Even though they had just been through a life and death situation together, talking was still something off the table for now. They both walked in awkward silence as they progressed down the long road. After a couple of hours, they were both starting to feel hungry, and even though the dark-elf was injured, she still persevered on this long walk. Food was necessary though, even more so because she was injured, she needed the energy to be able to go on.
They didn't set up camp for too long though, they ate their meals that Thufrat prepared as fast as they could, then drank some water before continuing on their travels. As they walked down the road, Thufrat realized that they hadn't introduced themselves yet, which was kind of weird considering all the time that had passed.
"I forgot to introduce myself earlier, my name's Thufrat."
The dark-elf looked a little hesitant at first, but she gave in eventually. "No worries, my name is Alenia Chaehorn, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
This name told Thufrat something very important, this elf was a noble! It was almost to be expected since she was the daughter of a very important dark-elf. Of course commoners could rise to become prominent, but usually, they would get a noble title in that case.
After their introductions, the awkward silence returned once more, and they continued on their path. After another couple of hours or so of walking, the surrounding trees and foliage started getting thinner. The reason was pretty obvious, they had almost left the forest! After walking a little more, they finally managed to get out of the forest, only to be greeted by a weird sight. According to an old map that Thufrat had bought for cheap from a vendor, there was supposed to be a small town here.
But to their surprise, the main road that led to and from what was once Ghosborough was barely detectable beneath layers of dust, sand, shrubs, and leaves. Dust and debris littered the roads within the town while unkempt gardens were cluttered with forsaken possessions.
Some doors were shut tightly, others were broken down. Some forcefully, others had simply collapsed under their own weight as the elements continued to eat away at them. Many walls and balconies had collapsed. Without proper maintenance and cleaning it was easy for rot and water to do their damage.
Ghosborough, once a major hub for new beginnings and young families had become nothing more than a painful memory. The sounds of insects, winds and creaking wood of trees which were once drowned out by the sounds of carriages and people had returned as the dominant sounds once more.
No matter how you looked at it this town was an eerie sight to behold. Lives forgotten, perhaps completely ruined and there was barely anything to show for it. But there was something oddly poetic about nature reclaiming what was once theirs to begin with. Thufrat and Alenia couldn't help but gulp upon the sight of such a place. A desolate and empty feeling couldn't help but tug on their very souls.
After regaining their bearings a little, they decided to rest here for the night. With the changing of seasons, the sun was already on its way down, and the night was not far away. Even if it might take an hour or two, it was probably better to stay in this abandoned town then to sleep in the forest. After looking around town and searching for the best place to stay, they soon happened upon an abandoned mansion in the middle of the town. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this mansion was probably the mansion of the noble that used to govern this town.
Despite being old and run-down, the mansion was still in considerably better shape compared to all the other houses and establishments in the town. The only thing that came close was the old adventurers guild, but that place didn't have really have very suitable rooms to sleep in. All the rooms inside of the mansion were dirty and covered in dust from top to bottom, but with the help of a broom and some magic, could that really be considered a problem?
Before going to sleep for the night, Alenia and Thufrat decided to eat a hearty meal together. Cleaning an old table and propping it up on the balcony, they sat face to face and ate to their hearts' content. Even though the meal was fairly humble, it was delicious and filling nonetheless. Thufrat had also taken it upon himself to bandage Alenia up earlier before they started eating. Even though she had played very cool and made Thufrat kind of forget about it, he noticed her injuries again earlier. He wouldn't let her run around injured, and he just did what he believed any man would do.
After eating their fills, they just sat there quietly for a while. Thufrat's gaze couldn't help but be attracted by the vast amount of stars in the sky. The beautiful and sparkling stars that covered the vast expanses of the universe were both ethereal and beautiful, yet they represented heights Thufrat could never hope to achieve, filling him with a small feeling of helplessness and indignation. Alenia noticed his gaze and followed it with her own, only to be awed by the sight of the night sky.
After pondering a little, Thufrat got up to leave. "We'll be traveling all day tomorrow as well, you should go to bed early." With his back to Alenia, Thufrat retreated back into the room he had claimed as his own earlier. Alenia also decided that it was time to sleep, she wasn't really sure how long it would take them to reach the next town. What she couldn't see was the slight blush on Thufrat's face or the slight trembling of his body when he had his back against her.
When he had taken his gaze away from the stars earlier, he had paid attention to the face she was making while she watched the stars as well. His conclusion was simple, she was way too damn cute!