The fact that Merin noticed her unspoken interest made her smile.  There was something about knowing others were in the dark about her thoughts that reassured her.  She was lucky to have Bodzil there to speak for her in some cases, as Kwatoko was less willing to open up about her ways than he was.  Bodzil was, after all, a leader of his people- it was something he was practised in doing.  She trusted his judgement, however, so if he believed these strangers ought to know about them, then whom was she to object?  She wasn't normally this humble about herself, but ever since the incident that changed her, she hasn't felt like flaunting a damned thing.<br/><br/>She remained relatively at ease as they advanced through the tunnels.  She could taste the air funneling in from the outside, and she became more and more eager to get out of this crawlspace.  She thought that maybe the fresh air would help clear her mind of these worries when suddenly the soothing feeling transformed into a stab in the chest.  She clutched the area in question, finding no wound, and immediately knew it was on Bodzil's end. Turning her back on the demon creature with the extra eyes, she witnessed Lilly repairing her partner's wounds.  Her surprise turned to an almost innocent curiosity.  As uneasy as she was with magic, she found herself enraptured by Lilly's ability.  Kwatoko eyed her briefly, blinking in a silent 'thanks'.<br/><br/>Emerging after the demon creature, Kwatoko promised herself never again to complain about taking shelter from the rain in a mountain- at least there was room to breathe.  She waited for Bodzil and Lilly to emerge from the crevice before moving away from it.  One of the humans, whose name she gathered as Morgan, began to lead them away to his encampment with the mention of food.  Of all the things one could say to bring forth the angry demands of a hungry stomach, the word 'food' had no equal.  She immediately felt her Oolarger body resign to assess how buggered it was after the whole ordeal one would call "today."  It was at this time in the day her and Bodzil often parted ways so that she could hunt and he would eat with his clan.  She wondered if there was game here similar to what she was used to.<br/><br/>The desire to return to her real form had her again thinking about the magics the others had been using around her.  Lilly, the small girl next to Bodzil, showed her ability to heal others.  Kwatoko found herself enamoured with that idea- what if she could heal<span style="font-style: italic">her</span>?  Then there was Merin.  She couldn't part herself from the idea that he had something she needed.  Kwatoko couldn't rightly explain what she felt, but it was as if she was intercepting the heat from his magic.  Even if it was short-lived, the familiar sensation of her lungs ready to ignite couldn't have been mistaken.  She decided she would tell Bodzil about this later.<br/>She decided firstly to catch up to Merin.<br/><br/>'<span style="color: #FFFF80"><span style="font-style: italic">I hope that I've not unsettled you, Merin,</span></span>' she began, more gently than before.  Her overall tone had changed since they emerged into the open.  She felt more relaxed now, but it would be foolish to assume she wasn't still on guard.  She kept her telepathy fixated only on Merin, so that the others would most likely not pick up on her words to him.  '<span style="color: #FFFF80"><span style="font-style: italic">Magic is often far from what I would describe as comfortable to me, but I felt something back in that cave.  What was that magic you used?</span></span>' She tried to keep her expression soft and aligned with her words, but she couldn't understand why Merin avoided her eyes.  If her hunch was correct about this human... she might need him to trust her, and she would have to trust him as well.  She remembered how her flesh burned away and left her in this form.  Would it work the same way in reverse? Or would it only reduce her further?