<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">The elf winced as the stranger wrapped his fingers around a bruised spot on her leg. She groaned as he let go and bit her lip, wondering if he'd decided to opt out of carrying on her back. He lifted her with minimal effort and Naya clawed at his shoulders to find support. Whilst traveling, the elf took note of how broad his shoulders were and the slim body accompanied by it. He was surprisingly warm; a part of her wanted to embrace him and rest her head on his back, but she knew that becoming affectionate with a stranger was not her goal, and it most likely wasn't his either.  This was a dire situation; a human being afflicted by an elven illness.<br/>
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She mumbled sincere appreciation as he stopped and placed her down on the pebbles. The nature of the birds chirping and the wind rustling the leaves gave Naya temporary relief. When the stranger stuck his hand and introduced himself, she stared at the foreign gesture. Elven customs did not request a hand. Instead, you were greeted with a simple nod of the head or a bow, depending on your station. She scratched her head, wondering what to do with his outstretched hand. Was this something the humans did? Let one person observe the hand of the other? She chuckled, awkwardness soaking up the situation.<br/>
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"Naya," she murmured, nodding a bit. "Just Naya."<br/>
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She didn't take his hand, out of respect for his personal space, unaware that it was considered rude in a human's eyes. She took off her bow and quiver and dragged her body towards the edge of the water.  She splashed the fresh water on her face and sighed. Exhaustion creeped further into her bones and muscle as she untied her boots and slid them off of her feet. Her pants came undone- they would have to be washed out as soon as possible- and she stared at her throbbing wound and the litter of bruising. Her breath staggered and her heart pounded in her chest. She inched into the water and let the pond soak up the blood.<br/>
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She prayed that the God of Nature and Goddess of Water would grant her the strength to begin the process of healing her wound and carrying on. Her vest and blouse were removed and the pond water immediately slipped up to her neck. Naya was cautious, afraid that if he'd seen some of the scars and untreated cuts on her arms and back, he might ask about them. Her eyes stared off into the distance, the water providing a sense of calmness and stillness in the atmosphere.<br/>
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“So tired,” she mumbled to herself, the will and energy to speak not there. She was tired of being hurt, tired of feeling powerless. Naya didn’t realize how lucky she’d been when Avi came along. She could’ve died from her gash if he hadn’t approached her. Her eyes blurred. It was awful to think about all of the terrible things that’d happened to her. She couldn’t get her own screams out of her head and Amrak’s evil laughter as he enjoyed pushing her to the edge. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day. She doubted it though. Amrak and the others would continue looking for her, no matter what. Naya sniffled and shivered as a gust of wind flew by and carressed her neck and ear. <br/>
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“Do you have any gauze or something I could pat myself dry with?” <br/>
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She gently turned her body over to the left, so as to not turn on the wound on her right leg, and glanced up at Avi. She hoped her puffy, red eyes and current state of being did not distract him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a yellow flower with large folding petals. Naya didn’t wait for him to reply before she moved closer to the flower and tried to reach out for it from the comfort of the pond. Her move was largely unsuccessful, so she resorted to a different method and got out of the water, shivering for a few seconds to pluck the flower from its spot. Naya slid gently back into the water and removed the stem. She rolled the petals up, trying her best to crush them up. This would be perfect to help clot her gash. It was unfortunate she didn’t spot any more around her vicinity.</span>