With his assurance that she hadn’t been too invasive, it did help relieve some of the earlier embarrassment she had caused herself. That in addition to his apparent interest in moving on in the conversation made her feel just as good. Her words rolled off her tongue a little smoother as she spoke and became more comfortable. But when he gathered recognition of the caverns that she spoke of, Kiliaen offered a more enthusiastic nod. “You may be familiar, but it’s definitely something you should experience firsthand.” The autumn fae said lightly, an air of playfulness in her tone.
Though when Balthier began describing where his home was she was happy to listen. His soft conversational laughter brought a grin to her own expression. “You have come a long way,” she observed- the idea that he was from a continent beyond Auster was an oddity in her mind. She had only heard stories from strangers, never seeing it for herself. Maybe one day. Meanwhile, she had never really left the southernmost lands. Yet, when he mentioned The Hallows, that did ring a bell. “The Hallows? That sounds ominous … Do you like it there?” Again, stories she had heard. But sights, she had never seen. Tales of castles and royalty that sounded more equipped for fairytales than reality. There was always an air of benevolence when it had been described to her in the past. And it only made sense paired with the gentleman that stood before her.
If being a traveler wasn’t interesting enough, his methods were even more unique. “Rafting? Wow, you must be brave! The sea is where I draw the line.” The beach was fine, but something about thinking about what was out in the ocean made her uneasy. Without being able to see the bottom, she couldn’t imagine launching something to float on and having any inkling of control over it. However, there was obviously a skill set to it if he had been consistently successful in his journey. “Where would you raft to? Or just doing it because it’s something you enjoy?” Kiliaen asked out of curiosity. Not that she was interested in taking up the hobby for herself. But she felt that an easy way to get to know someone was by getting to know their passions.
