Noir didn't answer out loud.
Her steps never faltered, paws padding softly over cracked stone as she kept following the scent, but her voice reached Noel alone, quieter than before.
'No, dad,' she said. 'That's not what I'm saying.'
Noel kept walking.
He didn't slow, didn't stop, didn't turn his head. From the outside, nothing changed. He stayed a step behind Noir, hands relaxed at his sides, gaze forward, exactly as he had been moments before.
'His smell is just… too similar,' Noir continued. 'Close enough that it bothers me. That's why I never let him touch me. It never felt right.'
A pause.
'And I didn't tell you,' she added, the words carrying a faint weight, 'because I know how important your friendship with Roberto is. I didn't want to put doubt where there didn't need to be any.'
Noel said nothing.
Ahead of them, the street narrowed, buildings pressing closer together. Behind him, he could feel eyes.
Elyra noticed.
She always did.
