As the Sun slowly climbed into the sky, a dry warmth sank through the canopy of dark orange leaves and reached the long, curtained boughs on which Fei Lan slept. The crisp autumn breeze felt cool and refreshing as it brushed against her skin. With a stir, her eyes slowly opened to the amber glow engulfing the treetop. She stretched lazily, drinking in the morning air. With the side of her hand, she dabbed her eyes, rubbing gently away the lingering malaise of her deep slumber. 

Sitting up, she fumbled for the rucksack she had been using as a bed cushion and hung the strap over her shoulder. She cast her legs over the side of the bough to dangle freely and peered through the branches at ground below; no immediate threats caught her attention. She could easily outrun a hungry bear or a sprinting tiger, but being caught unaware was always a dangerous possibility, and Fei Lan was keen on not becoming some furry woodland creature's breakfast. 

With a leap of faith, she dropped to the ground with a muffled sound; her footfalls rustled the leaves as she landed. She glanced around again, still wary. The woods were still, but the chorus of birds around never changed. Neither she nor anything else seemed to startle them. 

[i]Good[/i].

A sigh of relief escaped her parted lips and her fingers ran through the bracelet of charms on her wrist and found a deep blue lapis bauble. She held it close to her chest and began to chant in a quiet cadence, using it as a focus to gather her Qi and manifest it. A current of vital energy coursed into her lungs at her beckoning call. She drew in a long, deep breath and exhaled her accumulated Qi as a cloud of fine mist that quickly eveloped her body and immediate environs. 

She preferred travelling this way. With a nimbus of loose mist around her, most predators could not track her masked scent and brigands never found her. Having lost her previous travelling companions, it was necessary to take steps to protect herself. 

[hr]


Within a couple hours the beaten trail led her to the small town of Kizun. Upon seeing it, her heart sank. 

"What rotten luck..." She grumbled quietly. 

If she had known there was a town this close by, she would have travelled a bit further and slept in an actual bed rather than sleeping on a uncomfortable wooden hammock in the middle of nowhere.

After dispersing the envelope of mist she had created, she trudged into town with a sullen expression. Fortunately, her face was somewhat obscured by long hooded robes. The last thing she needed was some well-meaning numbskull to misinterpret her pretty face and sour mood as her being a "damsel in distress". It wouldn't be the first time. 

Presently, she wandered toward the local tavern eager to find some breakfast. A [i]real[/i] breakfast. Stale trail rations could only hold their appeal for so long. Her mouth began to water as soon as she caught the tempting aroma of cooked meat and rice.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of three strangers gathering around some kind of sign board. Torn between a sudden pique in curiosity and the smell of hot food, she froze in place.