tip-top shape. ” obviously she believed she could do it, but the next question came, and it showed just why she really couldn’t. “ oh, no. ” a small shake of the head. “ i’ve known people who’ve had all sorts of pets. helped care for them, too, absolutely. dogs, cats, fish. hamsters, parrots, ferrets. ” she begun to chuckle with the last three. “ but i myself ? never. ” a pause. “ my parents barely took care of me. pets probably never even crossed their mind. ” that… was a very sad thing to say; in a flash, she knew she shouldn’t have said it.
john laughed -- a surprisingly loud 'h a h a' that he quickly subdued by covering his mouth with his hand. “ i'm sorry, ” he apologised. “ i don't mean to laugh at you, i was only laughing at the saying. pins and needles. it's...i think it's one of my favourites. ” john shook his head with a bashful smile. “ i've always felt that...that thing. i never knew what to call it and then someone explained it to me just last year and it was like everything in my brain lit up, ” he said excitedly. it was the most he'd ever said to a complete stranger but she had a certain, warm presence around her. like she had something to say, and he wanted to hear it.
“ i can assist you with your legs if they feel numb. help you up, ” he added, in case that his initial offer sounded odd.
the woman had a pleasant voice, and john found himself just happy to listen. it was a soft voice, but also wise and full of truth. someone who knew what they were talking about.
“ tip-top shape, ” john echoed quietly. another new saying to start using for himself. “ parrots are very lively, ” he nodded with a smile. it faded only a little at the mention of her parents; and from the abrupt way she stopped talking, he figured she regretted it.
how was one supposed to react in this situation ? probably just to move on. but he didn't like to ignore things.
“ i never thought of animals as pets, for most of my life. they were just...with me. my community. and... ” he spoke slowly, wanting to say the right thing, “ ...sometimes you can be good at taking care of others, and sometimes you're not. i think, if you wanted to, you would be very kind to your animal companion. ”
