Saiya awoke to a beam of sunlight shining on her face. She let out a groan and rolled to her side. Stiff muscles found relief as she stretched. Her mind focused as the last dregs of sleep Saiya didn’t remember falling asleep. What happened? That’s when it hit her. She sat up from her bedding.
For just a moment, Saiya wondered if she was dead. The last thing she could remember was traveling through that desolate wasteland. Her body was starved and out of energy. One moment she was dragging herself along. The next, Saiya felt an impact and then nothing. That should have been the end of things. Her body failed her in the end. Instead, she woke up somewhere different.
The unfamiliarity put her on guard. Where was she right now? Did she make it to the caravan, or was she somewhere else? No matter where she was, someone clearly took care of her. Though whether that was as a guest or a prisoner remained to be seen.
The tent Saiya found herself in seemed to indicate the former. She was given reasonable accommodations, and her possessions were left beside her. Still, she shouldn’t abandon the possibility that the people hosting her were more nefarious than first impressions showed. It would be best for her to get ready so she can explore her situation.
As she got dressed, Saiya wondered where Zeltara and Kaztos were. Had they made it here as well? It seemed likely, since one of them would have had to save her. Perhaps they told the caravan of her location and gotten her rescue. But that still left the possibility of one of them dying. Saiya hoped not, but she couldn’t be sure. Just another reason to get up and check.
Just as she finished getting ready, the tent flap opened behind her. Saiya didn’t even have a chance to turn and see who it was when a voice yelled at her.
“Fantastic! You’re awake-” The loud noise caused Saiya to fling a knife towards the tent flap. She heard a yelp as whoever it was fell backwards out of the entrance. Saiya pulled out another knife, prepared to defend herself. She put it away and sighed in annoyance when Kaztos poked his head in. He seemed sheepish as he said, “Ah, sorry for scaring you like that. I was just eager to see you.”
Saiya felt he should know by now not to surprise her like that. Having a knife thrown at him was the least he deserved. Any guilt over the attempted maiming was drowned under the irritation of not knowing what was happening. Saiya needed to get a better understanding of the situation they were in. “What’s going on?”
Kaztos gave her a reassuring smile and said, “We can talk about that together. For now, get out of the tent. We have a lot to do today.” Saiya wondered what that meant. What needed to be done? He didn’t even answer her original question. Kaztos left Saiya with no choice but to follow him out.
Upon leaving the tent, Saiya found herself at a camp. It took a second for her eyes to adjust, but then she took in her surroundings. Dozens of people worked around the camp. Some of them were packing up tents and supplies. Others were sitting by extinguished fire pits eating food. Everything was being loaded onto wagons at the edge of camp. A few people were attaching harnesses to bison. Strange, Saiya had never heard of bison being used as draft animals before. In front of her, Kaztos walked towards Zeltara and a middle-aged woman near a firepit.
After picking up her knife sitting on the ground, Saiya followed Kaztos. As she approached, Zeltara noticed her. Her expression brightened as she jogged over and hugged Saiya. She tolerated it for a moment before easing off. Zeltara gave her a quick look over before addressing her.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. They said you were just resting, but I was worried. You were in rough shape the last time I saw you.” Saiya gave a small smile in return. The concern helped to wash away the annoyance of Kaztos’ latest stunt. She was about to respond when the woman approached. Saiya answered with only a nod instead. Zeltara gave her a questioning look before moving out of the way for the woman.
Saiya had to force herself to stand her ground as the woman marched up to and examined her up close. The woman gave her a quick look over. Then she put her hand on Saiya’s forehead. The sudden touch caused her to back away a few steps.
“Give her some space, Yena. Saiya doesn’t like people in her personal space,” Zeltara said. Yena only gave a tired sigh but seemed to follow the request.
After another few moments of examination, Yena said, “You appear to be in good shape. Do you feel sore anywhere?” Saiya gave only a shrug. Her legs still didn’t feel one hundred percent, but it was a marked improvement from before. Yena let out another sigh. “Then I’ll make sure you take it easy today, healer’s orders. Tell me whenever that changes.”
She then turned to look at all three of them. “It’s time to pack up for the day. On top of your tasks every day, you need to set up and pack away your campsite. Store it in the tinker’s wagon while we travel, since no one is using it. This is yours to use, so you’re responsible for it. And that includes the stones for the fire pit. If you lose anything, then you’ll not get a replacement. I’ll be back once we’re ready to head out.”
Yena walked away from the three, leaving Saiya with several questions. First of which was what happened while she was unconscious. The lack of information was making Saiya uneasy. Just what was going on? She turned to her friends and said, “I seem to have missed some things. Would either of you be willing to explain it to me?”
Zeltara shot Kaztos a look. “Weren’t you supposed to tell her what was going on?”
He rubbed the back of his head and looked down. “Sorry, I may have accidentally scared her earlier. I didn’t want to crowd her, so left the explanation for later.”
“Kaztos...” Zeltara facepalmed.
“Well, she threw a knife at me, so I thought she needed space.” Zeltara dropped her hand in shock.
“She did what?” Saiya grew irritated at the exchange. Apparently, a simple explanation was too difficult for them. She needed to get them back on track before this got out of hand.
“Again, could you explain what I missed?” Zeltara looked over with a conflicted look.
“But what’s this about you-”
Saiya shot her a glare. “Explain. Now.” Zeltara seemed to look at her before a soft expression settled on her face. She put her hands on Saiya’s shoulders and gave a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. We should explain what’s going on. It must be stressful considering what happened before.” Saiya glanced away and nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Let’s start when you passed out. To be honest, I was kind of panicking. It was Kaztos who saved you. He picked you up and carried you the rest of the way. I’m still in disbelief at how he managed to do that.”
It shocked Saiya to hear that. She looked over at Kaztos, who gave her a wide grin. How did he do that? It must have taken an incredible amount of willpower. And for her, of all people. Though they were friends, there was a lot of conflict between them. Often, conversations devolved into arguments. Did he still value their friendship that highly? To go that far to save her? Would she have the fortitude to do the same if their roles were reversed?
This was the second time Kaztos had saved her. She felt the annoyance from this morning wash away into guilt. He did all that, and yet Saiya still tried to keep him at a distance. She needed to think about this. For now, it was time to say something important.
So, she walked up to Kaztos and said, “Thank you for saving me, Kaztos. You’re a good friend.” His grin softened into a small smile.
“It means the world to hear you say that. Anything for a friend of mine.” Saiya then glanced away in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry for throwing a knife at you earlier.” To her surprise, Kaztos let out a hearty laugh at that.
He shook his head and said, “I shouldn’t have barged in and yelled like that. You were only reacting to a potential threat.” It helped to ease her guilt, but she needed to do more.
Saiya thought for a moment, but could not come up with anything. The moment passed, and she was now left frustrated with herself. Kaztos was willing to do that much for her, and she can’t figure out how to show her appreciation. Saiya would have to come up with something later.
Zeltara took a step forward and got their attention. “Good to see you guys getting along. Maybe this time you’ll go three days without getting into an argument.” Kaztos and Saiya both glared at her. Zeltara could only nervously laugh under the intensity of the stares. “Anyway, where were we?”
“We had just made it to the caravan,” Kaztos said.
“Right, so the three of us were out for several days recovering. It was only last night that I woke up. I ended up meeting their chief, Dinaro, who gave me some information. We’re traveling with a group of people called the Al’Yanda. They were displaced by that wave of destruction as well.” The name didn’t spark any familiarity for Saiya. Though, based on Zeltara’s focus on the group name, they were probably important. “We ended up trading stories. Next, I had to negotiate our stay. Man, that was tough. Good thing Kaztos woke up or we may have been in trouble.”
Kaztos waved off the praise. “Nonsense! I’m sure you would have been able to handle it. I just had more experience in the subject.”
“Let’s agree to disagree. I still don’t know what Dinaro’s deal was. He seemed to enjoy messing with us. At least he accepted our deal to stay here.” Zeltara’s face seemed annoyed at the thought of the Al’Yanda chief.
Saiya asked, “So, what was the deal? Please don’t say that you sold us into slavery.” She was only half joking about that. The sly smirk Zeltara shot her was not reassuring.
“Oh, nothing like that. It’s only labor until we want to leave. Truly a harsh concession to allow us to stay here. And they will give us food and lodging. How will we ever go on?” Kaztos laughed as Zeltara dissolved into giggles. Saiya had to stop herself from joining in.
At least the terms weren’t bad. It was the least they could do considering the drain on resources they were. Thankfully, they didn’t need to steal from the caravan. Though a quick look around showed that they never would have succeeded. The number of guards would have made such an attempt futile. They were fortunate to find a friendly group, all things considered.
Saiya was about to ask Zeltara for specifics when she noticed an Al’Yanda man walking over. He looked to be in his late teens to early twenties. The sword on his hip and armor peeking out of his clothing marked him as a guard. He has a rather stern look on his face that made Saiya nervous. She motioned to the other two about him. As they turned, the man strolled up to them and leveled an intense stare.
“You three need to get to work. You’re going to be late at this rate.” Saiya looked around and saw that almost everyone had packed up. Those that were finished were giving them irritated looks. “This isn’t the place to be slacking off. Typical outsiders.” The rude remark left a sour taste, but Saiya refrained from speaking. The last thing they needed was to get on everyone’s bad side. Though, based on their tardiness, they're already well on their way there.
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The three rushed to pack up their campsite. Saiya and Zeltara focused on the tents while Kaztos took care of the fire pit. She rushed to put away the bedding and other tent interiors. They had gotten it down in under ten minutes. They were still left as the last group to finish.
The man looked at the work as they stood outside the tinker wagon. “Sloppy job. And late to make matters worse.”
“Sorry sir. We were just trying to get Saiya caught up on recent events. She just woke up this morning,” Zeltara said.
The man scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re on time. If you’re late for whatever reason, then you hold everyone else up. The last thing we need is to be held up by some outsiders. Now, you all have jobs to do.” He turned to Kaztos. “You’re with me, kid. I will be your partner while you work. Now come on, we have to let the chief know the caravan is ready to go.”
Kaztos only had time to wave goodbye before he was swept away. Saiya was left there, wondering what she was supposed to do. What was her job? She turned to see Zeltara climbing into the back of the tinker wagon. Once on, she started looking into the back. Meanwhile, the front wagons began to move forward.
“Wow, there’s a lot of broken equipment in here. Guess these guys go through a lot. At least they have tools and a workbench,” Zeltara said. She then turned to look out at Saiya. The wagon lurched forward, causing her to almost fall out. Saiya started to walk to follow the wagon.
“So, what job do I have?” Saiya asked as she watched Zeltara try to rebalance herself. After catching herself, she took a moment to think.
“If I remember correctly, I believe you were to assist their healer. Which means you’re working with Yena. Try to find her.” Saiya nodded and looked around.
Fortunately, Yena was walking up towards them. She stopped in front of Saiya and said, “You weren’t awake to hear, but your task is to be my assistant. You’ll help me with my healing and cooking duties.”
“Cooking?” Saiya asked. Yena impatiently ran her hand through her hair.
“Yes, did you think healing took all day? There is usually only the occasional fever or sprain. We’re going to cook dinner every night.” It made sense to Saiya. At least she had some experience cooking at the orphanage. “Now come along. The medical wagon is at the back of the caravan.”
Zeltara got her attention just before they left. “Good luck, Saiya. I hope it goes well for you.” She then disappeared into the tinker wagon. Saiya turned back to see Yena already walking away. She jogged to catch up with her.
As they walked, Saiya observed the caravan. A pair of bison pulled each wagon, driven by a single rider. Most of the Al’Yanda were walking on either side of the two-wagon column. They talked to each other, the atmosphere among them jovial. Saiya assumed they hadn’t encountered anything out here. While she and her friends struggled just to survive, the Al’Yanda experienced another uneventful trip. It was enough to fill her with jealousy. The suspicious looks that were thrown her way when she passed only worsened her opinion of them. Could they really trust these people? Maybe she should keep an eye on them.
Saiya and Yena reached the back of the caravan column. The older woman guided her to the back of the right wagon. They came to a stop as Yena turned to look at her. “Your friend said that you had experience in the healing arts. Could you tell me how much?” Saiya gave only a noncommittal shrug. Yena gave an impatient sigh. “Please speak up. I need to know before we get started.”
Saiya bit back a scowl and said, “Only know the basics. I can treat cuts and other superficial wounds. I know a few remedies for illnesses.”
“About what I expected. Who taught you?”
“Nobody. I had a lot of free time to read books.” Yena’s mask of indifference broke.
She looked at Saiya, almost impressed. “Interesting. Not everyone has the will or aptitude for self-study in such a field. Perhaps I can teach you a few things.” Saiya felt herself relax slightly. She hadn’t realized she was that tense. “Let’s get started. We currently have two people in the medical wagon. The first came down with a bad flu a few days ago. The other suffered a broken leg because of a fall. We need to check up on and treat both patients today. Understood?” Saiya nodded. Yena looked at her for a moment before climbing into the wagon.
Saiya followed her inside and took a look around. The interior of the wagon was larger than she had first expected. Four mats lay on the ground against the sidewalls. The Al’Yanda men Yena talked about occupied two of them. A mana lantern hung overhead, providing faint lighting for the room. The back had a long table hanging from the wall. On it sat various medical instruments. Below the table were several dozen drawers.
Both men were unconscious as Yena approached them. Saiya shadowed the older woman as she examined them. She felt his forehead as the man let out a congested cough. Yena hummed before moving to the table. She motioned for Saiya to stand beside her.
“Let this be a test so I can see your skill level. Curn over there is suffering from a cough, congestion, and a fever. Do you know of a remedy to treat his symptoms?” She looked at Saiya expectantly. The blond girl struggled to remember what ingredients she needed. It was one thing to read about flu treatments from a book, but another matter to actually use them. Saiya had never gotten the chance to experiment with what she read before.
“I believe it’s using water to boil Neimo grass and red root. You then seep the liquid mixture and leave to cool,” Saiya said, sounding more confident than she felt. It must have been the right answer, as Yena nodded.
“A good recipe for a beginner.” Saiya scoffed. “But it’s what I expected. How about you do the recipe, and I’ll show you how to improve it?” Saiya perked up at the chance to learn more. A better treatment for illness could be useful for the future.
Yena handed her a pot and a stone slab. When Saiya looked at her, confused, Yena said, “Both items are enchanted. Channel mana into the pot, and it’ll gather water from the air. Do the same with the slab and it’ll heat.” Saiya nodded and did as told. If only they had a canteen with the same enchantment. Then they wouldn’t have run out of water. Maybe they had one lying around that Saiya could have.
When the water came to a boil, Yena said, “Red root is in the fifth drawer across, third down. Neimo grass is second drawer across, fourth down. Only take a handful.” Saiya did as told and soon held small spindly roots and thick blades of dark green grass.
She was about to put them in when Yena grabbed her wrist. The older woman said, “Remember, you need a strainer to hold the ingredients. Don’t want Curn to choke while drinking his medicine.” Saiya huffed but took the strainer from Yena.
They let the mixture boil for a few minutes as Saiya and Yena waited silently. She could appreciate that the older woman could tolerate a quiet atmosphere. Peace like this was rare near Zeltara and Kaztos. Both seemed willing to talk about anything. Though, Saiya found herself growing more appreciative of that as of late. She wondered if they were doing alright. Hopefully, nothing bad happened to them. She had a sudden urge to check on them.
Saiya fought the temptation down before removing the strainer with the used ingredients from the water. She then turned off the slate to allow the pot to cool. Yena looked at the liquid mixture and said, “Good work. This is perfectly usable. However, we can make it better.” She reached into a drawer and pulled out a container of blue dust. It wasn’t anything Saiya had ever seen before. “This is called Ilonn dust, or healer’s dust. It can increase the effectiveness of certain salves and medicines. You only need to channel mana into it to take effect.”
Saiya could only stare at the dust, fascinated. She had read about Ilonn dust before, but had never seen it before. It was rare to find on the eastern dominion frontier. It was unlikely there was any in the entirety of Urada. To find some here of all places came as a surprise. And for it to be used as a flu remedy. Perhaps it was more common in Yena’s homeland. Still, she would not miss the chance to use it.
Yena added a small amount to the cooling mixture. She then handed Saiya a mixing spoon. “Start stirring. It should form a jellylike substance. Harder to get down than a liquid, but more soothing on a sore throat.” Saiya did as instructed and was soon left with a blue jelly mixture. “Now, put your hand in and channel mana. It should be warm but safe to touch.”
At first, she grimaced at the thought of directly touching the jelly. It seemed unsanitary. Unfortunately, it would be necessary to channel mana into the mixture. Putting her hands in, Saiya carefully began to channel mana. To her surprise, she could feel the mixture softly draining her energy. The jelly at first darkened to a dark navy pigmentation. Then the interior started to glow faintly . Saiya smiled. She was having more fun than expected. Perhaps this could be an area of study to explore more in the future? The jelly shone brighter as she channeled more mana.
“That’s too much, stop.” Saiya jolted and pulled her hands back. She looked over at Yena, staring at her intently. “The mixture almost exploded. Be more careful next time.” Saiya blushed. Yena noticed, and for the first time, offered a small smile. “No harm was done. I just wasn’t expecting you to add that much mana. You have a good amount of potential there.”
The jelly dimmed but remained gently glowing. Saiya stirred for a few more minutes under Yena’s instruction. Soon, the older woman signaled her to stop. She then took a spoonful of jelly and examined it.
“A fine attempt. This will do nicely for our needs. Some advice for next time. Try not to add so much mana. It is just a waste otherwise.” Yena gathered some and walked over to Curn. She shook him awake before spoon-feeding him a few bites.
“Ugh, that’s disgusting. Why can’t you make anything that tastes good?” Curn asked. He then laid down with a relieved sigh. Already, the man had some more color on his face. Yena and Saiya both scoffed at the comment before looking at each other, surprised. The older woman shook it off and checked Curn.
“His fever has gone down. The jelly seems to have worked. Good job.” Saiya had to fight down a smile at the praise. Yena then moved to the other man and shook his shoulder. He groaned while waking up.
“Huh, oh Yena. Here to check up on me again?” The man then looked over at Saiya. His expression became more guarded. “Is that one of the outsiders? Why is she here right now?” Yena walked back to the drawers and pulled out a bottle of green liquid.
She said, “Just checking up on your leg. I want to make sure the break is healing right. The girl is going to be my assistant for a while.” Yena walked back and handed the bottle to Saiya. She then started inspecting the man’s leg.
The man harrumphed. “I don’t think we should trust an outsider as a healer. They could get up to no good.” Saiya leveled him with a glare that he coldly returned. He then yelped when Yena slapped the back of his head.
“Enough of that. There’s no reason to start a fight with her. The girl already showed that she knows what she’s doing. So be quiet about it.” The man grumbled, then fell silent. “Alright, come here.”
Saiya crouched down next to Yena. “This fool was messing around and fell off a wagon. He got a simple fracture in his right leg. Now, when dealing with broken bones, you need to reset it. Then a splint like I have here will stop him from making it worse. The potion you're holding both provides pain relief and helps quicken healing. It’ll make a month’s long recovery last a week or two. I’ll show you how to make it later.” Saiya looked forward to that. She got the feeling that there would be a lot of broken bones in their future. “Now, give the man the potion.”
The man stubbornly turned away when Saiya held up the potion. This earned him another slap on the back of the head. He begrudgingly took it from her and gulped it down. The man grimaced and asked, “Do you always have to make everything taste bad?”
Yena’s eyebrow rose. “Are you insulting my cooking? Perhaps I can make you something special if you think that.” The man sputtered at the thinly veiled threat.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry. Your cooking is just fine.” Yena leveled him with a glare. “I mean, it’s amazing!” The older woman nodded, then gestured toward Saiya. The man grimaced. “Do I have to?” The glare was back. “Of course.” He turned to Saiya. “Thank you for the potion,” he said with thinly veiled annoyance.
She gave the man her most insincere smile and nodded. The man huffed and laid back down. Yena said, “You should be back on your feet in a few days. Keep resting until then, you oaf.” The man didn’t respond, so she turned to Saiya. “We’re done here. Let’s head to the cooking wagon.”
Both left and went to the wagon traveling next to them. Inside was a compact cooking station. Saiya could recognize several slabs like the one in the medical wagon. Pots and pans adorned the wall, while cabinets brimmed with dishware. Strangely, there wasn’t much space for food to be stored, leaving Saiya to wonder where it was.
“Now, do you have experience cooking?” Yena asked. Saiya nodded in response. “Well, let’s keep it simple. Some beef stew will do. Set some pots on the slabs, would you?” Saiya nodded and grabbed the pots from the wall. She noted that each pot was several times larger than the one in the medical wagon. She set the pots into place and turned to see Yena holding some vegetables.
She couldn’t help asking, “Where did you get those?” There wasn’t anyplace large enough to store those ingredients in the cabin. Yena set the ingredients down and moved over to a small box sitting on the table.
“Let me show you. It’s something the Al’Yanda specialize in.” Saiya walked over to see. Yena held up the box, showing it to be empty. “As you can see, there’s nothing in there.” The older woman then reached into the box. “However, channel a little mana and have a picture of what you want in your head.” She then pulled her hand out, holding an apple. “And you get it if it’s stored in there.”
Saiya stared at the box in amazement. She had heard of storage enchantments before, but not on this scale. They were rare and generally held only a few items. The fact that the Al’Yanda were capable of this was nothing short of spectacular. It raised the question of how much the caravan was transporting. Each caravan could hold dozens if not hundreds of these boxes. It made the perfect concealment from any bandits too. They would be foolhardy to attack a caravan this well guarded with this little apparent resources. It provided convenience, safety, and space all simultaneously.
“How does it work?” Saiya asked. This enchantment would be valuable for anyone to have. Perhaps they could get something that carried the enchantment for themselves.
Yena said, “It’s a secret for the Al’Yanda. We try to keep outsiders from knowing about this as much as possible. Forgive me, but I won’t tell you anymore.” Saiya could only give a begrudging nod. Maybe she could figure it out later.
The two fell into a rhythm while making dinner. For Saiya, this meant handing over ingredients or stirring the pot. It reminded her of the orphanage in that way. What also reminded her of that place was that, like the caretakers, Yena would occasionally try to start up personal conversations. Saiya gave either vague responses or remained completely silent. After a few attempts, the older woman stopped trying.
After they finished preparing the stew, Yena turned to Saiya and said, “I need to prepare a few more things here. Go check on our patients in the medical wagon.” Saiya nodded and walked over to the neighboring wagon. She entered and checked the temperature of the Curn. His fever was still down. Next to him, the injured man lay there asleep. Saiya wondered if the painkiller Yena used had acted as a depressant. It didn’t matter in the end, as the two were fine. Saiya walked out of the cabin into the afternoon sun.
A thought came to her as she exited the wagon. Now would be the perfect time to go check up on Kaztos and Zeltara. Saiya knew they were probably fine, but she felt the need to see them. Irrational feelings that something could happen to them filled her mind. Best to go and make sure. With no one around to oversee her, this presented the perfect opportunity. She just needed to make some excuse when returning to Yena.
After glancing around to make sure no one was looking at her, Saiya pulled her hood up and channeled mana into her cloak. Immediately, she could feel the faintest buzz around her. This was the best gift anyone had given her. She’ll have to thank Kaztos and Zeltara for it later. For now, she’ll repay them by making sure they’re alright. With one more glance to make sure no one was looking, Saiya took off to the front of the caravan.
The difference between her two trips was almost night and day. She felt much more relaxed without everyone’s suspicion-filled gazes tracking her. The cloak did a good job of giving her a leg up in sneaking by. Saiya knew it couldn’t do everything, so walked forward steadily while avoiding people. Act like you're supposed to be there and no one will take a second look. It worked well enough in Urada without an enchantment helping.
She made it to the tinker cabin first. Saiya decided it would be better to listen in rather than peek. Saiya knew Zeltara could get rowdy if surprised, and she didn’t want the elf to blow her cover. Leaning in at the fabric flap doorway, she heard the sounds of metal clanging. The sound of machines being used came next. Most interesting for Saiya was the humming. It appeared that Zeltara hummed to herself while working. She recognized the merry tune as one some children sang at the orphanage.
Seemed like Zeltara was fine for now. The tension building in her subsided a bit. Best to get rid of the rest of it. So, Saiya continued walking to the front of the caravan. Near the front wagons, Kaztos was walking with the guard from earlier. He seemed to keep watch for outside threats. She could just make out the murmurs of Kaztos talking. He was prattling on while the guard tried to ignore him. Saiya wanted to keep listening, but couldn’t risk it. All it would take is one person approaching and asking questions.
The mysterious tension faded now that both her friends were safe and accounted for. It was strange. She was used to being alone, but being away from them for a long time felt uncomfortable. Best to get back to Yena. She made her way back to the cooking wagon without drawing attention. Preparing her excuse, Saiya entered the wagon.
“Did you enjoy visiting your friends?” Yena asked, adding meat to a pot. Saiya almost tripped upon hearing the question.
“How did you know?” Yena looked back at her and smirked.
“You just told me. And it made the most sense, considering.” Saiya approached her cautiously. Was she going to get in trouble for this? Yena saw her expression and sighed. “No, you’re not in trouble. Someone spotted you even with that fancy cloak and monitored you. But all you did was see your friends. If you had done anything bad, we would be having a different conversation.”
Saiya didn’t know what to do, so only said, “Sorry.”
Yena let out a huff of amusement. “Just remember to ask in the future. I’m strict, but not heartless.” The two settled back into finishing dinner preparations. Saiya allowed herself to enjoy the comfortable atmosphere in the wagon. Like healing, cooking could be enjoyable in its own right. Saiya thought Yena wasn’t too bad to be around. At least she had a lot to teach her.
