His unexpected clarity in accepting her company earned Kinnard a raised brow and a small smile,<strong>"Sure lad, such a fine maiden as myself fer bein' so compassionate,"</strong>Despite the mildly disparaging comment, she did take the offered arm, all the better to keep the boy from wandering to the road again. His question had her back at the puzzling, though,<strong>"Aye, then how did ye get here? Surely you didn't get such fine threads of'n the ground... Very well, one question deserves another I suppose. These dark rivers as you're calling them are called roads. The black is a material they coat em' in to make it easier to manage by foot or car. Those beastless carts ye were talking about,</strong>" Her eyes drifted up to the street lights, and she shook her head.<br/><br/><strong>"Lad it'll be a doozy explaining everything y'see. That's a streetlamp, it keeps the road visible at night so noone goes careening into a house. Powered by real lightning too, no wisps," </strong>