Welcome to Gaia! ::

Natalil barely managed to stop walking as a voice came from directly in front of her, almost stumbling over her bare feet as she tried to stop herself from running straight into the stranger. This was the second time she had almost run into someone in the past week. She really needed to figure out some way to tell when people around her that didn't include using a walking stick or something to feel her way around. Not that there was anything wrong with using one, but there was still a part of her that refused to show anything that could be interpreted as a weakness.

"Geez, don't sneak up on a girl like that next time," Natalil grumbled although she knew it wasn't the girl's fault. It wasn't like she could have known that she had no way of seeing someone walking right in front of her. "And yes, I am fine. Thank you for asking." She tried to make her voice a bit softer than it had been before with those words, not wanting to give whoever it was the wrong impression of her. How many times had she been told before that she came off as cold and rude even when she had been trying her best to be friendly?

Natalil frowned somewhat at the tone of voice the girl took and was about to snap at her that she could take care of herself before remembering to calm down. Breathe, Nat, breathe. She didn't mean to do your pride any great harm by speaking such truths. Surely she is just concerned about such a small one as yourself traveling this large lands. With a small sigh, Natalil ran her fingers through her hair before finally nodding.

"Yes to both. I typically don't stray too far from my own safe abode, as frustrating as that is. You might be surprised to know that I'm able to navigate my way through the familiar spaces of my often ventured territory without much hassle, however," Natalil quickly explained. Ah, there she went again. As much as she tried to talk normally to people she just met to keep them from thinking she was a giant weirdo right off the bat, sometimes she just couldn't stop herself. But with how she had first greeted whoever was in front of her and now? She was sure they wouldn't stay much longer.

The question stroke Natalil by surprise. Nobody had ever bothered to ask her before what she would do if she was not restricted by her lack of sight. All anybody had ever told her was all the various things she couldn't do. They never even mentioned the things that she might be able to do, despite everything.

"If I could go anywhere...I would want to dance beneath the stars in foreign lands. I would venture to grand places to meet fascinating people that fate put in my path. I want to laze in sun kissed fields and feel springy verdant grass between my toes. I want to go wherever the wind takes me and never feel any sort of chains, real or imagined, keeping me in one place ever again," Natalil replied, her voice no louder than a whisper. Just the idea of being able to go anywhere without fear holding her back was so tempting it made her shiver. It was a shame she knew that it would never happen though, as much as she may wish to the moon and stars to make it true.

Terribly confused but also cautiously curious, Natalil leaned down until she found a tuft of fur under her hands. Hm. She wasn't exactly sure what creature this girl was traveling with, but it was well behaved enough that it didn't seem to mind having a stranger's hands in his fur.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I ever found out what your name is?" Natalil asked as she began to slowly walk, using the furry creature as a guide just as the girl had suggested. Huh, why hadn't she ever thought of something so glaringly simple? Perhaps she should also try to tame some wild beast to help her find her way around. Then again, how was she supposed to tame something like that? She didn't know how to fight, and she somehow doubted any creature would be taken enough with her dancing to want to follow her around and act as her eyes. That was why she had considered it before, of course.

Natalil nodded, making sure she listened carefully to every word Kani said. She was going to memorize her tone, the way she pronounced words, the slightest hint of an accent, anything and everything that would let her memorize this strange girl that had decided to put herself in her path and speak to her. It was rare that she got to meet new people, and even rarer that they spoke to her for very long or acted like they wanted to be her friend. Even if this was just a passing thread in the tapestry of fate, it was one that she wanted to remember.

"The name that was chosen for me is Natalil, although they few that I know closely tend to just call me Nat," she smiled, hoping that it came off friendly and open, not cold and intimidating. It was hard, not knowing what her own facial expressions looked like. It made interacting with others quite an adventure, and not one that she was always happy with.

She couldn't help but smile at Kani's warm greeting. Natalil refused to admit it, but she could feel her cheeks warm at the praise that her new friend had just given to her. She may not know how important it was to her that she said something about wanting to watch her dance, but it meant more to Natalil than any of her long winded speeches could ever properly convey.

"Well, I have no reason not to trust you, my fascinating new friend. So yes, I will tread this path with you and go to whatever fantastic mysteries await me, wherever it is that you are leading me to," Natalil responded with a nod, her fingers tightening somewhat in the fur of the creature next to her. She knew she should be more careful than to just wander off into unknown territory with a person she barely knew, but she was so, so tired of living in constant fear of other people. She was going to take a chance and venture out and do something risky. It may end up leading her down a path she didn't want to take, but she had a feeling that this meeting was destined by the stars and the moon, and who was she to disobey a cosmic command such as that?

"And where, exactly, is here?" Natalil asked, breathing in the salty air. They were obviously close to the ocean, but far enough away that she could smell earth that was well traveled by feet, so there had to be some sort of settlement close by. She curled her toes into the ground below her, pleased to discover that it was solid enough she wasn't going to sink into any surprising marshy areas, but soft enough that it wasn't going to hurt her feet any. Whatever spot Kani had taken them to, it seemed to be rather pleasant. However, the real question was why she was here. Kani's ramblings about being able to help hadn't exactly been the clearest thing to understand, but really, what room did she have to talk, with how she usually sounded to strangers?