[with Thomas]

[no_thief]

[A day or two after this.]

There are five of the liveried guardsmen in the inn now, and two in the stables.

Kaya hid the night in a storeroom bin that used to hold apples, and is now peering through a crack in the wall into the common room and trying to find a way past them.

Comments

[no_thief]

It's a little awkward, as they're both carrying bundles, but she manages it. There's something with a hard blunt edge pinned between her front and his back, briefly, before she readjusts things to get it out of the way.

Before he's gone another half-dozen steps, her head has drooped onto his shoulder and she's fallen into a doze.

[vagrant_malkin]

It's not hard to figure out that she's fallen asleep, and once Thomas does, he moves as smoothly as posible, the only sounds coming from his breathing and the slight splashing as he wades through the water.

Once the sun begins to dip low, though, and lengthen his shadow, he moves out of the creek in search of a place to camp for the night.

[no_thief]

She shifts on his back, and mumbles something unclear, and subsides.

The forest is thicker here, but not impassable. There's a natural clearing not too far ahead of him, visible by the angle of the light.

[vagrant_malkin]

The clearing looks good. It even has some wood on the ground to make a small fire.

As carefully as he can, he eases Kaya to the ground until she's laying in a soft patch of grass, then lays his coat over her.

[no_thief]

Kaya tugs the coat a little closer around her shoulders, and doesn't wake.

[vagrant_malkin]

Thomas feels that it's safe enough to leave Kaya there for the moment while he goes off to search for some firewood and some food for them. It seems like she's going to be out for a while, so it should give him enough time to gather things and there should be food for when she wakes.

[no_thief]

There's some food already, but only a bottle of wine and a packet of sweet wafers from the carriage: nothing substantial. The forest is likely to provide a good deal more.

(Among other things, there are fish in the river they've been wading.)

[vagrant_malkin]

Fish is exactly what Thomas is thinking, and some undisclosed, soggy amount of time later, he has a few fish speared on a stick and roasting over a small fire.

[no_thief]

When Kaya wakes it's all at once, from asleep to fully alert in the space of a blink, sitting up and drawing a shaky breath.

And staring at him.

[vagrant_malkin]

He remains calm as she jerks awake, offering a soft smile as she looks at him.

"Hey there," he says, then extends a skewered fish to her. "Hungry?"

[no_thief]

She nods silently.

And after a beat, reaches out hesitantly for the fish.

[vagrant_malkin]

"Careful, it's hot. Take the stick."

[no_thief]

She nods, jerkily, and takes it by the stick.

And retreats immediately out of arm's reach, before starting to wolf down the fish despite its heat.

[vagrant_malkin]

He watches some, but keeps his eye on the other fish roasting over the fire. The girl was like a skittish animal, and staring is likely to startle her even more, he thinks.

"Did you sleep okay?"

[no_thief]

Another nod, in between bites. Her fingers and her thin cheeks are smeared with fish grease.

After a moment: "You carried me?"

[vagrant_malkin]

"I offered to, didn't I? You fell asleep pretty quickly."

[no_thief]

She flushes. "Din't mean to."

[vagrant_malkin]

"If I minded, I would have said so, or dunked you in the creek and refused to carry you further. S'fine."

[no_thief]

She's silent, chewing up a scrap of fish skin.




"How come you came to get me away from them?"

[vagrant_malkin]

"Why wouldn't I? Besides, us roguish types need to stick together."

[no_thief]

That gets him another narrow-eyed look, before she drops her gaze to the forest floor and continues munching fish.

[vagrant_malkin]

He frowns puzzledly.

"What is it?"

[no_thief]

"Nothing," she mutters.



"... thank you for the fish. and for saving me."

[vagrant_malkin]

"You're welcome," he says softly in turn. "Did you get enough to eat?"

They're probably going to be traveling more when the sun comes up again, and she'll need her strength.

[no_thief]

"Yeah." She blinks up at him. "Did you?"