"Emryn?"
Maelis repeated, frowning slighly.
Of course, she didn't frown at the fact that he had no surname; she just couldn't remember ever seeing that name listed anywhere in the first-year course.
Still, that only made her lips curve up slightly.
"…That's a nice name," she added quickly.
Gray smiled lightly.
"Glad you think so." He flicked ash to the side and leaned back again.
"But you don't have to fake it. Plenty of people think it sounds cheap without a family name behind it."
Maelis tilted her head, her long hair shifting over her shoulder.
"I wasn't faking. I actually like it. Short, strong, easy to remember." Her lips tugged upward again.
"It fits you."
Gray let out a puff of smoke and raised a brow.
"Fits me, huh? You barely know me."
"I know enough," she shot back lightly.
"You're rough, you don't care about manners, and yet…" Her eyes narrowed with a hint of playfulness.
"You've got a strange charm that makes people want to listen to you."
