Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shoneah licked her fingertips, though really both her hands were covered in blood (as were her clothes, really), and she smiled at Eron as she took her sword back from him.

"Thank you," she murmured as she took it. She picked up a scale that she'd turned upside down to collect some of the blood and held it out to Eron. "Here. It's not much, but ... it's something. I'll try to collect some more."

They should probably take some scales with them, she mused, waiting for Eron to take the one from her. They would be good for dishes or, if could find nothing else to use, protection.

Shoneah caught the look on his face as he drank the blood, and she felt sorry for him.

"This is completely new for you, isn't it?" she asked him softly. "Eating something you killed - saw killed, I guess ... having to survive with no idea what's going on or where you are ..."

She'd heard of people who got all their food from others, but she had never met anyone like that before - never spent time with anyone like that, anyways. She'd spoken with them briefly but only for business transactions.

Shoneah nodded. "Well, I hope you can get used to this," she said apologetically. "We may be stuck living like this for a while. Until we can find some people and find out whether or not we can trust them ..."

She spread her hands in an apologetic motion.

"Do you have any skills or abilities?" she asked him then, taking some of the meat from her sword. She closed her eyes and in her tribal dialect murmured, "May your sacrifice give strength," and then looked back at Eron.

Shoneah tried to think of how that might be useful to them, but she really didn't know.

"Pity you don't have any water magic," she smiled ruefully, passing him some of the meat and taking another strip for herself. "Without water, our days are numbered. We need that more than anything else."

She might be able to find some but there was no guarantee.

"Is there a way for you to get more experience while we're here?" Shoneah asked him curiously. "Practice it to get better, I mean? I know I'll be of no help whatsoever, I've no magic at all."

Her people were skilled craftsmen but aside from their immortality and keen senses they had nothing special at their fingertips.

As she chewed, she kept slicing the dragon's meat into strips to prepare them for smoking. Cooked meat would go bad - smoked meat would last them for a good long while.

Shoneah nodded. "Anything that helps," she murmured.

She looked up into the sky as she continued to eat and to work. The sun was beginning to lower, which at least gave her an idea of which way was west. Though it did bring up some more problems.

She sighed. "Night is falling ... we'll need some shelter. I saw that you had something warm in your case, but I have no other clothing with me, nor blankets."

She paused and looked at Eron. "Do you think you could collect some more wood for the fire, enough that it will last the night?" she asked him quietly. "I can make us a lean-to, but that will do little more than block any wind. One of us will have to be on watch all night for animals or people."

Shoneah was about to accept gratefully when she realized a few things. First of all, she was used to being outdoors - she lived outdoors, after all - and he was a city dweller, someone accustomed to walls and probably some sort of heat source. Secondly, she was covered in blood, all the dragon's thankfully, but she didn't want to stain his hoodie. Thirdly, without factoring the hoodie into the equation, they were both dressed more or less the same - long sleeves, that was. And if she counted her leather underlayer, she probably did have more to protect her than he did.

She shook her head. "Thank you, but I think it will serve you better," she told him. "Let's just make sure we can keep a warm fire, and we'll both be all right. Who knows, perhaps we'll be able to find an animal we can skin for a blanket eventually."

It was yet another item on their long list of things they would need if they were to survive for long. And while she hoped they wouldn't be on their own for long, she had to expect that they would be - as the Grandmaster always said, it was better to be too prepared than not prepared enough.