Serenity | Halsin

Two

The following morning was one Roralei grew to dread immediately. She woke early and made her way out to the morning fires, ignoring the rumbling of her stomach.

She hoped she wouldn't see Halsin, considering what had taken place the night before. Just thinking back to it, made her heart ache and her eyes burn.

The druid walked towards the others as they lined up for their breakfast. Roralei stood and waited, looking around for any sight of Halsin, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Who was seen, though, was Nettie. The dwarf walked towards the line, and Roralei grunted quietly.

As she stood beside her, she grabbed a plate for herself. "Where'd you run off to last night?"
"I didn't run anywhere," Roralei responded curtly. "I went back to my tent."

She hummed. "And how did that go f'ryou?"

Roralei stared down at the dwarf, ready to kick her across the circle and towards the ox.

"It went swimmingly, Nettie. It was a lot better than being on mind-flayer duty."

Nettie sent her a look.

As Roralei filled her plate with food, she looked around. "Where is Master Halsin, anyway? I've not seen him since last night."

"He was going searching. He said he'd be back by midday."

She sighed. Normally, on a normal day, she'd be out there with him, searching for herbs and visiting whatever animal would reach out. But obviously, Halsin had different plans.

Roralei tuned the rest of Nettie's conversation out and she walked back towards her tent. "Goodbye, Nettie."

The girl ate as she walked, glancing back here and there in case Halsin showed. But he didn't.

Roralei sat and watched as the small rabbit before her inched closer and closer. The potion she had taken allowed her to listen to his thoughts, telling her exactly what the animal wanted.

"All right," she whispered. She pulled the carrot from her pack before leaning forward, holding it out to him. The rabbit's nose twitched for a moment, before he took it from her hand and scurried away.

"They're such skittish creatures, but I cannot blame them."

Roralei looked up to see Halsin, carrying his bag. He stared down at the woman, watching her tuck her belongings back into her pack.

"Come, I want to show you something."

Standing, Roralei followed Halsin farther into the forest. They traveled for a few minutes before she listened to the sound of water, from a nearby stream.

When they reached the rocks edge, Roralei looked out over the stream. Clean, beautiful water.

"It's beautiful." She said, climbing down the rocks. Halsin jumped down, watching as she dropped to her knees and scooped the water into her hands. Crystal clear. Just like nature intended.

Halsin watched her as she swallowed the water, sighing of relief before filling her bottle. She wetted her hands again and ran them up her warm arms to soothe her skin, when Halsin interrupted.

Leaning down beside her, he grabbed her chin and forced her eyes up from the stream. Roralei's doe eyes focused on him, when Halsin gestured for her to look.

Across the stream was a mother deer and her fawn. The two neared the stream, bowing their heads for a drink.

Roralei smiled as the fawn playfully jumped at her mother, ready to start its day with some play.