Journey to Lands Far Far Away (RP)

"Yeah, me neither. Those things gave me the creeps." Albert agrees. "It's a nice blade though. I hope it serves you well."

Albert watches as Ezme comes back into view.
"Ah, break's over, Roald" He chuckles and grabs the pole to hoist it onto the other shoulder this time

Due to their urgent wish to get out of that region, they've walked late into the evening, and Ezme does not have much time to hunt. It seems as though they would have to rely on their rations to hold them tonight.

The foreign woman sets and bates a trap a little ways off and makes only a small fire -- just large enough to heat a pot of water. She erects the tent as the water heats, then proceeds to tear her old blood-stained tunic into smaller strips. She grinds the pungent white root of the plant she'd gathered into a pulp, plops it down into the center of one of the cleaner pieces of fabric, folds it into the strip, and soaks it in warm water for a span before applying it to her stitches (modestly, away from the men).

She looks between the men as she finally returns to rest by the fire. "... I do not know how valuable these packages are. Is it necessary to keep watch?"

Lille settles down near the others’ camp, mostly content. Yes, it was good that they went far from the mist, and also that they hadn’t pressed on too much more. Lille wanted to get an early start to do some hunting away from the mist, and though her legs weren’t tired, she’d still need some rest.

But the foreign woman’s actions had been puzzling her for hours now. After the group had moved on, Lille had cautiously approached the deposited object. It was... a bottle of blood? She had put it back without opening the top to check if it was human or animal. Even more curious was the missing plant. A quick check in the dirt had turned up an errant bulb, and a sniff confirmed its identity. But why trade blood for that? Lille clearly had a lot to learn, especially about foreign ways. At least she had a clue to something the strange woman desired. Several other of the plants were easy to locate, and a few more seconds saw them tucked through the buckle of her pack. Lille had hesitated a moment, then whispered Wankle into the trees as the other woman had done. She would have to ask about the rest of the ritual later.

Now she waited in the dark trees, looking to see if they would set any sort of watch. The plants were back with her gear, downwind of the group camp and far enough away that none of them would be likely to get near while gathering firewood or anything. When most or all of them were asleep, she’d fetch the bundle and hide her gift near enough for them to find.

Roald Watches Ezme's 'ritual' while he stuffs some of the bread they purchased at the inn in his mouth. Only with the first bite he realizes how hungry he is. How long has it been since he had a nice calm satisfying meal.
That should be priority number one tomorrow evening. Stop in time to make camp and roast something above the fire. Ezme looks like a capable woodswoman.
'' Maybe we should set some traps so we can have a decent meal tomorrow ''
After another bite
'' I'll take first watch, we are a large group to be attacked but you never know. Humphrey might have followed us seeking vengeance... ''

Lille sits up from her sleep with a grunt before she quite realizes what is happening. When she tries to rub her snout with a paw and finds a nose and hand instead, she comes the rest of the way awake. The pre-dawn forest is mostly quiet, so the little cracklings of snapped twigs and occasional snufflings are loud and clear. She lets the warm cloak fall the rest of the way from her shoulders and rises on silent feet, winding through the trees toward the sounds.

She makes a wide circle to be sure she’s approaching from the front, then stops and settles her body in a neutral stance, neither aggressive nor submissive. When the bear comes just into view between the trunks, she reaches out with her mind. Cousin, she thinks towards it, the animal concepts not translating perfectly into human speech, I am here in peace. There are Others nearby who also seek peace. Let your path go up that slope, so you may all avoid meeting and Contest. The route she indicates comes through as a group of sensations; the smell of the pines up a shallow incline, and the rushing sound of a stream just past them.

With the suggestion put forward, Lille opens her hands and looks towards the creature’s feet, quietly awaiting a response or direction change.

Ezmaray finishes chewing her bite of bread before responding. "I set one trap already in woods," she lets him know, gesturing with one arm vaguely in the direction she'd gone. "Splitting watch between between five of us, we should all get decent amount of sleep. I can take next watch after you...." She frowns quietly to herself.

"... Think you that Humphrey would follow?" She looks at Roald's face searchingly, hoping he might reveal a little more about what had gone down earlier that day, but hesitant to ask directly. She was absolutely sure Humphrey had been saying something about her right before the punch. Had Roald risen up to her defense? No one had ever really done anything like that for her before...

Roald smiles at the thought of fresh meat... Hopefully...
'' I'll wake you when I get sleepy. And about Humphrey, I don't know, it's always the sneaky ones that you have to watch out for. Better safe than sorry ''

Lille frowns as the bear ignores her. Sure, it was not only common but expected for a bear to ignore your will and follow its own. But that buzzing... In a flash she leaps back a few paces, her mind made up. She hates having to "speak" to animals with her body like this, since it comes across as shouting. The safety of the group is important, so she will do what needs to done.

"Stay back!" says the first posture, her arms spread wide and chest upright. While Lille’s human form is ill-suited to the task, years of practice have made her surprisingly fluent. "I am dangerous!" Her next series of arm waves includes a shuffling of her feet, and some subtle torso movements that most humans might not notice. "I will escalate to a fight!" Though her stomps and grunts are not comparable to a bear’s, she accentuates the threat by banging a large stick against a tree trunk with a solid thud.

Lille adds on a few more peaceful sensations through her mind, emphasizing the peaceful sound of the breeze in the pine boughs and the cool, sweet water of the stream. But most of her efforts are focused on her body, hoping that the direct threats and loud sound will jar the bear out of.. whatever is happening. Worst case, she is ready to head to the group camp and warn the others.

Lille sits down with the bear, disregarding her wet feet. Her posture says "Friend" and her movements are slow and simple. She opens the mental connection again, but this time only to listen. She leaves it going passively, ready to pay closer attention if something interesting comes through.

When the bear looks her way, Lille gestures back towards where the mists generally were, with as much flavor of a question as she can put in the motion.

Lille scrambles back as the bear stands, and watches its actions in confusion. She looks at the scat just long enough to determine that something off, and rises deep in thought. Her concern about the bear has evolved dramatically since she first sensed it, and new ideas race about in her head. She sits down again slowly in front of the bear, regarding it with fresh eyes.

Hello, she says uncertainly out loud, looking to the bear’s face and trying to remember Jordash’s descriptions of human social interaction. My name is Lille. She hesitantly extends her arm as if to shake hands, the action clearly unpracticed. There’s no way this should work.. but worth a shot, she thinks to herself.

Giving up on gleaning more from Roald, Ezme turns to Albert, to the other question that has been gnawing quietly at her mind. "So. Why Raynor? You do not strike me as 'conquering type.'" One brow raises briefly and her eyes flash challenge, but then she looks away, brushing the crumbs from her finished bread off her hands as she awaits his response.

"Humphrey?" Albert asks Roald after mentioning that he could be following. "He's probably out messing with the wrong woman again. And most likely drunk. I don't think we'll see him again." He shakes his head. "Poor Tina. I gave her hope that he could change." Somewhat in a sad mood, he gets himself ready to sleep when Ezme's question follows.

He grabs a hunk of bread himself. Munching in between his words. "To be honest, I don't feel like the conquering type either." He laughs. Bits of bread visible between his teeth. "I used to be an initiate at the temple. My parent's idea. But it wasn't for me and I left long before I became a true priest." He continues. "But somehow, Raynor worked his way back into my life after I lost my bar in a fire. And he's been watching over me ever since." He looks up at the sky briefly, then back at Ezme. His expression is calm and still a bit on the sad side. "I'm not the one conquering, nor the one healing. But Raynor chose to do those things through me."

He pauses for a moment, looking at Roald. Remembering that he also channeled Raynor's power once before.

"I'm not sure I can answer the question you gave me." He takes another bite. "The better question is, 'why me?'" His own words raise dozens more questions in his mind. He really didn't know why. He may never know.

"What is it you're looking for, Ezme?" He asks in return. "Why join a couple of strangers on the road? Don't get me wrong, we're happy to have your company and help." Albert reassures her with a smile.

It’s strange to me too, Lille murmurs as she accepts the sniff and then lowers her hand. At least that was one thing ruled out. Unfortunately, she did not have the time or inclination to follow the bear’s tracks and check everything it had eaten. Besides, with the matted hair, the problem had obviously started a while ago. Perhaps it kept eating something bad without knowing which thing caused the problem?

As long as we’re ruling things out.. Lille clears aside some leaf litter and finds a small stick. In the bare dirt she draws the clear outline of a mushroom, then asks the bear if it had eaten any.