[color=95A5A6][b]> Take the direct route past the carriage. <[/b][/color]

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	With a bed and breakfast already taken care of, and a hint of urgency in your plans, the detour of a nearby village seemed largely unnecessary. A nod away from the town as you looked to your traveling companion resulted in an agreeing nod up and down from her, and you picked up your pace slightly to continue on your trip. The fork in the road was left behind as you traveled south-west, meaning that- should you keep to the path- there was no way to avoid crossing paths with the carriage. Then again, the surrounding mountain side was pure white and very fluffy. Even two humans on foot stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise visually featureless landscape, especially with the dark blue cape that Aika kept clasped around her.

	As you approached the wagon and the people accompanying it, your view of them became more clear than a few faceless figures in the distance. Drawn by one horse, the slightly under-average sized caravan had a tarp of beige fabric covering its contents, stretched over the back with lumpy shapes of several objects beneath. One figure sat atop the wagon's front seat, bundled up tight against the frigid weather and the horse's reigns clasped in their mitts. A scarf covered too much of their face to ascribe much to their appearance, beyond a rather mundane set of brown eyes that peeked at you from between this scarf and a wool cap. To the sides of the wagon marched three more in long dark green cloaks covering their bodies. Two of them had their hoods pulled up, the one without instead sporting an open-faced helmet. At about waist level of all three of them, you could see the signature shape of a sword's scabbard underneath their cloaks.

	You saw a slight shift in the corner of your eye, and taking a glance revealed that Aika had once again rested her hand on the hilt of her blade, in the same precaution she took when she had met you. The crunching of snow from the many footsteps among your pair and their group culminated as you ended up face to face with them. There was width enough along the road to simply move to the side and walk beside them, but even as you began to do so, the driver of the wagon called out to you.

	[color=D8CDC2]"Fair travels, you two,"[/color] the medium toned voice spoke in the local tongue, but with an accent similar to yours. The owner of this voice flicked their wrist, signaling the horse before them to stop. [color=D8CDC2]"Might you have a moment?"[/color]

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[color=95A5A6]
	• "Fair travels as well, what do you need?"

	• "Out of our way. We don't want any trouble."

	• Ignore the caravan crew and keep walking.
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