[color=EE82EE]"What about you? Do you have any specific plans for your future?"[/color]

It was a good question. Oddly, Gabby hadn't thought on it much herself. Her original plan had been to run back to the Empire, but since the Varyan troops did not seem receptive to the idea, she'd had to drop that plan at least for the time being. It wasn't until the moment Vitoria asked that question that the young mage even stopped to consider her new plans for the future.

It showed. It showed on her face plain as day.

[color=999933]"Oh, you know,"[/color] she began, waving her hand about in a circle. [color=999933]"I was going to, uh... Ply my trade for a time. You know, people always want medicine, tinctures and... stuff."[/color] She nodded reassuringly, perhaps more for her benefit than the listener's, as she said "stuff."

[color=999933][i]What [/i]am[i] I going to do after that?[/i][/color] she wondered, silently aghast that she hadn't thought that bit through. It was a nasty problem. She'd need to think of a plan for the future. She could make the long trip back to Varya by herself, of course; and the northern lands where you froze to death in the snow might just have a high demand for talented practitioners of the arcane. She could teach her own pupils, perhaps. That could earn a fair bit of coin. And she could always do something about the smoke.

[color=999933][i]Wait, smoke?[/i][/color]

There it was off in the distance, rising in a gray plume. A few among the caravan seemed agitated by it already, or maybe it was the rest of their surroundings: an overturned wagons, a couple lonely and empty carts, abandoned homesteads, boxes littering the ground here and there... But there was not a single body, no stench of blood, and no swarms of flies, so it was safe to assume that nobody died at the scene. Gabby waved her hand in a slow, lazy "stop" motion, slowly coming to a halt herself, and stared about at the haunting lack of... [i]something[/i] before looking back at Vitoria and grinning.

[color=999933]"Well,"[/color] she began, voice cracking as she held back growing excitement, [color=999933]"This is intriguing. Are you tense? I'm just a bit tense."[/color]

Gabby looked toward the others among the caravan to see how they were responding. Most looked worried, and Gabby thought she understood why: it could be a very obvious trap. But then again, she mused, it could be the results of a sloppy robbery. But what was just as interesting to Gabby were the belongings left scattered around the ground.

Deciding it was only dutiful to procure some valuables, Gabby started toward one of the nearest bundles of belongings, her left hand gripping her focus crystal tightly. With her other, she reached out and began sifting through that small pack, all too curious - and perhaps desirous - of what could be inside.

Besides, it wasn't [i]her[/i] fault whoever left this behind got chased off.