Laina could see the distrust in their eyes. She wondered what they must have gone through to have lost faith in the kindness of others. After some thought, Laina reached into her spatial storage and brought out bars of gold. She placed them in front of Neil and signaled him to take them.
"I know it's difficult to trust a stranger, so allow me to offer a gesture of goodwill."
"Are these... real?" one of the children walked over to take a closer look, more soon followed.
Neil was stunned by Laina's actions. He gritted his teeth in anger as he unsheathed a short sword and pointed it at her. Surprised by his actions, Laina put up both of her hands.
"I mean you no harm, Neil. Honest," Laina attempted to deescalate the situation.
"Do you think you can buy us off with this?! You're just like the others!" Neil roared.
