Rhyske sighed as some of the burden of his mother was lifted off his shoulders. Having help with her, that actually made him feel a little happy. Maybe Ayami wouldn't be so bad to have around. Actually having another set of arms and another pair of eyes would help when it came to taking care of his mother and making sure she was safe. That they were both safe. Rhyske still didn't know what to do with Ayami, nor what really to say to her, but she seemed content enough to do whatever he asked her to do. She seemed like she genuinely wanted to help, but at the same time, Rhyske thought he sensed an air of separation from her, as if she was there but not there. Like she'd rather be doing something else than doing what he'd asked of her. But since she didn't show any sign of wanting to leave, nor did she seem to show any sign of not wanting to do as he'd told her - after all, she'd made the offer, why wouldn't he take her up on it? - then Rhyske wasn't about to complain.
And, more so, it was nice to have someone to talk to who didn't yell at him or throw things at him or hit him or whatever else because he was too loud or too quiet or, or, or.
At her questions, Rhyske took a moment to think about his answer. After all, she was being quite accommodating to him, and he didn't want to make her angry or upset her by answering her flippantly or by lying. He glanced a Rubiyah and found that she was in her typical fugue state after consuming so much food - or not enough, he never was sure - so even if an explosion happened in her face, she'd never notice.
"Um, well," Rhyske started, "I don't know how many I've been on. I've been wandering around ever since I was born. I've been to a lot of cities and towns and villages. They're all different, but they have enough similarities that you could walk into one village and find all the same things in the same places as the last village you just left. Usually, I try to earn money when we're in villages. You kinda need money in order to travel around and make sure you can buy food and things like that. Clothes. Shoes."
He tilted his head to one side so he could try and see her on the other side of his mother. "As far as real adventures, I can't say I've ever experienced those. I've never met a dragon or a pirate or a werewolf. I've never seen Ketra. I've never sailed the ocean. About the only exciting thing that's ever happened to me is being chased out of somewhere by angry villagers and trying not to get caught stealing."
Rhyske turned his gaze away from the red-haired cat girl and focused on the road ahead. "As for Mother... she goes with me. Or she drags me with her. I carry her when she's like this. When I go out to work, she usually stays in bed at an inn or in a tavern eating everything in sight."
Rhyske realized his answers probably weren't what Ayami wanted to hear, but they were the only ones he had for her. He did sometimes wish to lead a more exciting life than the one he was leading now, but he loved his mother, and he didn't want to leave her behind. He didn't want to leave her somewhere and then learn something terrible befell her. He knew that she already was hanging by a thread, and had seemed to be for some time, and he didn't know how much longer she would be around. That idea both enthralled and frightened him, because on one hand, he'd finally be free of his mother and get to do whatever he wanted to do and go wherever he wanted to go, but on the other, he would be alone. Lost. Adrift with no anchor and nothing familiar.
That he could survive on his own, he was certain.
But... he wasn't sure if he could deal with being alone.