Dragoncrest Cliffs run, river, run to the sea

 tirgatao's voice is reassuring and the girl's shoulders relax by degrees as she sits. it is not often one of drageda's adults comes looking for her, so blix wonders if she has a message from nomi or - ah. she wonders if tirgatao has sought out bobby and artaax as well, or if it's just painfully obvious that she's been off. 

either way.. blix can't find it in herself to be put off by the sentiment - if anything, it's a reminder of how much she loves drageda and everyone in it. she gives the shouna a hesitant smile. "chof... i've been okay." the girl answers, then pauses. "i mean, okay as i can be, i guess?"

the ginger child knows she's not the only one hurting and now that she has an opportunity to open up she feels shy. it could be much worse. it could always be much worse, though. "tirgatao? do you ever feel like.. like you're too big under your skin? or like.. something happened to make you really ugly sometimes even though you're trying not to be?" blix does not think she has always been this way, but more and more lately she feels wound up, unable to stop herself, and she's scared on top of everything else that she'll become so different that when they find their mother, she won't like  her any more.