Shalan followed the girl, happy to submit to silence as they made their way. As she was perfectly capable in defending herself, the elf felt foolish for feeling so anxious about what lay ahead. The girl was well raised. Well mannered. And knew how to handle herself while playing along in the woods. Nothing about that suggested that something foul waited. 
Despite all that, the elf held the hilt of her sword tight. Perhaps it was just her exhaustion. Finally allowing oneself to sleep and being woken after only a couple of hours does things to the mind. 

Her ears caught the sound of wood being chopped long before the two of them came into view of the house. Shalan's eyes fell on the man grasping the ax, scanning him quickly. 
As the child ran off, Shalan stayed put, not yet willing to allow herself to accept their invitation. She could still run. As the man stepped toward her, Shalan only inhaled calmly, watching his movements like a hawk, looking for any sign that he was about to swing at her. [i]Really, woman. Relax a little[/i]. Exhaling, Shalan straightened her spine a bit and took the man's hand. Keiro. "Thank you." She replied to his offer. 

Taking the cup of water, she sniffed it cautiously before taking a sip. Ignoring the girl's question for now, she kept her gaze on Keiro. "I have told your child, I have nothing in the sorts of money or goods to exchange for your ... offer. I am in the understanding that humans rarely, if at all, extend help to others without wanting something in return. Please, then, Keiro, tell me what it is you'd like." Her fiery eyes went to the girl, unwilling to say the next part before such small ears. But she did not want to wake up to this man crawling into the bed he rented her, demanding flesh as payment. "All I have to off willingly are tales of other places, or moderate skill in sewing and fletching." Her steady gaze to Keiro's eyes seemed to firmly state that that was [i]all[/i] she would offer.