Hana hid her surprise about Uban's honesty by stripping nearby pine trees of their green needles. She couldn't imagine anyone admitting ignorance in Elbar, and most of the clients she'd had across the continent were like to argue with her over peasant superstition. "Are all the people from your community so humble?" She let herself imagine an arcadia with honest folk, free from strife. A place like that would be far from the reach of the Schools. Hana walked behind Uban as they went back for food. Her head was down, and she'd crouch quickly to unearth a particular mushroom, or uproot a bulb or tuber growing nearby. Foraging was a good way to stretch the meager budget of a traveling hedgemage. Hana was glad to have tucked a kerchief in her back pocket, it quickly filled up with edible mushrooms and tubers. When she saw the hunched posture of the Captain, she had wanted to rush to his side. But, hearing Uban, she made herself turn away and head towards the ship. Lightly, she said, "You know, I visited a spice merchant before I joined the Borealis. With what I just gathered in the forest, I think I can make something pleasant." Swinging her hip so it bumped into Uban's, throwing him off balance, she added, "And a bottle of Elbish wine."

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The mermaid spun in the water as it listened to the octopus talk. "Come pet my tail. The scales are soft. Feel."