At the mention of the word 'kelpies', her mind travels back to spindly legs and playmates, when stories were swapped like a sort of established currency, whoppers growing bigger to see who could tell the scariest ones. She hadn't heard that word since then, and frankly, she didn't think it was a real thing. "Wow. They sound pretty...haunting." Man, I really need to get out more. The truth was, she had grown placid in her solitude, in her endless, mindless wanderings where she didn't have to worry about anything but where she placed her feet. But she's since discovered that playing it safe never yields her desired results. You've got to push to make the problems go away, and fight for what you want.
Maybe Leilan is the first step to what she really wants; relationships. Maybe love, maybe a fling, maybe a friend, maybe an enemy. She sincerely hopes Leilan will never fit into the latter category, but she presumes the others would do.
There's something in his expression when he returns her stare... she can't quite place it. Like grief, longing, bliss rolled into a bundle and shoved into the depths of his being. For some reason, she has this feeling that it's not about her. She wants to ask him about it, but she selfishly decides to pretend it away; she didn't want to jeopardize the fun they were having, or ruin the mood. She breaks from her thoughts and puts on a polite smile and answers his inquiry about seeing the end of the river. "Sounds like a plan." Thal follows the river as it bends and thickens and tapers in places, ready to stop standing still. She glances back at him again, at the sunbursts of gold in his tresses. "So, Leilan, you asked me where my home is, but what about you? Are you from a kingdom?"
Her eyes are just a bit tight at the corners, from suppressed questions and little hints he's given without speaking. She has a sneaking suspicion that he is digging shallow graves for the unwanted emotions that torment him. It's easy for her to recognize the symptoms; she's lived them before. He has words left unsaid, endings left unplanned, beginnings left unexplored. She can't help but wonder about who his unspoken words belong to.
Thalassa
Get over your hill and see what you find there
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
@[Leilan]