An hour ter we had a literal chest of s and a promise of much better treatment from that location. To his credit, the owner didn’t grovel or whimper. He just took us into a back office, poured us drinks, and apologized for his idiot nephew. He even thanked us fiving him a reason to fire the brat that his brother couldn’t get angry at him over.

  He paid us three times the estimated value of the spear, which was holy pretty high to begin with as it did in fact still have some lingeriial fire mana they could trap and resell separately. He left an impression on our seer because she ughed and joked with him for a while as Redagga and Were around the post assuring people that the fool that had ahe Oracle was gone so she was calm again and no one was in dahe man really was gooo, some folks said they saw him running down the road out of the post and headi.

  One plication was that the elf had apparently not been his trai his personal assistant, at least as of a ferior. So when he bolted she assumed that meant she was fired. I don’t think she was wrong about that.

  I felt an urge to ask Carmil to feel her out for me, but she wasn’t there and I couldn’t use her as a crutch forever. It wasn’t fair to either of us. So I decided to see how I felt myself about the woman. If for practice if nothing else, I was sure my Heartseeker Skills helped in situations like this somehow.

  I listeo my heart oter and did the first thing that I thought of. A couple of mier I was sitting down on a benext to her as she quietly moped about her options. She startled and looked like she was going to run for a moment, but the frozen fruit bar I held out towards her threw her enough that the fear evaporated immediately.

  “You look like you could use something sweet.” I said and enjoyed a lick of the one I’d gotten for myself.

  She didn’t hesitate for a moment longer and took the treat. One small lid a smile spread on her face. “I really did his, thank you ma’am.”

  I chuckled “Esme, and it’s no problem. We did just make a whole ton of money because of that idiot.”

  She chuckled with less bitterhan I would have thought. “Well at least someone is having a nice day I guess. Thank you Esme, I’m Lafylit.”

  “Refugee?”

  She nodded “Border towweeerritories of the third and first prihere was a fe-works there and one fug idiot thought we were making ons for the other fug idiot. We made hulls and parts for river boats.” she snorted angrily, but the anger melted with every taste of the fruit bar

  “Good, huh?”

  She nodded “After bread and oats every day for weeks? This is the best thing I’ve ever had.”

  “Damn, at least my bread rations had fruit and nuts in them.”

  “I would have punched a royal in his fruit and nuts for fruit and nuts, gods.” she ughed softly. It sounded more tired than anything else.

  I let nothing but the sound of the market and us enjoying the treats fill the air for a minute before speaking again “Are you gonna be okay?”

  She sighed and shrugged “I’ve thought I was dead a dozen fug times or more in the past few months and made if this far anyway. I mae on the way to the capital.”

  “Headed for Beaver Valley?” and I only almost ughed twice saying it.

  She looked at me with a hint of anger “Why is that funny? Do you not think they’ll let some dirty elf beggar in?”

  I snorted “Oh gods, no that’s not it.” I said fighting my ughter with even less success. I got my giggles under trol enough to lean over and whisper the meaning into her ear.

  She stared at me with eyes wide. “Why would it be a euphemism for that?”

  I took a breath “Because they are furry, wet, a wood.”

  She suddenly broke down ughing “Oh gods, oh why did they that then!? Beaver Valley?”

  I ughed with her “Apparently, apparently it was, they didn’t have names for, oh gods this is funny. They didn’t have names for most things for a long time, but once Willow Creek became an official nation, they had to have details to give other nations for treaties and the like. But it was a group of old folks that thought it was stupid and hings as quickly as they could so they could just go home and be doh it.”

  She shook her head as her ughter slowly ended “Oh that’s fug great. Oh thank you. I haven’t ughed for real in… too long.”

  “I was in a slightly simir situation to yours a while back. Lost in the woods with shrapnel in my leg.” I raised the prosthetid banged on it. “It got ugly, but I had someoh me helping me along. I think sometimes that’s really what we need most. Just someone helping us along.”

  She smiled softly “I had some people, we got separated before we could cross the border but had agreed to try a up in… fuck I ’t say it without ughing now I?” she giggled. “You know, I used to be far more soft spoken and demure. I never swore. Then someone shot my boss in front of me and I couldn’t think of any other word to say but… ‘shit’ After that, ’t fug stop.” she turo look at me and curiosity bunched her eyebrows together. “What did he mean by all that anyway? The ‘Path’ stuff he was shouting.”

  “Green Mother’s Path, it’s a lifestyle. To put bluntly, we’re naturalists who do in fact toss aside a lot of societal ies. Like clothing, or monogamy.”

  “You seem retively clothed to me.”

  “Well we’re not assholes, we don’t shove our ways into people’s faces.”

  She tilted her head and looked me over. “So do you all-”

  I raised a hand “Hang on, I’m not the right oo ask for a lot of details, I only retly joined up and I’m still learning. But I will say it’s beeremely freeing and f. I holy love it and have never been happier. But if you want more details, Dekarru, the scary old shaman? She’s actually an Oracle of the Green Mother and knows more than literally anyone else.”

  Her eyes widened “An Oracle? Gods, no wohat prick ran so fast.”

  I ughed “Yes, and she’s way han all that made her seem, I swear it.”

  She sighed “I don’t know if running through the woods with my twins out is right for me, but I have so many ‘maybe I should have tried that when I still could’ sorts of thoughts so maybe I’ll give it a shot after I make it to the capital.” She then gave a small chuckle “Unless you lot happen to be going that way then maybe I could try it en route. Not that I’m that lucky.”

  I smirked at her “You are today.”

  She stared at me in silence for nearly a full mihen her eyes slid down my body “You… are very pale.”

  I nodded. “The freckles go all the way down too.” She snorted and rolled her eyes in what I read as wry amusement.

  Half an hour ter I was introdug her to the others who were looking at me like I was crazy. But in the end Dekarru agreed o of simple kindness and everyone shrugged and just got on with prepping to leave.

  Jaina had the elf i and was giving her a medical examination and simple treatments while Carmil and I sat by the driver’s door. “So, I got the feeling she was… like, I dunno. Not very there? Not mentally but emotionally I mean. Aside from the spikes of fear, when she was eating the frozen fruit thing was the most unfiltered emotion I got from her. Even the heavy ughter from the beaver pu like there was something in it missing. Not that her emotions seem fake, just kinda muted.” I said quietly to my elemental beloved. “How does that match with what you feel from her?”

  She tapped her in thought “Hmm, well it is a bit hard to intuit because mostly what I’m feeling from the woman is the sehat feeding on her blood would make me sick. I believe she needs medical care a and food above all else. But, the sense of emptiness is something I feel as well. It’s shock, and I believe she’s been experieng it for weeks if not months.” She rested her hand on my arm “I’ve seen quite a lot of that from my time in the bands.”

  “So is she a threat do you think?”

  “There is little way to know with cases like this. She might have a traumatic fshbad bee violent outside of her trol as she mentally relives what started all of this, she might not. With treatment she will recover, though it’s impossible to say how well. But who she is, or who she bees after the treatment? That could be someone wildly different than who we see here.”

  “This wasn’t even from my war. It was the fug priearing their own home apart to decide who rules the ashes.” I grumbled angrily.

  “Mortals are frequently stupid creatures. It’s one of the myriad reasons I love you. You actually use your mind. For the most part anyway.” I kissed her cheek as she giggled at my expense.

  It was another hour, maybe a bit less, before we headed off again with our full coffers and lots of scrap that Brigg was going through as Red drove. Jaina and Dekarru were both using some healing magiove some minor illnesses from uest, probably local viruses but other iions were possible too and they just wao make sure she was rec well.

  I sat down i with them and smiled “So, feeling a bit better Fyl?” I said to the elf in as friendly a tone as I could manage.

  She blinked “Fyl?”

  “Lafylit? Fyl? Do you not like niames?”

  Weren bonked me on the head lightly with a bowl before handing it tuest “She just wants ohat isn’t stupid. Flyt is more fun to say and borderline dirty so it’s way better!”

  Lafylit smiled and gave a weak ugh as she accepted the bowl and stared at the soup within. “Flyt, yeah, I live with Flyt.”

  I sighed dramatically “Well I guess I ’t be perfect at everything.”

  There was a small round of irely forced ughter and Flyt greedily emptied the bowl into her mouth. Weren took it to the kit and came back with a small loaf of bread and some fruit slices and the elf tore into those eagerly as well. There was not much emotion on her face as she ate, but a few tears fell down her cheeks.

  Dekarru gave me a look that even I had a hard time reading. Maybe upset at bringing the woman, maybe thankful for helping her, maybe just m at how badly messed up she was. Flyt was not very bothered by the questions Jaina asked about her body or the Seer asked about her experiences. She seemed like she just didn’t have enough emotional energy left to be embarrassed. But she did react when Jaina tried to remove her head-. She almost swung at the seemed to catch herself.

  After a moment she reached up and pulled the off. Her hair was as I saw before, just bloubble on her scalp. There were small, fairly fresh nicks and cuts all over but they seemed to be mostly healing okay. She just shrugged “When he hired me he wao make sure I didn’t have lice. I’d never used an aricraft razor or shaved my head any other way for that matter, so I cut myself a lot. It wasn’t so bad though, he provided some healing salve.”

  I saw emotion though, a moment of grief, of hurt. I think the hair was one pieany to lose for her. “I bet your hair is geous when it’s long though.” I said with an encing smile.

  Her lip twitched “Yeah, my hair is incredible. Long golden locks that I barely have to do anything with. There’s this natural swoop on my right side that I make cover half of my fad it’s just this sultry sexy teasing look and…” she sniffled. “My sister likes brushing and braiding my hair, it’s a big bonding thiween us. I was hoping that it would grow back before I got there and found her again, but I guess this is good. Getting there sooner is good.”

  Dekarru sighed deeply “Redagga, I’ll need help to my room in a mihen she ran her fingers across Flyt’s scalp, magic pulsing from her hands into the elf’s skin. In moments the effect was obvious as the cuts on her head all closed and healed over. But she wasn’t done and tio pic out as she muttered words I couldn’t uand. We realized why when the elf’s hair started to rapidly grow. After several mi had reached halfway down Flyt’s back when Dekarru suddenly colpsed. I started to jump up but Red had already been there waiting and caught her. The old orc raised a shaky hand. “I’m f-fine, just worn out. That is not… an easy spell… to use that way.” She groaned as Redagga helped her to her feet and the two were heading up to the shaman’s room shortly after “I need sleep. See you all in the m.” was all she said before she was out of sight.

  I turo look at Flyt, her hair was hanging in her face, fingers running through the strands of woven gold. Her face ith tears when she looked up at me “I… I should say thank you.” There was far more feeling in those few words than I had felt since I met her.

  I squeezed her shoulder softly “You say it tomorrow after we get some rest.” and she just smiled and quietly cried as she felt her hair ruween her fingers.

  Sleep arras were simple. Flyt joined Red and Brigg. Turns out sometimes the elf thrashed in her sleep enough to hurt herself. The two physical powerhouses oher side of her would both prevent that and not have to worry about being hurt themselves. This actually made Flyt rex a lot.

  “Do I o be naked?” she asked simply.

  Brigg pet the woman’s head softly “Only if ya want, and we’ll even wear something as well if it’d be more fortable for ya.”

  The elf nodded “Okay, good, thank you. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.” We all had the tact to not say anything about the ‘yet’ iatement. Though I could tell it was a struggle for Weren to bite her tongue.

  As she disappeared into the room upstairs, Luvetra crawled over from the er she’d been hiding in while trying to look like she wasn’t hiding. “Th-think she’ll be okay?” she asked as she ed her arms around me and id down.

  Carmil pulled the b over the three of us and squeezed our tall love. “I believe she has a much better ce at that with us takio the capital rather than walking. She should also have a much better ce when she finds her family there.” The elemental spoke softly as she stroked Luv’s cheek.

  “But w-what if they-”

  “Shhhhh.” Carmil pressed a fio the giant’s lips. “None of that. She will find them. She must have hope, and if we do not have it as well she will be more likely to lose hers.”

  “I h-hope I get to see her smile for real when she finds her sister then.” she said with a small nod.

  I pulled myself closer and kissed Luv deeply for a few moments “This is one of the o of reasons I love you. Your heart is absolutely filled with warmth ahy.” She blushed and held me close.

  As we drifted off, I felt so damned lucky to have my tribe. So much love was in this rolling home that I just knew some of it would help Flyt somehow. Love had saved me after all.