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If not for the occasional subconscious hisses that slipped Imri's presence might have been completely silent. He'd done well to hide behind a massive, gnarled tree but there was no ignoring the sounds coming out of him. Every time he moved his left left agony ripped through him so the teen did his best not to do that. Coming out here in a 'mood' was a stupid mistake; one that was very likely going to cost him his life.

Stay calm. Lower your breathing.

It was easy to remember Ai's words in situations like these, but harder to put them into practice. He'd managed to anger a keldari nest in his explorations. Most had been okay with just hissing his way, especially when he made a quick exit, but one had managed to sink it's fangs into his calf. Angling the leg just so, Imri ripped a length of cloth from his cloak and tied it around his thigh to stem the bloodflow. It hurt like hell, causing him to cry out, but Imri was quick to bite down on his lip.

Now the question was...where he go from here?

Imri wasn't a complete idiot. The moment he heard movement coming his way he tried to steady his breathing and shrink into his surroundings. All the while his hand moved to a dagger at his side. If it was a creature then he might be able to scare it off, but an enemy would find his blade in their gut. He hadn't actually stabbed anyone yet though the concept wasn't one he feared. It was an inevitability that he shifted and waited for.

When he peered around the trunk, just enough to catch sight of the one approaching, Imri saw it was an Elarian. Instead of feeling relieved he ducked back behind the tree with a firm scowl. This could go one of two ways; she would either feel sorry for him or suffocate him with his own cowl. "Don't come any closer!" His voice shook from the adrenaline but there was an edge to it.

The preteen's knee jerk response was to snarl when she came fully into sight and his hardened gaze bore into hers. He wouldn't be able to take down an adult, but he would hurt her if she tried anything. Even the act of curling his lip felt off due to the metallic taste that coated his tongue. It caused his stomach to roll, but he wouldn't give in to the nausea.

Granted, now that his defensive aggression was kicking in any attempt at being calm was thrown out. "Don't try me." If he moved then it would be messy and would leave him vulnerable. So, his best option was just to stay down, but even that left him at her mercy. When he slowly lifted his dagger, holding it close to him in a defensive stance, Imri's arm shook. Not out of fear, but out of sheer pain.

He was plenty concerned with his injury. It was hard not to be when the entire limb was swollen and throbbing. Still, Imri awkwardly nodded to her question, even if he didn't lower his weapon. "...Yeah." There wasn't much use explaining the situation around it; knowing how it happened wouldn't prevent it and opening his mouth more than he had to would just ensure Imri threw up on her feet.

She was pragmatic in a way that he both responded to and also became defensive around. It was like being around Ai except she wasn't sneering over his mistake. With little choice, Imri carefully lowered his blade and tucked it into the sheath at his side. "....I can't walk." The admission came out on an embarrassed grumble. He'd managed to make it this far, but any further was out of the question. Still, with a fair amount of struggle Imri was able to pull himself up to his feet - foot? - with much help from the tree at his back. By the time he was up the preteen was sweating, limbs shaking from the exertion and features pinched in pain.

"Fine." Imri groused through gritted teeth. At this point it wasn't as if he was trying to be bratty; the act of putting even the slightest bit of pressure on his leg was making him irritable. He tried following his breathing exercises, really tried, until the preteen just didn't care anymore. For a moment he was content to just adjust himself before his entire world was moving and his nausea couldn't subside any longer. The moment Imri was lifted off the ground he lost the contents of his stomach on the ground. Thankfully not on her but it could have been close.

Usually vomiting made him feel better, but in this case it definitely did not. His head throbbed, but he had enough sense to spit out the remainder of bile onto the ground before answering. "Lucijah...." And after a moment, "...and Ai."

Imri was doing his best to hang on to her, but his hold was loose at best. It seemed like once he was secure in knowing he wouldn't fall his body focused on other things. "No thats...that's my moms' name...Lucijah and Ai..." Had she asked for his name? Did he just miss that part? "I'm Imri."

For a while he was content to just keep a passive gaze on the ground as she walked. It would have been calming, in comparison to how he'd gotten there, if every little jostle didn't cause his teeth to clench. "Don't," In a panic, he snarled, "Don't tell her...She won't like it." It would just be another thing that Zivah wouldn't do, but Imri was inevitably going to do. Every injury, every scrap...it was just another sign that his sister was inherently better than he was. "She's gone anyway...took Zivah on a trip...Lucijah is home."

Akeldama? He wasn't familiar with the name, but it didn't surprise him. There weren't many Elaria that tolerated Ai's hybrid offspring, much less the boy. He knew of the ones who made direct trade with his family, his instructors and no one else by name.

His worry only dampened a touch. She seemed trustworthy, but Imri wasn't about to be fooled. As soon as he passed out she might send someone to tell Ai and then he'd wake up to her standing over his bedside. It was always better to assume the worse so he could prepare which is exactly what he should have done before ending up like this.

"You can tell her." Lucijah would find out anyway when he came home; he doubted the swelling would be gone before then, anyway, and she wasn't stupid. "...Why would you teach me? What would you gain?"