The Fellowship Grows, the Journey Continues (RP)

Lille can’t help but smile as her companion searches for the right word. "Yes, I suppose he was a bit of a hermit. But he didn’t live alone for long. He lived with Granny before I came. She had been dead a few years when I arrived. But she wasn’t his grandmother," she explains. "I don’t know that she had any children or grandchildren. But apparently that was what everyone in town called her. Especially after they stopped being nice to her and she moved away from Olmsford, deep into the forest. She got tired of dealing with people. Some years later, Jordash came along and decided to live away from people most of the time too." She pauses in her explanations, cocking her head to listen to a bird. "It certainly seems simpler," she comments, with an obvious look to Theo. The young man is drinking water with the fence menders and joining in their good-natured chatting.

Ezme follows Lille's gaze. "Yes..." she nods in agreement.

Suddenly, she is less sure about the direction this conversation is headed...

Lille waits patiently for Ezme to continue. When it becomes clear she will not, Lille frowns in frustration, but doesn’t press the topic. "Is that why you left your home to become an adventurer?" she asks instead. "Were you looking to live away from people who..." Her brow furrows a moment as she recalls the right words. "Who would hit a child for thinking a thought or saying something they didn’t like?" Lille seems slightly horrified by the idea, and her volume drops a bit so as not to carry to the others.

Ezme smirks humorlessly and shakes her head as she hands the bowl back to Lille. "I loved my home. I left my home because I had to. I defied the will of someone in charge and-- There was no other way." She stands and shakes her head in frustration. "If I had stayed, they would have forced a new name on me." Trying to mask her growing crankiness, Ezme gestures Lille toward the town center where people seem to be gathering and starts heading that direction. As she walks, she grumbles under her breath: "... Two fracking new names..."

Lille accepts the bowl back and studies it thoughtfully as they head in the direction of the gathering crowd. "I’m sorry," she says simply as they stop to retrieve their packs. She pauses another moment before adding, "But I’m glad you’re here." She gives Ezme a small smile before hoisting her pack and continuing towards the group.

Ezme offers Lille a small smile and a nod in return, knowing the girl had meant no harm with her innocent question. She turns her attention back to the present as she approaches the table.... Hopefully a little food would help improve her mood.

A "little" food was a good way to describe it. As Ezme glances over the meager offering, a pang of guilt burrows within to cozy up alongside her annoyance. These people had so little, and yet they were unquestioningly offering it up to relative strangers. Internally, she hesitates, forming a plan. She doesn't want to offend by trying to offer food now.... She would set traps tonight, and tomorrow morning she would leave whatever she caught behind for the townsfolk to enjoy. Maybe, while she was setting the trap, she could leave out her offering for Wankle.... Yes, that made sense... (Ezme just hoped she wouldn't give herself an infection with this stupid wound she keeps tearing open again and again on her upper thigh.)

Drifting toward the familiar as she thinks, the trapper finds herself standing next to Albert. She gives him a nod. "We spoke with folks. It has been confirmed. There are, in fact, no zombies in these parts... Whatever those are," she says flatly. "Have the rest of you found lodging?"

Gathering that women should stay with women, Ezme stands among her friends and scans the crowd of locals for a female that looks indomitable, but most of them look older and frail, and the trapper isn't sure how they'd feel about having a woman of her manner and physique in their house.... She sighs inwardly, then turns to Lille and Theo.

"If you were to pretend like you two are couple, I think you both could stay with Tomaž," she tells them quietly. "I... I will just stay in barn. I could do with some time alone." ... It wasn't a lie....

"A couple?" Lille says with a blank expression. She is entirely oblivious to the implied gender preferences, but catches Ezme’s low volume and matches it. "Why should we pretend that? And why can’t I sleep in the barn?" Her tiredness is perhaps creeping in at last, and it manifests as a small note of petulance.

Ezme glances skeptically at Hilda, then shrugs. "Very well then."

With that much arranged, Ezme makes polite small talk with the locals while they dine, trying to learn more about the conflict at the border. After dinner she will set traps and leave out her offering for Wankle in the woods.

Lille trails after Ezme in the darkness. Last night she had seen the trapper set out another bottle of blood, and the repeat of the behavior seems especially odd. It was worth following her again tonight to see if she would do it again. Now she is headed back at a safe following distance, hoping to confront Ezme about the meaning of it before they reach the village. But she freezes in place when the voice calls out of the darkness, hand going automatically to her belt for a weapon. She waits a moment, and checks around for anyone nearby before creeping silently forward to improve her view and hearing.

Roald gives his friend a big hug:

'' Daryl,... Think about all the things you accomplished, you already ARE a hero!''

After deciding who is staying where with the help of the locals, Albert ends up in a room with Theo. The news from Roald had caused chaos in his head. The thought of not having his old friend there was a tough one. During the dinner, he had not said anything. He just nodded to Roald trying to seem understanding, but that was just a facade. In truth he was having a tough time.

"I didn't know how to answer Roald's announcement, Theo." He sighs, thinking about about the way he reacted. He will try to fix it in the morning. "I hope he doesn't think different of me right now. You know, we didn't always get along this well." He continues. "Back when he was a customer of my bar, he caused a lot of trouble! Broken mugs, chairs, tables, ... He got into a lot of fights when drunk." He takes a minute to think.

"But I'm glad we had this journey together. Don't give up on a friendship just because of a few upsetting moments. The bond of friendship is stronger than that." He looks up at Theo. "Take it from an old man, Theo. A good friend is priceless!"

At least he felt a bit refreshed, having had the chance to wash and eat a meal. Though it wasn't much, it warmed his tired body. Albert grabs the hempen sack that served as his blanket for tonight and blows out the candle. "Good night, Theo."

Ezme is surprised to receive Roald's news. Granted, she has not known the man for very long, but this turn of events is so unexpected that she can't help but feel somehow responsible. A wordless, bitter disappointment curdles in her stomach as she forces her lips to shape a curt but well-meaning smile of goodbye.

As Roald walks away, Ezme finds herself wondering what would have happened if she had taken the plunge and grabbed the hand he'd offered in that dream world... Well, she would never know. And now this fellow, who'd been so kind and even protective of her, was joining the ranks of so many she'd lost in this life. Gods damn it. Not only was she disappointed, she was annoyed at herself for feeling that way. Sure, he'd been a little dense at times, but it had amused her, and he'd been easy on the eyes. But people leave. Men leave. It's just what they do.

What the hell? Ezme leaves the table soon thereafter, heading straight for the woods. Despite feeling tired, her frustration gives her the energy she needs to keep walking. She goes deep into the woods, leaves her offering for Wankle, and lies in wait for a deer, taking it down with her bow.

Hauling back her kill, at first she is relieved when she hears voices. The night had been long and hard on her heart. By this time she has grown incredibly weary, and she would not turn down anyone's offering of assistance. As they call out, it does not take her long to realize their tone seems off, though. They must not realize who she is?

"It is Ezme, born of Brahm the trapper," she announces through the darkness. "I come with yearling buck for town to enjoy...."