Journey to Lands Far Far Away (RP)

Albert comes back to the group after talking to the innkeep. "What's this about tents?" He looks puzzled, but quickly changes when Theo distracts him.

"Oh Theo, have we got a story to tell you! Don't worry, we're all ..." He looks at his companions with blood stains. "... mostly fine." He gestures to one of the tables. "Let's have a drink and we'll tell you all about it. Oh, and this is Ezme."

Ezmaray turns to the innkeeper. "In my room, I require washbowl and cloths, mirror, small bowl, and clean needle and thread." She pauses. "... And some hard liquor."

The extent of her injuries is pretty obvious, so she feels no need to offer an explanation.

She turns as Albert introduces Theo and inwardly wilts as she is forced to acknowledge that morning has, indeed arrived. She really could have used a good night's rest...

Since Theo awkwardly avoids looking at her, Ezme addresses Albert and Roald instead of the lad. "Is this carriage driver?"

''No this is Theooooohw, a friend of ours"
Roald tries to suppress a yawn but only partially succeeds.
'' I think I need some shut eye, please wake me in a couple of hours.''
He asks the innkeeper for some bread and cheese and retreats to the room.

"Ah..." Ezme says, quietly wondering to herself how many men were in this party.

Roald's yawn triggers her own sympathetic one, which she attempts to hide behind her key-clutching fist as she watches him depart.

"...I think I will follow Roald. It has been long, exciting night, and before I rest there are ... matters ... I must attend to..." she glances down at her wounds to communicate her meaning (though Theo likely misses this, as he seems thoroughly engrossed with the floor)."We will talk later," she nods, then makes her exit.

Arriving at her inn room, Ezme spies an oval mirror affixed to a wall over a small bedstand. Striding over to it, she grimaces with chagrin at her reflection and brushes the lingering smear of dried mud from her forehead. With a moaning sigh of discomfort, she sets her pack down on the bed and digs out a small bottle of disinfecting thyme oil, setting it on the stand. Soon after, the rest of her materials arrive. Once alone, the woman tenderly removes her top and peels away the moss compress to inspect her wounds. She grimaces at what she sees and washes her hands. Frack...

The trapper braces herself with a long swig of bourbon, then holds the threaded needle over a candle flame to disinfect it. This was going to be fun....

"Are you sure you don't want..." Albert tries as Ezme leaves, offering his healing help once again. But it's too late. She's already gone before he finishes the sentence. "Sturdy lady, that one." He says to Theo after a few seconds. He didn't mean anything bad nor good by it, it was merely an observation. "Anyway, let me tell you what happened before I too head off for some sleep. You can let Daryl and Humphrey know what's going on then."

He takes the better part of half an hour to explain what went on in the mist and answer Theo's questions and give him some instructions concerting the packages and wagon. "We'll meet up just after mid day."

Before going to bed, he makes sure Roald is doing alright.

Albert ponders where Humphrey may be hanging out and thinks back to where they found him in the first place. "Oh he's better not be where I think he might be!" He tells Theo with a furrowed brow. "We'll worry about him if he's not back before noon. If he got in trouble, it would likely be his own doing."

Unless Theo objects, he heads to bed.

After eating Roald lies down on the bed and instantly falls asleep. He has no idea how long he has been sleeping when he hears a tapping at his chamber door. The memory of the drunk man standing on the imaginary balcony runs through his head. With every knock a chill runs down his spine. He opens the door... But there is nothing to be seen except an empty hall. Soon again he hears a tapping somewhat louder than before. '' surely '' says he '' surely that is something at my window lattice. Let me see than what there at is and this mystery explore''

''Roald wake up! I want be calling you no more!''

Roald opens his eyes.
It's Theo, standing beside his bed. He must have been vast asleep dreaming about past events.

'' I'm up, I'm up,... Give me a minute I'll be right down. Are the others awake?''

"That depends on what your definition of 'awake' is exactly." Albert says from down the hallway and follows it up with an audible yawn and a grunt as he stretches. He recently was woken in a similar manner as Roald.

He heads down to order some breakfast.

Ezmaray awakens. The bourbon had blissfully knocked her out cold, but now she was reaching that alcohol-induced stage of sleep that is light and restless, and she easily blinks to wakefulness. Her stomach grumbles in protest over last night's missed meal, and her chest burrrnnnns. She glances down at the long line of stitches and grimaces. Alas, walking around shirtless was not exactly an option today. Ah well, at least she'd been unable to effectively claw at her back during her fits of itchiness....

Ezme delicately pulls on her lightest blouse and packs up her belongings. Before she left this establishment, she would be sure to acquire an empty bottle for storing the blood she'd saved in this small bowl. (She didn't know if the mistling was still out there, but she felt indebted to it now.) Her belongings gathered, she makes her way downstairs to find something to eat.

As she makes her way down the hall, the trapper experiences a flash of anxiety. Roald and Albert had been oddly kind and accepting, without her having to invest much energy to prove herself. It had been refreshing, and she realized she liked the idea of working alongside folks like this. That said, it could very well be that people in these parts were just more ... subtle. Mentally, Ezme prepares herself for the possibility that they had stepped out the minute her back was turned....

Ezme swiftly makes her way to the others, her eyes jumping between them. "What is going on?"

Frowning, Ezmaray follows the boys out to the street to see what there is to be seen.

"They're WHAT?!?" Albert says in disbelief. "What did he do then?" Without waiting for an answer he walks out of the building to see what's going on exactly.

'' I'll catch up with you, just gonna get my stuff''
Roald runs back up the stairs to get his weapons. It only takes a minute or two. Still he has to run to catch up with the others who are walking with a hastily pace.

Upon entering the street and seeing the distracted state of the angry mob, Ezmaray puts some space between herself, Albert, and Theo. She clenches her fist and still approaches the mob with haste, but from a slightly different angle, hoping to disguise the fact that she is associated with the delivery men.

She waits to act further until she learns more.

Albert steps forward and tries to get in front of the men "What's going on here, guys?" He asks. "This man is to be my coach driver. What did he do?" He tries to look as clueless as possible.

Albert takes a deep breath. Annoyed by the way these people are ignoring him he decides to make his voice boom as he has heard many times in the past from the priests in the temple of Raynor. They had a special technique to fortify their voice to be heard clearly when talking to large crowds. Hopefully he's still got it.

"Stop this madness at once, in the name of Raynor, god of conquest!"

Roald steps closer to Albert, hand on his sword.
''Well,... 'With' is putting it too strongly but he is supposed to drive us from this town''
Roald's tone is friendly, not aggressive. ''Why are you parading him around like that? If I may ask. ''

Watching unnoticed from the sidelines, Ezmaray snorts. She unfolds her arms, builds herself up, and strides forwards aggressively.

"And no one will give sounder whooping than his loving wife!" she growls. She reaches out to grab Humphrey roughly by the hair.

"Hello, darling..." she snarls threatening. She turns to the men holding him up. "I will handle from here."

"Do not 'hello gorgeous' me!" the trapper yells, landing a loud smack across his face with her muscled arm.

Ezmaray does not intend to cause Humphrey much in the manner of harm. That said, she does not have to try very hard to act offended. She has never been looked at or spoken to in such a fashion, and something inside bristles with discomfort.

She turns abruptly to the butcher. "Rest assured. When I am done with him, he will not be seeing straight!" Ezme turns and starts dragging the hapless man down the street by his hair. Though she barely knows the fellow, a small part of her experiences some schadenfreude as the apparent womanizer yelps and squirms.

"Trust me, gentlemen. There is no worse punishment than to be handed to your wife. See how he's squirming even more than when you were dragging him off?" He looks the guys one by one, giving them a knowing look. "Now, how about we discuss this over a pint, huh? And we'll make sure Humphrey here never does it again. Whatever it was."

Ezmaray drags Humphrey around a corner and out of view of the public, then dumps him unceremoniously on the ground. She squats next to his prostrate form and, brows raised, she gives him a long, serious look.

"I stepped in to help you. Man who messes with other man's wife -- he does not deserve tarring and feathering. But he does deserve good smacking, and I do not apologize for that."

Roald watches the spectacle with a grin on his face. He knows of Humphreys reputation so he is quite certain Humphrey is getting what he deserves. The best thing to do now is getting back on the road and out of this town as quick as possible.
He has no interest in spending the...
''What time is it ? How long did I sleep?''
... Noon? in a bar.
'' Theo, can you accompany Albert? I will check on Ezme. Let's meet back at the inn in an hour. I'll ask the innkeeper for some food for the road, and then we can be on our way''

Roald is leaving out the part that he is not sure if he still wants Humphrey coming along. That man is trouble...

Stepping around the corner, Roald sees Humphrey getting scolded at by Ezme. He takes a step back so they wouldn't be disturbed by his presence. Again he can't keep himself from smiling.

Ezme is looking as if she can go on till evening. When the show is not amusing anymore Roald walks into sight and tells them everybody is meeting at the inn in a short while.

Unsettled, Ezme narrows her eyes in response to Humphrey's question about who she is.

Everything about his body language is strange to her. It didn't seem like he was mocking her. But if he wasn't, it meant he was lumping her in with all the other ladies he presumably fooled around with, which means...

Was this place really as Richie had suggested? From her observations, the ladies in these parts still seemed to dress more "womanly" than she did, but they also acted bolder, went out on their own, and generally had more independence than back home... (Goddess knows, none of her sisters would ever be in a situation where someone like Humphrey would have the opportunity to make moves on them!)

Did Humphrey actually think she was attractive? Despite her outrage over his demeaning behavior, it was a flattering idea -- the thought that someone could view her in that light. But then, thinking back on Aarov's deceit...

She shoves the hope away, snuffing it to the best of her ability. Best not to trust anything...

"Call me Ezme. House Felder. I am trapper from Dalhurst, hired to help your crew travel... But know this: I will not fall for rakish man with big smiles and batting eyes. Now up with you." She steps back, allowing him space to rise, then glances over to see Roald approach.

She nods and walks with Roald and Humphrey toward the inn, suggesting they avoid any main streets so as to not attract any unnecessary attention to Humphrey. She subtly glances at Humphrey, trying to read his response to her rejection.

Ezmaray turns to Roald and Humphrey. "Where is carriage? Perhaps better we wait there...?"

Ezmaray's head turns sharply to look at Roald.

"Ah, I see. Well to be honest, that doesn't surprise my from Humphrey. He seems to have a weak spot for ... Well anything with 2 legs and a bosom, I suppose."

He continues to listen to the crowd's assumptions on whether or not Humphrey actually did anything, but then steers away from that conversation.

"Say, fellas. What's been going on with the river near here? I've noticed a lot of fog around dusk. When did all that start?"

Roald opens the door just enough to get his head in. He catches a glimpse of Albert talking to a small crowd.
''Let's go around the back. We don't need them to see you right now.''
They carefully sneak around back staying away from the Windows as much as possible.
In the kitchen there is only the innkeeper's wife stirring in a kettle of broth. She frowns at Roald who puts a finger to his lips.
Upstairs Daryl is sitting on his bed polishing his armour. Roald shuts the door after everybody is in the room.
'' Listen up Humphrey, you kinda put us in a very annoying situation. This reputation of yours is not something we want to be associated with and at this point I'm seriously considering to go on without you. I don't know if you realize we saved your life out there. You owe us big time...
Here's how I see it... ''


Roald pauzes and looks Humphrey in the eye.

Relieved to see Roald completely ignore Humphrey's suggestion, Ezme follows them quietly to the inn room. As she enters, she nods polite greeting to the unfamiliar man polishing his armor on the bed. After the door shuts, she folds her arms and stands leaning casually against the wall, content to let the others work this out.

While listening to Humphrey, Roald cycles quickly through a bunch of emotions. At first he is confused about the lack of gratitude for getting him out of the hands of that mob. Turning into disbelieve over Humphrey's vision on women and at last a mix of angre and insult when he suggest that he and Ezme...

Without thinking he hits Humphrey straight in the face. At the last instant he tries to hold back just a little not to injure the guy but to deliver the message.

"You piece of shit!" Roald spits in his general direction.

Ezme's eyes narrow as she watches Humphrey lean in to talk confidentially with Roald. All she can make out before his voice drops to a complete whisper is the word "conquest," but she can read body language, and she certainly catches the nod of Humphrey's head her direction. She frowns suspiciously. He was talking about her.

Roald's passionate response to whatever Humphrey said takes her entirely by surprise. Wtf?! Ezme unfolds her arms and launches off the wall with alarm as Humphrey is sent flying backward by Roald's punch. Her wide eyes dart between the two of them. She stands ready to come to Roald's aid if necessary.

In the back of her mind, she notes her stitches stinging in protest.

While Albert is talking to a few people in the crowd, likely trying to work Raynor into the conversation whenever he can, he hears a ruckus coming from up stairs. Someone is in our rooms. He thinks, remembering that the butcher was angry and might be executing some type of revenge action.

"Uhm, excuse me a minute, friends. I need to check on something." He excuses himself and hurries up stairs to find the cause of the noise.

"Oh, it's you guys." He says as he realizes who is up here. "I didn't see you come in." Noticing Humphrey's pained expression as he clutches his nose, Albert adds. "Wow Ezme, you really did a number on him. Is he ok?"

Ezme steps back and throws up her hands innocently. "For once, Roald beat me to punchline!"

She turns an unsettled, questioning look to the enraged fighter. What did Humphrey say that upset this good-hearted fellow thusly??

Ezmaray pauses, then sets her package down at Theo's feet.

"Just over that slope there are herbs I would collect, for making poultice. Very quick. I will be right be back." Before anyone can protest, she jogs over the slope and out of view. She quickly pulls a bottle of her blood from her pack and calls out in a loud whisper. "Wankle??"

Not immediately seeing the mistling, the trapper goes to the base of the slope where a stream winds. There she yanks up a collection plants with broad green leaves, topped with a bunch of small white flowers. Holding the uprooted plants up in the air before her, she shakes excess dirt off of the bulbous root's papery exterior.

One hand still gripping the bottle of blood, she glances around one last time for Wankle before leaving her gift at the base of a tree. "For you, Wankle, as promised." With that, she starts to make her way back to the others.

Roald puts down his side of the package forcing Albert to do the same.
'' This actually works quite well. I just need some padding for my shoulder and I could walk like this for hours''
'' This place gives me the creeps... I think we should press on for some time to get away from the mist. If Ezme doesn't take to long, we should be able to cross the river before it gets dark.''

Lille slips quietly through the trees, easily keeping up with the group. She had waited for the foreign woman to come camp in the woods again, and was surprised when she left town with the other men and set off on the road. With two of them occupied with the large package, Lille’s sharp senses and help with hunting would be of even more value. She nods to herself, reassured that they would certainly let her join them when they saw her usefulness. For now, she could do all that from a distance, and reveal herself when her worth was solidly proven.

It’ll be good to have the protection of the pack, she tells herself. Life as an adventurer would mean some big changes, but her apprehension was small enough that her curiosity made the changes seem appealing. For now, anyway.

The first change comes quickly as the woman calls the group to a halt and then charges off into the trees. Lille freezes, her instincts kicking in as she watches in confusion. Does she need to relieve herself? This is a bad time and place for a long stop. Stay away from the mists. Her mentor’s repeated command echoes firmly in her mind. You cannot stay here, it is not safe. Find some adventurers, go learn about the world.. Jordash’s last words echo strongly for different reasons.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Lille’s confusion increases as the woman stops and calls into forest. What is she saying? Lille itches to move close enough to hear, but keeps her body still. After what feels like an age, she calls again and leaves, after putting something down. What did "Wankle" mean? The one audible word seems foreign; perhaps from her language, whatever that is. She shakes her head at the mysteries, watching her future companion retreat back to the group. Lille is sure she has enough time to wait until they set off on the road again, then go see what that item is.

Unaware of the hunter spying on them from the trees, Albert rubs his shoulder. "Yeah, it works well, but I don't know if I can keep it up for hours on end." He winces as he touches a sore spot and goes to sit down on a nearby stump. "It'll be useful to have someone around who knows about poultices and the likes." He looks around a bit, relaxing. "We should probably keep going to avoid the mist. I'm not sure how lucky we'd be a second time."

With the mist now on his mind, Albert wonders aloud. "Say, Roald. Did you give that dagger back to Gronk?"

''I wanted to return it to him, but he said I should keep it. So yeah, I still have it ''
Roald opens his cloak and shows Albert the dagger hanging by his side.
'' He said he didn't know how long the blessing Would last, but if it's all the same to you, I have no intention to find out''

"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.

Ezmaray listens intently to Albert’s response. She ponders for a bit, finding it… satisfactory.

After his question to her about why she'd joined them, she hesitates.

"I need money," she finally says simply. At first it seems like that’s all she might say on the matter, but then she realizes how mercenary that sounds and offers in explanation: "… for karmic debt." Then again… That alone also doesn’t sound great. She exhales, then explains: "I have five sisters. Three are married, but two youngest are not. My father is trapper, like me, but… getting older. His hands are…" She lifts her hands up and clenches them, not sure how to name the problem. "They bring him pain. He cannot hold hunting blade well."

Ezme lets her clenched hands drop to her sides, then leans over to pick up a poker stick. Her eyes are fixed on the flames as she adjusts the logs and continues. "Of course, it fell on me as bhavanti to fill his shoes, to provide. And so I did. But five dowries is much to pay. And things have not been looking good, especially for Keia — the youngest."

The foreign woman closes her eyes and lowers her head, her expression suddenly regretful. "I had chance to fix all problems our family faced," she says lowly, solemnly. "But I did not take it. I shirked my duty, and in so doing betrayed the trust of my sisters." There is clearly more to this story, but Ezme opens her eyes and glances up at the group, suddenly looking a bit bashful about having admitted this much.

"And so… karmic debt," she says lightly. She straightens and shrugs nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.

Roald listens to the conversation but doesn't engage. He has no idea what to say.
Such responsibility, how much would a dowry be? I'll ask her another time.
He feels a bit uneasy, what if the job pays too little... Or nothing at all if they lose the packages.
Damnit, now I feel responsible too.
He stares into the fire and waits a while in silence. Then produces a semi-fake yawn, indicating they should hit the sack so he can begin his watch. It's late enough as it is.
''excuse me''

Roald stands and walks a few meters to water the bushes.

"Wait!" Lille signals, standing up with the bear. "I can help with your problems," she tells it soothingly. Instead of trying to sit with it again, she walks beside it, slowly angling them away from the camp as they weave through the trees. She muses briefly on the bear she had seen near her home last year, trying some of the Special mushrooms that Jordash liked. I guess that bear has unusual tastes.

Thinking along those lines, she quickly refocuses on her current companion. "What kind of sweet things do you like?" The question is a little vague and hard to convey, but she uses her mental connection to add the sensations of ripe blackberries and sweet honey as examples.

"I see." Albert says. He wasn't exactly sure what a karmic debt was, but apparently it involved money which made a lot of sense to him. "I'm sure you did what you did for good reason." He watches her reaction at this, trying to gauge if that's true or not. "Life doesn't always go the way we would have wanted it. But that makes us who we are, no?"

He looks at the packages. "I cannot promise you mounds of gold, but these package should earn us a decent wage."

After a brief pause, he chuckles suddenly. "Ha! A poem just popped into my head, thinking of Necusle."
"There once was a man from Necusle
Who managed to get in a tussle
Twelve men he'd defeat
But they kicked out his teeth
Now all he can eat is a mussel"

Ezmaray simply shrugs and averts her eyes following Albert's comment about the reasoning behind her decision. She's clearly not very comfortable reflecting on the consequences of her actions. Hard to judge whether she would make the same choices again were she presented the option. She grimaces humorlessly at Albert's silly poem and shakes her head, refraining from comment.

To Theo's question about the meaning of bhavanti, the woman explains, "Bhavanti is almost like third gender in my culture. When family has failed to conceive male heir, sometimes they name one daughter bhavanti, to be raised and treated like boy. Bhavanti are dressed like boys. Have hair cut like boys. Go to school like boys. They can work alongside their fathers, make income, act as protective escorts... etc. This typically only lasts at most until puberty, then she is given real, female name and expected to adopt womanly ways." Ezmaray's lips momentarily press together in a flat expression devoid of enthusiasm. "But I am rebel. I declined to make switch. So they still call me Ezmaray."

Catching Roald's cue, the foreign woman rises and starts preparing her bedroll. She lays it down next to the tent. As she does so, she goes on: "Bhavanti are given placeholder names at birth -- usually some sort of predator. It helps distinguish them..." Bedding prepared, she carefully lowers herself down, turning her gaze to the sky. "In my country, ezmaray means 'lion.'" She chuckles a tired sigh and closes her eyes before muttering under her breath: "Always identified more with canines, myself, though."

Turning deftly, Lille stays beside the bear, though she is torn inside. Guiding it away from the group was the goal, and now she had achieved that. She should go rest or hunt, but the dampness lingering on her feet reminds her of the bear’s pitiful state. Her indecision ends abruptly, and she refocuses on the problem.

She tries to think back over things that Jordash had taught her. Lille reaches down as they walk, scooping up two different leaves. Then she offers them, one at a time, along with her question: "Is the honey light like this, or dark like this?" With the lighter golden leaf she includes the sweet taste of regular honey. With the darker reddish leaf, she adds a bitter note along with the sweetness. As they walk, she listens for the buzzing of early morning bees and looks around for any flowers they might be visiting.

"Wait!" Lille puts a hand gently on the bear’s back to get its attention. This honey is gone. I can help you find more." Withdrawing her hand, she stands to the side for the bear to get down. When the way is clear, she tries to examine the hive remains and tree bits, along with any deceased or slow moving bees, for irregularities.

Lille takes in her loss of control over the situation with a stoic resignation. All things perish eventually, and the chances of her saving this one bear are rapidly dwindling. But Jordash had also taught her that humans are capable of greatly upsetting the balance of life. Fixing an imbalance is immensely harder, and Lille doesn’t have any strong clues that this situation was the result of human actions. Still, if she can gather a little more information, perhaps she can keep this problem from becoming more wide-spread.

The thoughts flash through her head in an instant, and she darts in towards the tree almost as fast. She stays as far to the side as possible while still checking on the pieces and insects. Lille glances up as the honey falls, and touches her pinky to a tiny bit of it. She sniffs the small sample, relying on her reflexes to get her away if the branch cracks.

"I see." Albert says after Ezme explains her name and mannerisms. "Well, no matter what, it's good to have you around." He says with a comforting smile. "Definitely an upgrade from Humphrey!" He laughs at his semi-joke.

"Time for some rest." He gets up to lay down near the fire and close his eyes. "Wake me when it's my turn."

"Theo... I suspect you would be most comfortable in tent. I give you my spot.... Tonight, I commune with stars." The drowsy trapper says all this without opening her eyes, then drifts off to sleep....

- Ezme's Dream -

A giant moon hovers low, shining like a large eyeglass that peers over the oceanic horizon. Distantly it spies a form perched on a high promontory. The thrumming pound of a ceremonial drum carries over the water, but also into a darkening forest that stands witness at this figure’s back. A voice dances hand-in-hand with the drum – her words ancient, the subtlety of their meaning long lost to time. Beside our solitary musician, a bonfire crackles, sending sparks up into the sky. The scene is simultaneously loud and peaceful, evoking both energy and a sense of hush.

As if mirroring this dichotomy, Ezmaray is both in this scene and yet… not. Her mind is flitting away from the memory, prancing across dreamscapes to rejoin with the comforting familiar: Adala and Keia’s broad smiles and bare feet, kicking up the sand in their dance; the tip of her mother’s paintbrush, glowing with the bioilluminescent pigments that now decorate her young sisters’ faces, arms, and legs; the wafting scent of burning sage from the elders’ sky paintings; the call and response of the women’s voices and the men’s drums; the taste and satisfaction of the prepared tribute and feast.

The first full moon of summer was the only time of year that she ever wished she’d been raised like her sisters. She longed to move to the drums with them, to glory in the body she’d been blessed with and bask in the admiration of men…. This would never be. All the same, she’d found joy in her drumming and was content to live vicariously through her sisters as she watched them spin and sway. But now even that was lost to her....

These traditions, they grounded her – helped her to feel that she did, indeed, belong… reminded her what she fought and lived for. Now what was she? A renegade daughter playing a lone drum – her name a taboo word never to be spoken, doomed to be remembered with resentment and then entirely forgotten....

Lille frowns at the elusive moving things and retreats to a safe distance with a few samples. Setting them on a small rock, she starts searching the area. She spirals out from the tree, looking for tracks besides her own or the bear’s, and for signs of humans or anything out of the ordinary.

Ezmaray opens her eyes and glances briefly at Theo when he first starts to speak, then gazes up at the stars as she listens. She furrows her brow uncertainly after his question. Upon hearing his sudden "good night" she looks his way, watching wordlessly as he recedes into the tent.

Ezmaray turns her eyes back to the heavens as she listens to the lad settling down to rest. Questions well up within her. In the distance, the night bugs start up their peaceful chorus; the trapper exhales.... Her questions would have to wait.

"Goodnight..." Ezmaray finally calls softly. She closes her eyes to sleep....

Lille walks slowly near the corrupted hives, taking note of their location. She compares that to the healthy hive, and also the nearby fields and orchards. Then she starts circling around the infected ones, looking for current or recent abnormal flowers. She keeps an eye - or the corner of her eye - out for the tiny moving things.

Lille surveys the shadowy wasps with unease. They are beyond anything she knows or had even heard of by rumor from Jordash. Could they be destroyed by fire like other things? There isn’t time to clear a safe area around all the hives and still follow the group. Unless...

She turns and starts walking towards the adventurers’ camp, options running through her head. What would entice them to help her? Up until now, she had only imagined offering *them* help, not asking for theirs. Perhaps that woman would understand.. Yes, that is the way to do it. She is a hunter like Lille, surely she would see that restoring the balance is worth a short delay.

Lille picks up her pace to a trot, filled with new determination. She slows as she approaches the camp, making sure to come from downwind and make a wide arc around the trap she had seen them set last night. Unfortunately, that means that the tent is between her and whomever is awake on watch. Last night, that had been a boon, allowing her to deposit the plant gift with ease. Now she creeps carefully forward, trying to peek around it to see where that woman is.

One quick peek around the tent shows that the man is facing her way. While she is glad that the group knows to keep watch in this direction, it also ends her unseen approach. Taking a deep breath, she stands up beside the tent.

Coming suddenly into view is a young woman, about 18-20 years old. She is short and wiry, with the muscles beneath her tan skin tight, as if ready to suddenly bound away like a deer. She stands confidently, holding up a head with short brown hair, sticking out in every direction. Her clothes are simple and roughly cut; a short sleeved leather top and knee length skirt made of overlapping animal skins. They are a little worn but clean and well made. Her body has a few scars but is likewise clean, with the notable exception of her bare feet which are splattered and dirty.

She immediately locks her green eyes with Albert’s and points a commanding finger at Ezmaray’s slumbering form. I need her help, she says simply. It won’t take long, she declares. Almost as an afterthought she adds, I mean you no harm.

Albert sits on a tree stump near the fire, watching left and right every now and then while whittling some wood with his dagger. He's not sure what he's making yet, but surely some shape will form at some point.
Then a rustle nearby makes him raise his head just in time to see the young woman coming into view by the fire light.

He's quick to grab his staff and stand up. "Stop right there!" He commands. Even though the woman doesn't look menacing, he's wary of strangers in the night. Could it be the mist crone in disguise? He's not sure. Best to not take chances though.

After the woman's words, he asks. "First things first, who are you?" Eying her suspiciously, he slowly shuffles over to Ezme who is sleeping under the stars. If the woman made any threatening movements, he would be fast enough to kick Ezme's legs and wake her up.

"What does it matter who I am?" Lille’s face shows a touch of confusion and her voice betrays an obvious frustration. "There is a problem. We should attend it right away, and then you will not be delayed much." She gestures to the east, where the first hints of light are just barely visible through the dark trees. Eyeing his staff, she adds, "You could help too."

Albert did not expect such a response, however, he is tired and thus grumpy. "Listen, girl" He says in a somewhat condescending tone. "I've been attacked by skeletons, stuck in a war between barons, had my friends kidnapped, and seen creatures beyond imagination in the mists. If you think I'm about to let you 'borrow' my friend here without knowing who you are and what you want, you are sorely mistaken." It might be a bit unfair to this young woman, but Albert has not had the best time recently and he is venting his frustrations. Unfortunately for Lille she's just arriving at a bad time.

"Now either state your business clearly or leave us be."

Down near the barkeeper's feet, the young trapper stirs in her slumber. She tosses her head with a groan -- disturbed, but clearly disinterested in waking from whatever dream currently consumes her.

Lille does not seem put off by his outburst; rather she seems almost calmed. She holds her ground, standing straight, as she explains: "Not far from here," she points back into the woods, "I met a bear. It was headed to your camp, but I convinced it to stop." She seems rather proud, but turns slightly sad at the next part. "There was something wrong with its body, and also its mind. Not a poisoning or anything I know of.." She struggles to think of the word she wants. "Obsessed. Yes. It could not care for itself, only think of the honey from some hives. I followed it and found several hives that were tainted. Some were not." She seems heartened by that fact. "There were some kind of shadowy insects in the bad hives, looking for more to take over. We must clear the ground so we can burn the sick ones, and stop them from spreading to the healthy hives." She looks uncertain for the first time, almost hopeful that this man with so many strange experiences might have an insight or explanation. "There are fields and orchards nearby. I don’t know what these things or the bad honey would do to humans or food, but I don’t think we should find out." Her appeal to his supposed interests is accompanied by another hopeful look.

Albert mulls this over in head head for a moment. Was this person crazy? Making things up for fun? Or was this real? With the things he'd just mentioned, he could hardly afford to call her crazy. He's pretty sure that nobody would make up such a strange story either. By process of elimination, she was likely telling the truth.

The calm demeanor of Lille seems to have a positive effect on Albert. "Hmmm..." He eventually says. "Sounds like you'll need Ezme alright." He lowers his defensive stance and rests his staff on the ground, then leans over to wake up Ezme by touching her shoulder. She had been stirring for a while, so most likely she wasn't in any deep sleep. "Ezme, uhm.... visitor for you."

"Please, have a seat." He offers the woman, pointing to the stump that he was sat on before. "I'm Albert, what should we call you?"

"I am Lille," she says simply. She continues standing where she is, but relaxes visibly as he leans down to wake the other woman. She looks content to wait in silence, her placid patience a seeming contrast to her previous words of urgency.

With the slightest touch of Albert's fingers on her shoulder, Ezmaray's eyes spring open. She turns her head to look at him, taking in the man's awkward tone and demeanor more than his actual words.

"What is...? Was I...?" She blushes a little, tossing her bangs out of her eyes as she pushes herself upright. As Albert steps aside to reveal the visitor, Ezme freezes in place.

"You..." she breathes, clearly recognizing the young woman. "You came back..." The trapper looks around herself, as if suddenly doubting her senses. "I was dreaming of the night we..." The foreign woman looks very disoriented, her words trailing off.

"We need not speak of what happened," Lille says, a little rushed. "What matters is that I am here, now, and I need you." She ends softly, with a little blush coloring her cheeks in turn. She shifts as if uncomfortable before settling back to her endlessly patient stance.

Albert repeats to Ezme what Lille had just told him before the words of Ezme sink in. "Wait, you know each other?" He asks in disbelief. "Why didn't you start with that?"

"Why did you think I asked for her?" Lille says it almost as a statement instead of a question. "We... met.. in the woods. At the full moon." She seems reluctant to reveal more about what happened between them that night. "But we have a task to attend, before we get moving again." If she were a cat, she would be swishing her tail impatiently, whatever her outward demeanor. She looks to both of them, awaiting their readiness to go.

Roald wakes up because of all the chatter in the camp.
The stranger seemed friendly so he continued pretending to sleep but was listening to every word. Hearing the cry for help of the young woman, the first thing that pops up in his head was:

is it to much to ask to have just one quiet uneventful night? when was the last time he slept without being roughly awakened...

He was not very keen on leaving their cargo with just Theo and Daryl but by the sound of it, the woman needed every hand available, she sounded trustworthy too... Despite her weird story. And if he knew a thing or two about Albert, ... He would never turn his back on someone in need and had probably already decided to help. Nor would Roald himself for that matter.

Also, Ezme seemed to be friendly towards her, in the short time they've spend together Roald started to trust Ezme's judgement.

Still lying down he sighs audibly and quietly says:

''The sooner we get this over with, the better. Hell, we might be back before breakfast''

It was clear that Ezme trusted this person by the tone of her voice and her body language. For a second Albert could swear she was blushing. But it might just be a trick of the fire light.

Albert smirks, hearing Roald's comment. "The man has a point." He agrees as he walks to his backpack, leaning on his staff as he kneels to start gathering his things. Then he picks it up and heaves it onto his back. He trusted Roald's judgement most of all. But then again, he had already made up his mind before that. The confirmation of his friend felt good, none the less.

With the noise from their packing, Theo and Daryl wake up not long after. They aren't all too happy with the short night sleep, especially Theo. But when the situation is explained they understand what needs to be done. Hopefully they will find some time to rest later.

"Shall we then?" He asks the group, not even waiting for the answer and heading towards Lille. "That's Roald, Theo, and Daryl, by the way." He tells her casually. "What needs to be done and where?"

"I can show you where." Lille turns and falls into step with Albert, giving a brief glance to see that Ezme is following. Her eyes pass over Roald as he’s named, but she doesn’t react or offer any comment. As they walk, she tells briefly of the state and number of bad hives.

"We should approach near the one this way," she indicates, angling the group around a tree. "If the bear is still gorging at the other one, it may not be safe to get near. I don’t think the honey makes it violent, but it could still startle more easily or become territorial."

Lille surveys the scene and the bear, weighing her options and clearly liking none of them. "I will try to wake it and get it to go that way." She points in the direction she had originally tried to get the bear to go. "But with... whatever is effecting its mind, it may need stronger persuasion." She indicates three spots that form a sort of back wall. "If it comes towards you, or I point, you can start making a lot of noise." She considers a moment longer. "A small fire would also help, but I don’t want to clear and burn any more of the forest than we have to."

''Do you think it would come in our direction if the 6 of us start clearing bushes here? Maybe we can wake the bear with our noise and drive it in the opposite direction? Of course you know more about what state it is in...''

Ezmaray collects herself as she breaks down camp and does her best to avoid staring at Lille as the crew makes their way to the infected hives. She'd never seen a woman who moved like this, like she were somehow a part of the wilderness itself, nor had she met another who spoke with such blunt assertion.

Once they arrive at the site, the trapper gets the lay of the land, then squats, studying the bear from a safe distance while the others discuss their options. "It looks ill," she pipes in. "I do not think it will mess with us..." She straightens, turning to the group. "I would like to see how ... Lille ... communicates with this beast. We will do our part to deter it from staying or attacking." She nods to the Roald. "It is as I said to you earlier. Do not run from predator. Show it you are boss. Assertive noise is good, but remain calm and firm. Leave your packs on. Swing arms wide or use cloak to make yourself look larger. Keep weapons ready, but they are last resort." She steps closer to the group. "Stay together," she advises the men. "Bear is more likely to attack individual than large group."

She pulls out her hunting knife, then nods toward Lille to continue.

Lille only nods back to Ezme, the action summing up an agreement with her thoughts and approval of her advice. She glances at the men to see that they are ready, then turns from the adventurers towards the bear. She approaches it from the side, stepping with purposeful noise on dry leaves and cracking twigs.

When Lille is just close enough, she kneels on one knee, and reaches out a hand to the bear’s shoulder. She gives it a firm little rub before quickly withdrawing her hand and reaching out for it’s mind. You must go, she tells it, sending the same images and sensations of the peaceful pines and cool gurgling stream. She hopes that the repetition will both make the point stronger and identify her as the safe ally from earlier. You cannot stay here. She gives the sensation of pricking thorns and the buzz of angry bees as she watches for its reaction.

Roald watches how Lille approaches the bear. He is curious and worried at the same time.
She looks like she knows what's she is doing though.
He glances at Ezme who seems to be totally ok with it.
Roald opens his cloak and spreads it out, as if he was a soaring bird.
It's kinda clumsy holding both his sword and the cloak, but if it comes to a fight with the bear, holding up the cloak will be the last of his worries.

Albert slaps his left upper arm "Ouch that stings!" He says in frustration and looks at his hand where a dead wasp can be seen. The feeling of the wasps venom is not what he's used to. For a brief moment he feel like he's back at the strange temple. "Aunt Mertle?" He snaps back to reality and finds Daryl staring at him. "Who's Mertle?" He asks. Albert quickly brushes off the comment. "Hmm? Oh, no matter. I just got stung by a wasp, look." He rolls up his sleeve and shows a red spot the size of a blueberry.

He turns to Lille "What are these things? You mentioned tainted hives, but I get the feeling they are tainted by something we've encountered before." He shakes his head. "This is not good, Roald. What if the temple's influence is spreading?"

Roald decides the danger of being stung by a wasp outweighs that of being mawled by a sleeping bear and tightens his cloak again. He also puts his hood over his head.

''Let's hope this is all just a coincidence, but if the wasps poison the honey we should keep a close eye on that spot on your arm. Let's tend to it as soon as possible.''

Roald starts clearing the bushes and dead wood, anything that could spread the fire in the wrong way has to go.

Lille turns in slight surprise, when Albert reacts to her buzzing instead of the bear. She tries to recover quickly, but inwardly kicks herself for the mistake. It is good I will travel with them now. I must sleep more tonight, and not make these mistakes again.

She stops the buzzing immediately, leaves the bear, and hurries over as Albert demonstrates his sting mark. She looks for the wasp, and any stinger or other ‘unseen’ deposit it might have made on his arm or nearby. "I don’t know what these things are or do." She almost looks relieved that they seem to recognize the insects or their effects. "The bear seemed obsessed with the bad honey, and had a kind of.. block on thinking of other things. Very hard to shake off." She seems both sad for the bear and concerned for Albert, as if a bit of pain is the least of his worries.

Lille also motions Ezme over. "You must look for the wasps without seeing them," she tells the other woman, although she’s openly sharing the technique with all of them. "Do not look straight at them, but just at something else nearby. Like the difference between staring at the surface reflection of a pond or focusing deeper into the water." She’s not sure if her explanation makes sense, but it’s the best she can put the indescribable into words.

Albert thinks as he rubs his arm. "Should we start clearing the area then?" He asks Lille. "The sooner we get started, the sooner we're done. Did you manage to remove the bear?"

Ezme watches the lethargic bear and sighs. "What would bears be without bees...?" she recites under her breath, to no one in particular. "... Just ears." She finishes the joke quietly, her expression slightly dreamy and melancholic, as if she were recalling something from long ago. She blows a raspberry, watching Lille and the bear intently until Albert smacks his arm and curses.

Her brow quirks when the blue-vested man mentions some sort of temple. There's a story there, but it will have to be inquired about later. She swings her pack around to her front as she approaches Albert and Lille, her expression determined.

"Your gift, wood nymph, was well timed," she asserts.

Ezme digs into her pack, pulling out the bulbs that Lille had left for her the night prior. She tosses one to Lille and to each of the men standing by, nodding to them to do as she does.

"Allium Ursinum," she introduces as she peels away the papery white exterior of the bulb. Using the hilt of her hunting knife, she crushes a clove and gently rubs the juices onto Albert's sting. Its pungent smell brings to mind a delicious savory dish. "Garlic," the trapper elaborates with a smirk. "... Does more than just taste good. Antibacterial. Antifungal. Reduces swelling, and relieves pain from stings, but also..." She shares a long look with the group. "... bee repellent, when juice is rubbed into exposed skin. If used against hive directly, it can be toxic, killing bees and larvae." Ezme turns to look at the nearest hive. "Granted, these are not average bees. However, it is worth trying... if you do not mind stinking to high hell.... I doubt we have enough to treat all hives, but it might cut back amount we need to burn." She shrugs.

"Stop!" Lille pushes Ezme’s hand away. The other woman’s rubbing exposed the embedded stinger enough that Lille could finally see it. "Give me your knife and tie his arm. The stinger is poisoning him!" She holds out one hand for Ezme’s hunting knife, her other holding Albert’s arm near the shoulder, trying to pinch off his blood vessels.

Roald isn't waiting for 'permission' to clear the area and keeps on working. Every now and then he scans his surroundings.
He notices a light shadow between 2 big trees... Or maybe not...
He squints his eyes and tries to look at the tree next to it.
There it is again!
'' Lille... What's... That.''
He points at the trees.

"Knife?" Albert tries to jerk back but Ezme's grip makes that very difficult. "Can we talk about this first? I feel fine, really. It's just a wasp."

Although her face is already drawn with concern, when Lille sees the swarm her expression turns to horror. "They’re coming!" Not waiting for anyone to react, she snatches the knife out of Ezme’s hand. "They know he was stung, the swarm is coming. Get away from here!" she commands the others, keeping her one hand clamped on Albert. "Hold still," she orders him, and bends close to dig the stinger out with the knife tip.

Ezme freezes momentarily as Lille digs at the stinger, still processing the somewhat conflicting warnings and commands the forest woman has barked out in the past ten seconds. Run? Stay to help Albert?? And how dare she snatch her beloved HUNTING KNIFE from her hand!?

As Lille finishes up, the trapper urgently pushes the remaining mashed garlic clove into Albert's free hand. "Smear this on your face," she instructs. With the hand clutched around his wrist, she tugs on him to run with her.

As she they move, she pulls a light blue blanket from the bedroll in her open pack still on her chest, shoving it into former barkeeper's arms. "Cover up rest of you."

Lille was only lightly clothed. This might be problematic, but she at least she was fleet of foot and had good survival instincts. Daryl looked mostly covered. Theo was running. Ezme casts a concerned look Roald's way to check his status.

Albert is completely overwhelmed by the sudden rush of commands by the women. "Heh... Bhu... Whah.... Ur" are the only sounds he manages to make while his eyes dart from Lille to Ezme to the garlic to Roald. And then before he knows what's going on, he's being pulled ahead by Ezme while rubbing a vegetable om his face.

The smell reminds him of his childhood somewhere in the back of his head. Unfortunately there is no time to dwell on it.

A buzzing noise can be heard in the distance. He swats at something near his ear. Could have been a mosquito, he's not sure. But the low hum far off persists.

"Water!" He says, regaining his sense of speech. "We can hide in water, right?"

As Ezme shoves a blanket into Albert’s arms, Lille wordlessly thrusts the handle of the knife back to the trapper’s free hand. She scoops up the garlic from Ezme that she had dropped to remove the stinger. Running beside them, she guides Ezme and Albert in the direction of her gear. "We should split! she calls out, motioning the others away. "I think Albert’s their biggest target. Meet at your campsite later."

Despite her words, she stays relatively close to Ezme and Albert, easily keeping up with their pace. As they near the site, she surges ahead, and stops just long enough to pick up Jordash’s cloak and staff - No, MY cloak and staff now - and her belt with the other weapons. At Albert’s mention of water she points toward the stream. "Beyond those pines is a small stream. Not big enough to hide in, but perhaps we can follow it to a larger pool." Lille sounds a bit doubtful about the possibility, but aims towards the water anyway.

Rushed, but trying to keep her wits about her, Ezme tries to judge which direction the stream is most likely to pool…

After Lille confirms what Roald was thinking/seeing he goes from 'working the land on a nice day' to 'fight or flight mode' real quick.
He sees that the splitting up is not going as it should be, so he grabs Theo and Daryl by the shoulder and nudges them in a different direction.

'' Follow me you two!''
''Try, to keep up, we need to find water, RUN!''

Roald starts running downhill. His agility helps him zig-zag through the trees, jumping over stumps and avoiding exposed roots, soon he has a lead on his friends. He uses the spare time to search for signs of water. Little dried up beds or grooves where rainwater runs down the slope.

'' This way!''

Roald is following what he thinks is an old dried up stream, leading water down after a downpour.

Roald reaches a large open space, some sort of indentation in the landscape.
There is Forest all around him sloping up.

damnit

Theo and Daryl are still following, looking expectingly at him for guidance.

''errrr I think it's that way. ''

Roald chooses a direction which he thinks is opposite from the swarm.

Like Roald, Ezme uses the lay of the land to guide her decision, leading them downhill along the stream and hoping to find a pooling place that direction. Even as she does so, a voice in the back of her mind whispers that this is likely a fruitless endeavor. This was a small stream -- they'd have to get very lucky if they wanted to find a place deep enough to submerse their entire bodies. Her gut tells her that their best bet is to move swiftly (as opposed to stealthily) and simply extract themselves from the bees' territory as quickly as possible. That being the case, she moves with as much haste as she can without abandoning Albert -- she wants to be near him in case he reacts poorly to the sting.

Sure enough, as they continue, the stream offers little in the way of protection. Ezme pauses to catch her breath, checking on Albert and glancing around for the rest of their companions.... She doesn't like being separated from them. Roald was leading them who knows where; they'd likely have to be tracked down and rescued again. Ezme bites her lip worriedly. Hopefully they didn't get themselves killed in the meantime...

Albert manages to gather his thoughts as they move through the forest. The run makes him cough quite a bit as his lungs are not in the best shape, but he pressed on.

When he catches up to Ezme he notices the worried look and senses her tension. "Hey" He says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "The others will be fine. Daryl is persistent and Roald knows how to handle all kinds of situations. Theo has the brains to figure out what to do." He smiles reassuringly. Somehow he had ended up with a more than competent group of friends each complementing each other's skills. "Please, focus on our own safety so we can get back. Which way now?"

His arms was starting to hurt more, but there was no point in mentioning that. He'll bite through it until this garlic kicked in.

Back in the forest, Albert's hand on her shoulder takes her aback. With a flash, she wonders how long it has been since she has experienced genuine physical affection of such nature? No time to ponder it. Grabbing Albert's arm again, she presses on, experiencing a glimmer of hope at a glimpse of light through the trees ahead... a hope which is very suddenly dashed over a very steep precipice.

"Frack!" There on the cliff edge, Ezme turns swiftly to face the others. "Can you swim?!?"

She looks urgently at Albert as he huffs and wheezes. No.. that wouldn't do. He'd never make it. Gods, they were high enough up, she's not sure she wanted to risk the fall...

She shakes her head, dismissing that proposal before the others can even respond. Noting that Lille already has a cloak in her arms, the trapper extracts only one other blanket from her bedroll.

"Duck down and cover up your head..." she instructs as she throws the blanket over her own head and kneels to the ground. "...and pray to the gods the bees lose interest..."

She thought she had heard somewhere that bees prefer darker targets. With any luck the lighter hue of Albert's blanket would throw them off.... Or maybe the cold ocean breeze would deter them?

When Ezme stops in the woods to check on Albert, Lille takes the chance to look behind them. Sure enough, there are the shadow insects, still chasing them. Before she can mention that fact, Ezme gets them moving again.

As they burst out at the cliff edge, Lille is prepared to check behind them, once she brings her bounding strides to a hasty stop. She squints at the shadows, gauging their motion. Yes, they are definitely seeking Albert. She thinks about swimming and dismisses the thought as quickly as Ezme can voice the idea and reject it.

But instead of hiding under her cloak, she throws it over Albert and ducks her head in to Ezme’s blanket. "I need your flint and steel," she says urgently. "I don’t know if a fire or smoke will deter them but it’s worth a try." Without waiting for an answer, she starts scooping together dry leaf litter and small branches into a pile at the forest’s edge. She makes sure to clear the biggest space downwind of her impromptu campfire.

Let’s dodge some shadow stingers.

Lille makes some unconventional use of her staff as she uses it to sweep dry leaves into her pile, leaving the ground mostly bare. She scrambles about on all fours, using her hands and feet to tidy up the edges. When she can’t wait any longer, she casts the staff inland a few paces for safety, and reaches for the flint and steel.

It is just then that she gets the first sting, on her outstretched left forearm. Lille ignores the pain in silence, and squats over the pile to kindle it with the ease of much practice. As she leans to blow on the first glowing sparks, a sharp pain in her left calf lets her know that there’s one more sting to attend. Thankfully, the first small billows of smoke drift past her just then, increasing quickly as the bigger pieces catch the flame.

With a sigh that comes out as more a grunt, she settles low under the haze to tend her wounds. She uses her knife to first dig out the stinger on her arm, then ties off her upper arm with her sling. Next, she removes the one from her leg and uses her belt to tie her upper thigh, hoping she’s getting some big blood vessels.

When Lille first pops her head under Ezme's blanket and makes her request, the trapper's first thought is... "There is no way we could make fire before they get here!" but there's no time to argue, and she sees the wood nymph is determined. So, from underneath the blanket, she paws through her pack for the flint and steel. When she produces her head to hand over the tools, she's shocked to see a suitable pile of kindling already arranged. With one strike from Lille, a fire quickly ignites, despite the cool ocean breeze.

Impressive....

It seems the girl has the matter handled. Ezme tucks her head back under the blanket to shield herself as the billowing smoke begins to sting her eyes. Her brow furrows as she listens to Albert's coughing. Was it the smoke bothering him, or was he having a strong reaction to the sting? Ezme had heard of children in town who had mysteriously passed way from a simple bee sting, but she had no idea how to treat such a problem...

The trapper emerges from under her blanket to check on Albert, only then noticing the odd bands Lille had applied to her own arm and leg. "You, too?" Ezme comments with concern. She pokes under Albert's blanket to see how he looks. "How are you doing?" she asks him.

The waft of smoke that manages to get in as Ezme checks in on him makes Albert cough again. He had just managed to stop the fit, but there he went again. Through the coughs he tries to say "I'm... fine... just a... scratchy... throat" pointing to his neck. The cloak felt quite comfortable, though. He could tell it was well made. "Bees... gone?" He adds finally, the coughs now slowing down again as he adjusts to the new air quality.

His eyes were watering from trying to hurl his lungs out. But as long as he wasn't sure about the bees, he planned on staying low and covered.

'' Ok guys... I think we're officially lost. The good news is, we've shaken off the wasps.''
Roald hates to admit it, but he can't lie to his friends.
'' So, what's next. My suggestion is to go for higher ground, maybe climb a tree to get the lay of the land. We know the others were heading for water too, that will be our best option ''
While waiting for Daryl or Theo to come up with a better plan, Roald takes some time to catch his breath and look around. There is a small hill nearby, that would be his choice...

Lille lies on her back, looking surprisingly comfortable for someone who’s pinned against a cliff edge by shadowy pursuers. But when she turns from scanning the skies, her concern is obvious in her eyes. "They are staying back from the smoke." The relief in her voice is evident but short-lived. "I don’t know how long it will take for them to lose interest." Her brow furrows as another cough escapes from Albert. "Perhaps wet a corner of the blanket to hold over your face. We might need to wait them out a bit more." She looks to Ezme, hoping the other woman has some water. With her right hand, she adds an extra branch to the fire, making sure her movements are slow and that she moves her stung limbs as little as possible.

'' Look! There is some smoke! ''
Roald heart jumps with relief.
'' There must be people there, maybe it's our friends, or maybe just someone to get us back on the right track ''

For now Roald has no idea how to describe the campsite, but he reckons there aren't many roads in the forest so maybe they could get lucky.

Per Lille's suggestion, Ezmaray pulls out her water skin and wets a section of the light blue blanket for Albert, offering it to him.

As she does so, her eyes scan the forest worriedly. "If others come looking for us, they may run into trouble," she warns Lille. She studies Lille for a moment, then glances back at Albert, eying them both for rashes or swelling behind the sting sites. Of the two of them, she's currently more concerned about the older man.

Once his coughing seems somewhat under control, the trapper speaks to Albert, hoping to distract him from his uncomfortable condition. "....You spoke of some sort of tower," she says. "What do you think is happening, here? Is this more..." She hesitates and glances self-consciously at Lille. Then, when the wood nymph seems distracted by tending the fire, Ezme leans in and continues in a softer voice. "Is this more dark magic?"

Ezme is not used to the idea that magic could be anything more than false rumor and fairytale, and she feels a little uncomfortable bringing the subject up at all. That being said, there was no denying the things she had witnessed over the past few days, and something was very odd about these shadow hornets....

With the help of Lille's idea and Ezme's water, Albert is able to slow down his breath and end the coughing fit. Now that all they can do is wait out the bees, there's some time to try and relax anyway.

He sighs when Ezme mentions the tower and reaches into a pocket to pull out a handful of coins. After he grabs one specific coin and puts the rest back, he shows it to Ezme. "See this? We found this symbol inside a strange temple filled with dark creatures." The coin shows the image of a wolf with goat horns. "We call it 'the horned wolf' and we're trying to figure out what it means. Hopefully that will help us in our task to cleanse this temple." He takes a slow breath. "When I got stung, I had the same sensation as I did inside that temple."

Albert realizes that he's probably saying things that require some more explanation than these few words. "When we're back on the road, I'd be happy to give you a better idea of what's been going on. This is probably not the time to get in to it."

Lille continues to lie quietly on her back, watching the insects while listening to the other two talk. She turns her head when Albert pulls out the coin but doesn’t recognize the strange animal on it. The dark creatures in a temple sound like something out the children’s stories Jordash used to read to her. Everything in that book had seemed so unreal, but then so would the mysterious mists and the shadows wasps, if she hadn’t seen them for herself.

She had never been fully sure what it meant to an "adventurer", but all this was far more strange than she could have imagined. At the mention of his task to cleanse the temple, she perks up a bit. Perhaps I can be more useful there. If we can get out of this first..

"How far from here is the temple?" she asks as she checks on her sting sites, prodding them gently and looking for any changes.

"It's probably about 5 days walking from here." Albert estimates. He's not quite sure and would have to check a map to really get a good idea. His estimation was based on the places he's visited since. There may be a shorter way to get back to the temple. "That's not where we're headed right now, though. And I don't think these bees are directly connected to it." He adds. "But this darkness could have a similar source."

He remembers Lille's idea of burning the hives. Raynor's fire would probably be a proficient way to deal with them if they are indeed similar. It worked well on the evils in the temple, after all. "We definitely need to burn these hives." He looks up from under the cloak to check if the bees are dispersing.

With the smoke still swirling around them, Albert lets out an involuntary cough again but manages to stop going into another fit by returning to the safety of the cloak.

Roald looks worried at the buzzing shapes above the blankets and coats.
"Oh, this is not good, not good at all"
He is afraid to come closer and put him and his friends in the same spot.
"Any ideas guys?"

The wasps seem to be afraid or at least annoyed by the smoke, ...
A cough coming from one of the huddles attracts his attention.
Albert... his lungs must be burning...
Roald realizes time is of the essence...
He restraints himself from shouting out to them, the element of surprise might come in handy for his plan.

"Listen up, we're going to make 6 torches and fight those insects with it. Make sure to use a lot of birch bark and resin so they catch a spark quickly and don't go out while waving. We light three of them, the other three are for our friends. "

Roald lays the torches at his feet, thinks for a second and decides to toss in the sticks for the fire as well.
I hope this works...
He kneels over the torches and takes his flint and dagger. The torche are well built, as instructed. A good amount of loose material on the outside.
"Good job guys, get ready to walk up to the bees, there is no need in running. Let's make a circle to cover each others backs, if one of our friends emerges, toss them your spare torch."

"Raynor, god of conquest, god of fire
listen to my deep desire
Bless these torches in your name,
bless your warriors all the same.
Help destroy what does us harm
rid us of this evil swarm"
With that last word, Roald strikes his flint and sets the torches ablaze.

Carefully but decisive they walk up to the bees. The are all carrying two torches, one lit, one spare, and some sticks to toss onto the fire if the opportunity occurs.
Roald, getting there first, starts weaving his torch at the bees.
His cloak closely wrapped around him restricts his movement a little, these damn things are fast and of course hard to follow.

" We' ve got spare torches!!! Let's burn these little pests!!!"

"Roald!" Albert shouts happily as he tosses off the cloak to see what's happening. "Theo, Daryl, you guys made it." He watches as they come closer, torches in hand. A familiar warmth radiates from the group of 3, making Albert forget all about his cough and the smoke stinging his eyes.

He runs to the edge of the smoke but stops when a barrier of bees blocks his way to his friends. "Throw me a torch." As one of the torches sails through the air, Albert tries to catch it.

That familiar warmth was not just the heat of the flame. As Albert catches the handle of the torch a surge of Raynor's inner fire flows through him and the unlit torch bursts into flame. Without giving it a second thought, he starts to sweep in front of him to clear as many of the bees as possible to try and get to his friends.

He can hear a few 'ooh's and 'ouch'es, making him that much eager to disperse the swarm quickly.

Lille adds to her smoky fire occasionally, but in between a thought occurs to her. Since she was stung while lighting the fire, the bodies of the wasps should still be close by on the clean swept ground. She rolls over slowly, and searches while prone until she finds the two bodies. She pokes them with her fire prodding stick to check that they’re dead and nudge them closer, then conducts a more thorough exam.

When the others start to approach she lifts her head with a relieved expression at seeing them not only alive and well, but also coming with the torches. By the time Roald is close enough to call out, Lille is poking the others next to her. "Time to go, the others are here with torches." She unties her belt and refastens it around her waist. She springs to a low crouch with a little stumble as the blood flows back into her tingling leg, but recovers and grabs Roald’s spare torch. "I was stung twice," she informs the rescue party, "but I am fine otherwise. We may need to find some sweet fruit or honey to lure them off if we can’t kill all of these."

"Would berries do the trick?" Albert ask Lille when the group is back together and doing ok. "I think I saw some earlier, but they might not be the sweet kind. They were about this big and dark blue." He explains, trying to be helpful.

Ezmaray's brows rise. She is pleased to see Roald and the others return not only alive and well, but also surprisingly prepared to ward off the nigh-invisible pests that had cornered her crew. Perhaps Albert was right... Maybe she had underestimated Roald and the others. Standing by with torch now in hand, she eyes her returned companions with appreciation and renewed respect. Her distracted gaze travels up and down Roald and lingers on his face for a moment before dancing back to Albert after he shares his observation about the berries.

"Unless they were close, it may be more effort to harvest said berries than to just make our way carefully back to hives to burn them," she notes in response to the older gentleman.

Lille nods in agreement with Ezme’s suggestion. "Perhaps if we see enough berries on the way, we can try. We will have to move slowly anyway, to avoid as many stings as possible. Then clear and burn the hives, and be done with this place."

Albert nods, relying on the knowledge of the ones who clearly know a thing or two about the outdoors. "Let's go."

Ezmaray does her best to keep the bees away as they proceed.

When they pass Albert’s berry spot, Lille tries to dart around and collect as many berries as possible.

Albert tries to keep an eye out for bees and direct the others to any incoming ones.

Back near the corrupted hives, Lille sets the hard earned berries carefully off to one side, on a large leaf. She reaches for a new tender spot on her neck, just where it meets her right shoulder. Her expression is grim as she eyes all the new stings on the rest of the group.

"I’ve set the berries downwind of us. If something goes wrong, someone should smash them with the rock beside them and then run. The bear shouldn’t bother us while we work, but I will keep an eye on it. When we finish clearing, I will try again to wake and move it. Whatever you do, don’t make any bee sounds. Also, don’t head that way," she says, nodding her head to the side, "because there’s an untainted hive that we don’t want to agitate and attract these ones."

Lille only gives the others a moment to respond before heading off to clear the ground nearest the bear.

Lille waits for the others to get to a safe distance, then approaches the bear from the side as she did beforehand. She kneels again, touching it firmly on the shoulder before suggesting in its mind that it move on to the cool stream. The main difference is that her other hand now has a smoky torch, extended back as far as she can get from the bear and her suggested direction.

"Stay back," Lille calls to the others. "I need to scare it off, and it will likely be confused and angry. Use your torches and what I told you before, if it comes near." Lille casts a lingering gaze on Ezme, hoping that the other woman will guide the others. Then she turns to focus on her dangerous task, waving the torch slowly nearer to the bear’s nose.

Lille cautious actions turn to sweeping aggression as she thrusts the torch forward and snarls out loud. "Be gone!" she says with her actions, when the bear becomes awake enough to see her.

"Rraaaaagh!!!" Lille yells out loud at the bear, and tries to circle around and get between it and the other humans. She draws her knife and brandishes the torch in front of her, trying to keep the bear at a distance.

Ezme stands ready as Lille "communicates" with the bear.

She's starting to conclude that the young women is delusional about these supposed animal-speaking superpowers. Maybe she was good at communicating with animals, the trapper would grant her that, but so far the nymph hadn't done anything that Ezme wouldn't have also done to try to get the right message across. Ezme smirks -- maybe she should start telling folks she has wildspeach.

Oh, &#*(!

Ezme steps forward, spreading her blanket wide to increase her size and roaring in unison with Lille as the bear lumbers toward the group. In her left hand, she still clings to the torch; in her right she holds the staff.

"Be gone, you lard-arse!" Ezme bellows loudly as she brandishes the torch. She notes what she hopes is hesitation in the bear's eye.

"That is right. YOU ARE ONE BIG FAT MESS OF BEAR!" she yells in insult to discourage it further. "... I will not sugarcoat, because you would just eat that, as well!"

Albert watches from a short distance. He didn't want to get closer because that might startle the bear even more than it already is. He shuffles slowly over to where he had put down his torch earlier while clearing some leaves and picks it up. Trying to stay out of the bear's 'radar', he tries to make his movements slow and insignificant to it. If a fight breaks out, he will at least be ready to scare it away with fire.

Remembering Lille's instructions from their previous bear encounter, Roald too tries to make himself as big as possible.
He stands at Ezme's left side and spreads his cloak.
Exposing himself to the bees once again...

Lille circles around to stand by Ezme. Though she is much shorter, next to each other they will represent a larger threat than alone. With another incoherent roar, Lille thrusts the torch towards the bear, waving it so the smoke goes to its nose.

As the bear turns on her, Lille tries to fend off the blow with the torch and dodge to the side.

When the bear finally lumbers out of sight, the ferocious light in Lille’s eyes also extinguishes, although it takes a few moments more than you might expect. A slightly sad expression passes over her features before she becomes resolute again and turns to the others.

"We should light all the hives at the same time," she says, motioning with her torch. "The others should stay well back. Once I light that one, I will go near the pile of berries. Everyone else should stay together to pool as much torch smoke as possible. If something goes wrong, I will smash the berries and we should all run." She indicates with her free hand the hive she will light and a safe direction for the others to stand. Without waiting for much response, she turns to begin accomplishing the plan.

Albert watches the display between his companions and the bear. For a split second it looks like it will all go wrong. He gathers the resolve to fight this beast, but something inside him makes him wait. Moments later the bear is simply walking away. He exhales a breath that's been in his lungs for far too long.

After hearing the plan, he nods, not minding to take direction. "I'm ready when you are." He tells Lille. "May Raynor guide the fire to root out the evil that infests these hives." When the sign is given, he holds the torch to the spot Lille has marked and gets ready to make a run for it.

Ezme pauses momentarily, her lit torch spitting eager beside her as if ready for violence.

Were these bees in fact "evil"? She and her companions knew nothing about them, besides the fact that they were aggressive and their honey seemed to sicken those who ate it. Were they an omen of something? A warning? A consequence? Might they attract negative attention or create a bigger problem by eradicating them?

Before she has a chance to voice these concerns, her companions are already at work, setting fire to the hives…

Lille stands up from squatting by the smoking remains of a hive. "These should be fine from here. I will get my other things and rejoin you at the road. We won’t make a lot of progress today, but any distance from here should help improve the hunting." She gives Ezme a nod and turns to be on her way.

Albert hands back Lille's cloak. He rubs his shoulder, where he got stung. "I don't know what that was, but there was definitely something not right about it. Let's hope we've cleared the place from corruption."

As they are inspecting the effectiveness of their actions, he takes the time to gather some of the dark tarry residue. As a container he uses a few large acorns that he hollows out with the tip of his dagger. After putting the top back on, he ties it together with a length of ivy vine. He adds it to his backpack.

"I'm so hungry right now, I think I could eat a bear!" He says to Lille with a wink to lighten the mood.

"I do not think that’s a good idea," Lille says, the joke sailing over her head faster than a shadow bee. "It would mean far more meat than we could easily carry." She folds the cloak over her arm, apparently giving the idea some serious thought. "But that pole carrying thing might work, if you didn’t already have a large package on it."

Ezmaray looks on, puzzled. While Albert's jest may be sailing over Lille's head, the entire dialog about the bear flies under Ezme's radar as the trapper attempts to figure out how the nymph came to be here and why she seems to think that she is coming with them now. Was this woman... following her? If so, why?

"You live... near here...?" she asks Lille, her eyes darting around, confused.

"I lived in the woods, some distance outside of Olmsford," Lille says vaguely. "Now I am coming with you," she announces. Although she’s speaking mainly to Ezme, she glances at the rest of the group to include them in her statement.

''hehe, a bear...''
'' My stomach actually sounds like one at the moment!''
Roald finds a nearby stump and takes a minute to rest. He hears the women's conversation but the words don't get through to him.
'' What are you doing Albert?''

Ezme glances at the others to gauge their reaction to Lille's odd behavior.

"See here, Little Creature..." she says to Lille, working hard not to sound condescending. "This is no jollyride. We are doing job. Earning income. What is it you think you are doing?" She squints and cocks her head. ".... Are you looking for cut?"

The trapper has little interest in reducing her share, and really, what new skill could this girl hope to contribute?

(Or is the real cause of Ezme's hesitation the fact that she feels slightly uncomfortable in Lille's presence, given the nature of their first encounter....?)

A tad bit self-conscious, the trapper straightens proudly and folds her arms as she waits for Lille's answer.

"I'm collecting some of this leftover black stuff from the bees." Albert answerd Roald. "I think it might come in handy for our research."

"You are?" Albert asks Lille, a bit confused, after she announces her plan to join the group. "Are you worried about the dark forces too?"

Lille looks a bit confused. "I’m not trying to get cut, or go for a... ride. I don’t know anything about dark forces," she admits to Albert. "But I can help keep a watch for you, for danger," she says, regaining her typical determination and gesturing to the burnt hives. "And I can hunt with you," she tells Ezme. She blushes briefly, perhaps also recalling their previous encounter, then hurries on.

"I will help you do the job. I don’t need any money for it," she declares, with all the confidence of someone who’s never paid for anything. "I am going to Learn About The World." Lille turns to Ezme and adds, "And I can bring you more garlic. For your anti Buy-a-trick."

Roald, finally paying attention, thinks Lille's proposal through in his head.
She seems trustworthy... And she knows her away in the woods...

'' I don't see a problem with Lille joining us, and if she is a good hunter, even less.''

So, she doesn't want money. She doesn't want to fight dark forces. All she wants is to "Learn About the World" by joining a semi-random group of individuals she hardly knows? Ezmaray's brow furrows suspiciously.

"Where are your... people? Why are you not with them?"

"Jordash is.. dead." Lille almost gets through the sentence without a hitch, and seems surprised by the sudden emotion. She swallows and draws herself up. "It was just us two. He said I must leave, that it wasn’t safe." She grips her staff and cloak unconsciously harder, as if trying to draw the strength of their previous owner from the inanimate objects.

"I see...." The pieces suddenly fall into place in the trapper's mind. She politely averts her eyes, pretending not to notice Lille's show of emotion, and pushes ahead down the road.

Something about seeing the other woman tear up... Suddenly, the trapper is walking a little taller.

"...Very well, then," she consents

'' Since you will be joining us, I think it's time for a proper introduction. Ezme you know apparently, the old geezer with the bad lungs is Albert, he used to own a bar but after it burned down, he devoted his life to Raynor... You might too when you see his power... Then there is Theo, he is de son of a mayor and is tagging along to get some life experience before going to university. So he's the smart one. Am I right Theo?
The knight in shining in armor over there is Daryl. He is a force to be reckoned with, one of the best knights in the land.''
Roald winks at Lille and watches Daryl's reaction from the corner of his eye.
'' And I am Roald, butcher's son and former frequenter of Albert's bar''

Albert steps forward and offers Lille a handkerchief that's still got a few unused looking spots. Unfortunately, he had been too busy lately to clean things properly. He'll get round to it some day, though.

He nods when Roald introduces him. "That's settled then." He smiles. "We've got more company on our way to Necusle." With the hives burned and the bear nowhere in sight, it seems it's time to pack up and leave. Albert gets to work putting things back into his backpack. "It was a short night, so let's take it slow today and have plenty of rests."