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Jolanta gave the slightest of jolts as he heard the voice behind him, not having expected the Matorian woman to wake up so soon. Turning to glancing over his shoulder he said, "Just thinking about what to do going forward. Which was true in a sense. Turning around completely he gave Nadiya and once over before he asked, "Are you sure that you should be up? You might have broken or sprained something in your fall yesterday." Walking would surely only make that worse... meaning she should probably be sitting down. It also meant that he should probably consider carrying her.

As he was asked what they should do next he said, "We will dry off, warm up, and see about heading toward the nearest village. Once there we will get you medical attention and a morning meal." After that he wasn't quite sure what they would do. It all really depended on whether or not the village they found first was one that had Nadiya's brother in it. If not then they would have to continue onward to wherever it was that he was heading to.

"You don't have to worry, I will get you back to your brother as soon as I am able." He said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone of voice. It had been some time since he was in a position where he was in a protector's role and he wasn't sure what he thought about being thrown into role again. It was definitely something he wasn't a fan of since it wasn't really his choice and because he'd been trying to avoid this sort of thing for the most part. It felt far too easy to fall back into the role... which made him that much more uneasy about it. The sooner the got Nadiya back the better.

Jolanta turned around so that he could watch the Matorian as she tried to go about showing him that she was just fine now. It was something that had him giving her a long, unblinking stare before he gave a little sigh, "I will take care of it when we are ready to go." He told her. He'd need to figure out how he was going to go about carrying everything along with Nadiya herself but he felt that he could do it. If she wore her own back on her back, he wore his sword on his front, and carried his pack in his hand then he should be able to carry her easily enough. She hadn't really been all that heavy when he carried her last night and that was when she was soaked through. It should be alright.

How long he could carry everything though that was the question. He was a man, not a pack animal, and that meant that he didn't have all the stamina in the world. Here was to hoping they were close enough to a village that he could get there before he exhausted himself completely.

As Nadiya mentioned that they should be able to find the path along the cliff now that the rains were blinding them he found himself looking up and down the path that was outside of the cave they'd stayed in. He supposed she was right. They could get up to the top and from there they should be able to see a good distance. He was studying the cliffs when he suddenly heard something that caused his silver eyes to go rather wide. It had been a year or so? Didn't things change in that amount of time? Not massive changes but enough to throw her off, perhaps? It meant that he should keep his eyes peeled just in case some sort of dangerous creature moved into the area since she'd last been here.

His deep thoughts were again thrown off as the girl spoke up, talking about ways that were more fun then just a fire for warming up. It was something that caused his cheeks to color ever so slightly before he looked aside, "I'll have to pass... and no, I won't be peeping, Miss Nadiya." With that he turned around, putting his back to the cave, and set to keeping watch so that nobody else tried to sneak a glance at Nadiya while she changed.

Jolanta turned around as he was told that Nadiya was done and that he could look. He was half expecting to be not completely ready just to mess with him... but much to his relief she was fully dressed and ready to go. Giving a nod he said, "Just a moment." He was quick to pack up his things after making sure that everything was nice and dry. Once that was done he walked over to where Nadiya was standing and then turned around, taking a knee before her, "Here, hop on. I will see about carrying you to the village and that way you need only concentrate on getting us there."

It should be easy enough if all went well and with luck they would be back in the village within the day. A thought that had him instantly praying to Dafiel for a bit of aid when it came to at least one part of this trip going smoothly. Thus far it had been a lot of falling and rain... but surely things had to start to look up from here, right? Here was to hoping.

Jolanta remained quiet, allowing the girl to talk herself into taking him up on his offer, though it would see she wasn't able to do so without teasing him just a bit. He did his best to shrug off her words about 'getting closer' and 'physical bonding' though it was difficult to do since just the words caused the tips of his ears to color a bit. Surely it wasn't all Matorian that were so friendly as this? It was almost difficult to believe given some stories he'd heard of their past. One would think that they would be far more wary and unfriendly, but it didn't seem to be the case with this one at the very least.

Once Nadiya was in place Jolanta pushed to his feet. He made sure that everything was in place just so before starting forward along the path, "This is fine." He said, not wanting her to think that he was straining himself. Now it would be difficult if they had to walk a long distance in thick sand but he wasn't about to admit such a thing. Instead he focused on the path, wanting to get them to the top of the cliff so that she could get her barrings and figure out exactly where they were. Once she'd done that she might be able to point the way toward a village and he'd be able to see her to a healer.

The sooner she was healed the better since he didn't want to risk his curse trying to take hold in someone else, something he knew full well it was capable of doing. He really did miss that about Yael, the fact that he could go to the Sanctum from time to time to see his curse managed. Right now all he could depend upon were the sealing markings on his arm, something he worried might be faltering. He might need to get them renewed he thought idly as the walked continued. Glancing over his shoulder he said, "No. Walking with a bad leg at the top of a cliff... do you want to fall off again?" What a weird girl... did she have a death wish? Or did she think herself immune to a third fall thinking the first two were flukes?

"Good to hear." He'd rather that she wasn't looking forward to another fall or else he'd be rather worried for the girl he thought to himself idly. Glancing over his shoulder for a moment he found himself studying the girl that had just told him that she felt he was a 'good guy' and he shrugged, "Not really." She was definitely confused it would seem, not something that he wanted for her else she would really and truly think him a nice guy instead of just having a feeling about it. He'd rather she not get that mixed up about him and his intention, he was just doing it for the money he reminded himself. It wasn't due to any desire to be a hero, that wasn't him anymore.

Glancing upwards through his glasses he said, "Perhaps. If you mean to be very careful." Even if she just fell down and back onto the path it wouldn't be good for her. The damage was going to add up and sooner or later she'd end up with an even more serious wound then she'd already gotten. His eyes went forward again, back onto the path that the two of them were traveling and he said, "You needn't worry about me, I'm fine. I didn't train for so long to... ahh... well, I didn't train as much as I did to get defeated by a walk up a path." No reason to really explain the initial reason for his training to the one he was carrying.

Jolanta gave a slight shake of his head, "Nothing so interesting or creative as that." Though he had to wonder if he got his pick of jobs the day they came out because he acted in the manner that he did? He'd prefer to think that it was because he finished all the jobs that he took on, even the most basic ones, and in as little time as he was able. Well... that and the fact that the girl that gave out the jobs seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Nadiya when it came to flirting. Something he'd never understand. Was he sending off some sort of vibe that he didn't mean to that caused such a reaction?

"It's just... easier." He said finally before giving a sharp shake of his head and said in a very even almost monotone manner, "I am no hero." He was as far from hero as one could get these days, doing all manner of work for coin and not because he wanted to save people. Heroes were things to be kept in the stories that Nadiya mentioned.

Giving a slight sigh he said, "As you've fallen a few times now I suppose that yes, I think it's something that you might be good at." He could only hope that she didn't do it just by breathing or else he didn't think that even someone of his training would be able to get her back to her brother. Another sigh escaped him as she mentioned him going through training that was meant to specifically involve carrying a Matorian to safety on his back. He gave a shake of his head and said, "Not specifically Matorian, but in that vein I suppose." That was a long time ago and something he'd say wasn't his forte anymore... and yet here he was, carrying another injured person toward safety. He was starting to think that Lurin really was toying with him these past couple days.

Looking ahead again he tried to get his thoughts into order, not wanting to let himself slip back into the shoes of a wannabe hero. He wasn't that man anymore, not since... a thought that seemed to slip away as a hissing sound caught his attention. Instantly he drew the great sword from it hung against his chest, his eyes going very cold behind his glasses, and murmured, "Shhh." To Nadiya but nothing else as he squatted down to make them appear smaller and shuffled forward as quietly as possible to peek over the edge of the cliff that the path was leading them toward... and muttered a Yaelian curse under his breath. Just the giant monster her was wanting to avoid.

"Well... if you think you can carry yourself then it seems you will need to do so. I will attempt to chase that... thing off and you can retreat." He murmured to his charge. The yaotl wasn't full grown, likely more of an adolescent given it was far from it's full size... but it still dwarfed the snaptrotters of the area and would still cause too much harm to an already injured Nadiya. If the thing saw her limping it would see her as easy prey, meaning he had to make to get its attention fully on him just as he'd done with the bandits the day before.

Jolanta didn't even glance at Nadiya as he shifted his stance, bringing his sword up in front of him, "I will deal with the beast. You need to get moving first since you're slowed by your injury." He told her, not liking that she wanted to try to figure out another way. At her question he gave a slight wince followed by a nod, "It's sure to give chase, it's a carnivore after all... and if it sees you limping... It's not an option for the both of us to run." He actually sounded worried as he said the words.

"You need to go. Your brother is waiting for you, as well as the others in the caravan. Best that you get back to them in as close to one piece as possible." He hadn't been able to help her to avoid the injuries that she'd had gotten to this point but he could make up for that by dealing with the yaotl. If he fell against it then it would at least be kept busy by eating him... a morbid thought that he kept to himself as he doubted Nadiya wanted to hear that sort of suggestion.

With that he started forward toward the beast, whistling as he did so, wanting to bring its attention fully on to him. The whistle caused the creature's head to jerk to the side, it's long tongue flicking out, before it gave a hiss. It seemed he had its attention which was good... and bad at the same time. Damn but the thing was intimidating in a way that he didn't want to admit out loud. Best that he didn't speak of any sort of fear because he didn't want to give it a chase to try to take hold. He was a warrior and he couldn't let himself get scared... if that happened then he'd already failed.