[ Mako cracks a smile at that in answer; frankly, she doesn't care about the chickens, they're painfully trivial -- but it's evenings like these that she gets to spend time with him without the distraction of others, where she can be just a little more at ease.

There's something about him that takes her breath away at the most inexplicable moments, and she finds her gaze lingering on him; it's getting harder to not get caught looking, but she takes her chances anyway. ]

Perhaps decree them to build a sturdy coop for the chickens. With steel, not mesh. [ A pause. ] The rigors of being a monarch, Your Majesty.