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Seraphis glanced from Rob to Silver and then back to Rob. It seemed to him that Rob was about to let some sensitive information slip. What did he mean by 'when your were the size of a ten-year-old'? Had Silver hit her growth late? He glanced back at the half-elven woman. She wore discomfort plain as day on her face. It didn't make any sense. A late growth was nothing to be ashamed of. Seraphis immediately ruled it out as a possibility. Now he was intensely curious. What was Silver hiding? Still, he knew better than to ask. He trusted that Silver would tell when she was ready. The issue was still hanging, however, and it was making Silver uncomfortable. Seraphis was about to intervene on Silver's behalf when Leon stepped forward.

Leon had summed up what Seraphis was about to say... Although, Seraphis was going to be a little more diplomatic about it... It was all the same to him, though. Even better this way. Now he didn't have to risk breaking conduct and risk looking like a fool in front of Silver's friend. Wait... What a strange notion. Why did Seraphis care what the man thought? He shook his head, clearing it of the silly thought and stepped forward to stand by his ibixian friend.

"Agreed," he said, "Shall we be off?"

Leon has admittedly surprised when Blade and Seraphis backed him up on his point. He had originally stepped forward so that he could be the rude one and be the brunt of the blame and hate, as opposed to the rest of the group as well. He was, however, glad to have support for once. That is, until the kid had stepped in.

He held a sigh of dismay as long as he could. "You should be one to talk, mister 'I don't care when the person leading us in a new area has fallen and needs help.' You little, two-bit, no-good, self-serving, piece of (something in ibixian)! Maybe we should blindfold you. Permanently! And you will take a bath with no conditions and no complaints! I'm surprised that you haven't alerted everything in a ten mile radius to your, and then indirectly our, presence here! And there is no way you are going to bathe without soap this time! I'll even let you use a spare bar that I have. Anything to get rid of that smell." Leon had exploded in a small way at the kid. His patience was still very thin, and he was still technically playing the part of the rude guy of the group, and his role was being taken by a kid that seemed to be less than half his age.

Rob quirked a brow. "Friends... Right... Anyway, there actually isn't a blacksmith right now, the last one left with the merchant trains in the spring. Unless you can bribe Silver, though, but she's expensive." The female half-elf rolled her eyes as she continued walking, ignoring his teasing. He shrugged and added, "Then again, maybe she wouldn't no matter what you pay. There's a festival tonight in celebration of the head of the guard's birthday, so there will be plenty of food to go around, and I'm sure Silver's pantry is fully stocked... Speaking of, you do still have your key, right? Or do I need to go fetch the spare from Rose?"

"You're the airhead who loses things, not me," she reminded him. He opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by the trees clearing to reveal the village of Falcon's Ridge.

Not a large settlement, it was fairly evenly divided. The namesake cliff was to the north, the last checkpoint of the road to the south. At the eastern edge was the guards' training grounds, stables, and barracks for the single men, and to the most western was the cemetery and the houses of many of the families. Directly in the middle was the council's meeting hall, and stretched between it and the road entrance was the marketplace, with an inn and public stable bordering it. North of the meeting hall were ten more elaborate buildings, one of which was obviously a temple, and an obviously more private stable. Scattered across the grounds were many wells, though the lids were on to keep the surface water from freezing. Currently, many of the resident elves were scurrying in the marketplace, setting up decorations and tables, though leaving a large space open in the middle for dancing.

Rob sighed and saluted in good-bye, "I have to go check in with Rose. She'll be by your house to check on you all in a few minutes, I'm sure." With that, he hurried off at a steady run for the most northeastern of the ten houses, the temple resting between it and the most northwestern with the stable cutting them apart from the others. Silver waved good-bye as well, then lead the group as quickly as she could to that northwestern house. An elegant building with the lower floor made of stone and the upper floor and attic made of wood, the door and window frames were of high-quality timber, with thick glass in the windows and wrought iron fastenings. Reaching into her pack, Silver dug out the matching key and, tugging on the door's handle so it wouldn't stick, she inserted it and unlocked her family's home for centuries.

Walking inside, she saw little had changed. Immediately, she hung up her cloak on the hooks by the door and looked around. The stone walls had been panneled in wood then white-washed, lightening the space along with the honey-tone stained floors. Heavy red curtains were parted to let in the light, white sheers kept over the windows for privacy. The front room was simple, with a rug in front of the fireplace and two sofas covered in well-worn brown leather strategically placed around them. A fire currently roared behind the iron grate, thanks to Rose. A red-violet blanket was drapped over one sofa, matching the pillows on the leather. There wasn't a speck of dust in sight, and Silver could smell the mint and daisy scent of Rose's cleaning solution. Through an doorless doorway was the kitchen and dining area, and through a closed door was the old-fashioned room for bathing, with a cast iron stove for warming water to fill the tub. A gorgeous staircase obviously led up to the next floor, the steps and handrails stained to match the floors.

She slowly walked through the living space and paused at the kitchen's doorway, her hands running over the growth chart carved there. The image was of the very mountain Falcon's Ridge was located on, and there were seven generations of her family carved into it. The freshest were Silver's initals. A painful reminder of how small she once was, with the last mark being barely at four foot eight. "There should be water in the kitchen for cooking and drinking, but I don't think the bathing room's buckets will be filled," she whispered for those who wanted to bathe. "The nearest well is just south of here, we passed it just a little while ago. The stove won't be lit either, unless Rose is really thorough..." Amazingly enough, she sounded more sorrowful here than she had on the road.

Seraphis slightly nodded in approval of Blade's inquiry about the Wind Spawn. That was, really the most pressing issue. Hell, it was the reason they had come all this way! He had really been trying not to think of the encounter that was to come and had been doing a good job of it so far. But it was an issue that needed to be addressed and soon. That's why Seraphis wore a slight frown when Brown Robin seemed not to hear the question. He shrugged it off as his mind turned toward more festive thoughts. Indeed, the prospect of a celebration had piqued Seraphis' interest. He now found himself eagerly anticipating their arrival.

As the trees began to clear and Falcon's Ridge came into view, Seraphis' smile broadened. Judging from the way everyone was rushing around and the decorations being put up, this would be a grand celebration indeed! He turned his attention to the northwest as Silver unlocked the door to her childhood home. He thought it looked like a cozy place from the outside, but that opinion was completely dwarfed when he had a look at the inside. He let out a low whistle as he looked around. So this is where Silver had grown up? It was a beautiful home. His attention was drawn to Silver as she spoke. She sounded sorrowful, which was made painfully apparent by the kid who was traveling with them. What was his name, anyway? Had he ever introduced himself? Seraphis shook his head and stepped forward to stand beside Silver. The first thing he had noticed was the growth chart. He gave it no more than a brief glance before he turned his attention back to Silver.

"Your house is beautiful," Seraphis said softly, taking Silver's hand in his, "I would love to see more of it if you are willing to show me." This, however, was a farce. While he did want to see more of the house, Seraphis' true intent was to give Silver the option of going to a more private spot if she wanted to unburden herself to him.

Silver’s leg gave up on the half elf and the others went to help her. As Seraphis conjured up a disk to carry Silver, Doina looked at her leg. What had happened to it? Was it injured or was she just born with it that way? She leaned more to the conclusion that it was injured, seeing as it had ill effects to magic. Doina wanted to help, but that did limit to what she could do with it. She did of course have non magically methods of maybe helping Silver ease the pain of the leg when it acted up, or help her move a bit more freely with it. But that was if the other woman would allow her to. She wanted to get to know Silver and the others more, it was in her nature to be close to those she traveled with.

They continued on, silver and Serpahis seeming to make up along the way. Then there was the reunion of Silver and her friend and Doina couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to see friends come together after a long absence. And if they came across someone Silver knew that meant they were close to the village! She could get out of the cold and into the warmth. And food too, yes she hadn’t eaten when they left and she had regretted it. The only reason her stomach wasn’t growling fiercely was because the rest of her body was shivering.

Silver and her friend continued on talking, though the conversation grew more mysterious. She couldn’t make out too much, being in the back and having her hood thrown over her head. But then Leon butted in and asked if they could continue. She was so grateful for that! She didn’t want to interrupt the happy moment but…she was cold! She nodded in silent agreement as Blade and Seraphis agreed out loud. The kid said a few more rude and nonsense things which seemed to get on the last nerve of Leon. But Blade pulled him away from the kid and they went on plotting his demise.

Doina would have liked to get warm and then fill her belly of delicious food but Blade was right. Their first priority was the Wind Spawn. Though she didn’t really want to face another spawn so soon after the encounter with the Fire Spawn. She followed after the others into the village. Doina pulled down her hood to take in the sight of the village. It wasn’t constructed in the same way her village was but it still brought back memories. They were happy ones but being reminded that her village and most of the people she cared for were gone brought down her spirits and she trudged somberly after the group into Silver’s home.

The house was furnished very beautifully, the fire only helped to give the living space a warm aura and Doina sighed in relief taking her own cloak off. She set it on one of free hooks by the door.

“Um, I guess I’ll go check the stove and someone else can go to the well.”

If they wanted to bathe, or get the smelly kid bathed someone would have to go get it. She would light the fire for the stove and volunteer to heat the water up. She watched as Silver and Seraphis went upstairs before moving past the doorway and into the kitchen.

Doina was first in the dining room, admiring the furniture there. She ran her hands over the chairs and tables as she let herself get lost in the memories of her family. When her brother trained to be a warrior and she a healer, they hadn’t always come home in time for dinner. So the night that them and their parents were all able to sit down and eat together had grown to be important. But usually it was her and her brother sitting down in the kitchen eating and trying to be as quiet as possible since they arrived home very late.

‘The soup was cold and the bread was a little hard but we still ate it.’ she thought a little sadly.

She pulled herself away from the table and into the kitchen, where the cast iron stove was. She felt the wave of warmth that Blade gave off and smiled as she crouched down and open up the door to the stove. It hadn’t been lit today but there was some wood ready for the fire in the corner and Doina went to go retrieve some. Setting the wood in there she created the small blue flame in her hands again before setting it in. She blew into the little flame and moved away quickly as it grew stronger and changed color. She shut the door of the stove and watched it for a little bit.

She turned her head away from it when she heard her name and walked in the direction she heard Blade’s voice. She stopped at the bathroom door and peeked in to look at the tub. She smiled and nodded up at Blade.

““

It was the same for Doina in her village, those of the same sex bathed together. Doina rarely had bathed alone, once she became an apprentice. And even with the Sisterhood of Itare they had all bathed together. She didn’t want to go back outside in the cold but she really did want to take a bath.

Doina nodded and watched as Blade went off to get the water. Doina went in search for some towels, finding them in the closet. She set them by the tub and walked back out to check on the fire in the kitchen. It was still okay and it was ready if any wanted to cook something, though she would cook for everyone once she had her bath. She walked back into the bathroom and looked at the tub, checking to make sure it was clean. It was, so Doina guessed someone had come in and cleaned the place previously, the house did have a nice scent of mint and daisies.

At Blade’s first trip back with water she went to the front to get the bag she dropped off. She looked through it till she found a ribbon to tie her hair back with. She decided to just bring her bag with her, she could atleast change her shirt. She would have to wash her clothes later today. Brining her bag into the bathroom she sat down on the edge of the bed and shifted through her bag, taking out a clean shirt. She set that off to the side. Blade came in and set the last bucket of water down. Doina got up and allowed Blade the room to set the bath up as she started to take her clothes off.

She got her corset and various scarves off by the time Blade shut all the windows and locked the door, giving them privacy. She was in the middle of taking her shirt off when Blade asked her if the water was warm enough for her. She tested it and found it just right and continued to take her clothes off. Folding her clothes she tied her hair up with the ribbon and took her towel before joining Blade in the tub.

He eyes closed and she sighed in content as the warm water started to work on her muscles. Yes, nothing did beat a hot bath.

““ she said quietly as she washed herself.

If they hadn’t been around she knew she would have be quickly killed by the Fire Spawn. She would do her best to actually be apart of the next battle with the Wind Spawn.

““

She looked at Blade a little in surprise before laughing. Blade was acting so girlish right now, a completely different personality from the one she before. She splashed some water on her face and pulled on the ribbon to release her hair. She poured some water into her own hair, scrubbing at it. It was probably so filthy.

““

She was getting excited. The sadness she started to feel was being pushed aside. It had been awhile since she was able to just shop. The budget of her sisterhood didn’t allow too much shopping for things they didn’t need.

““

If she could she would end up buying something and add it to the collect of trinkets.

Blade smiled and laughed a little at Doina's response about the spawn fight. Oh, if only she knew. What little she had done had been more than enough. At least the girl had tried. Most people just froze up and couldn't do anything when they first saw the spawn out of sheer terror. At the mention of the celebration Blade's face lit up and she nodded. That had been what had been said, hadn't it? As Doina continued to talk Blade continued to bathe, set on getting herself totally clean.

"" Blade responded, chuckling to herself while lifting her leg up to start washing it. As she reached her toes she noted that there was something stuck between her toes that looked… odd. Her nose scrunched up in minor disgust and she immediately began to wash her feet.

A shop that sold things like jewelry, hmm? “” It had been a while since Blade had had gone shopping with someone else. It made her excited and Blade was incredibly happy that they had been able to reach town. A bath, a guaranteed shopping partner, and she was going to be sure to drag Leon off to go drinking. A good, good, good day this would be. Blade finished scrubbing soap into her hair and face and ducked underneath the water to rinse it out. She came up, running a hand through her hair and then wiping her face. “” She was done cleaning herself, but Blade had been stuck in the damn cold for too long. So, instead of getting out, Blade leaned against the tub, chin-deep in the water. It was still hot, thankfully, and Blade was hoping that she would never see a cold day in her life. She knew that this wasn’t true but hell, she could hope for it anyway even if she knew that it wasn’t true. Blade now idly scratched behind her ears, having learned about two years ago that more gunk than she thought could end up hiding there. As she dislodged whatever was there she began to speak again, a pleasant touch to her voice. “” With that said she stood up, grabbing her towel and drying herself off and little before stepping out. Once she was dried and had the towel wrapped around her torso she bent down, reaching into her shadow and shuffling through some of the things she had littered inside of it. “”