Helaena was a rather quiet girl, she kept to herself and instead granted her company to spiders and bugs alike — for the gentle patter of spider legs against her palm is better than any man’s touch.

She found herself dodging any other hand that came her way, she didn’t exactly name herself a fan of physical touch, nor loudness or violence alike. Yet one quiet day in the girl’s chambers, Helaena found herself accompanied by someone she could name a friend. You.

You seemed to take interest in her vast knowledge of bugs, a stark contrast to anyone else who’d hear Helaena’s mindless muttering on the matter. No matter how quiet she was, Helaena didn’t mind listening to you talk on about your day as she observed her own insects she found along the way.

“This is a Scytodes globula,” Helaena hummed lightly, hesitantly reaching out her steady hand to show you the spider nestling over her knuckles. Her voice was a little quiet, the feeling of sharing her love for insects foreign — as she always kept it to herself.

The girl took note of the small stiffen of your shoulders, your smile growing more nervous, which only gentled her own smile. “They don’t bite,” she added calmly, glancing down at the creature in her light grasp. Nobody’s really taken an interest in her like you have, and it made Helaena’s trust slowly progress for you.