They left Helly sitting in the straw; they waved good bye to Liya, smiling cheerfully. Liya waved back uncertainly, and then turned to follow Yoshi back down the hallway.

She stared at the back of his head, not sure what to make of him. He was walking quickly and directly, without looking at her, seeming sort of aggrieved. She wondered briefly what Helly had said to make Yoshi agree to escort her like this, and why Helly had bothered in the first place.

Ahead of her, Yoshi squared his shoulders. She jumped when he suddenly spoke. "So, er...you must be from Earth, right?" It sounded as though he was trying too hard to talk to her. "So am--"

"Huh? No," Liya interrupted, startled. "I'm from the Symphony Archipelago. On Ardh."

They emerged blinking into the morning light outside the stables. The look Yoshi shot her was the same wild, guilty face he'd made when she had talked of Hawk.

"Oh," he said lamely, seeming at a loss. "...We...do not get many visitors from there."

Liya's lip curled. "I'm not surprised," she muttered, before she could stop herself.

An incredibly guilty silence immediately stretched between them. Yoshi glanced away, looking embarrassed; Liya felt her face heat up for the nth time. The silence stretched, and then snapped.

"I am sorry," Yoshi started to say, but Liya cut him off again."

"But they're a lot alike, right?" she said aggressively, keeping her eyes on the dirt. "Ardh and Earth. That's what I've heard. They're...intersecting worlds, or something."

Yoshi seemed almost relieved at being prevented from apologizing. "S-Something like that, yes," he said weakly.

There was another pause before Yoshi cleared his throat. "Sh..shall we, um, go for a walk?" he asked. "I am sure you have plenty of...questions..."

He stopped, presumably noticing that Liya herself had stopped dead and was now looking fixedly at the dirt, frowning deeply.