Everyone at the camp had gone quiet after the new arrivals. Well, nearly everyone. The boy apologized to Ethan, though Adrianna didn’t immediately notice how hurt Ethan was from the collision as she was a bit distracted trying to get the girl to respond, though she wasn’t having much luck on that front. 

Adrianna looked up to see Yarri and some of the crew keeping lookout. Good. They couldn’t afford to drop their guard now, especially with these kids to protect. When the kid didn’t continue the ‘game,’ Adrianna decided not to press. She probably could have, but there was a part of her that didn’t want to take on the responsibility of caring for another human being. It took all of her energy to keep herself alive and safe, and this kid was clearly on the run in some direction. Amuné not responding was like a free pass. She could write the kid off, and then—[i]“Who taught you?”[/i]

Shit. 

Why couldn’t the kid ask for her name like any other normal person? I mean…who replied to an introduction with a question like that? Maybe she knew a bit about healing? Or maybe she was in awe because she was from an area where no one helped others who were injured. There was no telling, given her current state. “Uhh...” Adrianna floundered a bit, her voice seeming to crack as she was caught off-guard.

[b]It’s your own damn fault. You told the kid to ask anything.[/b] “Mostly I learned from a guy named Nevyn.” She began. It was the truth, mostly. It was just also true that Nevyn was not a very uncommon name. “But I picked up a lot from books and out of necessity as well. I’ve spent a long time out on the road, or path.” Adrianna answered, gesturing to the path they were currently taking.

 As she began to contemplate what she would ask the strange kid next, the white-haired dude chimed in, offering the Amuné the chance to travel with them to town. “He’s got a point.” Adrianna said, looking at the both of them. “Traveling alone isn’t the safe. If you are heading to town, you should come with us. Is everyone ready?” Adrianna looked around at the group.

“And as for your question. Are you running away from something, or towards something?” She asked. There was no point in pretending that the kid wasn’t on the run. Everyone could see that. Well, everyone except the girl herself. Amuné grew pale and rigid at the question, and Adrianna wondered if perhaps she had been too direct.

After just a few moments, though, the girl answered, so quietly that the crew members getting ready to move again probably didn’t hear it over the shuffling of their bags and chewing of their snacks. [i]”Away.”[/i] 

Taking a deep breath, Adrianna nodded, and then shifted herself so she was a bit closer to Amuné, so they could converse a bit more quietly. She was about to say something to the girl when another question was asked. “How did you know?”

With a weak smile, Adrianna lowered her voice to a whisper as well and leaned in close to the girl’s ear. “You aren’t the only one who has had to run away.” Placing a hand on Amune’s shoulder, Adrianna gave it a brief squeeze before straightening and speaking up a bit louder. “So, are you coming with us for a while?” She smiled as she asked her own question, albeit a much lighter one than the girl might have been anticipating, with how things had been going.