The road to Coerthas was clear enough. It was not a heavily used road, moreso now by adventurers than caravans, but the lack of vegetation and cold preserved it in a way that only heavy snow could cover it altogether. Edda sighed in relief. Her poor sense of direction would not be compromised this way, and fear of starvation and freezing quickly became an afterthought.
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Edda huddled close to her chocobo as she walked. Gullinbursti she called him, a strong name that ill-suited the beast. He had been trained by her uncle to sense danger from wild animals, and flee at a moment’s notice, preferably with Edda in tow. This did not always work, much to her chagrin, and found the chocobo more likely to bolt at the sound of an uncorked bottle than the howl of a wolf. Still, it was a safer bet than clinging to her scaled companion, and the large bird was a nice source of heat.
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As night began to fall, the woman fell into a slight daze as she continued walking. It had been a very long time since she had trekked this far. “A camp is required soon. And I would use the opportunity to ask you for information.†Edda snapped to attention and looked over her shoulder, only to find the Xaela already beside her and moving to walk in front of her. She jumped in surprise. The journey so far had been eerily quiet, and the sudden noise and movement set her heart pounding.
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No sooner had she put a hand on her chest to calm herself did the man suddenly grab her roughly by the shoulder and pull her aside. Edda sputtered as he did so, losing her grip on the reigns, the chocobo following out of instinct. He released her quickly, and the woman reached up to absently rub the shoulder he had grabbed, and pouted at the ground. “Suitable,†was his apparent reasoning for his actions, and Edda shot him a sharp glare before looking around.
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It seemed like a good place to camp, as if she were anyone to judge. She could count on one hand the number of times she had slept outside. If the Au Ra – who seemed as if he had never once slept on a soft bed in his life – thought it was a suitable stopping point, then she had little choice but to comply. Fetching the tent and blankets, Edda frowned, realizing she had never assembled a tent before. She had seen them, surely, in the Shroud and outside Ul’dah in the refugee encampments. Putting one together seemed an entirely different beast, however.
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She cast a sidelong glance to her companion, and thought it best to ignore him while he did whatever it was he thought necessary to camp in unfamiliar wilderness. Perhaps if she took little notice of him, he would do the same for her, and would not witness her embarrassing fumbling with the tent. Edda managed to wrestle the construct to the ground next to a large boulder. It was small, thankfully, the framework of it being simple enough. She grabbed a small rock to hammer the pegs into the hard earth, and managed to stand it up in a dilapidated manner. She unrolled the mat and heavy blankets within. Despite its sad appearance, Edda stood and looked upon the tent in quiet triumph. It would do for the night, barring any sudden, strong gusts.
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The woman fetched her knapsack from atop Gullinbursti and set it in the back of her tent. She withdrew a few items – a comb, the out-of-date map, two warming potions and another tincture of nondescript function. Edda sat at the entrance of the tent, her feet and head poking out of the front flap, and facing the center of the small outcrop. She toyed idly with the two potions in her hands. It would be impolite not to offer him one, and so she sat and watched him, awaiting an opportunity.
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Edda huddled close to her chocobo as she walked. Gullinbursti she called him, a strong name that ill-suited the beast. He had been trained by her uncle to sense danger from wild animals, and flee at a moment’s notice, preferably with Edda in tow. This did not always work, much to her chagrin, and found the chocobo more likely to bolt at the sound of an uncorked bottle than the howl of a wolf. Still, it was a safer bet than clinging to her scaled companion, and the large bird was a nice source of heat.
Â
As night began to fall, the woman fell into a slight daze as she continued walking. It had been a very long time since she had trekked this far. “A camp is required soon. And I would use the opportunity to ask you for information.†Edda snapped to attention and looked over her shoulder, only to find the Xaela already beside her and moving to walk in front of her. She jumped in surprise. The journey so far had been eerily quiet, and the sudden noise and movement set her heart pounding.
Â
No sooner had she put a hand on her chest to calm herself did the man suddenly grab her roughly by the shoulder and pull her aside. Edda sputtered as he did so, losing her grip on the reigns, the chocobo following out of instinct. He released her quickly, and the woman reached up to absently rub the shoulder he had grabbed, and pouted at the ground. “Suitable,†was his apparent reasoning for his actions, and Edda shot him a sharp glare before looking around.
Â
It seemed like a good place to camp, as if she were anyone to judge. She could count on one hand the number of times she had slept outside. If the Au Ra – who seemed as if he had never once slept on a soft bed in his life – thought it was a suitable stopping point, then she had little choice but to comply. Fetching the tent and blankets, Edda frowned, realizing she had never assembled a tent before. She had seen them, surely, in the Shroud and outside Ul’dah in the refugee encampments. Putting one together seemed an entirely different beast, however.
Â
She cast a sidelong glance to her companion, and thought it best to ignore him while he did whatever it was he thought necessary to camp in unfamiliar wilderness. Perhaps if she took little notice of him, he would do the same for her, and would not witness her embarrassing fumbling with the tent. Edda managed to wrestle the construct to the ground next to a large boulder. It was small, thankfully, the framework of it being simple enough. She grabbed a small rock to hammer the pegs into the hard earth, and managed to stand it up in a dilapidated manner. She unrolled the mat and heavy blankets within. Despite its sad appearance, Edda stood and looked upon the tent in quiet triumph. It would do for the night, barring any sudden, strong gusts.
Â
The woman fetched her knapsack from atop Gullinbursti and set it in the back of her tent. She withdrew a few items – a comb, the out-of-date map, two warming potions and another tincture of nondescript function. Edda sat at the entrance of the tent, her feet and head poking out of the front flap, and facing the center of the small outcrop. She toyed idly with the two potions in her hands. It would be impolite not to offer him one, and so she sat and watched him, awaiting an opportunity.
