[quote=@blizz]"Just down there, I slept there for a week once." [/quote]

"Nice place. Seems cozy," Revna said, looking up at the rocky outcropping perched on the hill above them. Strategically, it wasn't the worst place to sleep for the night, Revna considered. Sheltered, with high ground would let them see anyone approaching from the surrounding flatland for a mile. That was in the day, though. At night, with the new moons hidden from them and the starlight blocked by stormclouds, they would simply have to stand guard and strain their eyes against the darkness. Then, there was the cliff. Revna thought it was nice to have only one direction any would-be foes could approach from, but if they needed to run, their options would be limited. This didn't matter too much for Revna though. Didn't plan on running if it came to it.

[quote=@Illogical Jim]“I wish you had mentioned your injury, and I pray you let me examine it when we stop. I am the best healer in the Order, and should be able to set it right quickly enough.” he paused, thoughtfully, “Well, perhaps I am the second best healer. But you will find my bedside manner much more agreeable than you would Father Waleran's.”
[/quote]

Her strategic musings were interrupted by Brother Osric scolding her for not addressing her cut sooner. Revna just grunted in response, visibly annoyed. [i]I’m going to go mad if he pesters me every time I get a scratch.[/i] She chose to simply ignore him, hoping he'd let the matter go.

The party rode up the hill, carefully guiding their mounts into the sheltered rocks before dismounting. Revna didn't bother hobbling Valdur, and the stallion didn't bother leaving to search for food. Even a beast knew there was nothing living for miles. She pulled some fodder from the wagon and left it on the rocky ground for the animals before setting up her makeshift quarters for the night, pressed against the rock walls for any protection the overhang might provide. 

Revna inspected the campsite closer as she tossed her saddle onto the ground for a makeshift pillow. The dried and rotting hides and burnt-out campfire, now being brought back to life by Andrew, suggested Katrina had been here for some time. "Nice of you to clean up for us," Revna said to Katrina, tilting her chin towards the scattered bones near the crumbling rack. Revna idly wondered what Katrina's life must have been like before arriving in the Seven Villages, the first time she'd done so. If this "home" of hers was any hint, Revna suspected she'd been borderline feral, living almost like a beast. Perhaps that was how most humans lived beyond the Barrier's protection. She felt a mix of pity and disgust, both for Katrina and the whole human race, having been brought so low by the demonic invaders that they hid their entire lives now, like rats in a barn.

"So, is everything like this outside the villages? Just dead lands as far as you can see? Would make for a dull journey," Revna asked as she settled into her spot, leaning against the stone wall. She felt the rock leak back the day’s meager heat. 

She watched the fire grow from embers and into something roaring and comforting. Her eyes glowed red as the coals within as she stared into the flame's depths. The tendrils sawed in the wind and the embers paled and deepened like a living creature breathing, or like the blood beat of something eviscerated on the ground before them pumping out the last of its life force. Revna's hypnotic trance was broken by the smell of food and more pestering.

[quote=@Illogical Jim]“I think it best I attend to your wound before we eat. I can work quickly, and we will both be hungrier afterward.” [/quote]

She sighed deeply. He [i]hadn't[/i] forgotten after all, their diligent monk. 

"Brother Orkik, I've had love bites worse than this,” she said in an icy tone, casually rolling up her tunic’s sleeve to reveal several jagged and twisting scars carved into her skin. “It’s nothing. It'll heal in time, as they always do.” Every wound she'd ever taken on her flesh was treated by herself, her father, or her village's quack doctor, but she prided herself on never seeking the Order's help, despite their reputation for healing. The mere idea of bowing before those foreign gods for some small favor made her stomach churn.  

Revna managed to stop this train of thought before she lost her temper. They weren't even a day into their journey and she was already struggling to control it. Revna wasn't known for her peaceful disposition, but this overreaction was out of character. She took a heavy breath and unclenched her fists. 

"Alright, fine. But make it quick, will you? I'm taking first watch, and I'd like to get some food before Sage eats the whole pot," she said, trying to sound friendlier. It didn't work. She moved her saddle next to her so Osric could sit while he worked his craft on her and closed her eyes against the sun's last, meager rays that crept through the sliver of sky above them.