KERR
A small fire on the eastern edge of the camp after the first day of travel in the Event.

Kerr was not the type to order people to do things he wasn't willing to do. He took the first of the middle watches, after their first full day of travel. Slept four hours, awake four, and then he would sleep for another four. He poked at the fire absently but kept his eyes on the dark beyond it so as not to nightblind himself.


VALIK
The night was peaceful and it had a sense of wild serenity to it. Valik preferred to walk alone, moving through the trees in a ghoulish fashion. The helmet upon his skull concealed his face as the scent of smoke wafted, blood running down his chest and left arm as he carried a boar into the campsite. The firelight flickering over his dark skin as he dropped the Carcass next to the dolled-up man


KERR
"The goddess blessed us with arrows and spears and traps so that sort of thing wouldn't happen." He gestured vaguely at the man's wounds.


VALIK
The titan stood there looking down upon the man, before looking down at the blood on his own body. A swipe of his hand would wipe it all away, flicking into the dirt revealing the blood was indeed not his own.


KERR
"Or get yourself covered in evidence, Chatty Cathy. Why exactly did you go hunting on a job that's already providing food, by the way?"


VALIK
The helmet turned to the man sitting by the fire, before looking at the flame with an absence of food. If they're providing food, then why wasn't there food among flame? A leather satchel wrapped around his hips was opened, drawing a knife and gesturing it to the golden-haired man.


KERR
As it was the middle of the night and this was a watch fire Kerr had no idea what was going on with the random gesturing of a knife. "I shaved just before we left out yesterday but thanks for the offer. I'm a bit vain about that sort of thing, the scruff gets itchy, so I brought my kit with me for when the time comes."


IDRIAL
Unable to sleep, the healer went night-foraging. She did not stray far from camp - both as a matter of personal safety as well as having no need to wander much beyond the perimeter with such a bountiful location. Idrial joined the fireside, giving the silent colossus a wide berth (for he made her nervous even when he was not covered in blood), and settled a short distance from Kerr to sort and bundle the fruits of her venture. “Good evening, gentlemen.”


KERR
"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful woman on this venture. Welcome to our grand debate on the virtues of reach weapons." Kerr gave her a wink.


IDRIAL
She let out a little scoff of laughter. “You’ll not charm your way back into my good graces so easily, Kerr Blackwood,” the peredhel warned. It was a hollow threat and the sharp edge in her voice was betrayed by a widening smile. Even if she had managed to keep a straight face, they both knew Idrial was absolutely a sucker for his brand of charm and humor.


KERR
"I'm willing to do acts of contrition and to be honest, you pulled that outfit off better than either of us would have." he hooked a thumb at the big guy


VALIK
He continued to hold the blade toward the smaller man until his comments about shaving came forth. This poor soul didn't know how to skin food. He reached down and drug the pig from camp, gutting it with extreme precision before returning back to the man. The helmet eying the woman who now also sat at the fire.


IDRIAL
“Contrite yourself into that uniform to sweat your bollocks off for a day, then!” she shot back with a laugh. Idrial startled a little upon the giant’s return but offered a polite smile when he seemed to stare at her. Truth be told, it was difficult to know exactly where his gaze was cast through the dark slit of the helmet, but she had the distinct feeling he was looking at her. “Still hungry?” the peredhel asked, tipping her head at the freshly butchered meat.


KERR
"Alas, I didn't think to have one made in my size but I appreciate the invite to get into your pants." Kerr poorly suppressed a chuckle at his double entendre. "Don't mind him, the brands on his arm mark him as coming from a matriarchal society I'm passingly familiar with. The men are not conversationalists."


VALIK
Valik stood there silently, watching the duo converse among the campsite. Their jokes toward each other meant nothing to him, he had never gotten humanity in that aspect. The remarks of Matriarchal society made him tilt his head, wondering how this man knew of his people. The brands upon his left arm were for kills, twisting it in light as the memories of each flashed through his head


VAIVA
Annoyed by all the mosquitoes and the fact that people couldn't help but run around in the night, she sat up, tore off her blanket and went to one of the tents. The one she thought belonged to that cute apothecary. She crawls in and whispers softly. "I'm scared of the dark, can I sleep here..." Just a silly lie, but hey... if it would get her away from the bloodsuckers and the others she would tell it.


IDRIAL
She rolled her eyes at the joke but her expression was still one of good humor. “Ha. Ha.” Walked right into that one…

“I will continue to mind everyone, thank you.” Idrial was not at all surprised to hear Kerr was ‘passingly familiar’ with the brands of an obscure culture. His education and experience, so far as she had gathered in the weeks she had known him, were beyond impressive. “A pity we won’t hear more.” The peredhel was genuinely a little disappointed to learn Valik was unlikely to share about his homeland (or anything). It piqued her interest, being raised in a matriarchal community herself, and might have been a point of bonding between them. Something she was perhaps a little over-eager for to dispel her general feelings of intimidation around the giant. “Do you like mushrooms?” she asked, bringing over a small bowl of golden oysters to him. “Might be a nice addition to the boar. If you like.”


KERR
Kerr gazed at Idrial steadily through the flickering firelight with a small smile of proud amusement on his face. "As wise as you are caring, m'lady. What I mean to say is he won't randomly attack you. If your curiosity gets the better of you I'll be happy to share what I know of the culture but, fair warning, it's an unpleasant one both in theory and in practice. Not a place you'd want to visit." Not even Kerr would want to visit the place, not without a pressing need, and he was more capable than most. "Mushrooms? Well, not my preferred intoxicant but I'm not adverse to... oh, for eating! Yes, quite nice on a steak with garlic or wild onion." He took the bowl from her, grazing her knuckles with his fingertips as he did so.


VALIK
The brute watched the duo with observant eyes, fungi exchanging hands as he picked one up. Its scent was bitter as it crawled underneath the helmet, reminding him of a plant he had within his tent. He'd toss the boar near the flame, silently walking as the silk clung to his hips. The muscles inside his legs carrying him into the night. He'd pull back the veil as he ducked into it, helmet craning to spot a small woman within his temporary home. There was no sense of oddity to him as he stared through that helmet at the girl, wondering simply why she was inside. The titan moved to grab a bag, pulling out several purple flowers caked in a light frost. His breathing was steady as he looked back at the woman, holding one out for her


VAIVA
The tent was empty. How disappointing... She looked around for a moment, before turning to leave. In the opening, she met the gigant. She took a few steps back. "I'm in the wrong tent... My bad." When the man digs in his bags and brings out a flower, she stares at it, with mistrust. "What do you want me to do with that?" Vaiva was no herbalist, but pretty flowers could also be poisonous. That much she knew. Vaiva did not reach for the flower. Instead, she watched the emotionless face of the helmet. Why did he not remove that? Was he just shy or really ugly?


VALIK
She had a delicate voice as she spoke about the wrong tent. The flower was spun between his thumb and index finger. The masked man felt no need to show her what to do with the flower. To him they were a sweet treat back home, shoulders rising and falling as the sound of his breathing hummed within the helmet.


IDRIAL
“Another time, perhaps.” Valik seemed to carry an air of indifference about the conversations around him but Idrial did not want to make any assumptions about which topics were fair game. Places of origin could be… complicated subject matter. Her own was; carrying with it many unhappy memories. Scars. And with the preface Kerr had just delivered, the peredhel was not as eager to hear about it as before. She was in the mood for more lighthearted chatter.

The deliberate brush of Kerr’s fingers against hers sent a little flutter through her belly. A knowing little smile played across her lips; bicolored gaze shrewdly locked with his. “It is unkind to start something you are unable to finish,” she advised quietly when Valik had quit their company. Reclaiming the bowl from his hands, she added, “Nightwatchman.”

Idrial went back to her earlier place at the fire and resumed sorting plants. “Will you tell me a jolly tale?”


KERR
"I'm always happy to share, or keep it to myself, as desired." He'd had a suspicion she wouldn't really want to know at the moment. Probably for a variety of reasons, at that. Kerr was content to not make her suffer through the information or the explanation of how he'd come by it for that matter. Especially when she inferred meaning to his touch. "I'm on middle watch, means I go back to bed here shortly." At which point he'd be free and willing to play with any sort of fire he might kindle until then.

"Jolly..." he said thoughtfully, sorting through his various memories and eliminating the unhappy ones. Then the ones that were bad even if they had happy endings. Then a few that were only jolly if you were a certain type of person. That still left him quite a few. "When I was about fifteen... I think," He started while rubbing at his chin. "The company was hired to exact some justice by a group of working women that made the rounds of some of the mining sites up along the eastern coast. Reason isn't all that important so suffice it to say that we were all gonna be proud of ourselves when it was over because it was an upstanding thing we were hired for. Thing is, those mines have mercs guarding them and that's who we were after. The mine in question was in a good spot, so they'd walled it in."

Kerr continued. "There was some climbing that could be done but it would have been nearly impossible to accomplish without getting spotted without more luck than a smart man ever plans for, so the challenge became how were we gonna get through the gates? No merc company worth it's salt was gonna let another come in, especially one big enough to challenge them without the wall in the way. Well, my dad asked the working women how they got in. They said they were let in because the mercs wanted them in, and that's when I came up with the idea that caused sixteen fistfights, countless arguments, and a dozen women to laugh so hard three literally wet themselves. Imagine, if you will, six of the meanest, hardest, weathered mercenaries you've ever encountered. Now shave them down, put wigs and makeup on 'em, and dress them in the finest dresses a traveling band of prostitutes could put together."

He grinned at her across the space between them. "I was beautiful in a yellow dress with white lace trimming and white slashes in the skirt. High necked but that was because of the bountiful bust I ended up with on account of the two containers of lantern oil I'd stuffed in the front. Had a flail in my bustle and as many daggers as I could hide on myself, and the prettiest red curls a lady could ask for." He put a hand on his hip and gave a sassy wiggle on his unsplit stump chair.


IDRIAL
The peredhel knew she could always count on Kerr to deliver a captivating story - personal or a fiction - that suited any mood. This one was no exception. “Fifteen…” Idrial repeated softly with a little shake of her head. It seemed so young, and yet Kerr had already been among the mercenaries' ranks for years by then. As the story continued, Idrial had to keep a hand clamped over her mouth while she laughed along, lest she wake the whole camp. It was the sort of story that was so ridiculous it hardly seemed like it could be true; while also being so ridiculous it could not have been made up. When she had breath enough to speak, she encouraged him to continue with the story. “Well, did it work?”


KERR
"Well, yes and no. We were welcomed in, the prostitutes saying we were new girls because of all the extra work and having lost one last time there. Mercs opened up the gates and we scattered with enthusiastic customers. Me and the other five made quick work of our escorts before ghosting out and using the lantern oil to prep a couple of fires. Lit 'em up, used the distraction to get to and open the gates, and then the lot of us made short work of the lot of them... but my dress got ruined in the process. T'was a terrible shame that I feel in my heart of hearts to this very day. I'd thought to eventually pass it down to my daughter so she could also ambush mercenaries once she was of age." Kerr had broken out into a broad smile with that last little bit, outwardly because of his joke and inwardly because he'd successfully omitted all the dark and terrible parts of that job without hesitating.


VAIVA
She hmms and shrugs her shoulders, just like he just did. "I'm sorry, I don't speak grunt." Great, a mute. A giant mute. Vaiva immediately understood why he was here. Muscles. Which meant Kerr was expecting trouble. The thief sighs, that though did not feel good. What kind of trouble could one find in a ruin besides spiders and traps?! Vaiva makes a move to leave the tent, slipping past the big body of his as nimble as a weasel.


VALIK
He watched her shrug her shoulders and then tried to weasel past him. The titan simply watched wondering why she thought he'd do something to her. -Protect them or die.- Those were the orders given, ones he'd follow through. He left the tent and looked up to the heavens, walking back to the campfire with several frosted flowers inside his grip. "Well did it work?" The doll of a man went on about the result and he found himself more lost than when he'd left.


IDRIAL
“That is a shame the original did not survive the fight. Although, I am sure that, when the time comes, you could have a near-perfect replica produced by your very capable tailor.” Idrial turned her head at the sound of Valik’s approach and greeted him with a close-lipped smile. “Welcome back. You’re just in time for a new story.” Then, to Kerr, “How about one to do with your dear father?”


KERR
"My dear, if I were ever to have a daughter she could have as many and whatever type of pretty things please her. I'm fully committed to being the worst kind of girl dad." It would make her a nightmare, he was sure, but better than her taking after her father. The world could never be prepared for that. "I'll make the local merchants rich beyond their wildest dreams so long as they can keep up with the orders." He rubbed the back of his neck and considered the topic of his father. "Have I told you about the time Serbo followed a full blood Elf around for three days trying to convince the poor woman to teach me Elven? He's never been good with words, had the lead so buried by the time he started the negotiations that she thought he was trying to convince her to marry him. I was... about eight summers by then if I recall correctly."


VALIK
The story entered his ears and left his thoughts without so much as a passing glance. What irked him was how this man knew about his home. The Rasvadian women saw themselves as goddesses, they weren't kind to men. The titan pulled out a piece of parchment -How do you know of my people?- He pitched the note at the small man as the helmet remained static. Val was peering into the man's soul as the animal within him grew annoyed.


KERR
Kerr picked up the bit of paper and looked at it curiously. "Huh, who'd have thought..." he said more to himself than those present. "Well, tons of fun, I know a little bit about everything. It's my stock in trade, as it were. Observation, reading, the tall tales of traders and warriors alike. I read of your people at some point in my early twenties when I started traveling and got access to real libraries, figuring it was best to know whereabouts I ought not to go even if invited. I encountered your people in person a couple of years after that while looking for a young boy at the behest of his older sister. I'd have a nasty scar as a memento if I hadn't found such a capable healer on the tail end of that little misadventure." He looked far away for a moment.


IDRIAL
The peredhel had developed quite a fondness for Serbo stories. “Yes, actually,” she said of the story about the elf, “but tell it again anyway.” Kerr had an affinity for storytelling that she usually found very entertaining. Idrial was a good audience. She had always been a naturally attentive listener and often engaged in stories repeated to her with the same enthusiasm and reactions as the first time she heard them. “Don’t forget to do the voices,” Idrial added with a grin.

Curiosity paused her anticipation of the silly tale when the paper was tossed to Kerr. The peredhel’s large doe eyes shifted cautiously to the giant. She stilled. Idrial found the helmet so unnerving. Which was perhaps the point of it, she thought. Being an experienced healer, Idrial tended to be a perceptive reader of body language, whether she knew someone well or not. Time around Valik made her realize how much of that skill relied on faces. It bothered her to never see his face or enough of his eyes to read the expressions there.

From Kerr’s reply, she was able to infer what had been written on Valik’s note - though it did not quell the rise of vigilant unease in her body. Was it a simple inquiry or strangely interrogative? Valik’s changeless, unfeeling mask gave her no answer. Was she sensing tension in his air or just worried from her own discomfort? She wondered at his literacy a little, somewhat surprised by it. Initially, Idrial assumed he was silent by choice but now thought that he was perhaps fully mute.

“It’s true,” the peredhel chimed in meekly, “He has such a wide breadth of knowledge on many topics, obscurities, and faraway places, he ought to be an archivist among the timekeepers.”


VALIK
The titan listened to the man explain his brief knowledge of his people, growing up in the wilds he'd always imagined his kind were silent to the world. Books? The steady breath hummed within the helmet as Kerr spoke about meeting a few... and living to tell the tale. Another piece of paper was tossed at him. -Male or female.- He felt his knuckles pop as his nails dug into his palms, rules were rules and it seemed to him like most had been broken. If the rules were indeed broken.... his little brother would... the thought was swept to the side. The metallic horned helmet shifted to stare at the woman as she talked about his vast knowledge. An archivist? He found himself walking toward the lady as he bent down and looked over her curiously. Why did she come to the defense of such an inadequacy?


KERR
Kerr took a swig of water from his canteen in preparation for the soft-spoken elven voice he attributed to a woman that had been in reality quite harshly spoken, but people liked their characters to contrast and fit into molds. His father was every bit the stereotypical half-orc but the elven woman had needed softening to make her as good a character as she had been to Kerr. That was headed off, however by the following conversation in which he explained, more or less, how he'd encountered members of the big man's people. Idrial chimed in on his behalf and he placed a hand on his heart to indicate he was flattered. In Elven, however, he had to add as the big man approached "Sit still, stay firm, they respect strength and expect a certain haughtiness of demeanor from females."

"Let's be polite to the lady, big guy. You're already having yourself a time trying to assess me and I'm rather fond of this one. And to answer your question, both. She did the thinking and the three men she had with her did the work. They had the boy, I retrieved the boy, and everyone departed for greener lands." Some of those lands had been in the next life but that was neither here nor there for the moment.


LUCAS
Lucas shouldered his way out from his own tent, smiling at the others timidly before heaving one of the biggest yawns of his life: his arms stretched out to the max and his shirt pulling up a little to show off the planes of his stomach. He was still tired from the previous day's travel, but that didn't mean he wasn't taking every chance he got to take samples of anything he thought he'd never seen before.

The Peredhel moved towards the woods, his holster latched around his thigh with a few empty canvas sachets tied onto the loops. He nodded to the others before heading off, not saying a word unless stopped, to which he would respond with 'recon and uh, I want to get some samples of the wildlife around here since I ain't been outta Sounnah in a bit,' before turning back to the woods and continuing on.


IDRIAL
A second piece of paper was lobbed at Kerr. This time Idrial’s eyes lingered on Valik, noting how his hands tightened into fists the size of battlehammer heads. The healer felt an unpleasant chill radiate through her spine as she imagined how easily he could probably fell a person with one good punch.

Idrial only caught the first few elvish words from Kerr - advice easily heeded for she was frozen to the spot - before all she could hear was her own pulse and rushing blood; inhales and exhales. The little quip had failed to ease the tension and seemed to have earned Valik’s ire instead. Though it scared her to see him suddenly cross to her in just a few strides, her breathing remained steady and even, and she wore a stoic expression. She peered almost unblinkingly into the helmet’s cavernous apertures. Idrial had a naturally direct gaze. Intense. Piercing and honest. Sometimes her eye contact with another person was so strong that it made her uncomfortable. In this case, she just hoped to give off some shred of fearlessness and not be utterly betrayed by the sound of her heart slamming into her ribcage.

The seconds that passed felt like hours. Finally, when she could no longer stand the feeling of being towered over and strangely tormented in the silence, she spoke. Her voice was soft, somewhere between a whisper and a murmur. The tone was not unkind; more of an observation than a firm suggestion to move. “You’re blocking my light.”


KERR
Who knew what went through the giant's head before he turned and walked away but Kerr could only watch him go before turning his attention back to Idrial. "You did well, though he was unlikely to harm you. I imagine he was more confused about your interjection in support of me, perhaps he thought a closer look would help him understand." Kerr was cheerfully conjecturing.


IDRIAL
The tension in Idrial’s body did not ease until the giant of a man was out of her sight. She felt a little stupid for being so on edge. Valik was a member of the expedition, same as any of them, and nothing had happened. Kerr was right that it was unlikely anything would have. Still, she found no solace in his words. Women were hurt for less all the time. She had been hurt for less.

Idrial shrugged one shoulder in response and avoided his eyes by going back to bundling wild tobacco leaves. After a long moment, she spoke. “Do you remember a time when you were almost entirely powerless to save yourself?” The peredhel almost laughed, thinking it had probably been while he was still in swaddling clothes. It was a rhetorical question, though, and she did not wait for his answer. “What that felt like?” Idrial looked up at him then. Vulnerable and still visibly a little shaken. “That is how I feel always.”

She paused a short beat, then added half-jokingly, "And a good thing too, or you'd be out of a job."


KERR
Kerr moved, uncoiling like a snake in slow motion as he stood without levering himself off the stump without much apparent effort and coming to sit down next to her. A subtle indication that he'd been ready to move the entire time. "It's not been as long ago as you might imagine. I have a tendency to get myself into situations with very dangerous people all the time." He glanced over her items and bumped his shoulder into hers as he reached in and took a little bundle of roots he recognized, beginning to help her process them and doing a fair job of it.

"You've never received any combat training?" That was short-sighted on someone's part in his estimation. If you were going to tend to the flock eventually you were going to have to fight off some wolves. Best you knew how beforehand. "I could show you a thing or two with a knife if you wanted. The sort of thing that would make getting in your face like he did... unwise. Never hurts to have one more option. It'd shock the hell out of people who assess strength the way big man does."


IDRIAL
She sighed a little, having expected that response. It was not the first time someone had made the suggestion. “Maybe ‘powerless’ is the wrong word.” It was difficult for her to explain. Hers was not exactly a logical problem with a clear-cut solution. Any idiot with a knife could hurt someone. And if nothing else, the healer had the advantage of expert anatomical knowledge. “People have tried,” she assured him. Azazeal - before and after Judicar training. The Marshal. Isto’s finest. “It’s not the how so much. It’s… It’s in the moment, when it really counts, I become,” she trailed off slightly and shook her head, “paralyzed. It goes against everything in me - body and soul - to hurt someone on purpose. Even to protect myself.” She went on to liken it to sleep paralysis. The way you know what to do, how to move, but cannot seem to access any means to do it. The way the terror sets in so quickly. And still, you cannot even lift a finger. “At least until the rush is in my blood,” meaning adrenaline, “then I am swiftfooted enough to outrun a spooked horse.” Even in a dress, Idrial could be very fast. Something that had saved her life more than once and may very well again. “I will think about your offer,” she said noncommittally. Idrial knew his advice was sound about improving her selection of options but had no faith in herself to be convincingly intimidating. More than that, she had no desire to be.


KERR
"Hm, that is quite the complication, I have to admit." He seemed to be turning the problem over in his head while he absently processed the bundle of roots he had in hand. After a moment he had to admit it was beyond his workings. "Sounds like a trauma response, which can be rooted in events we can't even consciously recall. Unfortunately, far beyond my healing knowledge to do anything about. Though, as you can probably imagine, I know some people who could. Albeit, fair warning, those people can be pretty traumatic themselves." He chuckled in a way that suggested he was speaking from experience, and he was. "Until then, I can get you some sneezing powder. No violence needed, just a strong enough willpower not to fall over laughing at the results."


IDRIAL
She made a thoughtful sound, acknowledging his conclusion. Idrial let out a slow exhale, realizing just then that she had been holding her breath in anticipation of his reply. The healer was relieved when he did not press her. She had simply been sharing, not necessarily asking to be ‘fixed’, and appreciated that he seemed to understand that. Kerr laughed a little and earned a small smile from her - somewhere between uncertain and humored by the implication of his comment. “I will… keep that in mind.”. Idrial relaxed more and rolled her shoulders to break up some residual tension in her back. “Sneezing powder?” she repeated with a slight chortle. Idrial was not dismissive of the idea, only curious and amused. Whatever the peredhel had expected to follow the words ‘until then’ was not that. Idrial opened her mouth a few times as if to start asking one of the myriads of questions she had - what, where, when, why, how - but instead she settled for: “Alright. Tell me everything.”


KERR
"Well," he put on a show acting as if she was dragging it out of him. "if you're gonna twist my arm about it." He chuckled. "It's honestly a really simple formula that you mortar and pestle into a super fine dust. The upshot is it's super light and thus easy to carry. The downside is it can be a pain to project any reasonable distance without some mechanical assistance. Simple fix if you expose yourself but also super easy to expose yourself due to the range issue." He paused his work and gestured at his tent. "I've got one of the mechanical solutions in my luggage, filled a linen cloth about a hand's length on each side with the powder and bundled the edges to make a sackball like children fill with wheat shucks and throw around. You hit somebody with it, or close enough to them, and you'll set 'em off to sneezing for several minutes. Run like a horse then and you'll be long gone by the time they stop or figure out the cure..." he looked around them for a moment to ward against eavesdroppers before continuing. "Which happens to he dunking your head in water. If you know trouble is coming ahead of time you can ward yourself by tying a wet cloth across your mouth and nose."


IDRIAL
The peredhel nodded thoughtfully as Kerr explained about the sneezing powder. That was definitely the sort of thing she would be more likely to use as a defense tactic than violence or the threat of it. And perhaps something she could improve upon once he shared the formula with her. “Long-range should not be much of an issue for me, I should think,” Idrial mused, figuring she was more likely to defend at close range in a pinch rather than use it at a proactive distance. To his earlier point, though, she supposed there was no harm in knowing how to do it, should the occasion arise that she would, and was agreeable to learning when next there was time for it. “Will you be taking another shift on watch at our next camp?”


KERR
"You can attach the little ball I just described to the end of an arrow shaft, you have to do so quite firmly but if successful it will fly pretty straight for about thirty to fifty yards. I once got a whole campfire of bandits with one shot by hitting an overhanging branch with such a contraption. The ball burst and the powder came down as they were all staring up to find out what that noise had been... easily one of the most hilarious scenarios I've ever had the pleasure to witness ensued." He chuckled happily to himself at the memory. It had been an extremely mirth-worthy situation, especially without the greater context of the story. "Ah, yes. I will take the morning shift on watch tomorrow night. Experience tells me that's the day we'll most likely have trouble, so I want to get an early start in case trouble does too." He'd seen a couple of ex-soldiers wandering around the trade hub the night before they'd left. If they were like most soldiers he'd known he was betting they'd either attack in the wee hours of the morning when man and mer alike were at their worst or ambush at a choke point along their intended path. "I'm probably wrong, though." He reassured her and held out the roots he'd processed for her.


IDRIAL
She could picture the scene easily and found herself laughing with Kerr as he recalled the memory. Self-defense aside, Idrial’s interest in the sneezing powder was beginning to morph into something more mischievous. Another sign she had spent too much time with Thisbē’s king.

The healer nodded, unsurprised that Kerr would take another shift on watch the next day. And perhaps every day of the journey. She took the roots and set them on the side of her basket where the organized plants were laid. Idrial gave the mercenary something of a shrewd look. She had spent enough time with Kerr and enough time on the road in not-dissimilar ventures to know that trouble would likely find them at some point or another. “And experience tells me,” she said, unassuaged by his last comment, “You’re probably right...”