They dropped the sisters off at the next town. The headman was happy to have them. Healers were in high demand, and he had seemed angry after hearing their story. “This tastes like piss,” Thorki said after downing a mug of ale. “You say that at every inn,” Anna replied. “Aye,” Thorki said. “Why not just drink out of your flask?” she asked. “What, I can’t just drink the good stuff all the time,” he replied. “Don’t do it...don’t ask...it’s going to be one of these things I wish I never asked things,” she thought. “Why not?” she asked. “Dam, it just slipped out,” she thought with a sigh. “Lass, if I drink the good stuff all the time, it won’t be the good stuff anymore. Just normal,” he replied. “Phew, that wasn’t that bad,” she thought and smiled. “Ah, ok,” she replied. “At least they have ale, even if it tastes bad,” Anna said with a sigh. Thokri patted her on the arm. “Ahh lass, we’ll find some for you at one of these towns,” He said. She hadn’t had a cupcake in months, and the candy the rat man had “donated” to her had run out. It had been months since she had one, and she was starting to wonder if she would ever taste one again.

The others had left for the day, doing this or that, leaving Anna and Thokri to their own devices. “Wanna see if they have meat sticks?” Anna asked Thokri. She had discovered these at the town with the rat man. They were not a substitute for cupcakes, but what was. “Aye,” Thokri replied, finishing another mug. “Lass, you may want to wear some more clothes,” Thokri said. “Why?” she replied. “Elaine and Lyreen are always asking me to put on more. This is the first time Thokri has,” she thought. “Getting cold out. Humans wear cloaks and thick clothes in the fall and winter. Might want to get a cloak at least. I know you don’t need one, but it might help you fit in with them. I’ve seen you practicing,” Thokri said. “That makes sense. Thanks Thokri,” she replied. She had been practicing. There were still a few things she did that made other people stare. She decided to hug him, but stopped. He didn’t seem to like it when she hugged him. She just patted his shoulder instead. She found a seamstress who had to make a cloak for her odd figure. It was made from oilskin, which isn’t really skin, just canvas that has been painted with a beeswax and oil mixture and allowed to dry. it was lined with a thick wool cloth that reminded her of a blanket. There was a small metal clasp at the neck. It felt odd wearing a cloak, but Thokri had been right, there were less stares, so it was worth it. They found a meat stick vendor. The man had a cart with a grill that he moved around town. Anna watched him chop the large pieces of meat on a wooden block before stabbing them with a sharped stick. When full, the stick was placed on the grill to cook over a smokey fire. She had a stick in each hand, randomly taking a bite from each of them in no particular order. They walked around town a few more times before returning to the inn.

Their table from earlier was empty, so they sat back down in the same seat and ordered more ale. They drank the ale and talked about the many fights Thokri had been in over the years. Anna like to hear about them, imagining herself in them. “I’d asked you if you moved, but I see the cloak,” Elaine said. She and Barika had returned from a shopping run for supplies. Barika needed more ingredients for balms, and Elaine needed writing supplies. She had taken over keeping the party’s journal. Her penmanship was far better than Voekeer and Lyreen’s. “How did you manage to get more clothes on this wild thing?” she asked Thokri. “He told me I’d fit in better if I wore a cloak in the cold,” Anna said with a pout. “I’m not that wild, am I?” she thought. “Now, if we can just get you to put on...” Elaine said. “No,” Anna said, cutting her off. “You didn’t let me finish,” Elaine said. “I don’t need to. It will be shoes, underclothes, or a longer dress. It’s always the same with you,” Anna replied. Elaine just sighed. “I had to try,” she replied. Lyreen and Voekeer joined them, having finished their day as well. “I like your cloak. It’s nice,” Lyreen said. “Thank you,” Anna replied. “She’s going to ask for something. She didn’t try to get me to put on more stuff,” Anna thought. “Barika, do you have any more of that potion? I’m running low,” she asked sweetly. Barika sighed. “I’ll get some for you. Anna, do have any more fire moss? Or do you need some more?” Barika asked. “Could you two just start going down on each other? It took me three hours to find that stuff last time,” Anna replied. Both lovers turned bright red. “What...when did you...how did you...do you know what that is?” Lyreen said, stuttering some. “Yes, I know what it is. Thokri told me,” Anna answered, pointing at the dwarf who had an evil smile on his face. “I HATE THAT DWARF!!!” Lyreen yelled, standing up and stomping to her room. Voekeer ran after her. “She’s not going to speak to you for a week. You know that, right?” Elaine said. “Aye,” Anna replied. “Whose idea was it to leave her with the dwarf?” Elaine asked. Barika just shrugged.

Elaine was wrong about Lyreen. She talked to her the next day, mostly because Anna was making her potions now. Anna had memorized how to craft both it and the healing balm early on, and now, with weeks of practice, she could create ones as high a quality as Barika herself. Barika had asked her to take over the potions because she could collect the elusive fire moss quickly, which it turned out was only used for the version of the potion that worked on elves. Humans needed various other herbs and mushrooms, and it still wasn’t completely effective, leaving human women with a choice on whether to risk it or not. Dwarves didn’t have one. At least not one that Barika knew of. Anna had asked Thokri who had just shrugged and told her that, “Wee ones are always welcome in the clans.” She didn’t get why they wouldn’t be, but had decided not to ask. “At least I’m getting better at keeping my mouth shut,” she thought.

“Anna...um...I...” Lyreen said, interrupting Anna’s musings. She seemed to be thinking of what to say next. “I may have overreacted last night. It’s just...I know it’s not you. It’s that damned dwarf telling you things,” Lyreen said. “He talks to me, and so do Barika and Elaine. You and Voekeer don’t other than what we are doing on the contract, which I’m not on,” Anna replied. “Other than when you tried to teach me magic, we haven’t really talked. Voekeer never has. It’s like he doesn’t want to know me,” Anna said sighing. “It’s not like that. It’s just, well, my grandmother told me not to get too attached to other races because they will be gone before you know it,” Lyreen replied. “What do you mean?” Anna asked. “Well, elves live for so long that even if we know a human their whole lives, it’s like a single summer to us, gone before you know it. It’s hard knowing that everyone you meet that isn’t one of your kind will be gone before you know it,” Lyreen said. Anna thought about it for a moment. It was like that for her as well, but still. “Wouldn’t it be better to know more about them, so you can remember good friends long after even their own family would forget them?” Anna asked. Lyreen looked thoughtful. “I’ll remember you,” Anna said. “I’m immortal. I’ll have to say goodbye to all of them one day, but I’d still like to know them,” she thought. “What do you mean?” Lyreen said. “I may be immortal, and so far, nothing can even scratch me. I might be here to tell elves about you millennia from now,” Anna replied. “Oh,” Lyreen said. Anna handed her the potion. “Let me know when you need more. It may take some time to make. I wasn’t joking about how hard fire moss is to find. I had to use the eye,” Anna said and walked away.

“So that’s what it was,” Barika said. They were sitting around the campfire that night, having left town that morning. “Yes. I thought Gram knew everything, but maybe she was wrong,” Lyreen said. “Not wrong. She was just thinking about it differently than Anna,” Elaine said. “What did your grandmother tell you?” Lyreen asked Voekeer. “Not to stick my dick in a human woman. She said I’d just fall in love, and she would break my heart,” he answered. “WHAT?” Lyreen squeaked. “I didn’t know it was anything special,” Elaine said, looking at Barika who just shrugged. “I suppose I should tell you how I ended up as an adventurer,” Lyreen said. “I’m from a small village just on the border. When I was old enough, they checked me for magic, and when they found out how strong I was, they knew I needed proper training. The nearest elven school was years away, and it would take decades to learn there. I think the elders wanted me to come back sooner, so they sent me to the human academy at Oldforge. After I finished school, I signed up to be an adventurer. I wanted to see the world some before settling down at the village,” Lyreen said. Then she looked at Voekeer. “I ran away. In my village, people do what their parents do, and I didn’t want to, so I went off to see the world,” he said. Lyreen squeezed his hand. “What did they do?” she asked, not having heard the story herself. “Woodcarving,” he answered. “Oh,” she replied, looking as if she had expected something else. “So, we have an elf lass who wants adventure, two run aways, two drifters, and whatever she is,” Thokri said, pointing his thumb at Anna. “It’s like some storybook,” he finished. “One of the raunchy ones with those two,” Elaine said, pointing to the elves. Everyone laughed.

“I wonder who the hero is?” Anna asked. “That would be me,” Thokri said, tapping himself on the chest with his thumb causing more laughter. Anna was looking at the map as they walked. She had taken it from Voekeer, wanting to help guide them. An eye was floating thirty or so feet above them. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” Elaine said, pointing up at the eye. “Says the woman with creepy death tattoos,” Anna replied. “They are not creepy. Ok, maybe they are, but only a little,” Elaine said. Both women burst out laughing. “I’ve been practicing with it. I can move it around instead of just over my hand, still not that far though,” Anna said. She had also been able to summon some of the tentacles who seemed just as happy to be here as her, but she decided not to show her friends yet. “We could be there by nightfall if we push,” Anna said. “Might as well. We are behind some. I don’t think we will make it to Oldforge by winter,” Voekeer said, walking close to Lyreen. The elves seemed to have opened up with the rest of the party, but they were still inseparable.