[ In fairness, she's probably just as pleased as he is for the lack of need for defensiveness in the first place. She might just still be a little tender at the thought of none of them really knowing her, and no matter how "used to it" she gets, there's always that... twinge. It causes defensiveness as often as dourness, but there's no sense in lingering. She's accepted weeks ago that it's better than being truly alone.

Jaskier's babbling is a comfort, though. She falls into step beside him when they start sort-of ambling through the market crowd again, slowly as they talk and look around the stalls. ]

Jaskier unused to praise? Unless you mean over the last few months alone, I don't believe you.

[ It's teasing though, and not the mean kind. She smiles, nudging him gently with an elbow. And that's when he pauses, and she does as well, and if he looks into her eyes, they're the spitting image of Pavetta's and only that. A huff of air escapes through her nose, her eyebrows rising. ]

I don't need to be like him to lift a skinny bard like you.

[ Don't challenge her. This is going to end. Stupidly. ]