Closing her eyes to the world, Amal prepared herself for a blow that never came.  Her right hand was curled over her heart like she meant to cast a spell but nothing came to mind; like all of the magic she had ever known died at her lips.  The first time she heard him speak, she didn't recognize his voice. Adrenaline had pressed out any other emotions she might have thought to feel but Ethan was really there, standing between her and the fiend.<br/><br/>He'd asked her if she was okay, she realized.  And although the thought warmed her and lifted her spirits just a bit, her expression remained dark when she considered the weight of such a question.  Was he really concerned for one when the fate of so many more was now uncertain?<br/><br/>Amal's eyes widened for the speed of his reaction to the fiend’s attempt to attack.  One moment he'd been standing before her, the very picture of a hero, and the next-well, she wasn't entirely sure.  A bright flash of light forced the mage to turn away. When she looked back, he was dashing through the air to impossible height.  If she hadn't been there to see it for herself, she would have never believed it possible.<br/><br/>As the creature fell to the ground before her in a wash of pyerflies, Amal held her breath and shuffled backwards a short distance.  One glowing orb floated a bit nearer than made her comfortable; the mage shivered and she wasn't certain if it was the result of the fiend or how quickly Ethan had become… someone else.  She looked up at the priest, unsure of what to make of him…<br/><br/>Sure, she'd gathered he hadn't always been a priest.<br/><br/>She'd decided for herself he wouldn't have been the sort of Yevonite to tolerate someone like Agustin.  They would have been like oil and vinegar; but a dragoon on the highroad?  It was surprising but not outside of the realm of her imagination.  Then again, Amal was convinced she'd believe just about anything Ethan wanted to tell her about himself if he kept knocking down fiends that wandered too near.<br/><br/>But could this man really be the same one who had welcomed her into his party to travel the path of High Summoner Braska’s pilgrimage?<br/><br/>It seemed an unfair question after everything else they'd seen that day.  Sin had returned; they were facing a reality which would necessitate each one of them become very different people in order to survive.<br/><br/>Ethan's features were hard as he looked at her.  She felt herself squirm under his scrutiny, wondering to herself if she wasn't exactly the opposite of someone he'd want watching his back if she continued with him to Besaid.  But she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it had come to her mind.<br/><br/>She might have been untested on the battlefield but she knew her magic better than her own heart; for so many years magic had been her only companion.  Amal had come on this journey for more than escaping her brother's influence.  She wanted to be more than the sister of a priest and had hoped to find her calling or some higher purpose for her life.  She was meant for so much more than to live a quiet life in Bevelle, hidden in the shadow of her brother's ambition.<br/><br/>Letting her hand fall into his, she thought, 'Every journey starts with a single step, and this one's mine.'<br/><br/>As Ethan helped her to her feet, she lowered her chin in polite acknowledgement of his efforts to slay whatever terrible fiend he'd just put down because, yes, she did appreciate he had just saved her life.  It didn't mean it was any easier for her to find the right words to say next, however.  'Thank you' seemed too formal, like something she might say to her brother, but it would have been rude to not acknowledge him at all, right?<br/><br/>Fidgeting with the skirt around her waist so it was back in place, she swept her Moogle off of her shoulders and into her arms.  She looked up at him from where she stood just in front of him and nodded.<br/><br/>"Of course I'm coming with you," she agreed.  Then, the faintest beginning of a smile crept to her lips as she teased, "Now that you're here to carry your own weapon, I might actually be able to keep up."<br/><br/>She took a few steps away and down the path, only stopping to look back over her shoulder when she could sense he hadn't started to follow her yet.  She wasn't willing to test her luck by walking too far away from him; there were still fiends around, after all.  As she turned, the Moogle hopped out of her arms to float over her shoulder, also looking at Ethan.<br/><br/>"How long did it take to make that replacement, anyway?" her eyes fell to the place he'd dropped the makeshift weapon.  "I knew I wasn't making good time but I had no idea I was so slow."