Safe Passage [Sarain + Faolan + Liluth]

"It is okay, do not worry about it," she chuckled a bit. As she noticed that Faolan disappeared through dinner room door portal, she sigh quietly. "Sarain, a lot has happened these past days, so forgive if we may not be the best company right now," she whispered, but then smiled.

She took other elf by hand and let her into dinning room, giving the same closed smile he always gave her.

Out of habit, but also because every current topic was unpleasant in one or another way, Faolan didn't speak during the meal - he might have responded briefly to something mundane, but it didn't seem like that the others wanted to crack the silence either. The simmering anger deep in him was starting to die out, and thoughts like what on earth Sarain would occupy herself with in the meantime started to prickle in his mind. He pushed them away, telling himself that he really shouldn't make it a problem. He didn't really have any beef with her, except that he wanted to strangle her boyfriend, it was really just a bad time. Perhaps, when all of this was over, and he was in a better mood, he could subtly apologize for his behaviour. But not now.

Finishing off the last of her roll and moving on to a different dish, Sarain gave an imperceptible sigh of relief at the chance to break the awkward silence. "It's been a rather bumpy ride lately," she confessed. "There was some trouble with a group of street thugs who figured they could intimidate their way into my stockpiles. It didn't work out very well for them though."

She moved on from that timeline, not wanting to dwell too long on how her past had caught up with her and almost destroyed everything she had. "I do have six apprentices now, though. They're such great help, and recently they've been able to run the shop without my supervision. I teach them what they need to know and provide them some allowance to do with what they wish."

She explained how she had been training each of them for different things. Heavy and Darts were the physical fighters, and since the street thugs had targeted her shop before she decided to refine their fighting techniques so they could provide some security. Leek and Skip were the curious intellectuals, so she had been focusing on passing to them general alchemical techniques. She had provided books, drilled them on safety measures and tested their knowledge every once in a while. Trace and Remedy were the ones she had taught to run the shops. It was up to them to decide day to day what each of the others should do, and efficiency had tripled with so much help around.

"Really though, business has begun improving since I've taken them in. I think it has a lot to do with personality, especially Remedy and Trace. Skip doesn't come out of the lab to greet the customers very often, but that's probably for the best." She joked.

Liluth was little bit relieved hearing that at least Sarain was okay, well, at least in her business. That was easy read off her face. The dark elf even feared to start think about her own business, with her shop back in Reluir.

"I am truly happy for you, dear," she placed her empty glass on the table, "I hope it will keep going as successful as now, despite the ... current situation in country." She then glanced to Faolan, giving him hint that they could end now, because Liluth truly feared to get over other themes now. None of them were ready to talk much, at least she and Faolan wasn't.

"Thank you for the meal, Faolan," she smiled at hime, adressing other female now, "but, it is late, and we have to leave early."

Faolan sent a casual smile to Liluth and agreed with that they should all rest.

______

The next day, they would leave at 7am sharp. Supplies for the trip had been packed, and Faolan - who was in a much better mood now - had done some quick math and found out that if they only used two of his black goats and switched one of them out every 2nd hour, they should be able to ride for 16 hours which should be plenty of time for them to reach Amedra.
It was a soft and bump-less ride, but one can only sit down for so long without getting tired, so around 2pm they agreed to take a break. Faolan jumped off his familiar and turned around just in case that Liluth would need help – not that he found her that helpless, but it’s the thought that counts.

Sarain's mouth was pressed in a thin, straight line. She was not used to mounts. She could barely ride a horse, and now she was supposed to ride a demon goat all the way to Amedra. It took most of her focus just to keep herself balanced as the beast swayed slightly with every step it took; she felt like if she leaned the slightest bit too far, she'd end up in a heap on the side of the road.

Stopping for a break was a welcome change of events. As Faolan helped Liluth off of the goat, Sarain slid awkwardly off the one she was riding. "I'm.... alright," she conceded. It wasn't a terrible ride, she was just unused to it. "How far are we?" she wondered, having not kept track during the ride.