The man stopped several feet short of the stranger; after the experience he'd just had he didn't want to risk getting too close to anyone in case those mysterious snake-people could disguise themselves. Those purple eyes were certainly...uncommon, although he wasn't sure whether to be suspicious of them. Worse, he couldn't stop returning the stare that she gave him. Quietly he sized her up and decided that--at least for now--she was not a threat. Still, too risky to come any closer for the moment. 

The sound of her hoarse voice made Drest feel more sympathetic. This surely wasn't some evil wizard come to finish him off when there were no witnesses. This was just a pretty girl who wanted to know if he was alright after the encounter back in town. Although there were cobwebs of wariness still left in him, he now felt bad for having spoken in the tone of voice he had, despite it being unintentional. 

This time he made sure to speak more gently. "Yes, I'm alright. It was but a pushy client, you see, and with nothing left to sell I left in a hurry before he could lose his temper." He hadn't seen the man disappear, so when he said it, he actually started to believe it himself. He [i]must[/i] have imagined that invisible hook that had tried to pull him by the gut. Yes...it was in his head. It was not real. He'd had a long day and not enough water.