[h3]Falke, East Shopping District[/h3]
	Before Rebecca turned to follow Chambala, she noticed that the monster of a golem that they had their eye on before was pursuing someone. He was putting on a good show of evading it, but she doubted it would stay so self-contained if it went on much longer. Things would probably get hairy either way.

	“Hold up for a moment, please.” Rebecca said to her friend as she took the large case off of her back and laid it against the ground. Her hand moved over the combination lock on the side, flipping the numbers to the correct combination and resetting it incredibly quickly as the case made a bizarre hissing noise. She undid the latches on either side of the lock and opened the case, withdrawing her invention and throwing the strap around her back. The brass pieces of the weapon glistened softly in the partially obscured sunlight as Rebecca closed the case and slung it back over her shoulder. She stood up, re-adjusting her balance slightly.

	“Okay,” Rebecca decided with a smile. “Just needed to make sure I'm ready in case things start going sour. Let’s go.” She appreciated the way that Chambala could get people to move out of their way. She hoped that she would have that kind of influence someday, at least among her peers. Another thing to look forward to, she supposed. She took Chambala’s advice to heart and bought some smaller items, enough that she could fit them in her bottomless bag without her worrying about it. If she remembered the maps well enough, there were enough towns along the way that she wouldn’t have to worry too much about running out of food until they got to the forests. She wasn’t too picky about what she bought as long as it would last a good while, not considering herself a gourmet or chef by any stretch, and refrained from any small talk.

	“Got it,” Rebecca said to Chambala once she was done. “How long have you been doing this sort of thing? It sounds like you’re pretty experienced with your route.”

[hr]
[h3]Tour de Rouge, Main Gates[/h3]
	“Very good,” Serena said. “We will be departing shortly, then.” She leaned down to pick up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, holding her naginata in her other hand. She made her way to the main gates, with her student following closely behind. Veronica’s positive attitude began to fade somewhat as she passed the city’s threshold, the cloudy expanse of the outside world reminding her of the weight of her mission.

	“Veronica,” Serena said suddenly. “Are you truly ready? I can still leave you in Glint’s care while I finish the mission. I do not mind the extra burden.” Veronica nodded.

	“I’m going to uphold Aegea’s honor,” Veronica declared. “It’s what she would have wanted of me.” Serena sighed and shook her head. In her mind, what Aegea wanted was not always best, but she wouldn’t tell Veronica that. She eventually found what she was looking for. A bearded older man sat at the front of a simple wagon, attached to a couple of horses and filled with a few wooden boxes of varying size, though there was a fair amount of space in the back for a few passengers. Serena gave him a simple wave to catch his attention, and he looked towards them.

	“I was told I’d be getting paid extra if I gave a few Choir folks a ride down South to the logging village along with the usual shipments,” He said, to which Serena nodded. “I won’t be going any farther than that, and you’re hoofin’ it if I decide you’re attracting too much trouble. Got it?” Serena nodded once more, offering a quick “thank you” before turning back to her student. She and Veronica threw their bags onto the wagon and waited for the others to board it.