Wise words were spoken, though they did little to assuage the mood Navia was sunk in. Théadan was right they weren’t directly causing others to be in pain, but it was because of them that they were. It almost felt like they were leaving a trail of bruised hearts behind them because others objected to theirs intertwining. Théadan was probably right that their predicament was too murky, but Navia wished for some clarity. She hated the emotions she was experiencing and she could tell by how solemn Théadan was, by the heavy sigh that left him, that he was not faring much better than she.<br/><br/>Maybe they should have been more hesitant to involve others in their travels. They had known how much Théadan’s family hated them together, knew the Beast was going to be after them. Navia did not regret bringing Théadan to the Eyles home in the least, Brydon had definitely saved his life, but perhaps they could have made other decisions that would have protected Ivarn and Ragná? Navia also knew everything would be completely different if she and Théadan hadn’t been caught together, or if Argyle hadn’t attacked her…but Navia also saw little point in trying to think of what might have been different in those instances.<br/><br/>He was right though. They had to keep going to make everything they had done worth it. And the sooner their feet left Mes’Mo’Tanian soil, the safer the people they cared for would be. Nodding, sitting up so her hand could reach out and gently flatten against his cheek, Navia let her forehead press against Théadan’s temple companionably. “Everything we’ve done has been to keep each other safe too,” she pointed out quietly, “That has to mean something as well.” Before lifting from leaning against him so she could sit on the edge of the bed again, Navia pressed a soft kiss to his cheek with a hint of a smile, “I like hearing you say you’re in love with me.”<br/><br/>Wanting their moods to lighten, not wanting them to dwell on their guilt for too long, Navia began to reach for the pot of shaving cream, but instead smiled when she caught sight of the little bag she’d brought form the market. “I knew we would need to pay for passage to Khlurios and your coin pouch feels lighter by the day, so I sold my amber jewel to a Khluri vendor I came across,” Navia admitted before pausing and frowning, “But only out of necessity. I won’t forget how you saved it for me and had it fixed, or how you gave it to me while we were exploring that old tree.” Shrugging, Navia started to roll down the edges of the bag, revealing a small bunch of red berries with tiny little seeds adorning their exteriors. “Most of the money is now in your coin pouch for our journey, but I decided to buy you a small gift too.” She offered up the bag to Théadan then, so he could have his pick of whatever strawberry he’d like.