Black stood quietly and watched as Nymeri crushed their final opponent under a torrent of water. He had the butt his staff placed firmly on the ground--not quite leaning on it, but using it as a slight support while he recovered himself. The demon turned his head slightly to watch the Kyralae approach him, taking note of a single remaining goblin clinging to her leg.<br/><br/>He opened his mouth, ready to ask whether she was alright, then paused and closed it.<span style="font-style: italic">What am I doing?</span>he chided himself.<span style="font-style: italic">Demons don't say such things. Especially not me--especially not to a dragon. A wicked god might die laughing at the irony.</span>Still, he told himself that if she were up and about she couldn't be hurting too badly. But the unwanted train of thoughts continued:<span style="font-style: italic">Why did I intervene in the first place? Now I'm all worn out. Did I really jump into battle to defend a dragon? No, why should I? I killed so many of them back then...</span>An uncomfortable shiver traveled up the demon's spine.<span style="font-style: italic">No... I couldn't be guilty... could I?</span>Oh, he could see it now; he knew exactly what the human would say to something like that.<span style="font-style: italic">"Perhaps all those years of solitude have softened you?"</span>And it would be spoken as a statement.<br/><br/>Black mentally shook his head to himself.<span style="font-style: italic">No... this has nothing at all to do with dragons. I did want to protect Kyra, but as a friend. Because it's a whole lot more pleasant to protect her than it is a certain someone,</span>the demon cast a glance toward the bushes where his human resided.<br/><br/>All of these thoughts occurred in a relatively brief moment and Black managed to come to a decision. "You're alright?" he asked, tilting his head slightly in Kyra's direction again.<br/><br/>------------------------<br/><br/>After the final rider was dealt with, Ijemaru took an extra moment to determine the likelihood of another immediate threat. After deciding that the thread was minimal, he removed himself from his cozy hiding spot, brushing a few strands of mossy grass from his snowy hair.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Honestly, this squirrel is getting us into a lot of trouble,</span>he thought, though a smirk shown on his face.<span style="font-style: italic">Still, all these battles are giving me a good chance to gauge my new pet's skills. Fighting with unfamiliar spells and no sleep, not to mention being surrounded by people whom you might not want to show your full power... I give him a B- as of yet. Certainly not bad though. As soon as I get the chance, I'd like to ask him what type of magic he specializes in. I know his elements, but not how he uses them in an ideal situation.</span><br/><br/>Whilst being immersed in his thoughts, Ijemaru neglected to rejoin his companion, and let the demon converse with the dragon he charged into battle for. Giving a small smile and a slight shrug, the human turned his eyes to the road ahead. "Next stop, the Capitol," he said to himself.