Sleeping in a stable was not a comfortable thing.
The ground was too firm, and the hay, despite the fact that she had put a generous layer of it below her bedroll, lacked the comforts of a bed. Had she grown so accustomed to the luxury of furnishings? Roen wrestled with that thought as she shifted every now and then during the night, trying to quell her pride that if Khadai can sleep under these conditions--sitting up no less--she should be able to get some semblance of rest as well. She would fall asleep, then waken a few bells later, only to try and drift back to sleep again.
So it felt like she had finally found a perfect soft spot to doze when a violent shake of her shoulder woke her.
“We must leave,†a deep voice rumbled through her consciousness.
It was not only those words, but the quiet urgency in Khadai’s voice that made Roen bolt up straight in her bedroll. Her hand was already reaching for her sheathed sword lying nearby, although it was mostly out of habit rather than the Au Ra’s tone. She took a moment to blink away the haziness of slumber from her eyes, but it did not take her long to note the stable doors were still closed and none had entered their particular stall. Khadai had already moved from her side, attending to his destrier. He said nothing more, but the distant sounds of shouting began to filter through the walls of the stables.
There was activity beyond, and it had alarmed him.
Roen began to equip herself without another word, even as she glanced up to the morning light that was peeking through the windows.Getting back into her armor with haste was something she could do half awake; such was the life of a mercenary soldier expecting attacks in the middle of the night. She could discern from the lighting that it was still early morning, so she doubted that the commotion was that of a typical hustle of hunters getting started for the sun. There were no telltale sounds of battle either. So even as she continued to fasten her gauntlets onto her hand, she glanced at Khadai’s back as he saddled his chocobo.
He had a headstart on her in being ready for whatever was walking through those doors, he was already fully armored and saddling his mount. She clucked her tongue to alert her own bird. Goldwind shuffled his feathers; the noise had alway awoken him, but his eyes blinked wide and his head lifted and swiveled side to side at her call.
Roughly sliding her sword to into her belt, Roen hurried to her chocobo’s side, yanking the saddle onto his back. Goldwind only bristled slightly at the hasty movements, but a nervous trill that rose from the chocobo mirrored her apprehension. The paladin squinted as she tried to get a glimpse in between the shuttered windows to see what was going on outside, but she could only vaguely make out moving figures. She tilted her head back to direct her words at the Au Ra on the other side of the stall even while she continued to prepare for a swift departure.
“So what are we dealing with?â€
The ground was too firm, and the hay, despite the fact that she had put a generous layer of it below her bedroll, lacked the comforts of a bed. Had she grown so accustomed to the luxury of furnishings? Roen wrestled with that thought as she shifted every now and then during the night, trying to quell her pride that if Khadai can sleep under these conditions--sitting up no less--she should be able to get some semblance of rest as well. She would fall asleep, then waken a few bells later, only to try and drift back to sleep again.
So it felt like she had finally found a perfect soft spot to doze when a violent shake of her shoulder woke her.
“We must leave,†a deep voice rumbled through her consciousness.
It was not only those words, but the quiet urgency in Khadai’s voice that made Roen bolt up straight in her bedroll. Her hand was already reaching for her sheathed sword lying nearby, although it was mostly out of habit rather than the Au Ra’s tone. She took a moment to blink away the haziness of slumber from her eyes, but it did not take her long to note the stable doors were still closed and none had entered their particular stall. Khadai had already moved from her side, attending to his destrier. He said nothing more, but the distant sounds of shouting began to filter through the walls of the stables.
There was activity beyond, and it had alarmed him.
Roen began to equip herself without another word, even as she glanced up to the morning light that was peeking through the windows.Getting back into her armor with haste was something she could do half awake; such was the life of a mercenary soldier expecting attacks in the middle of the night. She could discern from the lighting that it was still early morning, so she doubted that the commotion was that of a typical hustle of hunters getting started for the sun. There were no telltale sounds of battle either. So even as she continued to fasten her gauntlets onto her hand, she glanced at Khadai’s back as he saddled his chocobo.
He had a headstart on her in being ready for whatever was walking through those doors, he was already fully armored and saddling his mount. She clucked her tongue to alert her own bird. Goldwind shuffled his feathers; the noise had alway awoken him, but his eyes blinked wide and his head lifted and swiveled side to side at her call.
Roughly sliding her sword to into her belt, Roen hurried to her chocobo’s side, yanking the saddle onto his back. Goldwind only bristled slightly at the hasty movements, but a nervous trill that rose from the chocobo mirrored her apprehension. The paladin squinted as she tried to get a glimpse in between the shuttered windows to see what was going on outside, but she could only vaguely make out moving figures. She tilted her head back to direct her words at the Au Ra on the other side of the stall even while she continued to prepare for a swift departure.
“So what are we dealing with?â€
