She almost felt ashamed by how easily her curiosity was indulged. If it hadn't been for the shy eagerness with which Africa unraveled the makeshift parcel she would have told her to ignore the request, to not pay her any heed. But, done was done, and as she found herself faced with a set of items she usually would have regarded as nothing but trash and an anxious smile the blackbird made an effort to smile back. It was little more than a stretch of the lips, but the wish to be gentle with her company was reflected in the eyes, softening the orbs considerably.

"They are nice" she said, hoping that the words would appear more sincere than she felt. "I do like that shell... " This was actually true. The colors and the pattern appealed to her, as did the sharp spikes on it - perfect to throw at people you didn't like, delightfully dangerous if you happened to step on it. Yes, the sleuth rather enjoyed the seashell - albeit probably for different reasons than the downed dove.

As she was asked about her own treasures she was rather quick to nod, head reaching to the other side to pull them out from the ebony feathers, eager to shift the focus of attention away from her own reactions. Shadow wasn't good at this socializing thing, she never knew if her blunt personality and different perspectives would be tolerated by the others, or whether she would end up hurting with tactless remarks. For all that she was reluctant to let others close to the heart she didn't want to make them sad either - it was a difficult road to travel.

Pulling out the piece of horn and the bright yellow amulet she placed them on the ground next to Africa's trinkets and shrugged a little.
"Usually I don't carry things around" she said, giving the gray a quick glance. "I never stayed so long in one place that it was worthwhile to get attached to items and sceneries... These seasons are the longest I've ever lingered in one place."

Come to think of it, she had soon been a part of the Dragon's Throat for a year. The thought was mind boggling, but at the same time she couldn't believe how quickly time had passed. So much had happened since she had crashed to the ground from overexerting herself in a storm, only to be healed and brought along by Cirrus... The long winter of endless night, the coming of spring and gradual return of the gods, an invasion fought and won, the subsequent return of the sun as if the Fire Lord had been encouraged by the strength of the horses residing upon his lands. And it had been soon after that she came across Carnesîr... A faint sigh passed through the inky nostrils and with a shift of the wings to make them rest more comfortably against the swelling sides she returned to the present, nodding towards the items on the ground.

"The twig-like thing is a piece of unicorn horn" she revealed, eying Africa in search of expecting a reaction, whether positive or negative. "It snapped off from my opponent during the invasion, and I decided to keep it; mostly because it seemed to tick her off. And the stone I found as I drove her off... Not sure what it is, but since I found it just after winning the battle I decided to keep it as a token."

The smile turned slightly wry, her pride as she spoke of defeating her opponent apparent by the way the stubby neck swelled.