The more human-shaped figure swung down quite easily from the bird creature's back; they were carrying a very small, light crossbow-like object, and braced it against their hip as they peered down at the form of the monster.

"Vau," they remarked. "Tha't leil."

The bird turned its weird masked face on Liya. "Ai!" they called. "Lu iu tseic Aetheridu? Era iu enn ryfhd?"

Liya hoisted herself out of the water very slowly, dripping on the edge of the pool. Her voice came out hoarse and stammering. "I d-don't s-speak Aetherian."

The bird turned to their companion. "Tseict English," they said.

"Nad ra," said the other, and unhooked the mask from their face.

The person beneath seemed ordinary enough--dark eyes, greyish skin, full lips in a sort of bracing smile. They slung the crossbow over their shoulder and said, in a sort of stilted and formal version of Liya's language, "We are friends. Are you hurt?"

Liya stared. She was having a hard time finding the words. She felt her shoulders start to tremble. "N-no," she mumbled, and dropped her gaze, "I'm...just...kinda cold..."

"Qunl," the unmasked person told the bird, who started, and then went for the simple unmarked bag that was hanging around their shoulders. Liya watched as the bird pulled a white blanket from the bag with surprising delicacy, using feathers on the edge of their wing that seemed to have formed into short claws at will. The unmasked person--whose breath was also fogging in the night air, now--turned back to Liya.

"We can call someone for you," they offered, "a sponsor? Family?"