Rather than immediately go down to the riverbed like I'd initially intended, I guide the bubble that's carrying us above the treeline so that Yahanaseara can get a better view of the sun as it makes its way towards the horizon.

Not quite at the point of "setting" yet, but still a very pretty sight.

We linger up there for a little while so that she can fully take in the scenery, but then the petite Elemental Spirit girl clinging to my side finally wipes her eyes of the tears that had been falling freely from them and I take that a good a sign as any to make our descent to solid ground.

"Alright, it's safe for you to let go now," I say as I drop the spell and allow the bubble pop out of existence.

"......"

Slowly, Yahanaseara relaxes her grip around my waist.

And then she immediately arcs back around and captures me in both arms.

"Uh-" I stammer, looking down at the fluff-covered head that's presently buried in my chest.

"Thank you," Yahanaseara whispers. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you"

Her embrace grows just a little bit tighter with every utterance of thanks, finally stopping just before it would reach the point of actual pain.

"Umm, you're welcome?" I reply.

Looks, intellect, demeanor... as happy as I am to take after my father in all these areas, I also happen to have inherited his social awkwardness. As such, I honestly have no idea how to properly respond to this display of emotion.

So instead of wasting time worrying about what to do, I default to my years of experience as a big sister, lift my free hand and gently plant it atop Yahanaseara's head.

Big sister headpats.

That's all I'm good for in situations like this.

As my fingers run through her hair, she flinches a little and I start feeling a really weird tingly sensation deep within my chest. My first thought is that she's lashing out at me for being presumptuous, but then her grip on me relaxes and I decide to just chalk it up to surprise.

"Savior," Yahanaseara mumbles into my chest.

"Hm?" I reply, engrossed in the tactile sensation of floof.

"I... I was in Hell itself. Unable to move, with naught to keep myself sane save my own thoughts of hatred towards the bastard who imprisoned me. And to make it even worse, I was slowly dying all the while."

Her arms drop to her sides.

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"But then it all ended in an instant," she says. "Because whether intentionally or not, you set me free."

Pulling away from my grasp, she looks up at me with bleary eyes.

"And then you led me out of that wretched place and into the light of the sun. Fully of your own will. And even now, you are indulging me in my pathetic display of weakness."

"Eh? I was just, uh-" I shrug. "Taking responsibility?"

"Responsibility?" She hits me with a puzzled gaze.

"If you're going to do the right thing, you'd better see it through," I say, reciting the line I'd heard a thousand times over. "Otherwise you might as well have done nothing at all."

"I... do not follow?"

The same look of confusion I had when he first said it to me.

"When I was little, I returned a baby bird to its nest after it had fallen out," I explain. "And that's what my father told me when he caught me climbing down from the tree it was in."

A cute little tilt of the head, as if urging me to continue.

"What if that nest had been abandoned by the parent birds?" I asked. "Then the baby would've starved, right?"

"I suppose so," Yahanaseara nods.

"And if it just ended up starving, then what would've been the point in my putting it back in the nest at all?"

She ponders my question for a little while, but it doesn't seem like she can come up with a proper response.

"To feed my own ego," I say. "To feel good about myself for doing the 'right thing' without actually taking into consideration whether my efforts actually mattered in the end."

"...that is a very harsh way to view the world."

"Doesn't make it any less correct though," I shrug. "So yeah, my father had me stake out that nest for the next few hours to see if the parent birds actually returned. And if they didn't, it would've been my responsibility to look after the baby bird myself."

"Did they?"

"Yeah, I got off lucky," I reply, unable to keep from smiling at the nostalgic memory. "Still drove the lesson home pretty hard, though."

And it's a principle that I've been trying to live by ever since.

"So to you, I am a baby bird," Yahanaseara says, staring into my eyes.

"I guess that's one way to put it?"

A really weird way to put it.

"Even though it was by total coincidence, I'm the one who set you free. So it was my responsibility to make sure you didn't end up getting lost forever and starving to death in that maze, or get hurt going through the waterfall..."

"...and now that you have led me out here safely, your self-imposed duty to me has been fulfilled," she says, looking kind of melancholic.

"Huh?" I raise an eyebrow at the pouty girl. "No it hasn't."

"Eh?" Her eyes widen. "But I am no longer in imminent danger-"

"What, you thought I'd just ditch you out here in the middle of nowhere?" I interject. "Someone who's been isolated from everyone and everything for at least a thousand yea-"

"It has been THAT long!?" she interjects into my interjection. "I had counted at least three hundred years in there before giving up on keeping track of time, but..."

"Sorry."

Dammit, that's one of the first things that I should've mentioned...

"No, it is not your fault," Yahanaseara slowly shakes her head. "This simply confirms my fears that all those who I knew and loved are long-dead."

I wouldn't blame her if she started crying again, but instead she simply heaves a defeated sigh.

"Just when I thought that my solitude had finally come to an end..."

"What solitude?" I force a smile. "Didn't I just say that I wasn't about to ditch you?"

"Savior?"

"I still need to get you back to civilization," I explain. "And get some food in you so you can properly start building your strength back. Get you accustomed to modern society, since I'm sure a lot's changed over the past thousand-plus years..."

Not to mention doing some research on the people who sealed her away in the first place, just in case they're still around... and that's only part of the list of what I need to do.

"Y- you would do all of that for my sake?" Yahanaseara gasps. "But there is no need-"

"No, this is my responsibility as the one who rescued you," I say, flashing my best charming smile. "Because it's just like you said before- to me, you're a baby bird."

Just, you know... a lot cuter.