Deryn listened thoughtfully as Malkier explained the terminology and names that she was less familiar with, and while everything he said made sense, Deryn still didn’t have any real idea as to what they were honestly dealing with. It was obvious an Avatar was not a good thing, but why would it want to wreck havoc upon the Egg? Certainly a God or an Ancestor - whatever it was called - did not want to cause much harm to those that lived on this ever changing plane? Many questions replaced those that she’d asked, but Deryn nodded silently as Malkier finished, keeping those questions stored for a later date.<br/><br/>The conversation twisted to the topic of her human mortality, in essence, and Deryn couldn’t help but wonder just what bad things Malkier was expecting to happen as they continued on their journey. Would she be put in a position where death was imminent? Would she lose an arm or a leg? Would she be infected once more with a bite to her shoulder or something worse? Malkier couldn’t save her, but could anything that Imperellis had under his umbrella? Deryn realized quickly that this was not a joking matter; there were real concerns to take into consideration.<br/><br/>Deryn ignored everything else of the conversation, at least for the most part. She picked upon tidbits here and there, such as some foul smelling place where an individual named ‘Squeeker’ lived, as well as some more talk about the curse and what had been seen upon talking with the higher beings at hand. She was lost in her own thoughts, thinking of things that might be useful. Things she could find here that she knew how to work with. Ingredients, objects that could be formed into weapons, anything that would not put the entire burden of this adventure upon the back of the man with the wings. He might not have felt that she were a burden, but to Deryn, her abilities were much less than stellar and she was too green to be of any real help.<br/><br/>She remained silent for much of the remainder of breakfast, picking at what was left on her plate instead of eating with the same eagerness she’d had earlier. Her thoughts continued revolve around what she was about to do, and damn it all to Hell, if only they were in Albion! When it was finally time to leave the tent, Deryn walked along side Malkier, hardly noticing his grimace as he entered into the sunlight.<b>”I am well.”</b>She muttered, her voice a bit too firm and distracted from her usual state. But Deryn flicked her eyes up from her feet, arching an eyebrow in his direction before she asked,<b>”How are you feeling?”</b>Her question was less about his overall well-being and more about the situation at hand. She was anxious, her body hummed with an unexplainable energy that spoke of the feelings that rumbled underneath the surface. Was this the adventure that she’d been looking for? Was this the beginning of something that would change her entire life?<br/><br/><b>”Do not be a nag, Malkier.”</b>Deryn said, her lips twisting up into a confident little smirk.<b>”Another day of rest means more become infected. I am strong enough to travel, as you’ve seen. I survived on my own within the forest without you and with my shoulder festering. I assure you that I can manage going to speak to Squeeker and whatever else you have planned. Although, I still believe rather firmly that we need to head toward the Prince and his Advisors. Perhaps they could assist us. I have an unsettling feeling that this is all much larger than we are being led to believe.”</b>She sighed and then shrugged her shoulders.<b>”Although, I could be entirely incorrect in that assumption. Call it intuition or cautiousness -  both are likely sufficient.”</b><br/><br/>She took a few leading steps in front of him, stopping only after a minute to face him instead of continuing.<b>”You will only hear this from me once,”</b>Deryn paused dramatically for a moment, eyeing Malkier with her hazel eyes and narrowing them with the stubbornness he’d know ran rampant inside of her.<b>”But I am rather excited and nervous to be investigating these matters with you.”</b>Once more, she paused and stood there, her face blank but a million thoughts fluttered through her mind. The continuous one happened to be a question - not about the tasks at hand, but about the winged man before her.<br/><br/><b>”Now that we’ve moved passed the sentimental, let us carry on. The day will grow old and I would prefer not to disturb Squeeker in the middle of the evening if at all possible.”</b>Deryn turned on her booted heel and continued on her way to collect her supplies.<br/><br/>Tag:<a class="username" data-user-id="92" data-username="@Malkier" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/92/">@Malkier</a>