Welcome to Gaia! ::

Adlanniel smiled at Eron. "Welcome to our home, Eron and Silverbirch," she said amiably. "This way. I'm afraid we don't get many visitors so we haven't really got anywhere private for you to stay."

"That's quite all right," Shoneah smiled softly. "We are grateful for whatever you can give us."

The other men went to put the meat and furs away and to spend time with their families again, and Jabek came with Adlanniel, Eron and Shoneah towards a doorway carved out of the rock. There was a large fur hanging over the entrance like a curtain, which also made it difficult to see.

Though Adlanniel led the way, it was Jabek who pulled back the fur and motioned for Shoneah and Eron to head inside.

"It's just our storage room," he said apologetically, "but it is warm and dry."

Shoneah entered and looked around. It was a decent size, maybe twenty feet wide and thirty feet deep, though it was admittedly rather full. There were piles of furs that had yet to be treated, blankets and towels, crates of various necessities, and large earthen jars filled with liquid - probably water or something similar. There were also farming implements leaning against a wall, and stacks of firewood, though these were quite small.

Well, Shoneah mused, looking around, it might not be much, but it would do them well enough until they were on their way again. They weren't planning on staying long, anyways.

Adlanniel nodded. "How long ... do you plan to stay?" she asked them hesitantly.

Shoneah looked at Eron. "How long?" she asked him quietly. "A day or so of rest while we get supplies?"

She didn't want to stay long. As soon as they were ready to go, she wanted them to be on their way. They'd already been there a week, and that was a week away from her family that she would never get back.

Shoneah nodded and turned back to Jabek's wife. "If we could call on your hospitality for perhaps two nights - tonight and tomorrow night - then we can have a full day of rest before setting out the morning after. The men have given us the impression that we've quite the journey to make, and we are anxious to return home."

Adlanniel nodded. "As you wish." She glanced at her husband, then looked back at Shoneah and Eron. "If you would like to get settled, I'll have some dinner brought for you shortly."

"Meanwhile, you should start thinking about what supplies you'll need," Jabek added. "The better equipped you are, the smoother your journey will be."

Shoneah nodded and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you very much," she said, bowing her head respectfully. "We will prepare a list."

"Then I will go prepare dinner," Adlanniel said, turning to leave the storage room.

Jabek stayed behind, and after his wife was gone, he turned back to the two travelers. "The value of the scales you're giving us is worth any supplies that you might ask for," he told them seriously. "My wife might try to convince you not to ask for too much, but don't listen to her. You could ask for our whole village and it would not match the gift you've given us. Whatever you need, you will have."

And with that, he headed out after his wife, leaving the two of them alone.

"We can carry two bags, one each," Shoneah planned aloud, sitting down on a pile of furs. Her brow furrowed in concentration. "We'll need ... flasks for water, at least two ... another hunting knife, you'll also need a weapon of some sort ... a silent hunting weapon would be good, I should ask for a bow - do you know how to use a bow?"

She looked at Eron expectantly. She didn't have high hopes, but it was worth asking. Who knew? Maybe he would surprise her.

Shoneah nodded. "A blade of some kind, then," she decided. "A bow for me, a quiver of arrows ... blankets, just one each so they don't get too heavy to carry. A tent if possible. I'd suggest coats, but I don't think they have those here, so ... cloaks. We can make do with the clothes we have, we don't want to have to carry too much. Ropes, at least three. And ..."

She eyed his shoes. "You're going to need some proper footwear. You're going to get blisters in those, if they don't fall apart on you first."

City folk were so impractical in their choice of footwear.

She fell silent then, trying to think of what they might be missing. She had her own sword and hunting knife, of course, and if they kept three scales they could use them to cook their food and eat on ...

"A map," she murmured, her mind still working.