Kijani let her gaze wander as she looked around the town. It was a nice place, to be sure, but there was a silent sense of dread that hung in the air. Something unspoken, something just under the surface of the beauty. 

She didn't realize why until she hit the market district and got a glimpse of the damage. It looked like a stampede had been through. The scene was one of pure destruction, and she climbed from Peony's back to lead her horse through the mess. While she tried to smile to the shopkeeps, most of them seemed almost afraid of her. That was new, and Kijani wasn't sure she liked it. While she was fine with criminal types fearing her, and would even welcome being an imposing figure to a lawbreaker, she didn't like the looks that she was getting from the average townspeople. The whole place was incredibly tense, and she felt herself getting wound up in response, checking her blade just to make sure it was there and ready.

Her upbringing came in handy at the strangest times. From the time that she'd been old enough to wear a young lady's dress and hairstyle instead of a child's shift, she had been taught to read people's true feelings and intentions. The words they didn't say, the hidden meaning in tone and body posture. It was coming in handy here; even those who weren't cleaning up the stalls and were attempting to shop, they were tense, suspicious. They were bracing themselves for an attack, but she could see how worn they were, how the constant fear was wearing them ragged. The set of their shoulders, the way they walked... 

This town was exhausted.

The little boy that appeared in front of her seemed rather immune to it. Kijani found herself smiling in response to his cheer. Children could be quite resilient, and they were so pure. “Hello, young lad. I do think I might take your offer of shoeing my dear Peony. Though, if it's quite alright with your master, I'd prefer to deal with my own sword.” While she was no expert blacksmith, she did know how to care for her own blade, and did so fervently. 

She gently checked Peony's shoes, and figured that she may as well take the time to get her horse cared for. It would be better than pushing her faithful animal any further, especially while it was relatively calm.

“Lead the way, my boy.” She took Peony's reins and clucked her tongue, digging into her saddlebag and feeding her a leftover tavern biscuit.