She smiled thoughtfully at his explanation, another trade interaction with humans. It was interesting hearing about a direct transaction, a mutually-beneficial agreement or trading favors she supposed. Her pack -well, she supposed she couldn't really call it her pack anymore- hadn't really practiced such a thing. You did what you could for the good of the pack, sometimes things were used and sometimes things were sold or traded away.
Besides the odd injury that needed immediate stitching and care for the sake of convenience she'd never really done such a thing for another that she lived near. And anything she'd done had hardly ever been repaid besides being left to a peaceful existence.
He voiced the very things she realized she'd been thinking, not knowing how to express them without seeming a little desperate for companionship. They didn't truly need each other after all, at least to exist. But was it okay that she was actually enjoying it? They were social creatures after all, meant to be around others like them.
"I'm glad we got to meet again," she agreed, looking down at herself briefly but not really seeing the subtle changes that were apparent to him, not realizing most of it was through attitude. She was less of a frightened deer now. Instead she was more relaxed, settled in, and feeling much safer than before. But with her eyes... She only saw her same old self: small and weak with hands and arms scratched and covered with a thin layer of dirt. To be fair, that was her own doing this time from digging through all the gardens around town.
"You look better, too," she finally offered with a lopsided smile, chuckling under her breath as she lifted her free hand to tap at her own forehead. She creased her brow in a mock-scowl before relaxing with a small laugh. "Not as tense here, makes you look a lot less like a grumpy old wolf. I-" Vivien winced, realizing what she'd been about to say and hanging her head in shame. She didn't want to upset him, but was it better to just be honest?
"I was a little nervous about coming up here again. To see you, I mean. I thought you wouldn't want to be bothered," she admitted, still shifting about nervously as she braced for whatever insult he might take for that.
"I feel like I was a bother before," she clarified, though that was entirely her own self-projection. "And I did it again today. I'll try to do better with that. Thank you for being patient and not just telling me to leave." That was probably her biggest worry at the moment, after all. While improving she was still in no state to leave just yet.