The next day was passing in silence, Avsuo brooding over their conversation yesterday, and Deorne thinking about who knows what.

"Oldest of six, huh?"

Avsuo was startled out of her reverie by the sudden comment. "Huh?"

"I said, 'Oldest of six, huh?'"

"Oh." Suddenly, it clicked. "Oh! You mean my siblings!"

Deorne nodded. "Not sure what else I could be talking about, but yes."

"So what about my siblings?"

"Well," Deorne began, "I was just thinking about what you said about your family, and having six children is a lot. Practically every family I've met, even including Jarls and merchant families, usually only have one or two children. How did your family get around to six?"

It was something that Avsuo rarely thought about, but she had once asked her parents the same question, when her third sibling was on the way. "Well, simply, favorable circumstances. As Karthwasten is a mining town, they import much of their food, and depend heavily on the success of the mine to keep getting supplies they can't get. My parents' families were both farmers, but they wanted to move around. So, coming across Karthwasten, they saw an opportunity, and started a farm. It provides practically all of the food Karthwasten needs, and puts them in a really good position, in terms of money. They had always wanted children, so they used their success to save so they could support their children."

"Huh." Deorne thought for a moment before responding. "It seems completely reasonable, so now I'm wondering why more people don't do it. Then again, being a novice blacksmith, and having farmed a bit myself, it can be difficult to corner the market in many places. Sounds like your parents got lucky."

Avsuo thought about that. "Yeah, I guess so. Never really thought about it, to be honest."

Deorne nodded. "I imagine. How will your siblings react to you?"

Another thing that had been plaguing Avsuo. She sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. My sisters, my oldest siblings, will probably put some thought into what's happened to me. They'll probably want to know if I'm alright, and worry about me leaving, but my brothers will probably just be excited I'm part dragon." She paused. "After all, despite the tales of the dragons, there is still some appeal to them to kids. I know I wanted to see one when I was younger."

Deorne seemed to become grim. "Indeed, dragons possess awesome power. Not hard to see how that could appeal to children. Yet, have you ever heard of a dragon doing anything besides enslaving people, or destroying?" It was more of a rhetorical question, as Deorne shook his head. "I can understand the appeal, but it's best if that attraction is grown out of."

Avsuo felt there was something behind what he said, but felt it wasn't the right time to ask.

Nightfall found them around another fire. Silently waiting for some game to finish cooking. The last few nights had been like this. Merely content with each other's company. Tonight had a small deviation.

"We'll reach Karthwasten tomorrow night. I would like to go around it, and head straight to your family's farm. We can spend a few days there, then we're off the Winterhold."

"Sounds like a plan," was the response, before the pair lapsed into familiar silence.

A/N Bit of a shorter chapter this time, eh?