Even as she clung to Jasper, her face buried in the woman's mane, she didn't know what she was doing. Why was she still clinging to this poor creature? Hadn't they done enough to each other? Her fingers dug into the woman's flesh ever so slightly as she struggled with her own inner demons. The healer inside her saw a hurt creature she wanted to take care of, to nurture, and her heart had just begun seeing further than that, but it was her head and her stubbornness that kept everything from connecting seamlessly. Jasper started speaking and the islander made a determined effort to listen to her, maybe read between the lines and figure out what was best for the both of them. Jasper spoke of not being in control, a force making choices for you, and making you do things even you would never want. The words hit home and as her dragon rider glanced over her shoulder, Eva saw in the woman's eyes just how much the dragon had broken her humanity. The islander slid off her back, landing on the ground and had Jasper walk a few steps before she started following after quietly. Her eyes were glued to the forest ground, taking account of the rocks and fallen foliage with a focus too concentrated to be believable. She just couldn't--didn't want--to look up and see Jasper broken. She'd been trapped inside her body once before thanks to the spirit that resided within her and knew how helpless it could feel. At least the dragon rider couldn't recall the last few days or else she might have felt even worse the way her dragon side called to Eva. She reached up and felt the bite on her neck, her thumb rubbing over it softly in thought.<br/><br/>When they'd finally got to their destination, Eva sat on the riverbank as she watched Jasper wade into the water. It felt weird to have it the other way around for once. Whether the woman was going to disrobe what bits of clothes she had on or not, the islander looked away regardless, her face a slight flush of pink. It would be rude, no, it'd be a downright shitty thing to do if she was to even hint at the possible feelings she had sprouting for the human side of Jasper. After everything the woman had been through already and with Eva still being unsure and still hating the dragon side of her companion, it'd be more harmful than anything to say something now. She bit her bottom lip and curled her legs into her body, watching the water's surface play with the shapes of her toes dangling in the water.<br/><br/>There was something Jasper had been so sure about before when they first met, but she'd never got a chance to explain because Eva had shut her down so royally back then. Now, with an aching need just to understand anything and find some semblance of truth in all the lies that had been thrown at her, the islander found her eyes leading back to Jasper and discovered her voice once more along the way.<b>"What cause da lava... ef not de dragons? What sonofabitch caused children ta burn dat night, or houses aye seen mai whole life go up in flames? Wah gwann wit dat night, Jaspah?"</b>It was the question she had refused to ask even as the doubt built up in her heart over the years. Just as she had built up walls of rock to save what was left of her people, she had built up her ignorance and stubbornness to see anything but what she wanted to see. But she saw now that that way of life was hurting those around her. And she might of built her whole life on hunting beasts that just wanted to help them. Eva almost knew the answer, had already thought of the possibilities years ago. She was too smart to be that stupid.