As the trio sat in silence, Kitherit continued to gaze curiously around the room.  She gave a shy smile if she caught anyone's eye, but otherwise the silence was quite comfortable.  Even her two friends were quiet.<br/><br/>When the food came, her eyes widened slightly.  It wasn't like any dish she had ever seen before, and she immediately knew which looked more appetizing.  As she began to dig in to the light fare with some gusto, she relaxed even further.  She couldn't help but notice how graceful her two companions were, even as she they ate their meals.  She felt a little bit awkward in comparison to them, although she was still more graceful then a human, herself.  And more likely she was feeling more awkward then she really was.<br/><br/>She had always been a light eater, and this meal suited her perfectly.  Though she was starving, this was plenty to sate her hunger.  She picked up the mug and was surprised to realize it was water, cleaner and clearer then any water she'd ever had.  She was used to the pubs in the village serving beer or some other drink that would cover up the taste of the poor water.  She found herself drinking deeply of the crystal clear water, like a man dying of thirst in the desert.  She wasn't all THAT thirsty, but it was a tonic of life to her.<br/><br/>She looked up as Malith spoke, and then furrowed her brow.  Not in confusion, clearly, but in thought.  She considered her response for a full minute before she responded.<br/><br/>"I was born in a human village nearby.  My Mother hid me.  As I grew up I learned to cover my ears, to hide what I am."  To emphasize her point, she adjusted her still somewhat tangled hair to conceal her ears.  Then she reached over her shoulder and tugged up on her hood, adjusting it to cover her head enough to well conceal her ears, but keep her face visible.<br/><br/>"Yesterday, I went to the village for food," she pointed to her plate.  "One of the boys played a trick and pulled back my hood."  She lowered her hood again.  "They saw my ears, and were going to hurt me.  I managed to escape and I ran into the forest.  I ran all day.  I could hear them chasing me for awhile.  It was night time before I stopped by the river.  I couldn't hear them anymore.  I fell asleep, and Ildra found me the next morning."<br/><br/>She wasn't sure how much of this they would be able to understand, but she tried to speak very clearly, enunciating each word carefully.