He is quiet, but not in a disrespectful way. In fact, she feels as if she has captured and held his attention perhaps more than any other she's ever met. His eyes never waver, crystalline, azure. They drag her in like twin rivers, like the diamond rain that used to fall on Janat. They remind her of innocence, of playfulness and joy that had seemed omnipresent, unshakable. He is intense, in a way that sends trembles playing down her spine like each vertebrae is an ivory key, and he plays her like a finely tuned instrument with the barest of words and expressions. She's lucky he does not know her well, or she would be on her knees at his mercy, so strong was her benign nature. One just knew how to work it, manipulate her, and yet his foxlike features seemed to enrapture her all the same. He was an enigma, a puzzle with ten missing pieces, a glass figurine with a missing ear. Individual, special. It was in the way he looked at her, and Muriel was desperate to figure him out.

Each smile comes in the barest of flickers, a weak flame in a hearty wind, but it zings through her heart and skips it like a pebble across the sea of her emotions. It is a gift, especially considering the miserable state he was in when she'd wandered across him. Like coaxing a frightened child from their hiding place, each baby step lit across her nerves like a fire, a reward for reading him as well as she could manage. In turn, her smile answered his, wordless but beautiful set in the pale colors of her elegant face.

It does not fade as she turns, long legs sauntering to the riverbank and long plume dancing behind her. Gull's steps echoed behind her, muted though they were on the lush grasses, but she felt triumphant over the fact that he had followed her and trusted her enough to help him forget his woes and worries and indulge in the lighter side of life for a few minutes more. It was Muriel's greatest gift, the ability to spin even the darkest of shadows into a glowing thread of light, and she desired nothing more in that moment than to share it with the handsome brute beside her.

They wade in together, and she dips her head to take in a few mouthfuls. Her eyes glance over at Gull, only to see him just as he splashes the water. She jolted, wings puffing out like an angry cat in a rather hilarious manner, and a curious squeaking noise popped out of her lips in surprise. Her gold-streaked hair clung to the curve of her cheek, the hollow of her temple, and curled round her happily squinted eyes. Her shocked silence abruptly dissolved into laughter, a sudden glint in her eyes promising sweet, swift, wet revenge. Her smaller wing dipped into the water, and she flung it up and out to send a large spray of water in his direction. Dancing further into the river she shook her body and laughed, smirk downright devious, daring him to give her his best. His smile alone was all the reason she needed, but it was undeniably fun, and she enjoyed being around him already. Maybe it would be good for the both of them.