A chance meeting under the night's sky (Cherry and Snow SL)

It was a gorgeous night out in the Fields of Glass. The moon was bright in the sky, the stars where shinning, there was not a single demon or shadow in sight. It was the definition of peaceful. A true blessing for anybody who wanted peace and quiet. Or at least it would be if it wasn't for a young girl who was too curious for her on good.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of something slamming against hard crystal echoed out through out the area. Along with what sounded like a young girl muttering to herself. "Come on you stupid thing, break!" If one where to come and look, they would find the source of the noise to be a young woman. With a monsterous left arm, looking like it belonged on a large tree, not such a frail girl. She was raising said arm, and using it to slam against the crystal over and over again. Letting out grunts of pain each time the limb connected to the crystal. This all started a few hours ago, Cherry was running around the fields. Looking for any canned foods or maybe some band aids. But as she was looking around, she came across what looked like a comic book trapped under the thick crystal. A normal person would have just thought it was neat and walked away, but Cherry was by no means a normal woman. No, she waited until she was sure that no demon, shadow, or humans was around. And then got to work.

Sadly it was not going well. Her tree arm, despite its sheer weight and power could not crack through the crystal. She was even feeling pain from the act! A feeling she hasn't felt from her left arm in years. After enough brutal swing the girl. The girl sat on the ground and gave a defeated sigh, her head held down in what looked like shame and disappointment. "It looked so cool too............" She uttered out with a heavy sigh. Not paying any attention to the things or maybe even people around her, as she gazed into the crystal. Just staring at the cover of the comic book.

Where there was light there was always darkness and where there was darkness, shadows and demons resided. People feared the night because of this, but one who was already a residence of the world of darkness did not fear it. In fact, the oddly dressed traveler was perched on a crystal that jutted out like a cliff in the world of glass and crystal. Blue eyes would take in the way it all glittered under the moon light, feeling quite peaceful in this hard and perhaps cold landscape. He found it warm and the world alive and humming. Everything was peaceful and in harmony. Even his feathered friends had gathered to rest for the night. Yes, a nice relaxing rest before more travel that was ahead. Or...it would've been had not the area around them cried out in pain in sound unexpectedly.

The traveler was just about to lay back on the crystal perch he was on when he heard the sound and felt the vibration of something striking crystal near by. It was so loud that even his feathered friends were startled awake, two flying away in fright while another landed on his shoulder and the fourth looked around from its spot confused. Well now. It seemed something else wanted their attention.

He would smile slightly before pale lips parted and he spoke to the two birds with him in his native tongue. A tongue not familiar to those not of demon or shadow blood. He got to his feet and picked up the large box he carried with him. Settling it on his shoulders, the two birds would fly off ahead as he made his way down to more leveled ground.

As for the source of the sound. While the one making it had stopped and decided to sit and moop, the person there would soon find themselves not so alone as one of the skull headed bird landed on the ground nearby and after tilting its head at the stranger, it would hop towards the crystal they had been banging on seemingly trying to see what was in there.

For a few seconds it would only be girl and strange bird, but then the sounds of wooden shoes hitting the hard ground would ring out in the area bring with it the strange traveler. Spotting the girl with the strange arm there, the traveler would watch her quietly as he took in her form before his eyes drifted over to the bird looking at the crystal.

"Hm?" he would let out the soft hum as his eyes returned to the girl and he tilted his head questioningly at her though for now no words escaped his mouth. As he watched her the second skull headed bird would come to land once more on his shoulders. It would let out a caw the only sounded outside of the wind in the area. If the girl were to pay attention to this, she would find all she needed to do was turn to find the being that had been drawn to her sounds.

After a few seconds of slience, another noise soon began to echo out. This time it was the soft of light tapping, as Cherry kept tapping the crystal with her large thumb. The wood clicking against the clear sheet of crystal as she kept staring at the imprisoned comic book. Her grey eyes filled with sadness as it slowly dawned on her that she wasn't going to be getting that book. While in some ways she could be very mature, in other ways she could be very childish. And this was one of those ways. If she didn't get what she wanted, she would be sad and sulk around for hours, sometimes even days if she thought the object was important enough. And she was in the process of doing that just know. Although as she was glaring at the trapped book, she was soon joined by a little guest.

"Oh? Why hello there little fellow, where did you come from?" Her voice was slighty dry, but it was clear she was a little bit catious about the bird. The way it looked keeping her on guard. It could easily be a demon, but then again it could also simply be a strange breed of bird Cherry has never seen before. And if it was she would feel very bad for the poor creature. "You interested in that too? It's pretty cool right, sadly unless you have some sort of super beak I doubt that either of us will be getting it anytime soon." Cherry mused before he heard the sounds of shoes clicking behind her, and the caw of yet another bird. She suddenly whipped around, her body tense and ready to bolt or fight if need be.

The girl just sliently sat there, her eyes trained on the mystery man that has walked up to her. The first few thoughts that came to mind was the he was a demon, and how she was going to make her daring escape. But as she sat there, she began to become confuse. If he was a demon. He probably would have attacked by now, maybe he was just a odd looking human? Or maybe he went through something like she was forced to? Either way, despite a little voice in the back of her head telling her to head for the hills. She stayed there, sitting and staring at him. Willing to try and speak with the man for a little bit, and see if he was trustworthy or not.

"Hey." She called out simply. Her voice still mostly dry. But with a undertone of curiosity and cautiousness in there. "Is it safe to guess that those birds are your pets?" She asked, trying to start some form of a chat. "I must say they are very curious animals. I have never seen any breed quite like them before, did you name them?"

The soft tapping of a wooden thumb against hard crystal didn't scare away the bird nor did the mood the other gave off as she stared at the comic book that was trapped. Instead the strange little bird, hopped right over pausing to look at her with those dark holes in its skull.



Its head tilted as it heard her words. It would give a caw in response to her first set of words before moving to look at what was inside the crystal. Its head would tilt to one side and then the other as the girl spoke. It seemed to be trying to figure out how to get the trapped item even going so far as to tap the crystal with its beak a bit as if that would help anything.

However, at that the start the girl gave to the one that approached the bird with her would caw in protest as it flap its wings to get some distance before landing on the hard ground again fully fluffed as it accessed the situation for the time being.

As for the strange man and other bird that had caused the event with their approach, the man would simply watch the other calmly giving away nothing about himself in words as he studied the strange girl before him. She was a strange being. Perhaps one like himself or maybe something else he had yet to learn about. He certainly wanted to know, but for now would not ask since the other did speak and ask some questions.

In response, he'd give a very soft and gentle smile to the girl. "Hello there. Forgive me for startling you," he would begin with a small respectful bow to the girl before straightening up and shaking his head. "Oh no. These are not pets. They are quite wild to be frank, so it is more like they are friends that tolerate me well. They are rather gentle and kind once you get to know them." He would say as he moved his arm a bit so the bird on his shoulder could have a perch as it decided to walk down his arm and his index finger that was extended. He'd tilt his head at the bird amused before giving a slow blink and looking at the girl. "I would say this breed came along with the new state of the world. I don't find them everywhere, but in places like this, or around the fungal forest and occasionally the desert you do tend to find them. They always know where the most interesting and often times helpful things are. I simply call them Skulled Crows for a lack of anything more creative. As for actual names that one is Alexander," he said nodding towards the bird that had joined the girl first and was now coming close again since there was no danger. "And this lovely lady is Ana Marie. Though these are the names they told me they are called by. Not ones I gave Speaking of names." He would shift in his spot to move his arm slightly lower. The move was elegant, but never broke the bird's perch or disturbed it as it continue to rest on his finger. "What is yours? And if I may, what are you doing with the crystal?"

Well demon or not, he and his birds certainly didn't seem hostile that was for sure. In fact the man was rather calm and seemingly unbothered by how cautious or dry the girl behaved or sounded. Perhaps he was used to this sort of reaction from people.

Cherry softly snickered at the bird. It was a sort of creppy at first, but unless this bird in question was just a really, really good actor, she was pretty sure that it was harmless. It was a little strange though, the bird was almost acting like it could understand what she was saying. Which is of course very odd. Over the years Cherry has spent roaming the wastes she has never really seen a smart animal. Most of the time it has been little rats or mice, the biggest animal and the smartest she met was a small dog with black fur. She loved that dog, but sadly her mother did not allow her too keep the puppy, something which she complained about for weeks.

"O-oh sorry. I uh, didn't mean to scare you." Cherry softly said, not actually loud enough for the bird to hear as after it moved away from her. She wasn't too sure what she did to make it run off.

The way the demon looking man was looking at the girl made her feel uncomfortable, and for a second she lost a bit of her cool and scooted away from him a little bit. His eyes where calm, but it wasn't the emotions that he was giving off that was the problem. It was the way his eyes lingered on her. It was like he was studing her, like she was some sort of wild animal. And she hated that feeling, before sge had the chance to comment on this or think of something else to say. He had broken the ice first with a simple 'hello.' "Uh, yeah it's no problem. I wasn't busy, well, I am not busy anymore at least." She said with a light sigh as she casted a glance down at the comic book trapped within the crystal. Her eyes snapped back to the man bowing to her, and without thinking, she awkwardly bowed back to him. She wasn't too used too formal stuff like that. Calling somebody 'mister' and 'miss' was something easy to her, but bowing? She has never bowed to anybody, nor has anybody ever bowed to her before. So it was odd.

"Oh I see. Well that's perfectly understandable, sometimes I'll play around with the little mice that I would find in those old houses. Not rats though, all the rats I've ever met have been jerks." She slighty rambled on, before she placed her head on to her thick wooden arm as a sort head rest. A very uncomfortable head rest mind you, but a head rest none the less. "Really? I've bedn traveling around paris for quite a long time now and I have never seen those birds. But to be fair I barely spend time in that spore filled place." She cleary perked up upon hearing that there where still new things she has never seen before, despite traveling around paris more times than she could count. She turned away and waved at the bird behind her. "Hello Alexander." She then turned around greeted the other bird called 'Ana Marie.'

"Names they told you? So they can talk?"This really seemed to have peaked her curiosty as she sat up and tilted her head slighty. Looking at Ana Marie with a renewed interest. It seems she was right about these birds being smart, but she had no clue how these birds would actually talk to a person. Seeing as they do not have lips. "Skulled Crows sound like very kind animals. As for my name, I am called Cherry. And well, uh, you see there is a comic book trapped under the crystal here. And I really like to see and collect these sort of things, so I tried to break it open. As you can see it did not go well." She said, waving her right hand around the area that housed the comic book, that was totally unharmed.

She was getting a bit more comfortable with the man, and she has growned to fully accept the birds now. Even so there was still a strange aura around this man, a odd mood that kept her from fully relaxing around him. Of course this may not be his fault, and could just be Cherry getting nervous.

The bird was indeed very clever though whether it truly understood her or not was a mystery. While it certainly titled and turned its head and even hopped about happily with her snicker, it never said a word back to her. When it was apologized to some time later when the girl's sudden movement startled the small creature, the bird made a strange grunting sound as it calmed and came back towards the girl. It may of not heard her words, but the bird did determine her to not be harmful or trying to harm it and so came back.

As for what occurred from the staring and studying, the man would take notice of her scooting away and while his calm expression never left his face, he'd give a slow cat like blink to the strange girl as his blue eyes drifted away from her and towards the landscape around them instead. Fear and people running away from him... It was something he had grown quite accustomed to, but at least this girl only moved away a bit and not completely exited the area and she was even talking to him still. Perhaps there was hope for connection after all. He'd simply have to wait and see how this bloomed.

He would hear her response back to his apology and made a brief note of where she was looking as he made his bow. As he rose back up, he would pause as she gave an awkward bow back, his expression slightly surprised before it was shifting into a genuine smile of pleasure. It seemed despite the delivery he appreciated the the action all the same.

As for what was said about mice and rats, he'd give a soft chuckle. "Mice tend to be gentler, but rats can be too. You just have to know how to negotiate with them." He spoke on the creatures with a strange sort of fondness that was usually given when talking about people one liked or enjoyed being around, but as with everything about this man the why was never revealed. Becoming more curious, he'd tilt his head at the girl as he took a step closer, it was a cautious one as if he was testing waters, but a step nonetheless. "You mentioned old houses. So do you travel about or do you live in a places with old houses?" he would ask not bothered by her rambling as his eyes drifted to her briefly as she rested her head on her arm. However, unlike before he didn't stare as hard as he eventually found interest in a crystal formation nearby. He was trying to make out the exact thing under the formation, but would find his attention back on the girl as she spoke on the birds.

"They seem to like places most do not venture to for one hazard, reason, or another, so it is no surprise many have not seen them, even less when it comes to the ones that live in the fungal forest." He'd pause as he smirked amused. "I suppose my curiosity leads me to linger in places most are trying to get away from." That and well he really didn't have to worry about the spores of the area bothering him, but this was a minor detail and so he did not mention it here. Besides, the girl was interested in the topic and nothing delighted him more than an interested being to share and even swap information with. And would you look at that? She was even being kind to his friends! How interesting this one was.

A small smile lingered on his lips as Alexander gave a rough yet somehow cheerful caw back to the greeting as he fluffed up trying to look impressive no doubt. Such a show off that one. As for Ana Marie, she remained perched on his finger as she quietly observed the one who greeted her, her head lowering in a form of bow, like a ruler acknowledging her subject. Truly a polar opposite of the male. The interaction was amusing to the man who stayed quiet during the whole process until addressed.

He let out a soft hum as he nodded. "Yes to both. Though the language they speak is quite their own. To most the caws and grunts may seem like noises, but to one who sits to understand the sound and in turn the creatures, they will find a rather interesting and complex language and culture," he would say admiring the birds for a bit. "It is the same with anything in this world. Us, creatures, plants, earth, demons, shadows. All of it has their own ways to learn if one chooses to take that path." Had he perhaps sniffed too many spores or what? It could indeed sound like rambling, but the man seemed quite confident in what he was saying. As for Ana Marie she would tilt her head curiously at the girl that was watching her with interest though for the time she kept her silence as the man gave a slow nod to the girl's words.

"They are very kind if you respect them and their ways, but just like any creature they can also become your worse nightmare should you offend them." After all, these birds had no issue shredding and eating a threat or prey, but he'd leave that detail out for now. "Cherry. What a nice name," he would say with a smile before continuing. "My name is Snow," he would say and then blinking a bit he'd come closer to the area to take a look at said comic book within the the crystal. "Comic..book?" he would repeat tilting his head at this new thing. "I am not familiar with this item. Tell me about it, yes?" he would ask as he moved the box he carried from his back and sat it down gently to the left side of him and away from the girl as Ana Marie went back to his shoulder and Alexander decided to move to attempt to sit on the girl if allowed. He seemed to like her for whatever reason. As the man moved closer to the crystal, he took notice of the girl's tension, but that could not be helped. Friendly or not, he could not keep what was right beneath the skin completely hidden. Either way, he didn't seem bothered as he analyzed the crystal book situation and then humming in thought, he'd move over to his box and kneeled down as he began to look through the small drawers there.

As he dug, it was revealed that various things were in those drawers ranging from small bones, plants, crystals, powders, a small black shadow blob with eyes....okay that was a thing...and so on. He was frowning a bit as he dug, deep in concentration clearly looking for something, but for now did not say what it was he sought or why he was even looking for said mystery thing. As he searched, the small blob, narrowed small white eyes at the world before using one of its little arms to quietly close  the drawer that had been left slightly open. Clearly it wanted to stay sealed whatever it was.

Cherry did not verbally comment on the skulled crow coming back near her. But she did in fact notice it, and judging from the small smile that creeped across her face, she also enjoyed that the bird seemed to calm down. Even if it did make a strange noise.

"Negotiate?" She repeated, almost like she was trying to make sure that the man had used the right word. After it was clear he did, she'd let out a slighty amused laugh. "I cannot say I have ever had to negotiate with any animals before. Well, unless you count giving them some food as negotiating with them." She couldn't do it too often. As she needed food to keep herself alive, but when she had a spare bite to share, she'd normally be willing to give it away if said animal was cute enough.

Cherry didn't make any movement towards, or away from the man as he began to step closer to her. She could be wrong of course, but the look in his eyes seemed to be one of curiosity, the same look that she saw in her own eyes when she came across some broken glass or a in tact mirror. Rather than a look of malicious planning. She shook her head. "I am more of a wanderer myself. But I do tend to check in those old houses every now and again. Since you can find some cool stuff. Like one time I found this really awsome pink toothbrush, and I also found a whole loaf of bread! It had mold on it, but still." She says, as she brought her index finger up to her chin to try and recall more things she had collected over the years. However before she could start ranting to this stranger about the random objects she had found over the years, he said something about the birds habbits. Which threw off her train of thought. Which she didn't mind all that much, since she wanted to learn more about these creatures.

"I guess they like to be alone then. Which is understandable these days." Another smile crossed her lips. This time it was larger and brighter than the other one's before. "I am the same way. Alot of people call me crazy for traveling around Paris. They always say that I need to find a place to settle down, and other stuff like that. But that just sounds so boring you know? Like how are you going to learn more about the world if you never go out and explore? The only places I don't go too is the bellows, and the fungal forest. And that's only because it's so hard to find those gas masks, and I actually plan on visiting the bellows later on." She thought about asking the man for a spare mask, since it sounded like he visited the forest a awful lot. But they just met, and while she was willingly to part with a few of her items. Masks tend to be costly. So in the end she didn't even bring it up.

She giggled softly as the Alexander gave her what she could only assume to be a 'hello' to her. It was quite cute, in it's own way. And like she did with the odd man, she gave another, only slighty less awkward bow to the female bird.

"Whoa. That's amazing........" She said, totally and utterly awe stuck by the info this man had dropped on her. To a normal person this would have sounded like nonsense. But it never crossed Cherry's mind that he might be high on drugs, or simply lying to her. After what looked like a moment of deep thought on her part, Cherry cleared her throat before letring out a "caw, caw! Caw! Caw, caw, caw!" She tried her best to copy the crow's noises. Her high pitch noises sounding quite hilarious to anybody that was nearby and was listening. She kept this up for a good few seconds, before dropping it and seeing how they reacted.

"Why thank you! Snow is a pretty name too!" She chirped out. "Oh you don't know what a comic book is? Well, I see no harm in telling you." She said. And made no move to try and stop Alexander from sitting on him, in fact she'd actually try to sit in a way that would make it easy for the bird to sit on her. "Okay so I've never actually seen one another than this one, but my mother would tell me about them from time to time. And she said, that they where kind of like normal books, but they had pictures and superheroes in them. They're are a ton of comic books out there, and mom said that alot of them tie into each other......... Somehow, I am not really sure myself." She then went on to ramble on about comic books, using her second hand knowledge to the best of her abilities. As she did however, a small amount of gult began to build in her. So far Snow has proved to be nothing more than a lovely and knowledgeable man, and she was judging him and was on guard around him, solely because he looked weird. She was doing the same thing everybody else did to her, and it made her feel ashamed. Soon the tension in the air faded, as she opened her mouth to make another comment about comic books.

It was soon back however as Cherry saw the strange glob of........ Black stuff close the drawer. "U-um I, uh. Mister Snow, I think t-there is something alive in one of those drawers." She meekly spoke out, pointing her finger at the drawer the creature hid in.

While he did not comment or make any signs, he took notice of how the girl reacted to his feathered friends. They seemed to get along and warm up to each other quite well in the end. It was a warming sight for sure, but one he only stored in his head as the conversation turned to other things.

His head would tilt as the girl repeated the word back to him, a pale finger going up to tap his lips as he look upward in thought. "Yes...negotiate...or make friends with?" He look back at the girl with a slightly confused expression. He knew what he meant; however, now that it had been questioned he wondered if he had messed up a bit on word choice. Well messed up or not, the confusion would turn to curiosity as he heard the amused laugh. He hadn't said anything funny he did not think, so why was she laughing? Did it really matter? Besides it wasn't like it was uncomfortable. It was actually quite nice to hear so there was that. He'd give a small smile as he opened his mouth to respond. "Food can certainly tilt the scale in your favor with some. Others require patience and hard work." It depended upon the creature one was trying to befriend. Some were easier to soften while others took a bit of extra love and care to win over. Point was big or small, ugly or cute all creatures could become your friends if one was kind enough and was willing to put in some effort. Well almost all. There were some that wouldn't budge no matter what, but he was getting off track here.

In any case, the girl did not move away from him this round, so that was a plus though for the time being he would still remain a respectful distance away. "Ah, another traveler. How wonderful," he would begin with a smile before continuing. "Sometimes buildings and structures do hold interesting or useful things. Food is always nice to find. Even if he did not eat it himself. Still a good thing to have around for other reasons. As for that other item the girl had mentioned... His brows furrowed in thought. "Though...what is a tooth brush?" He knew what brushes were in general and knew they came in various sizes and textures, but the actual specific name of them he did not know nor what some of them were for. If anything, he used the ones he did find for his own purposes and ones that made sense to him. Was that their original or proper function? He was not sure, but the fact this child had mentioned one with such a specific name he had to wonder.

It even looked like the girl might have something more to add, but instead of doing so she would focus on the topic of the birds. He wasn't too bothered though. They could always return to this topic later if they wished.

"Perhaps," he would say, his tone contemplative as he considered the birds and how they did hang in groups, but didn't really bother to go too far out their usual territories unless of course they were the curious like the ones that followed him almost everywhere. There were places they did not go and due to the fact they were indeed wild, they didn't always stick around him. They came and went as they felt like it. As for that bright and large smile that crossed her face, he had to admit it was quite pleasant to see. He would give a soft chuckle of amusement. "We certainly think alike on the learning front. Though my reason is that I am far more at home out here and wandering about than being locked up somewhere. Settling is nice, but I'll think about that when there is no longer a need for data and improvement." Something he didn't see going away any time soon, so he'd keep drifting and doing his job until either he decided to rest or he simply could not anymore. "As for gas masks. I have found a few along my travels. Though with some, I do need to acquire the proper materials to make one or two function again; however, I do have one that is functioning back at home. Hmm.." He would pause folding his arms in thought as a finger tapped his arm a bit. "In fact, if you plan on going to Bellows why not come by and see the mask yourself and see if it is to your liking?" He would make the offer, his tone soft with a hint of a business undertone. There would be no pressure of course, but it was there nonetheless.

Anyway, birds.

Alexander was quite proud at getting a giggle from the girl, his feather fluffing up and his head was held high. Even if he didn't have a way to show facial expressions, there was no denying he was quite happy. As for the bowing situation, Ana Marie would observe the action as she gave a rather soft click of the beak seeming to approve of the move. At least everyone was getting along and everything was going more or less smoothly until the girl decided to do something no one was expecting.

She cleared her throat and then let out those sounds which both startled, surprised, and stunned the trio. Ana Marie would simply stare at the girl for a long while before cautiously looking away and up at Snow while Alexander would tilt his head letting out a sound that could almost pass as a huh of confusion. As for the man, he would stared at her quite still and wided eyed for a second or two before the corner of his lips twitched and he actually let out a laugh. It was a surprisingly warm and hearty laugh full of amusement at the attempt. "I am sorry, but that was a rather amusing attempt," he would say as the laugh settled into an amused grin, sharp teeth poking from underneath his lips as he continued. "However, I would advise not doing that in the future. You could've easily set a whole flock on you with that and not in a pleasant way either." A harsh reality, but you really couldn't just randomly string together things with these birds without trouble or offending. Luckily for her, the two with him was rather forgiving and not eager to turn hostile for things like this. Despite that, he would consider the girl for a moment before speaking again. "Hold your hand out and try to mimic this sound," he would say before pausing a bit to create a small clicking sound with his mouth. He did it slowly to give a visual of more or less what he was doing.  Either way, he would become quiet afterwards to see what the girl would do or how she'd react and behave.

Wherever that went it would go as the conversation flowed into thank yous and compliments. "That is very kind of you," he would say gently before becoming quiet and focused as he examined the crystal trapped thing called a comic book as the girl was kind enough to tell him what it was. As she talked, Alexander would settle on the girl's knee getting rather comfortable there as he watched and listened. Ana Marie would keep her silence as the man continue his hunt in his box, relaxed and inwardly becoming relieved that the girl's tension was leaving.

"This comic seems rather fascinating, yet this is the first time I've come across one. I've found many books and pictures books, but none with the contents you speak of. Not sure if they connect though. At least the picture books don't seem to." He couldn't say the same for the ones without pictures. Those were a little tougher thanks to language barriers, but he'd crack them one day too. Speaking of cracking it seemed that the hope that things would remain calm would be shattered as the girl spoke in regards to his box and the one that resided in there. A thing that caused her become tense once more. "Ah. I see you have spotted Ms. Grumpy Box Guardian. She is always in the box. Has been there for as long as I can remember now that I think on it. I can't recall when or why she decided to stay there, but she is harmless, so need to worry." he would say gently trying to give the girl a reassuring smile before eventually looking down in the drawer he had been digging in...and finding what he was looking for right there. Grabbing a strange looking pen like vial, he'd show it to the girl as he smiled. "Her aside, let's see if we can get that comic book, yes?" he would say before shifting back towards the crystals and after finding a spot that seemed good enough, he'd open the pen like object and using the tip of it, he'd trace a square on the crystal with a strange black liquid that began to quickly eat through the thick crystal. He traced the area a few more times, letting the liquid go quite deep in the crystal. Once done he'd cap the empty vial before carefully gripping the edges of the crystal to begin to wiggle the now lose crystal about. It took some work, but he kept at it until with a slight grunt and yank, he was able to remove the chunk of crystal revealing a hole that was large enough to reach into, but still too deep to reach the comic at the bottom. He'd tsk a bit at that one as he placed the cleanly cut crystal chunk he had on the ground; however, Ana Marie would decide to make a move as she moved from his shoulder and flew down in the hole. She examined the area around the comic with her beak and claws, making sure it wasn't stuck to the ground before carefully picking up the the book by its spine before heading back up. Snow would move out of her way as she decided to pull the book further out into the open before dropping it gently on the ground between the girl and the man. From there, she'd return to her post on Snow's shoulder as the man looked over at the strange book to see what it was even all about.

Cherry gently shook her head. "I guess it could mean that, but I always took negotiating to be more of making a deal with somebody. Kinda like a partnership, rather than a friendship. It would be pretty cool if you could just be friends by negotiating with them though!" Or at the very least she viewed it like that, she may have been wrong of course. She was no wordsmith, but she was pretty sure that what she was saying was true. Cherry nodded her head as Snow commented on his experiences with traveling, and for the most part Cherry had to agree with him. Of course most of those houses where raided, but that still doesn't mean that you could not use the wood for a fire or simply use the building as a little shelter from the elements! Of course the usefulness of these buildings where more for Cherry than other people since she enjoyed collecting the little things most people tended to leave behind. Although Snow's next question kinda throw her for a loop. "You don't know what a tooth brush is?"

That was pretty strange. Cherry would have assumed that tooth brushes where common knowledge, but this man clearly did not know what they where. And she could, partly understand that, she had to have alot of people explain alot of things to her in the past. Never a tooth brush, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was teaching Snow about it. "Okay so like, um. They are small, thin brushes that come in all sorts of colors. And if you have tooth paste, which is a special blue cream that keeps your teeth clean. You squeeze some of the tooth paste on to the brush, and then you clean your teeth, like this!" She smiled wide with her lips parted so that Snow could see her teeth, before she began to make a brushing motion with her right arm. Acting like she was trying to brush her teeth. If Snow was looking hard enough he'd be able to tell that despite the fact that Cherry knows about dental hygiene she cleary did not take care of her teeth. Many of them seemed to have chips broken off. After a few seconds of this she stopped. "So um, do you understand now?"

Cherry kept nodding along as Snow speaked, still in a pretty good mood over all. "Oh so you're kinda like a scientist then? That's pretty cool! I've always wanted to be one of them, they just seem so cool with their lap coats, and their laser beams, and their robots! Do you have any robots?" Cherry would question, before pausing and thinking over Snow's offer. It did sound nice, and she didn't really think Snow was the type of guy to try and trick her. But on the other side this girl has been wandering around the wasteland for a long time now, long enough to hear the undertones of somebody wanting to make a deal. And Cherry got the feeling that Snow was not about to just give her a mask for free. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll think I will have to pass on that. I don't really have much that would be worth while to trade."

After seeing the reactions of Snow and the crow duo, the young girl would tilt her head to the side slighty, much like how a confused puppy would, as she looked at the three. Had she say something wrong? Her face turned more confused as Snow bursted out laughing. Only making her more unsure of what was happening. Did she say something amusing in bird language, or did she just string a whole butch of words together in what turned out to be totally nonsense? In the end the only one who could know the answer to that question, was Snow, Alexander, and Ane Marie. With only the former being able to actually speak with the girl in a way she understood.

"O-oh it's no problem. It was my first time speaking 'skull crow' after all, I guess it makes sense that I didn't get it right hehe." She giggled out. The young girl nodded her head. "Alright, I won't do that again. Thank you for the warning!" It really was useful, since without Snow's advice she most likely would have kept trying to talk to random crows like that. After he had showed her the correct way to do it, the young lady tried her best to mimic the action. Holding out her hand and trying to make the clicking noise. To her credit after only hearing it once she did a decent job of copying it. But honestly she sounded like a mouse when she made the clicking noise.

"There is no need to thank me mister Snow." She'd answer simply as Alexander hopped on to her knee. "Hhhm, maybe you just didn't find the right one's? My mom is a pretty smart lady, she isn't wrong about alot." She wasn't right sometimes too of course, but this was hardly the time or the place to talk about her mom. Upon hearing Snow explain what that odd being was, she relaxed a bit more once again. But that did raise another question. "Where did you find that box? It seems like it has many cool things in it. Did somebody drop it, or maybe it was a gift?" The young girl asked, cleary curious about all of this. "You can try, but I don't think this baby will crack anytime soon."

As she watched Snow do his work, her face went from a resting netural look, to a look of confusion, and then turned into pure, unadulterated, awe as he got the crystal out. And the lady bird soon got the comic book out. "Oh my gosh! That was amazing! How do you do that!?" She asked, before quickly snagging the comic book and looking at the cover. She then tilted it so Alexander could see it better. Before turning it around to show it off to Snow and Ane Marie. While Cherry couldn't read the text, it reads. "Aquaman! Into the Abyss!"

He would hum, the sound a low rumble in his throat as he looked towards the ground in thought. Words were strange, but maybe the girl was right in saying that this one was more specific. He'd do more digging on this later, but for now would keep what the girl said in mind."Perhaps," he would begin the word somehow becoming an actual purr from him. However, he did not seem to notice as an easy smile came to his face. "The world is not that simple and I would have to wonder just how true that friendship was if gained via a deal." Would the connection be the same considering one needed a thing to trade to keep something, no? What happens if you had nothing to trade and what stopped the one making the deal with you for kicking you to the side for something better? Heh...Well people did that even without negotiations, didn't they? So maybe it would be the same. Still the idea did make him wonder.

In any case, the girl was a good listener, knowing when to speak or give simpler gestures when there was nothing she wished to add on, but still let the one speaking know she was listening in her own way. Things were going fine until the toothbrush issue came up. He seemed to have caused some confusion or caught the girl off guard, his head gently shaking as she asked her question.

As for explanation, he would watch her with full attention as she described the item. Small thin brushes that came in many colors that were used with a blue substance called toothpaste that was used to keep your teeth clean? And there was even an action to go with it. He would watch the demonstration and take note of the girl's teeth, but did not really see the chips and what not as a bad thing. If anything he found the display rather nice though the thought was one that ran in the back of his head as he unconsciously mimicked the action loosely though he did not show his teeth. It was more like he did it to memorize it and out of habit when learning something visual. When she was done and asked her question, he would give her nod as his hand dropped to his side once more. "Yes. Your explanation was beautiful. Thank you for the information," he would say in gentle tones as he gave her a soft smile. He honestly appreciated it and now had a name and what one of those millions of brushes he had did. While he certainly had no need for a tooth brush thanks to having his own ways of keeping his teeth and body clean, he was pretty sure he collected one along the way. Though knowing him, he'd probably had repurpose the thing for something else. Ah well. Maybe the next one he'd hold onto instead. Anyway...

He would give a light nod to her question. "Mmm. I suppose that is one word for it, but I do not have these lab coats or lasers. As for robots, well I have a few inventions though probably not on the scale you are thinking." He gathered and collected things, transforming some of those items into things that helped him out while others he kept for trade. So in a way he did have his own version of machines. Speaking of trade, he would take note of the girl's consideration to the mask offer. It was true, he did like a good trade, but what might surprise people is that his idea of trade didn't always mean getting a material thing in return. "You don't have to give me anything in order to have the mask if you like it. Your company would be payment enough." His word and expression were soft with no traces of lying or trickier because he saw no need for such things. It was true this world was rough and people needed things left and right; however, he found the best sort of trade didn't come in the form of material things, but rather connections that could be made with others and in turn how one could help others and perhaps make life that much easier to get through. Either way, he would let that go where it would his gentleness turning into amusement as the girl gave her attempt at crow language and in turn became quite confused at that reactions and the laughter.

It felt good to actually laugh and have someone laugh or giggle along with you instead of becoming offended by what was happening. "Despite the risk, I like your boldness and eagerness to try." Nothing pleased him more than a good try. He would give a nod to the thank you. "Any time, he would say before moving on to teach her s proper greeting. And would you look at that? She was a good student too! The girl was kind and polite and even a quick learner. Even if her pitch was high and off a bit, the sound he demonstrated was mimicked well enough. It would take practice for her to get fully correct, but at least this was a start. In response to the sound, Ana Marie would move from his hand and fly over to the girl resting on the perch she had formed with her hand. Settling gracefully, she tilt her head slightly at the girl giving a click of her own in return.

"She says hello back," the pale man would say watching them quite content as Alexander watched the whole thing with awe. It really was nice to have this sort of interaction instead of the usual tense ones he had in the past. That aside, Ana Marie would eventually return to him as he would give a small and gentle 'hmph' to the girl's humbleness. "Ah. You can drop the mister. Snow will do just fine, Cherry," he would say as Alexander made himself comfortable on his new friend's knee.

"That is a possibility. I have yet to translate fully all those books I have found so who knows. I may already have many that connect." he would begin, but then becoming curious he would continue. "Your mother sounds like an interesting lady. If you don't mind me asking, where is she now?" A loaded question maybe, but Snow was never one to fear asking such things. He just simply dealt with whatever came his way afterwards. And look at that the girl seemed to share a similar trait as she ended up asking about the box. This would cause him to pause a bit in thought as his eyebrows furrowed. "You know, while I cannot explain it... I am pretty certain this was not dropped and it was not a gift. The box was with me when I came into this world along with the being that lives inside it and I've carried it with me ever since. It just feels natural to have it around. As for its contents," he give a soft chuckle. "They can be quite random considering they can change drastically depending on our mood and what we find useful take at the time." Sometimes the contents were rather bland and at other times quite the collection. It honestly depended on what he was doing and if he was collecting or not. "Let's see about that." he would say in response to the crystal not cracking before getting to work. He remained rather focus... maybe a bit too focused because it took him a second to fully register the girl's excitement. "I, uh, messed around with some things and after trial and error found a solution that could eat through the crystal." It was honestly a pain in the ass to make this stuff and while he didn't like to use it left and right because of said work,  he didn't mind using it for this. Besides the child's joy over having the book was more than enough to make the use worth it.

Alexander, on the other hand, seemed to be just as excited about the book as the girl. He was hopping about the girl or rather in a circle around her before he paused to look at the book she had as she showed it to him. He'd gently touch it with his beak fascinated by the object even if he too could not read it or understand what it was even about.

When the book was turned to him, Snow would tilt his head squinting at the words. "Aqua..man...Abyss?' Human words were quite the thing weren't they? He understood some of them, but this didn't make sense to him. What did water, man, and an abyss have to do with each other? The picture seemed to show some form of action scene of a man and something with teeth in the water? But it brought no clarity or sense to words. His brows would furrow at this curiosity. He'd have to examine it to see what it all about. Hmm...Perhaps they could look over it together. Much hmm....

Confused or not, it certainly didn't destroy the happiness within, so there was that.

"You raise a good point. But it doesn't have to be based on a deal though, it could be born from one. Like a boss and his workers can still be friends, even though they sort of have a deal going on right?" She asked with a soft, thoughtful tone. He did point out a issue about her comment. It was true, a friendship based around what somebody could give you or do for you would be doomed to crash and burn. But that doesn't mean that a friendship couldn't bloom from a deal, or at least that is how she viewed it. Upon hearing Snow praise her explanation the young girl bashfully tugged on her own hair, as a faint red glow crossed his cheeks. "Oh you, stop! Your making me blush!" She playful said, fanning her right hand in the air.

"That makes sense, I don't think paris is the best place to find parts anymore. Still though, the fact that you know how to make stuff like that is still really amazing! All I really need how to make is campfires, and make water pure. And even then it took me years to get those skills down." She could only do that because of all the time her mother has spent teaching her about these basic surival skills. Of course maybe Cherry would have grasped those skills faster if her mother was a better teacher, but that didn't really matter now. Once she heard that she wouldn't have to trade anything in order to get the mask, her eye lit up with pure giddiness. "Really!? You mean it? I would love that then! Oh it will be like a little trip for us, it's gonna be so much fun!" She declared, only barely resisting the urge to pump her fist into the air with how happy she was. She was going to get a mask, and then she could explore some more! And that isn't even bringing up how happy Snow's generous nature was. It was truely a breath of fresh air.

Cherry gave a soild nod of her head. "Well you'll never learn unless you give it a try, besides life starts to get a little boring without a tad bit of risk, no?" Risk was simply apart of life, even more so these days. Sure you would get hurt sometimes, but if you lived past that at least you learned a lesson. And while this line of thinking has made Cherry a tad bit reckless in some ways, she didn't really think that was much of a bad thing. After all sometimes her reckless nature would help her our, and at worst it simply got herself in trouble. Never other people. "Oh my~" Cherry let out a suprised, but happy little gasp as the lady crow sat down on the palm of her small, dainty hand.

When her mother came up, the look of innocent happyness soon turned into a more somber one. "My mom huh?" She softly asked, her eyes dartong away to the floor for a few seconds before she cleared her throat and answered his question. "I am not all that sure about that myself. I lost her one day when I was younger, and I have been looking for her ever since. But I know she is somewhere in Paris. She has to be! She wouldn't just leave me, the bond between a daughter and a mother is stronger than anything else in the world! So even if I haven't found her yet, I know she is still out there, looking for me too!" She said with a oddly forced air of confidence around her. Luckly for the girl he didn't seem to dwell on that subject all that long, as he began to talk about his box. As he talked about it, she used her index finger to gently rub and pet Alexander's back. Clearly being careful to not harm the bird, and would cease the action if the bird showed he disliked it.

"So it's a magical box?" She brought up, her slighty uncomfortable face from the eariler question of her mother being replaced by her usual curious look. "That sounds rather useful! Maybe the box is alive? Have you ever tried to speak with it?" She questioned, wanting to know more about this seemingly magical box.

She let out yet another giggle as Alexander showed that he was curious about the book to. Cherry careful moved next to Snow, sitting mere inches away from him as she opened up the book for everybody to read. "So it's called Aqua man huh? That sounds pretty cool! She suddenly paused, as she looked over to look at him. "Um, I hate too ask you this, but could you read this for me? I cannot really do that myself, heh." She requested, as she gently rubbed the back of her neck.

He would consider the girl's words with a hum as he rubbed his chin a bit in thought."I did not consider working for another as deal in the same sense that trade or negoiation tends to bring to mind; however, I suppose if the ones involved aren't interested in just the back and forth of getting something, a friendship could develop from it all." One just had to be open to wanting that instead of being consumed by greed or selfishness. Either way, the point the girl made was a fair enough one and only shed light on other doors that perhaps he wouldn't have seen before. He liked this enlightment. Speaking of learning things, it seemed he had gotten the girl to do this thing called blushing. He had never seen this action in person before so it was certainly an interesting sight and somehow rather cute and warm. He caught her play and saw the fanning, giving a small chuckle in response to the matter as he shook his head. "Oh now, if I stopped things wouldn't be so fun now would they?" He'd tease her back in a light harmless tones just going with the flow of this situation.

Letting that flow where it would, he would find himself giving a small bashful smile to the girl himself as he rubbed his arm a bit looking down slightly. "It is a tough shopping ground, but I make do with what I do find." Seriously some of that stuff was a blessing even if it did take work to maintain and make sure it still functioned. "As for campfires and making water pure, I would say those skills are extermely valuable, even more so now a days. All skills are alot of hard work and failing, but at the same time they are so worthwhile to me. I wouldn't trade all the pain, suffering, and time some of these skills require for nothing to be frank. Though, I would like to request a demonstation of what you do to make water pure. I've been working on that one for a while now, but haven't gotten the skill down perfectly yet." If he had truly clean water maybe those plants he had would grow stronger and what made them so terrible to begin with would becoming less of an issue. Besides the skill could go beyond plants and help him in those hellsh scapes where he really did need water to keep himself from being turned to ash. That curiosity aside, he would see that joy that came from his words in regards the mask. "I do not lie. It is yours if it fits. And yes it will be a very fun and interesting trip indeed. I look forward to it." He honestly did. It was nice to have good company at times, especially to travel with.

He would remain in a rather good mood as things flowed elsewhere. This child's line of thinking was quite fascinating to him. "I cannot argue with that. Life does become rather stale when everyone cease to move forward due to fear and not wanting to take the risk." It was how many got old and became riddled with regret. Yes taking a risk meant sometimes one would fall and perhaps get hurt or in trouble, but getting up again and using what you learn to give things another go and perhaps gain a success was what mattered in the end. Growing in itself was a challenge and risky business, but even so it lead to so many things that staying in a safe box never could give. Alas he was drifting off, wasn't he? Where were they again? Oh yes. Birds.

It would seem Ana Marie was being her usual charming self and the girl was quite pleased with the accomplishment. Things would remain more or less in a comfortable and warm spot until he asked the child about her mother. The way the other wilted like a flower needing love and water, honestly made whatever sembalance of a heart he had break. He wanted to hug her, but perhaps that was too much in the end. Instead he would take a step closer to her and attempt to rest a hand on her arm gently. "I am sorry to hear you were seperated from her; however, if you will allow it, I would like to help you with that search, so you two can be together again." He would say his tone respectful and soft as he tried to be reassuring to the girl. He honestly wanted to help the girl, but this world was quite cruel. The chance of the woman being alive was just as high as her being dead. Still he would give the world a thorogh search before saying the latter was the truth.

The sad moment would last for as long as it needed to before the girl had picked herself up again as her interest turned to the box. As she petted Alexander, the bird would bow his head a bit seeming to like the petting he was being given. Ana Marie on the other hand simply got more comfortable on his shoulder as she watched the happenings quietly.

"Magical? No. I would the box alone is quite ordinary if peculiar in design. The only thing that makes it seem magical is the fact that she and I have control over it. Why or how I cannot say." It was another thing that alluded him. "It is a rather useful item. Even more so since I tend to drift about alot and collect things. As for talking, I have spoken to her before, yes. She is interesting to speak to when she is in the mood to talk." Though he often found himself quite nervous and stumbling about when speaking with her, but the why behind that was a mystery to him as was many things were when it came to exactly who or what he was or her connection in all this. It was a hot mess for sure, but a mess he kept to himself nonetheless.

Moving pass that it would seem the comic book had everyone's interest now. Alexander and the girl were excited while Ana Marie curious. When the girl came to sit next to him, sharing her book, Snow at first was surprised and uncertain. This was...the first time someone willing got close to him and she was even asking him to read the book to her.

His face was blank for a second as he gave her a few blinks processing it all as he looked down at her and then giving a somewhat lopsided smile, he would shift to sit next to her. "It does sound like an interesting book and I can try to read it to you. Though you'll have to forgive me for errors, I am not the best reader around." Even so he wasn't going to turn down a chance to sharpen his reading skills and understanding off the human language. Even more than that he was not about to refuse this rather precious moment for him at least.

Anyway with Ana Marie resting on his shoulder and snuggling into his neck a bit, the girl at his side, and Alexander taking a position on the girl to both see and be closer to the group, he would indeed look at the words and try to read the book to them adding his own style to it to keep interesting. He couldn't do this half-assed you know?

Cherry would softly nod her head in agreement. "Yep! It all depends on the person." That was true with many things. A deal could be a breeding ground for a new friendship, or like he pointed out, a way to trap and use somebody. Just like how giving somebody some spare food could be a simple kind act, or a sinster way to try and get that person in your debt.

"Oh I totally agree! Trust me I am very happy that I learned all of that stuff, after all I wouldn't be standing here speaking with you right now if it wheren't for them. I just wish that I knew some more............ Colorful skills for a lack of a better term. Like first aid, or making robots! It would just be so cool!" All of those would be very useful indeed, but honestly Cherry just wanted to know more 'colorful' skills for the sake of knowing them. If she knew first aid she wouldn't just be the 'creepy tree arm girl' anymore. She'd be a doctor! People would have to talk with her, and when they did, they'd hopefully see that she wasn't a bad person! "Yeah I could teach you how to clean water, just know that it isn't a quick thing. It takes a little while, plus it takes some setting up. It would probably be best for me to show you while we are on the road, that way it would be eaiser to try and find more stuff just in case we need it." Cherry wasn't sure if she would be the best teacher, but she would try her best when the time came.

"Not only that, but things will never change in the world if people don't take risks either! It's like they say. 'You must risk it, for the biscuit!'" She repeated the pharse with a odd amount of pride in her voice.

The young girl's eyes widden a little in shock as Snow went over to comfort her. She did not see that coming at all, but she really liked it nonetheless. Nobody ever had this type of reaction when she spoke of her mom. The norm was just dismissing it all together, or at best, some mock saddness. But Snow really seemed to feel for her. "Snow........." The young girl uttered out softly, truely touched by his offer. Leaning foward, she wrap her right arm around his back and squeezed him in. Trapping him in a tight one-armed hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much, I would love that! She's um, a little taller than me, a lot taller than you. She has grey hair, and green eyes. And she was wearing a.............." She than started to rant on about what her mother looked like to him, until finally, after almost five straight minutes, she ceased and released him from her hugging prison.

"So, both it's powers and it's origins are a mystery. How cool! I'll have to try and find out the truth one day~" Despite her teasing tone, she was actually very curious about the box. But it was clear that Snow had no clue about it either, so she wasn't about to pester him anymore about it. "Really? Maybe I'll have to talk with her one day." She mused out loud.

"That is fine, you're already a better reader than me! Take your time." She added before going slient and listening to him read the comic to her. It was easy to see that Snow has enthralled her with his storytelling skills. She was on the edge of her toes the whole time, a look of awe and wonder on her face, only broken by laughter if he used a funny voice. Once he had finished Cherry would 'clap' her hands together. Of course her version of clapping hands where much different than a normal's person. While most would actually clap her hand together, Cherry simply slapped the back of her wooden hand with the palm of her flesh one. "Bravo! Bravo! That was amazing, oh we need to find more of those things!" She said before slowly standing back up to her feet. "Although some of the plot points where confusing. Like how did he get his fish powers? And who was 'batman?' And what wa- Actually, we should walk and talk! That way we can see if the mask fits me, and we can still discuss the book!" She said, a grin forming on her face as she offered her hand to Snow. Helping him stand up if he needed it.

"Lead the way!" She asked, almost bouncing in place and she soon started to follow him. Talking with Snow about the book, and sometimes trying to speak with the bird duo. A big happy grin on her face the whole way...........

[Exit]

He'd give a small nod and hum to the matter of deals, coming to an agreement without the use of words as he let the topic float about in his head before pushing it gently into one of the many mental files he had within his mind. As for the whole survival skill thing...

"It is good that you have those skill. I would be rather sad to not have met you otherwise." She really was a sweet kid and enjoyable to be around. While he wasn't sure what exactly she had been through, that arm not exactly natural, he was nevertheless happy she was here now and they were able to meet. "Learning many things is indeed helpful in the end. As for medicine and machinery... Perhaps I can show a thing or two about them to add to your skillset." He honestly didn't mind parting what he did know anyway if it meant helping someone last a bit longer in this world or help others in general. Even if it was used for just show in the end that was the user's choice in the end. He could not and did not wish to control that. As for the clean water thing..."Ah, well I have patience for these sorts of things, so I do not mind it being slow as long as it works that is enough," he would begin and then tilted his head at the girl saying she would travel with him. That was a bit of a shocker, but at the same time he did not rebel against the idea as he gave a nod. "Sounds like a plan." Was all he would say as he gave a small smile at the thought.

Though he would find himself going from nodding in agreement to blinking a bit confused at the biscuit comment. "For the...biscuit?...But isn't that a food?" He didn't understand why one need to risk anything for food that could do nothing. Unless she meant taking the risk to get food? Oh dear...these sayings and words humans had were quite confusing at times; however, he wouldn't linger on it for long as the conversations went elsewhere...and to sadness apparently.

He saw her eyes widen and at first thought it was fear; however, before he could think to pull his hand back she would say his name and then actually lean into him and pull him into a tight hug. He was stunned for a few seconds, his mind going in all directions due to this simple action. It was true he had initially wanted to do this very thing, but at the same time, he was highly aware of that he was different in some way and the general reaction to his very presence was not positive. He had learned to live away from such closeness and learned earlier on that reaching out with such as this was indeed trouble. So for the girl to not only not flinch away in fear, but also hug him? It was honestly a bit too much for him, but in all the right ways.

He did not cry or anything of that nature, his own movements slight and gentle so he could embrace the taller girl back. "Of course," he would say softly and then became silent as he took in the details the girl gave of her mother, giving a nod of understanding at the end of it. He marked the details well in his memory as he was released from the hug.

"Perhaps you will one day," he'd say his tones amused, but deep down he had to wonder if that truth would not shatter things. Things about himself that the girl did not know...and things about himself that even he did not know. He couldn't shake the feeling that when that truth was revealed everything would change. As for the talking with *her* thing..."You are certainly welcome to try it, if she allows it." Though he wondered how that would work in the end. She did not speak the common tongue her language completely shadow, so perhaps he would need to play translator in the end since he understood the language well since it was his native one after all.

Pass the musing and to reading they would go. The girl didn't seem to mind that he stumbled over words here and there in his reading. She even seemed to enjoy the show he gave. He even got an applause at the end. That only made him shake his head a bit as he looked away a small bit of this thing called a blush on his face. "It was nothing. I am just glad you enjoyed," he would say softly not quite sure how to process all the nice things here. Ana Marie would give a soft coo as she snuggled into him seeming to try to help with the issue of being shy while Alexander just became quite chatty as the girl moved to stand up, the male bird moving to rest on her shoulder instead. It seemed the bird was in agreement with finding more of these things called comic books and to be frank...the pale skin man would not mind finding more of them or the answers to the girl's question, but he needed to get up for now yes?

He'd give a nod to the girl's suggestion of walking and talking, his hand easily going out to take grasp of hers as he stood up. Though it could be said that he pretty much got up on his own. That aside, he wouldn't mind taking the lead towards their next destination or the chat that occurred between him, her and the birds that were with them. To him all was right in this moment and he was happy for it.