[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/x53CUK7.jpg[/img][/center]

[color=1BEFF2]Time: Afternoon
Location: North Pass
Interactions: Rue [@Potter]

Armor: [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ab/43/b4/ab43b4b9b0db60cb7ceb264f58e4f053.jpg]Leather Vest[/url] with Armor of Deflection charm, [url=https://i.pinimg.com/236x/47/79/9b/47799b6693a3a80a40a00a47f1a42dee.jpg]Rest of outfit[/url] minus the gloves.
Weapons: [url=https://www.dndbeyond.com/avatars/thumbnails/7/223/1000/1000/636284734857745454.jpeg]Steel Short Sword[/url] with Shift Charm transforming it into a chain knife, and a boot small knife.  
Equipment: a backpack containing: 1 large red potion, 1 green potion, 3 large blue potions, 2 small blue potions, a hunting knife, a flask, small tent, blanket, waterskin, rope, fire starting kit, lightmaker, matches, cooking pot, a bar of soap, some drugs (skaula and zemak), rolling papers, pipe, and a pouch of amas. [/color]

[hider=Purchases During Time Skip]
[color=1BEFF2]Leather Breastplate -25 amas
Armor Of Defection Charm -1000 amas
Clothing -100 amas
Smoking Pipe -60 amas
Short sword (Steel) - 40 amas
Shift Charm - 150 amas
Chain Dart (Steel) - 50 amas
Boot Knife (Steel) - 15 amas
Potions - 40 amas
Gorestria Gem Rings - 250 amas
Amount spent on vices -200 amas[/color]

[color=red]Total Deduction: - 1,930 amas[/color][/hider]

[color=B3E3E4]
[hider=Time Skip Summary] True to his word Bowyn had chosen to follow those that Rue put faith in despite his reservations with many in the group. Finding out the group’s destination would be the frozen lands of North Pass had felt like a positive omen. A land far from the overbearing sun they faced in River Port, surrounded by the familiar comforts of ice, snow, and the numbing cold. He even found a new respect for Annya when she had been willing to send a distraught Raven back to her own world; it had been the only right thing to do, to not use the humans as tools without a say in their own fates. 

However, the journey by ship to North Pass was a turn for the worse for the winter fairy as he found himself surrounded by the oppressive feeling of being utterly trapped in such a small place. Confined to a boat that was packed with unfamiliar faces, too many elves, and little space to be alone. He was constantly seasick and anxious, and there was never enough alcohol on that damn boat to settle any of his turmoil. That first week was a blur of sickness, shaking, sweating, and wishing he could throw himself into the sea because if he could not drown his pain in drink the cold water of the sea was the next best thing. After that, he slowly started to acclimate. 

Bowyn understood that within the group he was maybe the furthest from the ideal warrior; not even close to battle-ready and eventually he joined in on the majority of Annya’s strict schedule. Bowyn began to rise when the sun did and attended every training session with Kharne and Bron whether or not he was entirely up for it. He did so without a complaint for every drop of sweat and every moment of pain was all in preparation for something worse that he knew would come. Through his own sheer stubbornness, Bowyn never quit no matter how close or how far past his breaking point came. Over time, Bowyn grew stronger for it, and he almost even enjoyed the distraction it provided. Exhaustion, at least, left little time for thoughts.  

He skipped out on Annya's lectures, which he saw as little use to him, and the mediation sessions, an activity he preferred to do alone and heavily under the influence of psychedelic aid but made no remarks about it. He understood these to be of use to the humans. Bowyn was more than willing to assist in training the humans in controlling and strengthening their connection to magic. Any interested in learning from him would find a blunt but surprisingly patient instructor for those who took the subject seriously. 

His entire focus tunneled in on being ready for war, all his anxious energy fixated on making sure he would not fail those who mattered to him nor his ultimate goal of victory. Once they had arrived at North Pass and alcohol was again readily available, his sobriety ended that night same in a blackout but his work ethic never vanished. When his time was consumed with training it was easy to stay focused, when left alone with his thoughts all he often sought an escape from them. 

He searched for common ground with their leader Annya and put forth an effort to better understand her thought processes and strategies. Despite the many differences he could respect the way she lead, and that was enough for Bowyn. When it came to Kharne and Bron, Bowyn respected their honesty, their dedication to training those willing to learn, and their ability to push others to be better. When it came to Bron especially he found someone with whom it was easy to find a comfortable silence on the occasions when they shared a drink. Bowyn already held an appreciation for the dwarven race, his tension with Arn had been an outlier, and that grudge was long forgotten. He admired the strong-willed Ishmael, who arrived at Avalia already a warrior in his own right. As for Bardulf, he was glad Rue had found a friend of similar disposition but Bowyn kept a good amount of distance from the human who seemed apprehensive of him. He avoided both Eris and Kaleb, both of whom he felt had already proved themselves as people he could never fully trust. In the end, his strongest connection remained with Rue, his oldest friend, the only presence that kept him grounded and provided a much-needed source of hope. 

Although Bowyn liked this group well enough he maintained his distance from all but Rue. They were preparing for war, he didn’t need or want any more close bonds that would inevitably lead to pain once the fighting began, nor did he want to split his focus further. He would do all he could to protect those on his side, even those he didn’t fully trust, but any loss was hard enough for him without the added pain of attachments. Bowyn did the best he could, he did what he could live with, and avoided what he thought would make things worse for himself. [/hider]

Today was a good day for Bowyn, Abertha was a sacred time for the fae, a time to give thanks for all the earth provided and for the sacrifices that made life possible. He knew what he was most thankful for and that was his friendship with Rue, who continued to stick by him despite his turmoil and fragile mind. So he had tried to find a gift for Rue that could help convey things he couldn't easily put into words. It hadn’t been an easy task to find something that could really show how important Rue was to him but he hoped what he had now was close enough. 

His heart raced a bit as he heard a soft knock at the door to his room, he knew who it was by the knock alone. Most of the time Bowyn had little trouble saying exactly what he thought or felt in any given situation, but sometimes he found himself wanting to say things to Rue but lost for the right words for them. So he had tried to figure out what he wanted to say but instead, he got stuck on why it was hard to tell someone how important they were. He’d decided that words weren’t often strong enough to carry the weight of the feelings behind them. Not that figuring that out helped him much when it came to trying to tell Rue exactly how much she meant to him. 

[color=1BEFF2]“Rue.”[/color] Bowyn offered a small smile as he opened the door. No use in wasting time now, he’d only lose what remained of his nerve if he waited. [color=1BEFF2]“Hey, I got you something, a gift, a small gift. I guess it’s not much, well, I thought it seemed nice.”[/color] He said before rifling through his many pockets until he found what he was looking for and he held it concealed in his hand.

[color=1BEFF2]“Anyway I just wanted you to know that it means a lot that you’ve always been here for me, just in case you didn’t already know, and I hope I’ve done the same. And that no matter what happens, with everything, you know, changing and getting all crazy, that I don’t want that to change, us being here for each other.”[/color] Bowyn opened his palm to reveal a silver ring set with a Gorestria gem. The gem was a mix of purples, blues, and pinks with white star-like flecks dispersed through it which perfectly mimicked the night’s sky. Bowyn had been wearing a ring of a similar design on one of his own fingers but he slipped it off to show them both to Rue. 

[color=1BEFF2]“They’re bonded and enchanted, so if you wear it, the stars in the stone will look like the same ones I see and mine will look like the same stars you see. So then it’s like we’re always connected, no matter where we are or what happens. If you want it, obviously you don’t have to take it.”[/color] He wondered if maybe she didn’t want to have to think about him when he wasn’t around, he could understand that. So he waited, studying her reaction, and wishing he had been able to come up with something better to say.[/color]