"Mm," a hum, accompanied by the curl of a wry smile. It's less insult and more deflection, if it helps. That he takes this harsh disposition in such even stride shows only that he is a very patient man. Poor luck indeed to be pulled into keeping her as company.

She wouldn't have fled. Low words exchanged by the campfire had assured that, tension taut like bowstring and a resolve to see it end. Or, to see an end. But, it's good that he doesn't press, in the end. Their understanding was surface level for the moment - and how would one even begin to explain the only world they've known? It is disorienting. Something she is grasping at.

She doesn't seem familiar enough with the concept to remark on the irony of that town name. Instead, she focused on something she does recognize, finally tearing her gaze away from the road ahead, chin lifted up to trace his profile. "I try," dryly, because she knows she doesn't, even if she could, before giving way to her curiosity. "You were cursed? With longevity?"

Most curses tended to go for looks, or lineage, strigas cast out into the world. A crooked spine...though they were many. A long life seemed like an odd cruelty to inflict.