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Unfortunately for Ambroise, the mare he had chosen to twine his life with was a mare naturally inclined towards early rising. During their journey, she had been sleeping much more heavily than she was used to, the direct result of physical exertion. Yesterday had been physically tiring as well, but the meeting of Ambroise's parents had been...well, it had been interesting.

And Elizabeth would be lying through her teeth if she said she hadn't been affected. Ambroise's parents had been very polite, very pleasant, but there had been no mistaking his father's upset. Regardless of her own sentiments or those of her friends (when they learned of this situation), she was most concerned with Ambroise. His satisfaction, his family's sentiments, THESE were what mattered to her. After all, she was used to ignoring her own thoughts.

Consequently, her sleep last night had been somewhat fitful, easily disturbed and less than refreshing as she mulled over the situation, hoping devoutly that any unease would eventually be overcome.

And the morning saw her wake shortly after dawn, somewhat less than refreshed, but certainly ready to embrace other thoughts. With a yawn and rapid succession of blinks, she looked around, noting that the sun was now up and that she could be, too. Stretching, she rose to her feet, then yawned again, fluffed her curls, and looked about for her mate.

Not that she meant to disturb him when she found him; her first thought was that he appeared busy, her second that she would leave him to it. She could find herself a drink and a bite on her own, she was certain!

Undress, indeed. It was a poetic term for Elizabeth, given that there had been a time when 'undress' was something quite literal; when she wouldn't stir from her comfortable stall until she had been covered by her gown and a cloak and, later, when she wouldn't leave the tepee until she's wriggled her way into the increasingly tattered remains of that same gown. It had been years since the gown had finally dissolved into tatters, and existing without it had proved to be a greater trial than she would have imagined.

But time had tempered her earlier sentiments, and she had cheerfully (well, mostly) embraced the concept of natural modesty. Now, it didn't matter if one saw her in the middle of the day or the middle of the night; it was all the same.

Though she could respect the gesture.

Seeing that she had been observed, Elizabeth offered Ambroise a smile and a slight nod of her own. "Good morning, Ambroise; I am rested, thank you." Obliquely side-stepping the actual question as she couldn't answer it in the affirmative, she offered her response with an easy quickness, this sort of casual conversation the sort she was honestly most used to. If Ambrosie was out of sorts or uncomfortable, he managed quite well.

"I hope that you yourself had a pleasant sleep. It was nice to know when I laid down last night that we were in the Islagiatt, though I'm sure that the nights will be even more pleasant once we have located our proper home." As she spoke, Elizabeth moved over to where Ambroise was standing, assuming from his words than he might be scoping out such possibilities even then. Though his follow-up about breakfast quickly quelled that thought, replaced by one much more agreeable.

"I would love to hear your thoughts, Ambroise, particularly as you are more familiar with this area than I. Breakfast sounds like a good start, though; have you been awake long? I do hope you haven't refrained from breakfasting already on my part."

If Ambroise was going out on a limb in terms of comfort, Elizabeth was in her zone; solicitous and intent on accommodation, Ambroise was providing Liz with the perfect opportunity to feel him out, comfort-wise. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that this was novel to him, and it was her earnest hope that he didn't come to regret it.

Obvious Elizabeth had to work on her dissembling, as Ambroise's answer quickly put to rest any hopes she might have had about her answer going unnoticed. Well, either that or she would perhaps have to start being directly honest when asked a question. She would go with the dissembling option, though; some questions were just not meant to be answered accurately.

Other than a very slight blush, she managed to maintain her composure, offering a slight smile as her response to his cover-up. They were quite the pair, weren't they? So far, he appeared to be very direct and honest, while she was a dissembler and...well, she wasn't dishonest, not in the negative sense of the word, but she did care perhaps a bit overmuch about those she was speaking about and to. If anything, they were quite complementary, they would merely have to get used to one another.

Either way, she was quick to agree with him. "You are likely correct; I believe that the unfamiliar location, coupled with the excitement of yesterday, left me a bit at a loss when it came time to sleep. Once I have settled into a comfortable location and my new routine, I am sure I will have no problems. And you need not worry," she offered, accepting Ambroise's presence and direction with the same nod of her head and moving off in that direction accordingly; "I will be most attentive during our search and be sure to offer thoughts, as they occur to me. At this point, though, I am honestly at a loss for any input."

Walking down the hill took a bit of attention, but her recent experience going up a mountain had proved extremely helpful in learning to shift her balance. Leaning back slightly, she too moved down the slope, looking about her for the proposed breakfast. "You see, I have lived with Cajji for almost the entire duration of my time in the Kawani lands, and before that..."

Pursing her lips slightly, she regarded her previous life, before she had come across on that hideous shift. Not fun, not at all, that voyage, and before that.. "Before that, life was very different. This is a great change, so I'm not even sure what it is that I expect." An honest answer, if unhelpful. "Shelter from the elements, easy access to water...preferably a lake or pond, with reeds near it, but a river would work if that was the best option. Plenty of room around, so that the children will have room to play but I may still watch them when they are young..."

For not having an opinion, the opinions certainly started to come quickly once she began to think about them, a gentle smile crossing her entire countenance as she surveyed her mental picture: a cozy tepee perched in a mountain meadow, nestled up beneath an overhang and surrounded by apple trees; herself, standing at the doorway and watching two little colts and a filly laughing as they played a game of tag in the grass; it was a lovely picture.

Elizabeth was going to have a great deal to learn as Ambroise's mate; this she had realized before she'd even agreed to the arrangement in the first place. It was a bit overwhelming to realize how much she would have to learn just to be able to name his family, though; given that she was used to relative isolation, the fact he even had so many siblings would prove a challenge to her, in terms of remembering who was who, and who their mates were, and who their children were, and that sort of thing. Fortunately for her that sort of demand wouldn't be cropping for a very long time, so she could focus on more important things.

Things like learning about the stallion that was now her mate, the most prominent figure other than herself in her life. She had a feeling that it was going to take some time, not because he was necessarily complicated, but because he was DIFFERENT.

Walking down the incline, Elizabeth took advantage of her lowered gaze to peek back at him, wondering to herself what he was thinking and whether it was anything along the lines she herself was thinking. She wouldn't be surprised if he was; after all, this was really the first day they'd been together where they hadn't been hustling along to the peaks. Though he might very well have other things on his mind, being a busy individual; perhaps he was thinking about flight maneuvers, or unseasonably warm weather. His expression gave her no hints, whatever was on his mind.

But she was quietly confident that, in time, she would figure him out. Familiarity bred understanding, and once she had settled into her routine and had time to assimilate his, she would be fine.

Reaching the level area, she paused and looked around, observing the water and then looking over at the trees. Her first instinct HAD been towards the grass, actually, but at his recommendation she determined that breakfast would be found in the only other non-rocky patch. The only problem? She wasn't used to that sort of food, and consequently didn't know what she was looking FOR.

So first, a drink. Moving over to the stream, she tossed back her mane, then bent over and took a drink, her mane never once touching the water. Feeling her thirst suitably slaked, she looked back at her mate, nodding her head slightly in quiet acceptance. "Well, I wasn't quite sure. I've gotten used to reeds and find the sound of them brushing against each other in the breeze to be soothing, but they are a purely aesthetic consideration. I would much rather have a home that fulfills practical requirements."

And she fully planned on participating in the search for such a home, even if it meant voicing opinions. But first...

"This is probably a strange question, Ambroise, but if the grasses are sharp, which parts of...greenery do you recommend as food?" She had a LOT to learn about the mountains.

If Elizabeth had been privy to Ambroise's thoughts, at least one element would like have amused her. Ambroise might accept that she was from the lowlands, but as to him embracing that fact, whole-heartedly or no, she would have to admit to having serious reservations. In their first meeting, back when little Fenghuang had been...well, LITTLE, Ambroise had not held back his sentiments about lowland Soquili, and she was mostly sure that hadn't changed. If anything, he was tolerant of the fact that she was from the lowlands, and probably glad she was atypical. Which would be a compliment of sorts, albeit a strange one.

At the moment, her lowland experience certainly wasn't helping her; it was exceedingly embarrassing to have to ask what things were FOOD. But she was wary of toxic or poisonous substances, and it just seemed sensible to ask before eating. She planned to be a quick study and be very attentive to what was edible, but for now she would just have to deal with it, the alternatives being starving or being ill.

So she watched with close care as Ambroise dug up the grass roots, noting their appearance and location as well as the digging technique. The explanation of 'why' was informative, but not nearly as helpful as the visual demonstration. Perhaps Ambroise had gotten used to having to provide 'sound reasoning', but ironically he had tied himself to a mare that typically didn't need such lengthy explanations. He was the local, not she, and if he told her the locals ate ROCKS she would likely swallow one without vocalized complaint.

It was just as well that he didn't want to poison her, otherwise things could be quite interesting.

"So the edible part is the white part, then? Is the rest of the plant also edible, or is it merely a matter of taste?" After all, there were some plants in the lowlands that had edible roots and toxic leaves. Best to learn right now which were poisonous or otherwise disagreeable!

Simple Ambroise's reply might have been, but it was all the response Elizabeth required. Right now, she needed to learn basics; where it was safe to go and where it wasn't; what was edible and what wasn't; who was related and who wasn't. Basic information that would keep her going and prevent her from encountering any unsavory individuals or poisoning herself or falling off of a mountain. She didn't need to know the scientific name of the plant she was eating, or all the historical details of the place they were currently standing. That could come later.

For now, simplicity was best, and she was quick to reap the benefits of that simplicity. Deciding to 'bite the bullet', as it were, she gingerly pulled up a sampling of the white roots, chewing on them cautiously. They actually weren't bad; juicier than grass, and with a nice crunch. Not an apple by a long shot, but certainly pleasant.

And then she had to try the grass, just for comparison's sake. Immediately after the first bite she was making a face, the coarseness of the grass nothing in comparison to the bitterness of the shoots. "My goodness, that's ghastly!"

Not very lady-like, certainly, but the unpleasantness of the grass had taken her by surprise. It appeared that it would be roots for her, going forward...

Elizabeth's expression was properly rueful, shifting naturally from 'petulant child' after she had a moment to try and shake off the unpalatable elements of the grass. The silliness of her reaction was not lost on her, particularly coming as it did on the heels of much more restrained behavior, and though she blushed a bit her face bore a shy smile itself. "Well, I believe that I can now vouch for the impracticality of eating the grass." Though she honestly doubted that it would come up again; the phrase 'once bitten, twice shy,' would have an entirely new connotation for Elizabeth!

Besides, the experience hadn't been without its benefits. Negative reaction has a way of ingraining things to be avoided in the psyche, and besides: she had had a chance to witness her new mate actually, truly laugh! It might have been a soft laugh, more a chuckle than anything else, but coming from one as reticent as Ambroise, it had all the oomph of full blown hysteria in another. His obvious amusement, reflected in both the vocalization and his briefly crinkled eyes, was enough to make the moment truly worth it. In that brief flash of humor, she had seen yet another side of her mate: one that she could completely believe to be related to Yei Umeko.

However, it was a moment to be enjoyed, not ruined by comment or especial remark, and besides: they were on a mission. Consequently, she easily allowed her attention to be directed to the moss.

It was indeed a familiar sight for her; particularly in wetter seasons or when in the thick of the forest, moss could be arguably described as being everywhere. It was spongy underfoot, cool to the touch, and made an excellent bed when encountered in large quantities on the ground. But she could honestly say that she had never once considered eating it. "Really? What would you say is the best way to graze on moss, without ripping it out or getting the dirt part in one's mouth?"

She'd put on one show; that would be good enough for this meal!