Ward checked his inbox impatiently again while Miss Willows was busy changing behind the trunk of a large tree across the clearing. Still nothing. With a sigh, he closed his screen with a flick, wondering what in the world was going on. There should not have been a drop without notifying the guardian whose sector it appeared in. Not only that, but there was never a single drop, it was always dozens or tens of people, never anything lower than that. It made it easier to integrate at times as a group. So either there was a large group of people wandering lost out there or there was an error in the system.

Still, it looked like at least the woman was starting to accept the situation that she was in. He didn't know what he would've done if she'd kept on insisting that she'd been drugged. Well, if she had, he had a generic antidote in his kit, but he doubted that she would've accepted anything from him, her supposed kidnapper. Hopefully her mind would ease on that point as well, it would be hard to deal with someone who thought that he was her captor.

Speaking of which, that brought up another problem. Where was he supposed to put her? Normally travelers were lodged in the barracks specially equipped for them to dwell in. However, those barracks had been closed for two months since the last traveler had departed two months after their initial arrival. And since the next drop wasn't expected for another two months, there would be no way to open and clean up the barracks for a single traveler. There wasn't even an inn within two days' distance in any direction while he could stow her until he got some replies from the other guardians or the council. Goodness, maybe even a note from the system explaining how a glitch in the system had brought someone here who hadn't agreed to it.

He sighed again, leaning more comfortably against the tree. This morning, all he had wanted to do was finish his loop and then spend a few days catching up with his family. Would that have been too much to ask for? He could still stop and his mother would be understanding, as she always was, about the fact that his duties were calling him away. But he had wanted to spend some time there, sleep in his own bed, and hang with his family without all the demands on his time as a guardian.

She chose that moment to step out from behind the tree and he set aside his regrets. He had chosen to become a guardian and he would do his duty, no matter how inconvenient it might be at times.

X

Ria had taken her time getting changed, allowing the reality of the situation to fully sink in. A single tear had trailed down her cheek but she brushed it brusquely away. Crying wouldn't do any good for the situation she was in. However, she'd already let all her laughter go earlier, even if it had been slightly manic. Now, all that was left was a rather weary resignation.

As she pulled on the clothes, she was surprised to find that although they were undoubtedly sturdy, they were softer than she'd been expecting and exceedingly comfortable. She did a couple of the more difficult yoga poses that she knew, pleased to discover the range of motion was exceedingly vast in these clothes. At least she would be able to move quickly if she needed to. When she pulled on the sturdy boots, she was surprised to find that they were much lighter than any Earth equivalent would be.

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Sighing, she pulled her hair out of the ponytail and absently wove it into a braid, weighing her options. She didn't have a lot at the moment. With what she had between the guide and the basic supplies that every traveler was given, she could probably strike out on her own, no problem. But she still didn't know about the people on this planet. Not only that, but the guardian, Ward, seemed to be a decent person. A skill that she'd honed after hours of meeting and dealing with people was how to quickly read and assess people. Everything about him screamed honesty and honor. The best course would be to stick with him for a little while until she could get her feet under her. Not only that, but should he prove false, she could always strike off on her own and do ok.

Mind made up, she picked up her discarded clothes and stepped out from behind the tree. He looked up as soon as she stepped out, his expression wary and thoughtful. She winced slightly as she remembered how she'd treated him, practically accusing him of kidnapping her. Now, that wouldn't do at all. Crossing the clearing, she extended the clothing clutched in her hands and said awkwardly, "I don't know how to put these into the storage but I don't want to leave them behind either. Could you show me, please?"

He smiled up at her, "Of course. It's simple. Just open your menu and say storage. Whatever is in your hands will be placed into storage, if you have the room."

She did as he said, a tiny gasp escaping her as the clothes disappeared as if they'd never been. She quickly clicked on the Resources tab and was relieved to see them neatly stored in their own little boxes. Dismissing the menu with a flick of her fingers, she collapsed down next to him. She offered him a wry smile. "So, where do we go from here? I'm assuming that you don't live in the middle of the woods, no matter how nice they smell. Not to mention that you said that you're a guardian, so I'm probably keeping you from your work, sorry."

He shrugged, "Not really. My job is to watch over the people of Audilandre, which now includes you as well. I was just trying to decide where to go from here."

She asked pragmatically, "Well, what were your plans before you tripped over a rather freaked-out traveler waving a heavy stick?"

He chuckled at that. "You caught me as I was about to take a vacation, actually. I was just finishing up a sweep of this sector before going to visit my family for a few days."

She sighed, tugging absently at the end of her braid. "Sorry about that. Still, why don't we just do that? You can still go and visit your family and I'll tag along until we at least reach a village. I should be able to manage from there, thanks to the guide. It has everything that I could possibly need."

He stood, offering her his hand. "I was still planning on visiting my family. However, I'm not going to just leave you to your own devices in a strange place. That would make me a poor guardian indeed."

She accepted his hand, surprised by how easily he lifted her to her feet. She'd never been a tiny woman, having gotten her height from her father, but she'd felt downright dainty in that moment. Shaking it off as unimportant, she nodded, "Well, why don't we start by going to your family's place? We can figure out the rest afterwards."

He nodded and pointed in the direction they'd be heading before allowing her hand to drop. She swallowed hard before she managed to say nervously, "Um, sorry about my freakout. I'll try to be a little less excitable from now on."

He grinned at that, although he did his best to hide it. However, he simply said, "Don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us. We got it sorted in the end."

Taking that to mean that he didn't want to discuss it anymore, she nodded and fell in next to him. A tiny chill of nerves washed over her and she pushed it aside. She'd made her decision, now it was time to move forward.