Mina pulls her fur skin blanket tighter around her shoulders to keep out the chill as she sits watch. Beside her, her companion snoozes, almost instantly in deep slumber. She gazes momentarily at him, her brow crinkled with both fondness and puzzlement.
Last night, when Mina had determined that she'd rather offer a blood sample than risk losing her beloved penpal and last remnant of her mother, Ultime had tried to insist that they offer his blood instead. This, of course, made no sense whatsoever. After she'd explained the situation to him, he finally did he back off, wringing his hands.
His concern was endearing. No one had ever done anything like that for her before... What a sweet lad. But a little ... simple? He was strong and lithe, and he tried to make himself out to be very brave, but she knew that underneath it all he was terrified. She had felt his fear when he'd grabbed her arm during their first encounter with the werebear. Perhaps his trepidation was serving as a motivator for him to travel alongside her, a healer.... But what had driven him to adventure at all? she wondered. If, like her, he feared deep down he wasn't up to the task, why was he trying to pursue it?
Mina looks down and fiddles with a loose string on her gloves. She had spent a pretty penny on them back in the day, but now they were starting to wear thin. Still, they were extremely useful. Made of goatskin, they featured fingercaps that could be folded back and held out of the way magnetically. Most of the time, of course, she kept the fingers covered to prevent accidental contact with others. Healing and sensing ... she preferred to do these only with express permission from others. Though... it sounded like she might have to compromise on her values a little to help this bewitched child...
The foxkin frowns and chews her lip, recalling last night's encounter yet again. This being who had reached out to her... they had seemed trustworthy enough. Then again, perhaps Mina had been naive to offer her blood. Who knows what kind of evil magic could be done with such a sample?
She supposed the best she could do was to move forward with the plan: make headway toward this town and see for herself what was going on. While spying for the child, she would also try to pinpoint some of the most prominent figures in the neighborhood and see if she can earn their ... well, their appreciation, at least? Trust would be better... She needed to find a way to prove herself useful and benevolent.
It would be helpful if the little girl herself had a skinned knee or something -- a reason why a healer might approach her. As a last resort, maybe Mina could ask Ultime to "accidentally" bump into the child and knock her over?
Ugh, what a farce! Acting and lying were not exactly Mina's strong suits... She shakes her head. They will see what there is to see, and play it by ear as best they can.
Thoughts like these tumble through Mina's head until the morning sun finally makes itself fully known. The foxkin rises to her feet as Ultime starts to stir, preparing a simple breakfast over the fire that will hopefully last them until they enter town. Luckily for them, she had sniffed out these quail eggs the day before. (Though she'd prefer to eat them raw, she knows the human boy would probably prefer them cooked, so she does him that kindness. It's the least she can do...)
