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Nadiya just raised her chin boldly as she walked past Steel Eyes. She had a point about the names and he knew it. Hah. She chastised him quietly, who was the clever one now? Not that he had ever been a bragger to begin with, but she did wish he would at least relent about his name. Knowing a name was like giving some rare sweet to Nadiya since she always felt as if she could read a lot about a person after knowing their names. Even though the nickname Steel Eyes had fit him from afar Nadiya simply felt like it wasn't meant for him completely. Especially not with the way he reacted to her teasing.

Raising a hand to try and stifle her laughter Nadiya nodded, "Got it." She finally managed before waving a hand towards him, "Don't overthink it. I really was just teasing you after all I'm not the type of gal to bathe with just any man no matter how attractive they are." Seeing how sincerely he took her teasing statements could have had the potential to make her feel a bit of guilt, but those reactions were simply too adorable and priceless.

"So what if I do? That doesn't make you worthless." Nadiya retorted sharply, "I'm not the type of person to let someone sacrifice their well-being for me, not when I'm quite capable of taking care of myself." How silly! He was a hired sword so why was he acting like such a hero? Her gaze narrowed thoughtfully as she took a peek once more towards that strange marking and then back to his gaze. Steel Eyes... More like Considerate Eyes really. Not that she minded that, but it did baffle her as to why he wanted to seem so distant from everything. They hadn't even spent a whole day together since the fight and she was already seeing someone who was a lot more than that behind those strange lenses, "I'm also super petite and light on my feet so you know what? You take care of yourself so you can stay in one piece and defend us if something attacks and I'll go judge this path, we don't have much choice after all." Her voice was stern and before he could really react Nadiya bolted up ahead. Beneath her feet rocks skittered and the rains had already made the dirt muddy and slick, but the lightning above and her own stubbornness and refusal to let someone get injured for her pushed the Matori to continue onwards.

Of course she would soon be biting her own words as the path gave way beneath her feet and she found herself sliding downwards towards the opposite side of where she had started racing up the path, "Eeep!" The gasp left her as she braced herself for the slide down the rest of the path. All around her the rains were starting to get heavier which only served to speed up her descent down the remainder of the path.

Ooooh, now he had done it. Nadiya's pride was at stake here! Such words that even dared to hint at her inability to handle danger made the Matori even more determined to push forward. Certainly she understood it herself that she wasn't a huge fighter and that in many fights she was for the most part a weaker target. Hearing it, however, from Steel Eyes made her frustrated and so she continued forward. Really though underneath all that the young woman was simply terrified of the storm - something that she truly didn't want to confess ever to the Yaeli.

Letting out a yell Nadiya braced herself for impact but instead found herself caught on gnarled treeroots that had grown from the cliffside. It wasn't that she had slid over the edge, but rather had found a small path that cut through the middle of the cliffs towards what appeared to be a big opening, "Hey!" She called out through the rain and waved her arms in the direction of the approaching figure. Had he been trying to run to her? It almost made her tempted to believe that he cared, but then again he did probably want that money at the end of all this. Nadiya simply studied him as he got closer and closer to where she rested on the ground before another rumble of thunder caught her attention.

It was best if she got up so that they could head over to that crevice - if they were fortunate it would be a decently sized cave for both of them to fit in. However as she moved to get up from her position in the rocks the Matori let out a sudden cry of pain and lurched forward with a wince. Okay so perhaps her ankle had twisted during that fun ride down the cliffside. Nadiya reached out for the closest thing that she could hold onto so that she could raise her injured leg to take the pressure off of it.

Nadiya's gaze narrowed in protest as he approached her, "We'll see." She replied quietly though the back of her neck was warming from the spreading flush at being caught in her current situation. She had simply wanted to prove to him that she was capable of handling herself and what had she done? The one time I slip up...literally. Before she could offer any witty remarks or try to move once more the petite Matori found herself flying upwards into his arms.

And for a split second she almost forgot her frustrations as she found herself blinking in surprise at those silver eyes. Steel Eyes...he's Steel Eyes and not that person. She had to repeat to herself. This was not that damn story she had spun all those years ago when she was a simply apprentice. It had been a fantasy, a different response to the way that others had viewed the strangers from across the Seas. That was all it was.

Turning her gaze quickly away Nadiya tried to focus on his instructions, "When I fell I noticed that there was an opening to the left there." She pointed through the rains, "Funny that we would have walked right past it had I not slipped down." She remarked quietly, her normal snappy and perky attitude replaced by a softer, more thoughtful countenance as she studied the path ahead, "Let's head there...just be careful?Are you really carrying me right now? I can try to walk on my own, I'll just be a bit slow is all so let me down?" She rambled as she glanced back at him sheepishly. Was she really going to be carried like this? It was definitely not doing good for her argument that she was quite capable! Nor was it helping her out since she kept getting tempted to see him as something different from the Steel Eyes that he continued persisting as. Instead she was tempted to see him more as a Knight of sorts -but that was one of her stories speaking surely. In frustration Nadiya wiggled in his arms - a weak protest since she couldn't get out of his arms on her own, "Seriously though I think I'll be fine...." Though she winced at the words because just trying to move her legs to protest had caused a faint pain to move up her left ankle, "You know what? I could probably try to walk, but we're so close so I guess I'll allow you to carry me like this....just this once....because I could walk if I wanted, you know. Let's just go already." She pursed her lips in frustration before glancing up ahead, away from his face, and onto the goal - that cavern opening before them. It seemed to be one of the many that she had been in before as a child growing up along similar cliffs. It should have enough room for them and allow them to dry off while the rains continued to pour down around them.

Nadiya met his stare with her own though she felt like melting in his arms. For someone who was usually super spunky and bold this was rather embarrassing for some reason. It had been a while since she had really relied on any for anything and being carried by the man she had just been teasing was not on her list of favorite things to do. Though if she was to be sincere it did for a second feel nice to have someone carrying her - but only for a second of course!

As she was placed on the ground Nadiya bit her inner cheek and slowly stretched out her leg. It was probably a minor strain that would be okay with some reason. At least that was her hope as she fought against the slight pain to unlace her boots so that she could set them to the side. She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she slowly moved her fingers along her leg and checked for injuries. Other than some scrapes and bruises that had occurred from her earlier fall and some new ones from the more recent escapade the girl seemed to be in one piece, "That works." She commented in response, "I just hope the rains let up soon." As if laughing at her hope the skies opened up even more as a torrent of rain made the outside world seemingly pure white. Moving her own bag behind her for support Nadiya sighed, "Well so much for that I suppose. What do we do now?" She studied Steel Eyes carefully, "Time to bond over some good stories, right? Then again you do prefer to be the silent sort..." Her voice wobbled a bit though as the cool air of the cave mixed with her damp clothing and caused her body to slightly shiver.

Nadiya chuckled, "Of course you would say something like that." The Matori tilted her head as she studied him and tried to push past her earlier embarrassment, "I suppose I can heckle you for a good story another day." She commented quietly before patting the ground next to her, "I can talk for hours, but honestly if you would like I can do something else to pass the time for us. But neither of us need to catch a cold first so we should probably get warm somehow..."

She paused and grinned playfully at him, "But I won't torment you by asking for too much so if you don't mind?" She patted the area next to her, "We can sit back to back and I won't bother you that much, but I am getting pretty chilled." Nadiya bit her bottom lip, "Please?" It wasn't like she was trying to hit on him, but her body was completely chilled and it was hard to focus with how badly she just wanted to shiver. So hopefully if they simply had their backs pressed up to each other then they would be okay? As she waited for his response the Matori dug through her bag and picked up something in a wooden case, "There." She held it in her hands before blinking at Steel Eyes, "So what do you say Mister Mystery? My brother is a merchant, but I'm an entertainer so let me entertain you?"

Nadiya smirked ever so faintly, "I'll hold ya to that." She whispered before settling in against his back. Ah, it was nice and solid just as she had imagined. Closing her eyes for a brief moment Nadiya just sat in silence as she allowed herself to rest there and try to soak up the stirring heat. This was much better. As she gathered up what was left of her strength the Matori's fingers unclasped the lock on the small wooden box. Inside rested an ornate flute decorated with faded vines and golden leaves. Her brother had given it to her ages ago and the woman still carried it with her everywhere - it was such a dear piece that she had refused to leave it in the trunk and kept it in the satchel at her side always.

"I won't lie to you I don't know how much I have in me, but I'll try." She whispered faintly before raising the instrument to her lips. After a few moments her lashes fluttered towards her cheeks as she focused on playing a gentle melody that she knew by heart. It was the same one she had played up in the cliffs of Matori whenever she felt discouraged or frightened. It was a soothing melody that floated around them and held the patience and beauty of the ocean itself. A gentle lullaby to pass the time...

As Nadiya continued to play her melodies the girl's eyes began to feel rather heavy. Along with the eventful day and the pouring rain her body just felt so exhausted. Having the support of someone else also helped to ease her weary mind towards sleep. Even though she continued to play for a time the Matori's fingers began to slowly slip from the flute. As her hand quietly dropped to her side Nadiya found herself pressing closer towards the warmth. She was just so tired and so out of sorts that she didn't really realize much of what she was doing until she was already curled up against Steel Eyes with her head on his shoulder.

The petite woman's breathing slowed as she fell asleep against the Yaeli. In the dim light one could see how worn down she was as she slept.Quiet breathing left her mouth that slightly open as her head continued to rest on his shoulder. In her sleep she would move ever so slightly in her position, but she would still stay next to her companion until the early morning sun would break through the fog of darkness and beckon them to a new day...