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"That sounds nice, actually," Topaz said, trying to picture it in her mind. She wasn't really much of a dancer and would probably embarrass herself at any ball-like event, but it still sounded like fun. From the few bits of text she could find and from the even fewer Fey she had personally talked to, she knew they tended to be excellent dancers. Maybe if she had the right partner, it would be okay that she couldn't dance. That mental picture conquered an actual giggle from her. Even the tallest of Feys was short compared to her, which would probably make for quite the odd spectacle.

She didn't completely catch on to what Narra's words hinted at. She did know, mostly from Demon-written texts, how badly Fey in particular had suffered. Well, she knew that side of it. She was willing to be there were probably more stories from Above history. Instead Topaz largely assumed that since Fey and Dryads did live so closely together, and both shared a plant-based anatomy (more evident in Dryads than Feys, but still there), that it formed a kind of unspoken bond between the races that couldn't be put into words.

She selected a box of cinnamon-flavored granola bars and moved them further up the aisle, towards the cracker section. "I'm guessing you've been to some of these balls before, since you certainly look of age," she said in a slightly teasing tone. "Was there ever anyone who caught your eye?"

Topaz turned her head to hide her amused grin. This wasn't a side she'd expected the usually stoic and calm Dryad to have! It seemed that no race was exempt from older brothers guard dogging younger sisters. She closely examined some containers of mixed nuts until she was sure she had her face back under control, not wanting Narra to think she was laughing at him for being protective. Nuts made great snacks anyway, and she ended up selecting one of the cans.

"I was an only child, so I was able to get up to all kinds of mischief. There were a few older cousins, but I was an adventurous little imp and always running off to explore, so even if any of them did want to play a big brother role they would have had to find me first." Topaz wondered what it would have been like if she had had a brother like Narra. She tried to picture him as a child in her mind, though she honestly couldn't guess at what he might have been like as a freshling. The mental image still caused her to smile. It seemed like it would have been an even draw, since Narra struck her as the type who might have been wise to certain tricks and quite persistent, while she had been very good at finding little hiding spots and scampering around areas that seemed impassible at first glance.

"So how about now? No sisters to run around looking after, at least not until just recently, and you're in a popular university with all sorts of people coming and going. Has anyone managed to catch your eye, or have you been too busy with studies to really notice?" She flashed him a playful smile and a wink, then selected a some bags of popcorn and chips to add to the stash in her arms.

"I think I'm done with this aisle. Was there anything you wanted to look for before we move to the next aisle?"

Topaz looked over at Narra to see if he was serious. She was trying to figure out how to answer the question without tripping over words when she saw the smile. "Tease," she said, aiming a playful punch as his shoulder. "You sure there's no Imp ancestry in your family?"

Narra's return question initially caught her by surprise. She supposed she had been getting close to prying, so it was only fair to offer a bit of information in turn. She hummed thoughtfully under her breath as they walked down to the cereal aisle; dried cereal make an excellent snack. "I suppose there have been," she said slowly, still thinking the question over. "I travel around all the time, and you meet a lot of interesting people." She reached over and gave Narra a gentle poke in the shoulder. "Case in point. Anyway, there were plenty who I found to be attractive. Nothing ever came of it though, except maybe a few interesting conversations. I was too busy with my wandering, and they were usually absorbed in something that kept them in one place."

She shook her head with a rueful smile. "I had my head and horns in the clouds too often as a child to think of romance. I was always picturing or planning out the journeys I planned to take once I was old enough. I couldn't even tell you if I did have any admirers, because I just wasn't paying attention."

Topaz let out a gentle snort of laughter at the pun, but otherwise didn't comment. Narra's question caused her to frown in thought.

"I hadn't given it much thought before," she said truthfully. She stared at some cereal boxes while she thought, trying to mentally picture it. "I suppose it would be nice if they wanted to. Sometimes it's lonely traveling by yourself, though I often have Comet with me if I'm going to be gone for a while," she added, giving the carrying case on her back a reassuring pat.

"There are some situations I could recall that would have definitely be easier to handle with another person around. But," she said, pitching her voice a bit to emphasis the word, "it's not like I'd require or expect it. I mean if they're fine with me being gone on random adventures, I don't see why I can't be fine with them wanting to be a homebody. And it'd be kind of nice, having a home to return to and knowing someone was waiting for me. Other than my pumpka Boo, that is," she said with a laugh.

"Anyway, I don't see myself being a wandering traveler forever. I'm just getting the itch out of my hooves while I'm still young. But you still haven't answered the original question," she said, taking on a mock stern, teasing voice while she selected a couple boxes from the shelf.

Topaz had finished gathering all the items that she needed. Part of her really looked forward to one day owning a house with a kitchen where she could actually cook food, though the other part of her said that that was a lot more shopping. In any case she was still wandering around quite a bit, and having a kitchen now would only mean she'd have to plan what she bought to make sure nothing spoiled.

She smiled over at Narra, leaning over to nudge his should companionably with her own. "I enjoy your company as well. It's nice to have people you feel like you can talk to." She eyeballed the boxed in his hands. "Anything else you want to look at while we're here, or are you ready to check out?"