Nel is rather worn by the time she reaches the dormice, but her relief is obvious as she exhales a rushed sigh between gasps for breath. She hates feeling this tired, but she allows herself to collapse to her knees in an open space near the mice. Holding up her hand in a gesture to request a minute to catch her breath, she proceeds as soon as she can string a few words together at a time.

“...that...was that a...a friend of yours?” Oh she truly hopes so.