Adriana yawns as she watches Luther try and convince Heith to allow him to "help" steer their wagon. She chuckles as Hero joins him, both earnestly have been looking up to Heith since they met him. "You two, if Heith allows you to learn from him, don't disturb him too much."
"We won't!" They both reply instantly, causing Adriana and Marigold to giggle.
"Alright, until we take a break I'll teach you two a few things to do and look out for when driving." Heith relents with a smile.
"Heith is an idol for the kids, plus he adores them." Adriana comments.
"Ugh, true but I'm definitely not having another for a few years." Marigold replies before fussing with Rosaline as they settle in their wagon.
They continue their idle chatting as their wagons come around the bend of the road, meeting with the road leading away from Duskrift. As they travel the opposite way from those entering, she sees a man that causes her to double take. The man wore finery and was in an elegant carriage, but his chest glowed brightly with a symbol of blue. Instantly she knew that this was a person brought here by Director Maxus. He had an attendant on either side of him, their chests glowing a green symbol, meaning they hadn't received their person yet. She swallows and averts her gaze after their eyes meet, him appearing surprised. "Heith, please pick up speed and get us out of here." She orders as she hears a man shout behind them.
"What was that? Why did we run?" Marigold asks when they slow down after an hour of fast driving and windy roads that weren't well known.
Adriana considers her for a moment, then replies. "Did you notice anything strange about him? Like he had a certain glow to him?"
"No, nothing besides he looked like a noble." Marigold replies, perplexed by the question.
"I see, maybe that's a good thing…" Adriana trails off as she looks outside, watching for any danger as she goes over this. She now knew, without a doubt, that her beloved friends were akin to npcs, or non-player characters in games. With that thought, she wonders about the man.
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Adriana settles down for some meditation after her training exercises with her family. Some would join her sometimes, but other times, like today, she can meditate in pure solitude. Honestly, one good thing that came from this was the richness and pureness of the natural world that you couldn't experience in their normal lives.
The only unsettling thing though, was her new premonition. The Fox Count, Quinn Milbourne, really takes an interest in their family, going so far as to openly study them. He jotted down many notes, seemingly excited about any detail pertaining to them. He also spoke about his house's prominent members and territories favorably the whole trek. He was obviously trying to win them over while studiously watching them along their journey. But why? Could he have known what they were? Did he hope to make friendly relations so they would work with him in the future? She simply didn't know his motives, and thus couldn't trust them either. Her siblings had similar visions, but nothing to truly hint at anything more pressing about them.
As they enter the sleepy town of Clarcton, her eyes light up. She knows full well that her's isn't the only one, as it has been several days since they had a true meal and a fresh bath. They didn't want to go to any towns for a long time after their last sighting, but now that they were so far away and in such an obscure place they didn't mind stopping and taking a rest for a day, as well as some provision shopping. "How close are we to our destination?"
"We are currently halfway there, Mistress Adriana. Will we be staying the night here?" Heith replies with a contemplative look.
"I believe we should spend a night or two. It'll ease everyone's nerves, especially the children." She replies, recalling the conversations with her family earlier that day. They were all anxious knowing that they're getting closer and closer to the time of them meeting Count Quinn Milbourne. Restlessness didn't compare since none of their visions or premonitions showed more favorable routes. She sighs as she exits the wagon, then heads into the inn. A few moments later, and she's settled with two rooms for herself and her friends. Her family settles their own rooms as she starts singing with the inn's pianist playing a tune.
"Adriana, would you happen to be interested in hiring some guards for your trip?" Eleanor Vancroft, the inn owner, questions her later that night. "You see, our small town doesn't have much going for it, so some of the younger ones seek to leave and go on adventure now that they've come of age. There's four in particular that have formed a group and have done some training with the local guards, one of which is a retired knight. They asked me to put in a good word for them to any travellers as they're ready to travel the lands. Would you be interested in taking them with you?"
Adriana hesitates, not expecting this and a bit bewildered. "They don't even know where we're travelling, or who we are."
"I get the impression you're good folks, and going anywhere is fine for them." Eleanor replies with a hopeful smile. "I'll be honest, my daughter is part of this group. I'll be more comfortable with her and her friends travelling with a family rather than anyone more unruly. We tend to get travellers from the nearby mining town on their way to the trade hub, but they tend to have wandering eyes and hands."
"I'll ask the others about it, but I'd also like to meet them before really deciding though." Adriana replies before taking a sip of her drink.
"How about I sweeten the pot. If you take them, half off for all of your lodgings tonight." Eleanor tells her with a grin. "I'll send word and have them be ready to meet you tonight after supper."
"That sounds good." Adriana says, feeling like she doesn't have much of a choice. After some more small talk, she meets with her family and catches them up on it all. "So, what do you think? The offer isn't terrible, but I do think we should proceed with caution."
"Is this really a good idea? They can get killed, or worse!" Illiana asks with uncertainty.
"They could, but so can we. Having more able-bodied people isn't the worst idea." Ulysses states his thoughts about it.
"They have training, so it's a bit of a plus." Tamara adds in, cuddling Illiana closer to her.
"What if they blab about us, or our situation? Not saying we shouldn't take them, but I can't pretend I'm not anxious either." Quinton cautions.
"I want to feel more secure, and honestly I'm torn on this matter." Helena voices anxiously.
"Look, we should wait until we've met with them, then decide. If they seem decent, I see no reason in not bringing them since we are on such a dangerous trip." Jerald says.
Evelynn and Rolan share a look before Rolan speaks up. "Let's ask them some questions, then discuss the matter and decide in the morning."
Adriana watches the couples go back to their rooms after that, no need to hang around when they all require rest. She sighs, then goes to knock on Heith and Marigold's door, coming in after they open it for her. She takes the time to fill them in and asks for their opinions.
"Guards would be nice, actually." Marigold immediately replies.
"Though you've all been practicing with your weapons, to have properly trained attendees would be a relief. So many young ones to defend, I don't think we can afford to pass this up. So long they are sensible in price and expectant accommodations." Heith adds in.
"I so agree with that, but trust right now is a dangerous bit for us." Adriana sighs as she rubs her temple. "Thanks for your input, we'll be meeting them after dinner if either of you would like to join. I'll go rest for a bit now." They both bid her a good rest, but her mind keeps working. None had foreseen this happening, which was an annoyance.
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"Hello, I'm Eleanor's daughter, Layla. These are the other members of my group. Savannah Cooper, Remy Miller, and Jaden Berry. It would be our honor to assist and protect your group." Layla Vancroft introduced them and their companions. She was a warm woman with youthful eyes full of wonder and hope.
"Thank you for meeting with us, before we make any agreements, we would like to ask you a few questions." Evelynn tells them, gaining excited and eager replies. "As you may know, we have children with us. It won't be part of your duty to interact with them persay, but do you foresee traveling with children as a problem?"
"We have no qualms with this, each of us have siblings so we're used to dealing with children." Remy answers, giving a boyish grin as he does so.
"That's good to hear." Adriana replies, but is hopelessly distracted by the fact that each of them had a glowing green mark hovering in front of their chests.