The man made no move to attack. He seemed rather unperturbed by her appearance and question, and Edda was thankful neither of those things was enough to provoke him into action, in spite of his barbarous appearance. Despite the standstill, she did not relax, still tense against the tree and watching the man closely for any signs of aggression. Neither of them moved, and for a moment the woman wondered if he could understand her. Her perception was quickly dashed when the man shook his head and lowered his sword, an action which made her noticeably flinch.
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“Where is the road?â€
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A rather unexpected inquiry. Edda’s expression morphed into a blank stare, her lips parting at the absurdity of it. He was no native, clearly, but the directness of it surprised her, and it did little to compliment his brutish bearing. There was sincerity in his query that left her all the more baffled. It was not an uncommon thing to hear from simple travelers, but if that was all he was then surely there was no need for such brutality. He was dressed for the outdoors, but to miss the road entirely at so short a distance seemed improbable. Perhaps he was chased into the woods for committing some sort of crime. It would explain the killings, unless that was his way of thanking people for directions.
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Having the ability to lose her way in any environment, Edda was far from unsympathetic to the man. However, his uncouth actions seemed an ill-fit for one wanting to travel by road. Here, following the road would lead him to only two places: Fallgourd Float, or Gridania. If his destination lay beyond those two points, he would need to pass through, or risk losing his way again by circling around. With stains of blood on his clothes and his incongruous appearance in the reclusive Shroud, entering any bastion of civilization would be a poor idea. It was doubtful he was headed to either location, but if he was he would not make it far past the gates before being apprehended. A humorous thought, but she doubt he would go peacefully, and perhaps take even more lives with him in the process.
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Edda shifted her weight to test her ankle. A jolt of disapproving pain coursed up her leg, and so she resumed favoring her right leg and leaned further into the tree. Ready to address his question, she turned to look down the slope, and carefully pointed down past the tree. “It is just down the hill. You would be hard-pressed to miss it.â€
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She turned back to the man to gauge his reaction, or receive gratitude in the form of cold steel. The dark clouds that had been approaching from Coerthas began to make their way over the canopy, stopping more light from entering the dense forest. Edda narrowed her eyes as she inspected the Au Ra once more. Even in the poor light, the bright emerald rings in his eyes stood out. The tattered leathers and furs of his garb were unlike any she had seen before, and even considering the more outlandish companies of adventurers in Eorzea, Edda could not imagine an area within a thousand malms that would be receptive to such an appearance.
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Edda paused and licked her lips. A small smile made its way across her features, though mixed with her unabated fear it felt more like an awkward smirk. “Although,†she began in a hesitant voice. “If you are heading into town, I would suggest a change of clothes.†There was a lilt of inquisitiveness in her voice, for her own sake as well of those in Fallgourd. She would not be able to beat him there in her current state, and she made no move of leaving her present position. She hoped he planned to leave peacefully, and if he did so, whatever information she could garner from him could be put to use later on. He did not seem rather talkative however, and so Edda awaited his next course of action, and less so his words.
Â
“Where is the road?â€
Â
A rather unexpected inquiry. Edda’s expression morphed into a blank stare, her lips parting at the absurdity of it. He was no native, clearly, but the directness of it surprised her, and it did little to compliment his brutish bearing. There was sincerity in his query that left her all the more baffled. It was not an uncommon thing to hear from simple travelers, but if that was all he was then surely there was no need for such brutality. He was dressed for the outdoors, but to miss the road entirely at so short a distance seemed improbable. Perhaps he was chased into the woods for committing some sort of crime. It would explain the killings, unless that was his way of thanking people for directions.
Â
Having the ability to lose her way in any environment, Edda was far from unsympathetic to the man. However, his uncouth actions seemed an ill-fit for one wanting to travel by road. Here, following the road would lead him to only two places: Fallgourd Float, or Gridania. If his destination lay beyond those two points, he would need to pass through, or risk losing his way again by circling around. With stains of blood on his clothes and his incongruous appearance in the reclusive Shroud, entering any bastion of civilization would be a poor idea. It was doubtful he was headed to either location, but if he was he would not make it far past the gates before being apprehended. A humorous thought, but she doubt he would go peacefully, and perhaps take even more lives with him in the process.
Â
Edda shifted her weight to test her ankle. A jolt of disapproving pain coursed up her leg, and so she resumed favoring her right leg and leaned further into the tree. Ready to address his question, she turned to look down the slope, and carefully pointed down past the tree. “It is just down the hill. You would be hard-pressed to miss it.â€
Â
She turned back to the man to gauge his reaction, or receive gratitude in the form of cold steel. The dark clouds that had been approaching from Coerthas began to make their way over the canopy, stopping more light from entering the dense forest. Edda narrowed her eyes as she inspected the Au Ra once more. Even in the poor light, the bright emerald rings in his eyes stood out. The tattered leathers and furs of his garb were unlike any she had seen before, and even considering the more outlandish companies of adventurers in Eorzea, Edda could not imagine an area within a thousand malms that would be receptive to such an appearance.
Â
Edda paused and licked her lips. A small smile made its way across her features, though mixed with her unabated fear it felt more like an awkward smirk. “Although,†she began in a hesitant voice. “If you are heading into town, I would suggest a change of clothes.†There was a lilt of inquisitiveness in her voice, for her own sake as well of those in Fallgourd. She would not be able to beat him there in her current state, and she made no move of leaving her present position. She hoped he planned to leave peacefully, and if he did so, whatever information she could garner from him could be put to use later on. He did not seem rather talkative however, and so Edda awaited his next course of action, and less so his words.
