Jenna concluded her business and they finally departed for the second half of their journey here.
Fife passed a final glance across the morbid display of preserved organs on their way out and promptly put it out of her mind; whoever they belonged to couldn't be helped now.
Scanning the signs, she only turned back to Jenna once, and only to make eye contact with a kid not even as tall as she was as he approached the healer. He promptly changed his course and, her presence a little more validated, Fife went back to hunting for the right place.
The city was almost unrecognizable.
Almost. Fife still spotted familiar pieces, whether unscathed or repaired. There was an odd sentimental value to it, even if she held only a few positive memories. In her current state, however, that bitter sentiment felt as real as her grief over Raigryn's missing
lunasloth. She also hated it more than she had ever hated anything, loathed it for being the place she had been left and where every terrible thing had happened to her. Yet the sight of a single inn made her heart flutter at the thought of how much her life had changed because of one botched robbery.
By the time Jenna stopped in what was still very clearly a trade district, Fife no longer knew how she felt. Her moods were jockeying for control with every passing thought. It briefly occurred to her that Lawrence was monitoring the wrong Empath.
Right. She had seen Raigryn do this plenty of times. She could handle it, too. She could handle independence.
Doing her best not to think about Raigryn and the past while also drawing on them for reference, it was not difficult to decide which business to start with; there was something specific she needed if she was going to accomplish anything.
The stationer's sign boasted a book and
quill. It was easily found, as
Elbion was (she presumed) still the home of a prominent college. Fife knew exactly what she wanted and walked confidently up to the counter. After only a little frustrated gesticulating, she had a small slate and a pouch of chalk sticks.
The most important purchase made, she breezed past Jenna and set off the way they had come. She stopped by a smith and used her slate to scratch out what she needed clearly for him. A godsend, because she could not have made up a bullshit sign for tinderbox. She found a weaver and purchased a few heavy blankets to ward off the late winter chill. A supply of rations because she had no idea where they were going when they left.
What had felt daunting at first suddenly felt easier, more accessible. A few short stops later, she had the things she thought they needed. If it wasn't enough, there would be another town down the road to get that thing. Looking at the pack, Fife felt… proud. She had done it. A smile crept onto her. She was looking forward to telling Raigryn about it. The slate wouldn't work everywhere, but it was a small feat of progress for Fife.
Returning to the street, she smiled at Jenna, nodded, and stepped aside to let her lead the way back.
