So Lilia had not known this was how it was going to be. That did not help Simon's feeling of this all having been sprung on her from the dark, not much unlike the many fishing nets that had served as his personal downfall, to force him to now set on this road. And thanks to that, she was here with him without it really been having asked from her. She did offer a few words on the possibility of travel by river, but when she soon returned to the subject of what her experiences elsewhere were, it became clear that this really wasn't the thing she wanted to be doing. No, she longed for the cities and the life she had there, and now she was stuck with a strange hybrid creature in the middle of the countryside trying to help the other find what on earth he actually is and from whence he came. She didn't have ties here, other than the one padlock and chain she now had attached to her in the form of her childhood friend. A burden she would now carry, because she had to.<br/><br/>Simon shook his head. "That all sounds very nice", he commented briefly, leaving the rest of his thoughts simmering for now. He'd need to think about how he'd address those, or if he ever would in the first place. It wasn't as clear cut as to just tell her that she should go on her own path and leave him with his troubles. First of all, that would kill mother of sheer worry were word to ever reach her. And second, he needed her even if she was far from needing him. She had everything she wanted already, didn't she? But for now, Simon pushed himself to move on to the earlier topic, to keep their journey moving on. As long as there was movement, the momentum was on his side. They would have to keep moving, or one day she might realise she didn't have to. "Yes, that does sound like an option to me. And with… this", he gestured at his visage, slightly altered by magic but still recognisably strange, "it's better we encounter as few other travellers as possible. On the river I can simply dive if it comes to it. On the road, well. Here there's nothing we can do but hope there won't be anyone to pay much attention to us."<br/><br/>And as if merely speaking the words out loud had the power to summon the very trouble that he had just spoken of, another person turned the corner before them, most likely heading towards the market in the opposite direction in respect to Lilia and Simon. And the man did indeed give a long look to the other two, sitting there on his seat behind the two horses that dragged the wagon containing many sacks. It wasn't Simon that initially caught his attention, no, what was much more eye catching than someone dressed in very simple clothes walking by the roadside was the woman in her city-folk attire out here in the middle of nowhere. But that was what also had him interested in Simon. Who was this man, and who was this woman? Why were they out here, just the two of them? And what were they to one another? Yet the man spoke not one word, and once he had already put a good distance between them after passing, he finally turned back to look at the road before him. Curious, but not harmfully so.<br/><br/>Yet it was only after Simon and Lilia were past the corner he had rode from that Simon finally exhaled, raising a hand to his chest. That had been nerve wracking, to be observed so thoroughly… but apparently the height of the stranger's seat had worked to his advantage, let the hat naturally obscure what might have truly drawn his attention. "I'll be sure to never mention anything like that again", he swore half an oath, pulling the hat further on his eyes. "But how's that for a magical power? Causing all the bad things you say out loud?" he suggested with a more joking tone, just trying to alleviate his nervousness a little.