[i][h3][color=fff79a][Calieo][/color][/h3][/i]

	Once the subject of the water had been brought up, it begun a debate as to how they should continue forward once they reached water. All that mattered to Calieo was that they were currently moving forward, though she did her best to mind what others were saying. Denise offered a few suggestions, which prompted the fur clad woman to interject and further the conversation. Only when the attention had been drawn from the two of them did Calieo respond to Denise. 

	"I walked from the source, I worry I've already roused suspicion, and I do not want to cross the river," the knight huffed, doing her best to avoid emotion and focus on keeping up her rather hasty walking pace. Attention once again on what the others were saying, Calieo was pleasantly surprised to find that their blathering actually accumulated into something useful: a vague idea of a plan. 

	"Yes, we will continue South, as we are doing!" Calieo hollered over her shoulder in agreement, her mood a little better as their party continued further from the settlement. Soon the road turned rougher, the grass seemed a little greener, and slowly the path curved and slid away from the first of many sloping rises. 

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[h3]The Western Grasslands[/h3]

	The Falken village gone from sight, the journey into the grasslands wasn't too difficult as the trail ducked between the hills rather than went over them. To leave the path and reach the top of most hills could take someone only a handful of minutes, but often once finished the climb there isn't much to see but more hills like your own. Every few turns the road will lead through a shallow gorge or valley, though often all their is to see is grass, taller stalks of grass, and dirt, much like the rest of the road. 

	After travelling for a few hours, the trail curves around a fairly steep slope, and around the corner a towering corridor of grassy earth opens up into a large, sunken valley surrounded by sheer cliffs on either side. At the far end of the valley, just on the edge of sight, it seems the land slopes up and out onto more hills rather than cliffs, though there's no discernible road visible. With no road running through the valley either, whether or not this is still a beaten path is no longer clear. The valley overall is quite flat, and in the distance on the left side what looks like a lake can be seen; a mirror of the sky in a sea of knee high green.

[hr]

	Having stayed towards the front of the group by keeping up a relentlessly brisk pace, Calieo for the first time since leaving the village stopped walking. She didn't seem out of breath or tired, but instead looked onward, perplexed by the sight before her.

	"There is so much of this stuff, and it keeps getting taller," she declared to nobody directly, kneeling down to grasp as the tops of the grass. Sloppily she gathered a few stalks in her fist, and tore the tops away from the rest of the grass before pushing herself to stand again. Her expression difficult to read, Calieo opened her fist and began poking at the blades of grass she'd collected. Then she leaned in to sniff them, followed by a lick, then a fit of spitting when the grass stuck to her tongue. 

	"Someone, what is this green and why does grow so quickly? It was very short when we started walking," the knight called out, looking back at the rest of her companions. 

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[i][color=a0410d][h3][Tirñea][/h3][/color][/i]

	Hanging onto Veronica's words, Tirñea hadn't even noticed the man in robes approach until he'd spoke up. At first glance she'd assumed he was a frail old man due to his hair, but she quickly forgot that idea when she got a proper look at his face. He seemed quite cheery, though perhaps that was just him trying to be polite considering he had interrupted Veronica. Initially he only wanted directions, but when he spoke to Tirñea directly what he said unsettled her. Tirñea felt her stomach knot, the question being so oddly specific that it caused her to shy away from him by half a pace. Veronica of course wouldn't know why she should distrust this man, and went on to engage the stranger in conversation before introducing herself and Tirñea.

	"Hi," was all the Piñuran had to say, quite curious as to what the stranger's answer would be when Veronica inquired about the use of magic. Magic could explain a ridiculously specific inquiry such as his, as it seemed to be the explanation for most things that lacked any sense, but even then Tirñea was assaulted by a flurry of worrying thoughts. If Veronica didn't trust him she wasn't showing it, so Tirñea decided to distrust him for the both of them, and made a point of not returning his smiles.