Sawtooth Spire all ashore

Alya nodded and snuggled up more firmly to Nikai as her thoughts drifted to more discomforting topics. It seemed she couldn't think of anything cheerful right then, when she was already feeling so guilty for dragging Nikai this way in the first place. She could argue that it was one of the quicker routes, but that was only if you were a strong climber. Neither of them had need this in their lives, at the moment.

"I think we should stay for a while," she said, voicing the idea she hadn't been able to in front of Charon. "We can stay for spring and summer - with a few short little baby trips, maybe? - and then head back toward Moonspear in Autumn and take the long way 'round. How does that sound?"

She didn't know if they would stay for very long at Moonspear. It had occurred to her sometime during their previous trip that it would be difficult for Nikai to live on a mountain. Back then, it hadn't really mattered - they were travelling together and that was it, Alya's emotional energy levels didn't allow for anything else. But now she had him back and she'd realized just how much he meant to her, how much she'd missed him... Well, was he more dear to her than Moonspear? Than fulfilling her family's legacy?

The dark woman still struggled with these questions, not knowing which choices might bring lasting happiness and which might bring ruin. But she supposed that was the nice thing about being a pair of scouts - if the situation sucked, you simply found a better one.

Which reminded her - "I - well. I didn't really give you a chance to say yes or no," she hedged, not quite sure how to put it into words with letting on that she needed a bit of validation. "Before I just announced it to the family. You do want me to court you, right?" She couldn't help but say the last words with a bit of a command in her voice.