[hr][hr][centre] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/548578836321796099/555875062880796782/clip_image002.png[/img] [hr][h3] Outskirts of Stathford, Village of Traffyn Fenwd [/h3][hr] [/centre] The rain sank, straight through Colin's linen shirt and the crisp yellow hood bandied about his shoulders, soaking him in seconds. A glance back, at the cart setting off back in the direction it'd come from, leaving them stood outside the inn alone, and something unpleasant sprouted, deep in his gut. Barely had their hoods a day, and already they were on their own. He flexed his fingers, cold and stiff already from the icy breeze that'd sliced through the slats in the wooden carriage, so he did his best to warm them up to a point where they were functional. He needed to be able to fight. They had a vampire with them and an unknown supply of pacifying blood, along with the dangers that surely waited in the dark shadows of the trees that towered above them. He stretched, trying to ease the way his shoulders twinged and his spine ached, almost as if someone had lodged tiny daggers in between each and every vertebra. Payment, he supposed, for the way he'd spent the carriage ride - wedged into the corner, discomfort rippling through tense muscles as he kept his eyes affixed to the [i]thing[/i] he'd found himself sharing a space with. Sleep had been both sparse and poor. Something else he was paying for too - this time with the itching, crawling feeling that tugged at the back of his eyeballs and the fuzziness wrapped around each unwieldy though he managed to grind out. Eliza's voice, calling from a little way away, caught his attention. It looked like they were moving off, so he quickly made to catch up, but by the time he did, it looked like she was already talking to someone else - a woman, amber eyes. The one he thought might've been a leech before dismissing the idea due to the rosey tinge of her skin. He decided to hang back, not wanting to intrude on their conversation, but also wanting to keep their whole group in his line of sight. The leech and the other man - had it been Fendrel? - seemed to be heading towards the path that ran through woods, in the direction the driver indicated the village lay. Eliza and the woman, on the other hand, were headed towards the inn. Colin took off after Eliza. They'd been told to go to the inn after all, regardless of what the leech wanted to do. [centre][hr][h3]Village of Traffyn Fenwd - Forest Path[/h3][hr][@ZAVAZggg][@Inertia][hr][/centre] The trees gathered, bushy and green, thick enough that only the occasional sliver of grey twilight made it through, rain hitting the canopy and rolling off like it'd hit leather. The ground was dry underfoot as Sadon and Vitius made their way along the path, interrupted by lumpy roots that burst up from the ground in front of them that they had to step over, the way made more difficult by the twists and turns the route took in order to avoid particularly dense thickets of trees and tangles of dark, impenetrable undergrowth. It wasn't quiet. Twigs, leaves, other detrital material crunched and shifted underfoot, accenting each footstep they made. Squirrels scrambled through the trees, branches creaking and shifting beneath their weight, cracking in their haste. Figures rustled in the darkened hedgerow. Probably birds. Other sounds that were definitely not birds, and definitely did not come from the hedgerow. Carried on the icy wind that sliced through the trees. Something that might've been a moan. Something that definitely [i]was[/i] a voice. Harsh. Grating. Female. [img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjIyLjlkYTA5OC5JbGR2YjI5dmR5QjFjQ0VpLjA,/eater.regular.png[/img] The ground lurched beneath them. [centre] [hr][h3] Village of Traffyn Fenwd - Beds For Ewe! [/h3] [hr][@MsMorningstar][@Damo021][hr] [/centre] Kate watched as Meg paced, addled with tension, from one side of the small inn to the other. The barkeep had been eyeing them warily, but Kate had slid him some coin and uttered a quiet, “just leave ‘er be.” In his ear, after which he’d seemed satisfied to let the woman continue. Fortunately, there weren’t many patrons at the bar, despite the late hour, and before long those that were there started to drift off upstairs. Being back here was hard for Meg, Kate could tell. She’d found herself looking out for her friend, more than she usually would. Not that she minded. In fact, if anything, she was glad she’d convinced Meg to let her help, not just for Meg’s wellbeing, but out of her own sense of curiosity. What kind of place had she come from? She rarely spoke of it, and when she did it was only of her sister, Llian. Apparently a bright child, Meg had high hopes for her. It hadn’t been hard for Kate to hear the concurrent disappointment she had in herself. She took a sip of her drink. Warm ale that had likely already tasted like piss before it’d been watered down. Still. It was all that was going right now, and it eased the hunger pangs, so she grit her teeth and bore it. This place was a dump, but it was all there was without journeying into the heart of the village, and Kate didn’t like their odds under those circumstances, at least not without waiting for the hoods to arrive. She’d never admit it, but that letter had shaken even her. With a sigh, she pulled herself to her feet, made her way to the bar. Seemed like it was time to get started on something stronger. “Whiskey. Neat. And…” she glanced at Meg, stil pacing, “make it a double would ya?” The barkeep raised an eyebrow, but poured the drink. In a wine glass. Kate handed over the coin, and took a fiery sip regardless, leaning one the bar to wait for the hoods to arrive. [hr][hr]