[ the bird is mocking him. rondo rubs his head where he got rudely pecked when she speaks up - he looks over, and then huffs, frowning at the bird, though it's all very good natured. ]

War warned me that they were quite wily, but I did not expect such a skilled adversary... I wonder if this is why we use ravens at home instead.

[ now that he's standing still, laudna (and pate) can see that there's a little swirl of ink around his heart that reads, I won't be able to stop him. ]