The stranger's response was... not what Aviel was hoping for. He returned her language just long enough to confirm that he wasn't fluent (what the hell kind of accent was that?) before switching back to English. His nerves bled into his words, shaking his voice as he spoke. She strained to follow what he was saying, but quickly got lost; the only thing she was sure she understood was "by choice, not birth."

... well, that would explain the accent.

She hesitated a moment, not breaking eye contact, as she tried to puzzle together the rest of what was said. He was smiling and nodding to her, as if trying to be friendly. Probably because of their shared beliefs. Common ground is common ground, she supposed, although she personally thought it was unsteady ground to begin with. Ten years of hiding in sewers to escape nightmare creatures will shake the beliefs in even the purest of hearts. Aviel, of all people, knew this. Still, the stranger seemed genuinely happy; and, making a small concession to herself, she had to admit it was nice to find him as well.

Aviel turned to the tall girl and nodded, as if to signal her approval, before locking eyes once more with the stranger. "Speak. Slowly." She was careful to sound out each syllable, for fear that she might be misunderstood if she didn't. "Ha anglit sheli garua meod." [i]My English is poor.[/i] She spoke the Hebrew slowly and deliberately, hoping that he would catch more words that way. Obviously he couldn't act as a perfect translator, but at the very least she could communicate her inability to communicate.