A Trip to the Country

[Talofen]

Confusion contorted his face for a brief moment till he realized how he must appear to the ladies. With dust covering him from head to toe, and his stubble leaning to the side of ragged he painted quite the picture of those that might dwell in these woods more often than not. His mouth yet stood agape though, staying that way till she tossed the waterskin at him, and the expression quickly changed to one of relief as he deftly caught and uncorked it in one single motion, desperate to bring the refreshing water to his quite parched throat.

After taking a few gulps he cleared his throat, looking at both of the women in turn. "Very gracious for the water, been lost more days than I can count, though when is anyone found out there, right?" He shrugged, taking a few more long pulls from the waterskin before corking it back up and tossing it back to the miss who originally procured it for him. It was good to have some liquid in him at last, it made his overall weariness seem all the more bearable. "You can only trust me that I will do you no harm however, for I'd rather die then be made helpless again. By the way might you know a good place where a I could put up for the night?"

[Aura Thesin]

Aura watched the man warily, catching the waterskin deftly in her left hand when he tossed it back to her. She replaced it on her belt without looking, her eyes watching the man and his movements, taking in how he moved, how he spoke.

She recognized the stance of a trained fighter, even when at rest, so she didn't doubt he knew how to use the sword belted at his hip. He seemed truthful enough, since it seemed obvious enough that he had been in the woods for a few days at least, if not lost. But it all came down to the questions: What is he doing in the woods? Is he running from something? Can he be trusted?

Aura made a face, more at her distrust than anything else, then said, "Let me speak with my friend." She turned, purposefully placing her back to the man. Placing a hand on Breda's shoulder, she gently led the dwarf a few paces further away, so they could talk without him overhearing. She turned sideways, so she could watch the man from the corner of her eye.

"What do you think, Breda? Aside from the sword, he seems harmless enough, especially if he can't find his way in the woods. I just wonder why he's in the woods in the first place." She paused, gazing back up the path at him for a moment. "Besides, we don't even know his name yet..."

She looked down at Breda again, awaiting her response.

[Breda Dreaughan]

Breda felt baffled at first, not sure what Aura expected of her. Was she supposed to give an opinion of the stranger’s character based on this amount of interaction? Or was Aura planning to offer the man a place for the night? Maybe she expected Breda to be able to make a better judgement, since the dwarf was native to the area?

Certainly, the man’s appearance was dubious, but so far he hadn’t actually done anything suspicious. And Breda was perfectly aware that she herself would not be here, if certain people weren’t able to see beneath one’s dubious appearance.

She glanced at the man. If he came to me as a customer, how would I feel? Would I be concerned?

She turned to Aura and shrugged. “I don’t know. He could be dangerous, but he’s clearly in trouble and needs help. Is it fair to just leave him here?”

[Aura Thesin]

A little tension left Aura's body at the echo of her own thoughts coming from Breda. She nodded thoughtfully, her eyes shifting as she looked through the trees, her ears straining for any sound out of the ordinary as she took a couple moments to order her thoughts.

"I don't like the idea of him staying with us, but, if he's was lost in the woods like he says, then he may decide to wander off the path again, and get himself lost. If he's being chased, then it's either by the law or outlaws. In either case, helping him can be dangerous to us both," Aura said thoughtfully, her gaze settling on the man again. They were speaking low enough that all he should be able to hear was murmuring, unless he had extraordinary hearing.

She made a face again. She hated being uncertain. Once again she turned to Breda. "Perhaps we should just give him a waterskin and send him on his way, in the direction of Shim?"

It was the best suggestion she could think of, until they got to know this man a little better, if they decided that was what they wanted to do.

[Breda Dreaughan]

Breda felt a wave of relief when Aura admitted that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of keeping the man around. The human was so eager to help everyone, and bound by gods-know-what monastic vows, that she might have considered it her duty to take him along.

She glanced around. The woods were still quiet, and the man was staring at them, reserved.

"Let's see if he's hurt," she whispered finally. "If he's alright, we can send him on his way. And if he isn't, then I suppose we'll have to help him somehow. But I'd rather get rid of him."

[Aura Thesin]

Aura nodded in response to Breda. She didn't particularly want the man around either, but she couldn't leave him to the not-so-tender mercies of the woods, since it was obvious he had gotten himself quite lost at least once already. She smiled reassuringly at Breda and gave her shoulder a squeeze before turning and walking back towards the man.

Still keeping her distance, and still ready to move in an instant, she smiled, carefully surveying the man for any obvious wounds. "Other than being thirsty, you're not otherwise injured, are you?"

The man frowned, looking at her and Breda, then shrugged and said, "Other than that, no."

Aura nodded. She glanced back at Breda, the slipped her water skin from the loop on her belt and tossed it to him. "Take this with you then. I have a couple others." She smiled at his surprised look, but continued speaking. "You can continue down this path behind us," she said, stepping aside and pointing. "It will take you to the main road a mile or so back. If you turn left, it will take you to Marn. If you turn right, it will take you to Shim. You will be able to find any accommodation you need in either of those two places."

The man touched his brow in a salute, murmuring his thanks as he slipped by them. Seeming to sense that the two women were uncomfortable, he passed as far from them as it was possible on the narrow trail. Once by them, he turned and waved over his shoulder, then began a weary walk towards the main road.

Aura watched him for a few moments, then turned to Breda. Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, she smiled at the smaller woman and said, "Shall we continue?"

[Breda Dreaughan]

Breda stared after the man for a while after he had disappeared between the trees. She wanted to be absolutely sure that he wasn't going to double back.

What is it about this place that makes the same people seem even more frightening than they are in the city? Is it because I'm outside my own territory? I don't know this place, I can't read it. I'm helpless here. She had to concentrate on not moving closer to Aura.

Realizing the other woman was talking, she turned to her and returned the smile, faintly. "Sure. How far are we from the cottage? Should we take a lunch break at some point?"

Breda wasn't at all sure she wanted to stop here, but she was already feeling hungry and tired. Not that she'd admit it.

[Aura Thesin]

Aura glanced up at Breda's question. It was past time for lunch, according to the sun, so she nodded and led the shorter woman up the path another few moments. Off to one side was a small clearing, covered by a canopy of leaves, with large logs, obviously cut by saws, laying around a small pit.

Aura gestured to the logs, then seated herself, letting her pack slip off her back with a relieved sigh. She grinned at Breda, then began digging through her pack, pulling out a few pieces of bread, a large chunk of cheese, and small bit of ham. She handed two slices of bread with half the cheese and ham to Breda, keeping the other slices and rest of the cheese and ham for herself.

They ate slowly, in silence, as they both enjoyed the sound of nature around them. Birds chirped, and the wind could be heard moving through the trees. It was a welcome change from the bustle of Marn, and one of the major reasons Aura came out to the cabin.

Aura looked over at Breda as they ate. "It's nice out here, isn't it?"

[Breda Dreaughan]

In the sunny clearing, away from the threatening shadows, the sounds and smells of nature felt enjoyable, even comforting. Small birds approached the two women cautiously, apparently attracted by the bread crumbles. Breda watched them, smiling. They were quite more attractive lunch company than rats.

Licking the grease off her fingers, she nodded in response to Aura's comments. "Really nice. I'm starting to appreciate the forest." She tossed a piece of crust to the birds. Maybe one of them is a shapeshifter.

"Are you okay with the backpack?" She asked, slightly embarrassed that the other woman was doing all the carrying. At least they had eaten some of the weight.

[Aura Thesin]

Aura grinned at Breda's concern, and shrugged offhandedly. "The extra weight helps keep me fit. Since I haven't met anyone who I can practice my style of fighting with, I need something for that. Practicing the forms can only take me so far."

Aura wrapped up what remained of their lunch in the paper wrappings Marie had provided, then slipped it back into her backpack. She raised an eyebrow at Breda and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

As she asked the question, she slipped one arm through the strap on her backpack, then the other. She made an attempt to push herself up off the log, groaning and feigning losing her balance from the weight of the backpack.

Unfortunately, Aura feigned too well. Suddenly she was actually struggling to maintain her balance, and, instead of joking with Breda, she fell backwards under the weight with a short, girlish scream. Her rear contacted the log as the backpack pulled her over, the pack itself resting on the ground behind the log with Aura on top of it.

The girl giggled uncontrollably as she kicked her legs, her resemblance to a turtle lying upside down on it's shell was both uncanny, and hilarious. After a couple moments of giggling, Aura held up her hand to Breda.

"Uh, maybe a little help?" She giggled again as she waited.

[Breda Dreaughan]

At first Aura's fall startled Breda, but the giggling soon told her the other woman wasn't hurt. So she put her hands on her hips and tutted, trying to suppress laughter.

"Is this how you practice the forms in your monastery?" She asked, grinning, as she walked to the giggling woman and extended a hand. "Here, no time to lie around."

While Aura herself would have been light enough for Breda to pull back on her feet, the heavy backpack and the presence of the log made the attempt difficult enough. By the time Aura was vertical again, Breda was giggling at least as hard as the other woman.

"Right," she said, trying to stop laughing and catch her breath. "Now, can we continue?"

[Aura Thesin]

Aura did most of the heavy lifting, using Breda's hand to help steady herself when needed. Once she was levered up from her back, she bent over, hands on knees, and giggled for another couple of moments. Once she had herself back into a semblance of control, she grinned over at Breda. "I needed a good laugh. And yes, let's get going. It's about another hour or so. Normally we'd be there by now, but we took the ferry instead of the bridge, and that always adds about an hour." She smiled and shrugged to let Breda know it didn't matter to her.

Aura led the way back to the road, then turned in the direction of the cabin, deeper into the Virdara Woods. They walked, mostly in comfortable silence, speaking rarely to conserve breath. True to Aura's word, they arrived slightly more than an hour later. Aura knew she could have made it much faster on her own, and was usually there before noon, but she had had to slow her pace to the pregnant dwarf's.

Rounding a bend in the trail, the cabin came into view. It was small and cozy, set hard against the woods at the back of a clearing. Little grass grew in the clearing itself, likely due to the somewhat sandier nature of the clearing than the rest of the wood. Directly to the right of the cabin was a small garden, surrounded by planed wood to keep the sand from invading the rich soil. Leafy vegetables, from lettuce to carrots, from tomatoes to peas, sprang from the rich soil, looking slightly bedraggled.

Made of wood, the cabin was painted a deep brown, and the paint and cabin were both in good repair. The door was closed, but not locked, and two windows facing into the clearing were on either side of the door. There was a window in each face of the cabin, allowing a fair amount of daylight to reach the inside of the cabin.

Aura walked to the cabin and opened the door, offering a slight bow to Breda as she allowed the dwarf to enter first. "Welcome to Chez Aura." She grinned and suppressed a giggle, knowing it was not really her house, but thinking herself clever anyways.

Inside, the cabin was a large single room, twenty-five feet long on the front and back, and twenty feet long on each side. A window was centered in the wall on either side, and two windows and a door in the back wall mirrored those on the front. Under the window to left was a table and two chairs, set firmly on a rug. In the corner on the front were cabinets in which dishes sat, with a large set beneath on a counter for washing dishes. The back left corner had a small metal fireplace, which also served as a stove. A pipe came from the top, bending near the roof, and sending the smoke out the back wall. To the side of the fireplace was a rocking chair with a cushion on it.

The other side of the room was taken up with a large bed and a comfortable armchair. The bed was nearly hidden behind screens in the back corner, and had a nightstand next to the head. The armchair sat next to a bookshelf on the front wall, and a small table next to the armchair contained a candleholder and candle for reading.

Aura took in the cabin, smiling slightly. Everything looked the way she had left it.

[Breda Dreaughan]

By the time the two women reached the clearing, Breda was seriously out of breath. An old injury was making her right shin ache, and she had to concentrate on not limping. Just as she was about to give in and ask for a break, the cottage came into view.

"It's beautiful," she said quietly. She had expected something much more shabby, but the little cabin had clearly been cared for, with love. There was no sign of portals to other dimensions, or indeed anything out of the ordinary, so she confidently followed Aura to the front door.

The inside matched the outside in cosiness and comfort. Breda eased herself into the armchair and looked around, smiling. It was easy to see why the other woman held the cabin in such a high regard. What a safe haven it must have been in a strange, frightening new world. "You're very lucky, you know," she said, with a hint of affection in her voice.

And then there was the feeling. A street sense. The feeling of someone else's presence. Was that a footprint in the dust? She glanced at the floor, examining the plank floor and the rug.

"Aura," she said softly. "Is there a cellar here?"

[Aura Thesin]

Aura watched Breda settle into the armchair, watched the smaller woman look over the little cabin, clearly enjoying the sparse yet cozy interior. Aura moved lightly over to one of the dining room chairs, practically dancing with joy. It was a feeling she had rarely had even when she was at home, or when practicing at the monastery, but it was a feeling she had every time she returned to the little cabin near which she had appeared in this strange world.

Taking the back of the light-colored wooden ladderback chair, she spun it around on one leg, letting it land with the back facing Breda, who was not even ten feet away from the dining room in the armchair. Aura smiled as she began to settle herself into the chair, arms already crossing on the back as she sat backwards. Halfway seated, she stopped, frowning first at Breda and her question, then down at the rug under the chair legs and her feet that Breda seemed to be inspecting.

Something akin to a cold finger dragging down her spine sent a shudder through her, and her scalp prickled. She had never thought to look for a cellar, never thinking that there might be hidden rooms to the house. But why else would a cabin in obviously good condition be sitting in the middle of nowhere with no one residing within? she thought.

She had been so desperate to find something that could help her escape from a strange world, she didn't think of the danger, and the thought of how many times she had been out here, alone, for days at a time sent another shiver up her spine. She slowly stood upright, still looking down at the carpet for a moment, before looking back to Breda.

"I ... I don't know." Aura glanced down at the carpet beneath her feet. "I certainly hope not!" she added fervently.

[Breda Dreaughan]

Most houses had cellars, and most cellars were perfectly harmless. Yet Breda couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling. "How long periods did you say you've spent here?" She asked, getting slowly to her feet.

She moved softly to the rug and knelt on the floor. With a glance to Aura, she lifted the corner of the rug.

There was indeed a hatch, covered by the rug and the table. The metal handle was polished by use, and the dust around the hatch had clearly been disturbed. Breda turned to look at Aura, her face serious.

"There can't be anyone down there now, not with the rug and the furniture in place. Want to take a look?"