Ariel had been so caught up in being lost and trying to figure out what ice cream was that the voice that came upon her ears startled her. She jumped and her large eyes widened. And then she blinked and breathed out slowly. Her head tilted as she beheld the young woman whom had approached her and Ariel offered her an apologetic smile. She hoped the stranger would forgive her for being so out of sorts.
If only she knew where Faramir was. She and the ranger had many a good conversation in the pages of his notebook, and a pencil with paper would be a blessing just then. Communication was difficult, and not all of Ariel's friends were like Peter, Ben and Jono, able to hear her voice in her mind.
So, Ariel was going to have to learn to improvise.
To answer the young woman's question, Ariel nodded. She was alright. She lifted a hand to her throat and tapped lightly, shaking her head. Can't speak. It was a gesture she used often. Too often.
And then this woman said something almost too perplexing to understand. What in the seven seas was an ice cream cone? She hoped the look of confusion on her face didn't make her look too childish or as if she were not of her right mind. Because she was. She just didn't know any of this.
Ariel offered the woman a sheepishly lost look, followed by one searching for forgiveness, and sighed with defeat.