By the way his answer made it sound, he wasn’t too fond of the way things were going for him. Wishing to know how others like him managed to have normal lives; one would only say such things if they had a life they wish they could change. And the fact that he called this magic of his a curse. Then there was the herb he was searching for, one that bolster’s memories. Could it possibly bring back memories that had been lost, ones he wished to retrieve? Just what was his life like? Why did he wish for it to change? What does he want to remember? Her eyes narrowed slightly at her own thoughts, interrupting her own questions with a reminder that these were merely speculations. She knew not if any of this was true, and she wasn’t about to pry in his personal affairs.

Responding to his answer, she smiled softly with a light nod. “I may not understand everything about you, nor your life, but I do hope you will find what you are looking for,” she replied merrily. Now, it was his turn to ask a question of his choosing, and so she waited and listened, her ears twitching a little with slight surprise at the sudden change in subject. Back to that, eh?

“Hmm…” she hummed, raising a finger to her chin. “That’s quite a difficult question to answer. You see, I’m not certain what kind of man I’m hoping for. The one whom treats me right, I suppose. Of course, he must also be kind and caring, and respect my wishes.” Nelanna went silent for a moment to ponder more on the question. It was something she never really thought of before. Perhaps she always trusted that, no matter what kind of guy he was, as long as she loved him and he loved her, then it was alright. But, all of the men she had met that she might have had hope for were quickly checked off the list. They all seemed more interested in their lust for her than committing to a relationship. So over and over, her hope had been crushed.

She smiled a little sheepishly and lightly pressed her fist against the side of her head, as if she were punching herself for being so stupid. “Quite a hopeless girl, aren’t I? I’ll never get a man if I don’t even know what I want,” she giggled, though slightly forced. She was starting to see the reality of things.

"Thank you," he said simply, and he meant it. Accustomed to his own company, having someone else care after him was unusual but, he was finding, not all that unpleasant. She did not seem the sort to have ought to gain by her kindness to him, and so he had no reason to spurn her well wishing. His usual ghost of a smile remained, but as he lingered over his gratitude he found his otherwise pale cheeks warming with colour and at once averted his gaze, thereafter picking up his pace for a few steps. Then, having steeled himself in record time, he turned the conversation back around - with an easy grin no less, to his credit.

And to her credit, she caught him off guard yet again.

He nodded at her answer but instead of replying immediately he took instead to brooding. It was only with Nelanna's final, forced attempt at humour that he fully turned back to her, halting in his steps. They had just come across a visible path, a sure sign they were getting nearer their destination. He gave a shake of his head and a weak chuckle of his own. "Hopeless isn't the choice of word I'd use. It might help that you have more of an idea what you're looking for, but, well…" He shrugged, steepled his hands together before him, whirled on his heel and continued walking. "Sometimes things just fall together regardless of whether or not you know what you're after. You could doggedly put every effort into your pursuit… only to find what you were after on the one day you decide to take a break from your endeavour. Fate works in strange ways, or so I'm told."

He inhaled deeply, eyes closed a moment, then continued:

"I didn't… Well, no," he amended, coughing sheepishly, "I did mean to put you on the spot there, I'll admit. But I seem to be making a habit of saying just the wrong thing to you… and for that, I apologize. That aside, you'll be glad to know we should be nearing the forest's exit." The place really did have a mind of its own.