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CARAVAN ROAD - EARLY MORNING
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Piper had a slight change of heart about guarding the caravan after the attack, though really she was half forced into the role either way since they'd lost a number of guards. Her injuries weren't terribly serious, if just a little more than sore, and she took up midnight patrol. Now she approaches the campfire with a yawn, East mountains edged by the sunrise that they hide. She nods to the others before stepping forward to look over the stew and bread on offer. "Nothing in the dark. My turn is over."
Aelia sits at the campfire on edge, sitting in a rather tight position as if, if she makes herself small, she won't be seen. She glances up at Piper and sighs, having been a bit shy of the reptile thus far through the trip, her opinion has changed rather quickly after Piper quite literally saved her life. "Is... is it always like this? I thought it was supposed to be... safe."
Gareth looks up at Piper as she approaches, his hands being kept warm by the steaming bowl of stew he's holding. He nods and scoots over a bit to make space for Piper to sit, not that it's all that necessary since there's more than enough space. He then nods at Aelia. "Normally, it is. All this is new. I didn't even recognize the ones attackin', but I'm guessin' they might be from somewhere out in or past the desert. Might even be tribal, considerin' their armor and weapons."
Piper looks to Aelia, shrugging a little bit as she dishes some stew out for herself. The bowl is clearly not going to be enough for her, but the croc is well practiced at eating small from shared meals like this. She takes a seat next to Aelia, hoping her presence might offer a bit of comfort to the clearly nervous deer. She looks to Gareth as he speaks, humming. "Might be, ay. Never heard of them before? No rumors around town?"
Gareth shakes his head. "Nothin' durin' the months I've been in town. The rangers and hunters o' Respite know a good deal about the land between here and Bairnell's Folly, but not much about things out in the desert's direction."
Piper hums, looking down at her stew as she thinks. She looks toward the wagons, then back to Gareth. "Any word on Phoebe? Other bodies all accounted, ay?"
Gareth shakes his head again, though he looks towards Aelia after a moment. "Everyone's been accounted fer except Phoebe. Ye said she's out huntin' or somethin' like, right, lass?"
Aelia doesn't seem all that bothered when Piper takes a seat next to her, although the question about Phoebe clearly puts her on edge. "S-she... she's fine, I know. Um... she probably got impatient and went ahead to town?" She tries her best to sound convincing, though it could probably just be written off as nervousness about Phoebe's fate. "She'll come back... she always does."
Piper also looks toward Aelia, then lets out a little sigh and shrug. "You'd know best." She looks down at the stew in hand again, drinking it down in one.
Aelia nods slowly, then smiles nervously at Piper, "She's fine... it's just... there's a lot going on. I still... s-so much happened..."
Gareth hums and nods, pausing long enough to eat a bit of his stew before it gets cold. "Well, the main thing is that she's okay. We're only about a day out from Respite, now, so we'll be in its walls and safer soon enough." He shakes his head, "With how alert the guards are now, and with how much a loss those reptiles got dealt, I doubt they'll try again before we get to Respite."
Piper chuckles her three notes, shaking her head. There's not much joy to her laugh, though. "I hope not. That many for first... Might be more for second. Not much care for life. Theirs or ours."
Gareth hums, a bit in thought before he shrugs. "Raiders, they wanted to capture people and kill the guards. If they're anythin' like pirates o' a similar disposition, they don't have backup nearby. Their whole thing is to strike fast and disappear faster."
Aelia shudders at the image in her mind of all those corpses, all that blood... She curls up a little tighter in her seat, "N-never seen anything like that before yesterday..."
Piper nods to Gareth's experience. She watches Aelia, moving to pat her back but she hesitates when her eye catches her own hand, briefly seeing it as covered in the saur blood again. She retracts her hand, sighing. "Not new. Still not good. Never good. Hate killing." She rubs her fingers into the dewey grass, even though they'd already been thoroughly washed.
Gareth sighs and nods. "It's a shame, but some folks are hellbent on gettin' ahead in their own lives, no matter how it affects others. Those kind o' folks are just unrepentantly evil, so I'll match blades with them if it means protectin' meself and me companions."
Aelia sighs, "It... it's a whole different world... I wish I knew why Phoebe wanted me here."
Piper leans back, using her arms to support herself. "A good question for her. When you know, tell me too."
Gareth hums as he continues to work his way through his stew. "Might be interestin' to know why. I thought the two o' ye planned the trip together or somethin'."
Aelia shakes her head. "She... she planned all this. I'm just... I'm just along for the ride, it feels like."
Piper sighs, nodding. "Not here by choice, either. Things better in town. Safer." She looks to Gareth, "Will have to delay sparring. Might not have the mood for a while."
Gareth nods at Piper. "Aye, I don't mind, lass... I'm probably not in the best shape to be sparrin' fer a bit, meself, gettin' that arrow in the shoulder." He takes a moment to roll his injured shoulder, "Think I've had me fill o' fightin' fer a little bit, anyway."
Aelia puts her stew down, having taken a few bites and suddenly lost her appetite. "I just... I'm only here thanks to you right now. So... thank you for doing what you had to do for... for that."
Piper lets her hands slip behind her until the croc is lying on her back on the grass, staring at the morning sky as it brightens. Her wounds sting from the pressure, but the cool grass starts to feel good after a few seconds. "Don't thank. Not for killing. Did what had to be done, so not want thanks."
Gareth hums as he polishes up the last of his stew, his appetite definitely still as healthy as ever even after bloody combat. "Mmh, glad to have done what was necessary to keep ye safe, Aelia. I wish it didn't happen, but it did, so..."
Aelia flinches a bit at the reminder of the actions. "N-not thanks for that... just... I don't want to think about where I'd be without you two, or Sammi."
Piper finally reaches up from her position and gently pats Aelia's back, sighing. "Just live on."
Gareth shakes his head and smiles kindly, though the teeth might ruin the effect just a bit. "Then yer better off focusin' on what ye can do to keep movin' forward, aye?"
Piper closes her eyes, intent on getting a little rest. "Mh. Wake me when wagons move."
Aelia nods quietly. "Live on... a-all I can do, right now. But I will."
Gareth nods at Piper. "Will do, lass. Enjoy yer rest." He then nods at Aelia, "No sense in worryin' about somethin' that didn't happen, I figure. Yer here, yer safe, and yer very close to a place to settle comfortably in. Ye can look forward to all o' that."
Aelia chuckles sadly, "I... hope so. At least I have some folks I... I can trust?" She glances at Piper, then back at Gareth with a hopeful smile, "Err uh, right?"
Gareth chuckles a bit in turn. "O' course, lass. Piper, meself, Sammi... we're an odd bunch, sure, but looks can be deceivin'. If ye trust us, we'll work to keep it."
Aelia nods, finally managing to stand up once again on unsteady legs. She gives a rather formal bow to Gareth, the already worn out dress now even more tattered and dirty after the previous day's combat, she looks so lost and out of place. "I... don't have much choice... but I'm glad... I don't know how Phoebe chose you, or what she offered you, but... thank you."
Gareth remains sitting, but gives Aelia a respectful bow in turn, his head dipping down for a few moments. "And yer quite welcome, lass. Now... we'll be headin' out soon enough, so ye might want to go and relax fer a bit. Maybe try and get a bit more rest, if ye can."
Aelia glances towards the wagons and nods. "I... I'll try." With one last look between Gareth and Piper, she starts to walk back towards it to maybe, at last, get some rest.