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"It's my house really. How else was I going to bring along some chickens and... well, a pig!" Assallya replied in a cheery manner as the draft horse brought the wagon closer, "I like to be prepared for every eventually, plus it beats sleeping on the ground every night."

You try carrying flour, barley, potatoes and other foodd, summoning mat, reference library, several disguises, a poison making set, a dagger set made from every possible material and a multitude of other oddities inside a mere backpack. Unfortunately Bags of Holding were a rare commodity, as were Portable Tower Figurines.

Tasius scowled at Lio and her friendly demeanor for a moment. He couldn't understand how someone could be this lively after waking up with the sun. Facing the direction he had come from, Assallya and her wagon's approaching figure didn't seem to surprise the man like the other elf. It surely beats walking towards their destination, but he would much prefer to never enter the small house on wheels during this trip. There's no way to make sure the runaway dancer put protective charms inside, ready to activate at the smallest intrusion or sign of danger.

"You must be used to living on your own then," is the man's assessment as the horse approached. Trying to compare anything about Assallya's reactions to the description of a bounty coming from the dunes in the south. "I wager you don't have any plans of settling down, knowing your profession."

With the weather warming up from the risen sun, such a slow-paced and tranquil atmosphere forced another yawn out of Tasius. Shaking his head, he tries to ward off this drowsy state for the road ahead. This time he addresses the mage who paid for his and Assallya's support.

"This would be a good time as any for us to learn where this tower you're searching for is. Since we are heading north from the start, and that it must be close to an old war site, I can only guess it is near this nation's northern border. There are hills over there rumored to be cursed, making the land difficult to harvest and the cattle challenging to thrive." Although he never heard of a ruined tower among the rumors as well. And if he was to guess the worst, that thing must have crumbled down. Elves can live for centuries without change, but not the world around them.

"Which profession would that be," the dancing girl answered him, a devilish twinkle entering her eyes, "The sultry gypsy witch, the aged crone of a fortune teller, the apprentice pickpocket thief, or the roving whore?"

Drawing the reins taut as the horse reached a stride from her companions Assallya brought the wagon to a complete stop.

It felt really good, simply being herself. For the last couple years she had switched from one identity to another, always trying to stay ahead of the bounties.

"I also picked up a small book on the local history."

"The book is a good idea," Lio said, ignoring the byplay between the others. She didn't feel the need to do anything unless it became an issue. Her bag was beside her on the ground so she put her book away and pulled out a map which she then unfolded on the ground.

"Here is Pendel," she said, pointing to a tiny speck on the map, "and here is where we're going," her finger moved to a point further north. "I was able to hire a traveler to go and look at the area for me, but that was about 50 years ago. According to him, Elsen's Tor is now known as Ellen Hill."

She pulled out another, smaller map, as well as a few drawings. "The closest village is called Alebeck, and the hill is a little to the west." As she named each place she pointed to it on the smaller map.

"The tower had mostly crumbled when I was there, and my scout said that it had deteriorated even more and was mostly covered with grass. But he did see the old door. And he said there were stories about strange sounds coming from inside the hill, which leads me to believe that the interior is still at least somewhat intact. From what I've been able to learn about Elsen and the tower, it seems that she lived in the areas above ground but that she had dug a deep foundation and had her workrooms down there." She showed them the pictures that her scout had given her of the outside of the tower that was now a hill. "The records I read also didn't give any that Elsen was - for lack of a better term - evil. Strong certainly, and she would have protected her home and especially her workroom well. So while her spells will have faded with age, there will still be protections and possibly traps to deal with."

((OOC: I swear, I didn't intend to create a dungeon crawl, it just happened!))

Tasius simply dismissed Assallya with a wave of his left hand, as if none of the titles she had named were of interest. In reality, he had all but a short moment to ponder, before focusing on the maps being brought forth by Lio, if there was some sort of strategy the younger elf is using when being so forward about herself. He would expect at least an attempt at secrecy to hide her true colors. But looking at how their employer herself didn't bat an eye to the exchange, perhaps it was unneeded.

After a quick explanation about their route and the dubious story of this Elsen fellow, he didn't hesitate to grab the smaller map from the ground and pass it over to their assigned driver seated by the wagon. Allowing her to have a closer look as well. This wasn't going to be a long journey if everything went smoothly, but at the same time, it couldn't be called just a short trip to the next town over.

"Let's get going then. You two can share what your respective books and tomes have to say while moving." Standing by the side of the wagon, the man indicates for Liothryth to climb and sit together with the other woman. Assuming by how the both of them seem to be getting along just fine and that mages like herself weren't made to tire themselves physically meaningless. "We didn't wake up this early to just talk on the outskirts of Pendel all morning." One of the caged chickens chooses that moment to cluck loudly. Probably at the halted rocking it had been feeling from the wheels since placed up on the roof.

Once Liothryth had climbed up using the brass rail on the wagon's side Assallya clucked her tongue and flicked the reins. She wasn't one for husbandry but this horse had been well trained to respond and it did as bid, taking off at a sedate walk.

Leaning back on the bench Athe blonde girl tucked her right leg under her left thigh and let her left leg dangle, black enameled toenails pointing towards the ground.

"By Sharess' bountiful tits I love this wagon," she said, patting at the wood, "Nobody should ever travel without one."

Lio snorted. She had to admit, that was a good epithet. After tucking her pack in under the seat she leaned back and rested against the wagon.

"I guess it's been too long since I went on a journey. Transportation other than my own two feet never occurred to me. And even if it had, I doubt I would have been able to find anything as nice as this on short notice." She closed her eyes and sighed, "the abbess was right, I was out of the world too long."

Normally, being an elf, Lio didn't show her years. But something shifted as she sat there, and while her appearance didn't actually change, her 647 years suddenly became very apparent.

"Vardo wagons are custom made by only a few wainwrights. It was a bother just getting the name of one from the Vistani.


No offense intended but your Abbess is right, though not through faulty of your own. You were wrent, riven to the quick. The tel'seldarine are set in their ways. They don't think," the blonde Sorceress commented as the horse settled into his stride, "Traditions are more important than ideas. I guess it's a necessity when a dozen or more generations of a family are living together. The most you have in a human family is three generations. When you're an elf you can be berated by your three-times-great grandfather who looks to be the same age as yourself, for the audacity of suggesting roasting acorns instead of chestnuts at winter solstice."

The blonde girl showed little of the exasperation she felt, making the statement in an almost clinical fashion in her opinion, that was the primary reason the seldarine were in decline. There was also the divide between aristocrat and the pioneer. Simply put, the seldarine looked down on those pioneers that braved the danger of establishing me settlements as being provincial.

"That's why humans are spreading like locusts. They're the perfect balance between the desperation of a short lived orc and the aloof indifference of the undying elves.

"Errrr... Sorry. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the topic.'

"You're right though. Humans really are a fascinating race. So much more varied than the elves. I haven't interacted with many elves in the past few years, but thinking back on it - we are too set in our ways. It's all too easy not to even think about change when you know you have the next thing to infinity stretching out in front of you.

"It took 300 years for my body to recover from what happened. If I hadn't been an elf I don't know that I would have survived, even with the Orb's influence." She took a deep, shuttering breath. "It...it took a long time for me to accept what happened. There's nothing like being prepared for death and then surviving. Especially when your survival sometimes makes you wish you hadn't.

"Every time a new abbess or abbot was chosen we would talk and they would occasionally ask me if I was ready to leave. I would always say no, but I thought maybe soon I would be. Then one day a abbess asked me if I was ever going to be ready to leave. I realized that I had only gone through the motions of living. That the years had meant nothing to me, in the end. That I had gotten to comfortable.

Leaning forward slightly she shook her head and laughed lightly. "What use is an old elf who's afraid of the world?" The question was obviously meant to be rhetorical, but part of her hoped she would find an answer.

"Don't mind me, it's just nice to talk to someone who doesn't constantly remind you to thank the gods for your blessings all the time."

"The gods?" the dancing girl scoffed, "I did my fair share of praying but the gods never did much for me or anyone I've known. Everything I have, all I am, is a result of my own works. By hook, by crook, or by shiv.

"Look, smart people are often afraid. They understand repercussions better, they understand responsibilities. Any mooncalf can saunter off and get themselves into heaps of trouble because they don't think. Smart people are naturally complacent, they need a reason to experience risk. I had no reason to leave, I had everything. I had luxuries, food, a languorous lifestyle..."

Uh... Assallya suddenly realized this Liothryth was dangerous. She was much older, probably more powerful but so bloody naive. She'd probably walked from her arcane schooling straight into war. Assallya, on the other hand, had a short life of cut-throat harem politics.

"Until something shoved a hot poker up my... uh... ". She was going to refer to her womanhood. "...buttocks. Figuratively, I mean."

"The world is a strange place," Lio replied with a sigh.

They traveled on in silence for a while. Lio absently held up her hand palm down, then as she flipped it over small flames filled her cupped fingers. As suddenly as the fire appeared it went out. "Sorry," she said looking over at Assallya. "Would you mind if I did some small magic practice as we go along? It's been a while as I just want to make sure everything still works as I need it to. I won't do anything that will harm you or your wagon."

"Not at all," the girl replied, "just try not to spook the horse too much. He's trained well but he's no warhorse."

After a long pause Assallya changed the subject. "I usually try not to use magic," she added, "it's an effective tool but it can turn on you. A good disguise is not effective then a spell. Sure, it's a bit easier to see through the makeup and hair dye but the ability to detect magic is common enough and someone wearing a seeming is likely up to no good."

Lio conjured the illusion of a butterfly between cupped hands.

"And one never knows when they'll be knocked out or have someone more powerful come along and cast some sort of spell to nullify magic."

The butterfly flew away, fading before it reached the trees beside the road.

"Magic is a tricky thing. Even the most skilled practitioners can't always know what will happen when they use it."

In a nearby alleyway a pair of tired light blue eyes stare at the group as the converse among themselves a young human quietly whispers to himself while running his hand through his messy curly black hair. "From the looks of it they're just walkin' around with some valuable stuff best plan is to. one: Just follow them from afar and wait till they split up. Two: find the one with the most valuable item. Three: easy pickings" he quietly retreats with a small smile into a nearby crowd trying to blend in while he carefully watches for the groups next move waiting for the right time to pickpocket the richest member.

“Or,” Linota told Cairo with a raised hand. “We get in their good graces and take both of their valuables when the opportunity presents itself.”
Her voice held the dull droll of eternal boredom, yet her eyes, which were following the vardo wagon, were studious flames. By the looks of their little house on wheels, they had coins to spare.

“We have to think bigger,” she whispered harshly to Cairo when they were moving through the crowd. “You know what he told us.”
She gave him a pointed stare, letting the boy remember what their tyrannical guardian had threatened them with, before she looked back to the wagon again. Her messy, brown braid was coming loose and the wavy tendrils that framed her face made her look disheveled and sleepless. Dark, stern brows and constantly pursed lips achieved the look of a disgruntled, angsty teen. Not that her attitude needed any help.

“We can cut them off on the trail right outside of town,” she suddenly spun to tell Cairo, the idea having just dawned on her. “You lure them out of the wagon and I’ll take the goods.”
Her tone was confident and concrete, though she was prepared for an argument.

"That's a good idea" cairo says an evil smirk slowly spreading onto his sleepless face. "yeah i like that i'll lure them out sayin' my friend got attacked by an animal or somethin" trying to pick a way to catch their attention. "but we gotta do it fast, we cant give them time to make a decision if the plan goes south, so whats plan b?" He questions so they can have the best results.

"Ah who the h*ll needs a plan b anyway? This will be easy" he concludes shrugging off his last question

At his quick agreeance, Linota stared at Cairo and a small smile came and went.
“Alright, good- but tell them it’s a monster. Something good.. Something you might need two people for.” She moved her hands determinedly as she spoke. “I’ll get inside through the back and take as much as our bags can carry. And as soon as they see me, I’ll use this-”

She pulled a crude looking, black sphere out of a pocket in her oversized trousers and showed it to him. She had been working on creating orbs that burst when thrown hard enough, which would then emit a noxious gas that seared the eyes. It was meant to temporarily blind its victims, though Linota hadn’t yet tried this particular model. The noxious gas was made from the mace-like liquid that came from spraying beetles, coupled with chemical catalysts of her own creation. Cairo had seen her tinkering with them and would already know what they were from her earlier explanations.

“Plan B,” Linota repeated, chewing on the idea. Then she pulled a small dagger from her other pants pocket and held it up in answer, desperation paling her cheeks. “If it comes to it.”

"Genius Lin if all goes wrong stab 'em" he sarcastically says trying not to wheeze from seeing her face "as long as we're smart and quick which we both are this will follow through perfectly. So, when should we make our move? And how many of them orb thingies ya got anyway?" he says pointing at her orb

“It’s them or us,” she said to his sarcasm and tucked the dagger back into its sheath in her pocket.
When he complimented their competence, she smirked. “I have the new one here and two old,” she replied to his question about her orbs. “But the old ones are.. Inconclusive.”
She thought back to just earlier that day when she let the other, younger teens play with the orbs. ‘Playing’ really meant throwing them into each other's faces and seeing how much damage it might do. It was like a game of roulette where only a random few orbs actually exploded and released enough gas to inflict any pain. After a lot of screaming and a few buckets of water, Linota worked on a new orb, this one having some added oomph.

“They’re making their way outside of town, look-” She directed him with her eyes and a small flick of her head. “Let’s go.”
Linota ran stealthily through town, out of sight as street kids were so experienced. She made her way to the side exit they had made for themselves and fit through. Assuming Cairo was right behind her, they would run until they reached the treeline and stop to catch their breaths.

“Alright,” Linota panted. “Give me your bag.”
She waited for Cairo to hand it over, to which she would sling it over her free shoulder creating an ‘X’ shape with both satchel straps. It matched the ‘X’ her suspenders created at her back and it also made her feel like a pack mule with both bags draping heavily at her sides.
Linota looked Cairo over thoughtfully. “We need to make you look distressed.”
She pulled out her dagger again and advanced on Cairo to tear some of his clothes.