Aria didnâ€™t blink as the lizard exploded and landed in front of her. Instead she simply stepped over it and went to Phoenix and followed after him.<br/><br/>Aria walked along behind him for a time, thinking things over and wondering if she should speak her mind or not. After all, this was Phoenixâ€™s adventure. She had no clue where they were going, knew little about the dangers they might face, and was uneducated in Phoenixâ€™s fighting abilities.<br/><br/>As she thought things over her eyes narrowed and her frown deepened. Thinking was only making the matter worse. After a time she reached out and grabbed his shirt as a way of stopping him. â€œI listened to you and did what I was told out of respect for you. Now I ask that you return the favor.â€ With that she released his shirt but did not continue forward again.<br/><br/>â€œHow long have you known me? How often have you seen me fight? I will answer that for you. You havenâ€™t. Do you think that means that I do not fight? Canâ€™t? Why? Because I didnâ€™t fight you while surrounded by a village of people who might decide to kill me if they knew I was not human? I survived long enough and well enough before you came around. It is senseless to fight on your own when you have someone to fight beside you. Do not request that I stay out of a fight for our safety again, unless it has some meaning or importance to you.â€<br/><br/>As she spoke, her gaze had been for the darkness, avoiding placing her glare on him. When she looked back to him her expression was neutral. â€œNow. Unless you are some sort of creature that heals quickly and has a resistance to infections, we should pause and look at the bite you had to have received from your hand stuffed down the lizardâ€™s throat. When traveling, you have to heal and care for things as you go because everything after the now is uncertain.â€ Her face became a stubborn line and she stood her ground as if challenging Phoenix to tell her no.