Fraint had continued to lose himself in his own thoughts, always wondering and, as of the 24th of Winter, beholding. While his posture remained complacent, his gaze wandered the scenery, absorbing every little detail that his brain could handle.
Abruptly, his vision failed him and he found himself jerking back reflexively, bringing his arm up to torso height in order to shield him from any danger that may or may not have hit him. Looking down, he found that a small, petite girl had found her way into his bosom, and let out a curt grunt in surprise. His eyes widened, mirroring the girl’s action, and he stepped a few paces backwards, but not before ensuring that the girl wouldn’t crash to the ground before he did so.
As his breath evened out, he found himself staring at the girl, baffled. His hands were rigid at his side, and soon, an expression of vexation and anger found itself dancing across Fraint’s facial features. He could have very well chastised the girl for her clumsiness, but he found himself, assuming the façade proper to his own being, and his expression calmed, now serene, if not a bit shaken. His lips were lifted upwards slightly, but his eyes were narrowed, and from a distance, one couldn’t tell if it were merely a squinted smile or a narrow, piercing gaze. As the smile had failed to reach his eyes, Fraint knew that it was the latter.
He assumed control of the position, a self-assured air surrounding him, as he walked over to the girl, the smile still plastered onto his face. He didn’t know how he was supposed to react, so he decided that it was all right to play it cool and pity the girl rather than throw verbal barbs at her and cause a scene.
“That’s all right,” he consoled her softly, tilting his head. “No harm done whatsoever.”
Fraint scrutinized the little girl, who seemed to be shorter than her, like most women tended to be. His mind drifted to that woman from Denval, Johanne, who had surprised him by actually being taller than him, but the thought quickly wafted out of his mind.
“You seem to be having trouble,” he added matter-of-factly. “Do you need somebody to escort you?” Fraint chuckled good-naturedly. Though he implied it as a witty joke, he wouldn’t have declined if the girl jumped on the offer. |