Anvil had arrived like a light at the end of an endless, miserable tunnel for Raelynn. Suddenly what had been such a grey and dreary period of her life - that had seemed to last forever - had ended, and the sun was shining again. Her blue eyes watched over the scene and the sun brought colour back to her cheeks, the thought of comfort brought a spring back to her tired step. She had barely spoken to anyone on the journey - save for a polite 'thank you' at meal times, and a nod here and there. Tamriel was collapsing around them with the Dwemer threat, but for now, the sun was in the sky and bringing a glimmer of hope with it. 

Not that the Dwemer threat had been [i]anything[/i] to do with her. She'd always disliked Rhea - the smug Imperial bitch. So she did have a chuckle to herself as she listened to her being scolded - by a Khajit of all things. Finally the weary travelers disbanded and went their separate ways, each to rejuvenate themselves and find their own comfort here. She wanted to do the same - she ached for a soft bed, for a hot bath, for some real food. They were at the top of her agenda. She had been holding onto a vial of lavender oil for such an occasion. It would go so well in a hot bath...

Such a silent pilgrimage had allowed her to observe her companions. She had learned a lot about them all, simply by watching them - listening to their conversations, seeing how they reacted to certain other members. There was definitely a closeness between certain individuals compared to others. It interested her. She had foreseen the fall out between the Khajit and the Imperial a mile off, too. Which added to her amusement even more so. One thing she had noticed was that Alim had not been doing so well. He was slower, strained. She guessed it would be something wrong with his back - perhaps his bones weren't correctly aligned. Now that they had time to wind down, she made a note to help him with it at some point. To crack it back into place. Perhaps if he was lucky she might save some of the lavender oil and rub him down. [i]Perhaps[/i]. She rolled her eyes at the thought, he was a womaniser and it would be exactly what he would want - therefore he might pay a premium for the pleasure.

Gregor was still a person of interest on her radar. She had stayed her distance from him for now, but as with the others, she had observed. He had been quieter than her, it was a mysterious aura he had that held her interest, she even found herself [i]almost[/i] attracted to him. He had large pockets - or at least, he might have in his near future. 

Finally, her thoughts drifted back to the young orphan girl she had left behind. She felt an ache for the girl in her heart. It wasn't something she was used to, but she didn't fight it. The future of the child was now uncertain, like the fate of Tamriel. Uncertain.

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Raelynn slipped into the hot bath, free of her torn and shredded clothes, free. The scent of lavender soothed her mind as well as her body and she scrubbed at her skin - rubbing away everything that had happened, letting it wash away, bringing back beauty in it's place. She was also able to wash her hair. The ritual was cathartic for her and with each rinse she felt more and more like herself, the weeping, weak woman from the refugee camp gone - Raelynn reappearing once again. She felt strong. 

And she ate! She gave good coin to eat fine foods - the richness of it almost unsettled her stomach, but she persevered through it, feeding her soul the luxury it had been desperate for. The last step to reclaiming herself would be new clothing. She opted for a violet caped cloak, embellished with pieces of shell from the Anvil beaches, and with copper filigree around the shoulders. Hell, she even splashed out for new boots. The hike to Anvil had just about worn the soles of the last ones. She felt renewed, and strong. Thank goodness she could leave the group at last - maybe she would head back to High Rock.

She had made that note, however, to track down Alim and treat his injury. He might be surprised she knew - he had been doing his damnedest to hide it. An injury couldn't be concealed from a Doctor, though.