Ari felt as if she had stepped into one of her brother's role-playing video games once they had finished picking out clothes. The store had shelves filled with long and short sleeved tunic like shirts of every color and style. The pants she found were odd in that they only came in one style, which loose around the thighs but tight around the calf and ankles. Ari found that this was probably due to the fact that all the leather boots that the store sold almost reached Ari's knees. "They have more than just black and grey, you know."

"I know, just keeping it simple," Nathan said as he grabbed another black shirt like the other two he had already draped over his arm.

Ari scooped up more colorful shirts and pants to complement each one. Once they had both changed, they approached the counter. The man behind the counter had horns like a ram and olive colored skin, "He's Reekalf, right?" Ari asked after taking in his appearance and remembering what Nathan had told her.

"Tali was right about you being a fast learner," Nathan said as he placed his old clothes on the counter and turned to take Ari's from her.

"Schimbare used to be a very large Reekalf tribe settlement that welcomed all traveling traders" the man said in a gruff voice without raising his head from the book he had been reading the whole time Ari and Nathan had been in the shop. "Leave it to the Nedai and their senseless war to ruin that."

"How have you been, Jaol?" Nathan asked as he laid out the last of their clothes and leaned on the counter.

Jaol looked up then at the mention of his name, and recognition hit his eyes. "Much worse than you, young Nathan. You haven't aged a day!"

"I had to return to my world for some time my friend, but I would say that you aren't too bad off even with the war" Nathan swooped his hand around him to refer to the shop. "You've come a long way from selling things out of the back of a cart."

Jaol chuckled and shook his head, "Times were good for a time, but many have left for bigger villages, and supplies are harder to come by. I think you two are the only business I've had this week. Most spend their coin on food these days, and I can't blame them."

"Well, we do bring you some business, and we give you our old clothes to do as you see fit." Nathan said as Jaol took inventory of what we had selected from the shelves.

"I thank you," Jaol said, who wore his fascination on his face as he touched the odd materials.

Ari stowed her Converse into her backpack. They thanked Jaol as they left the shop and headed back to the tavern. "What do you think he will do with our clothes?" Ari asked as they walked across the circle that surrounded the large fire pit they had come across last night.

"He will either add them to his collection to sell, or he will give them to the council for donation. The donations go to those in the village that don't have much or have fallen on hard times. With the war, I'm sure there are more of those in need than there used to be."

Ari smiled at his explanation and thought it was nice to be among such a caring community even if she wasn't seeing it in its glory days. She sent up a silent wish for Jaol to donate the clothes. As the tavern came into view, they could see Tali and another Reekalf, who faced away from them, standing outside its door. After Tali caught sight of Ari and Nathan, she smiled, and the other Reekalf turned to face them. It was Brook who now faced them, but she looked much different from that morning. Her long, flowing hair was tied back, making her horns more pronounced. She wore a short-sleeved tunic shirt, pants, and boots that were all black and clung to her curves. On both hips, she had a long, thin sword sheathed with hilts wrapped in black leather.

"Oh, look! She has your fashion sense." Ari teased to Nathan in a low voice as they approached. Nathan shot her a glare that made Ari lower her head and stifle her laugh. Brook's outfit was a stark contrast to the light blue shirt, tan pants, and brown boots that Ari wore, but not to Nathan's gray pants and black shirt and boots. 'They really would make a good pair,' thought Ari.

"Looking like your old self again, Nathan," Tali said, taking in his new clothes. "Was there enough coin to get everything you needed?"

"Yes, and there is plenty left over for future provisions," Nathan answered.

"You're just missing swords," Brook said after taking in our appearances. "Here, you can have these." She outstretched the other weapons she had been holding to them and the sheaths that housed them. "You strap it around your waist like this." Brook showed Ari how hers was fastened after she caught Ari trying to copy Nathan's actions.

After Ari had tied the last knot to secure the sheath, Nathan nodded to them both and said to Tali, "We best make some ground while it's still daylight. Thank you again, my friend." He hugged Tali, and she returned it.

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"Watch over her for me," Tali whispered to Nathan, and he nodded on her shoulder. She turned, embraced Ari, and then turned to Brook. They smiled at each other for a moment, tears began to form in their eyes, and they hugged for a long moment. Tali pulled Brook back and held her at arm's length. "You take care, find your parents, and come back to me."

"Yes, mamada," Brook said as a tear escaped her eyes and ran down her cheek before she could wipe it away.

They broke away from each other, and Tali faced the trio. She placed a fist over her heart and said, "Aldatu keep you all." They repeated the gesture, and Nathan turned to lead Ari and Brook to the edge of the village.

Brook walked next to Ari, and she wiped at her eyes. "Are you sure you want to go with us?" Ari asked.

"Definitely, I just worry about her," Brook replied, finally drying her eyes and taking a deep breath to steady her.

Ari placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "She seems like a tough woman. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Brook looked at Ari and smiled, "You're right, she really is."

They walked for hours, only stopping to nibble on something Brook called beliscar. It reminded Ari of a protein bar, but it was much more filling and very tasty. As they strolled down a dirt path that looked like it had been beaten down by years of foot traffic and wagon wheels, Ari took in her surroundings. Occasionally, she would Nathan and Brook questions like, "Why don't the trees have leaves?"

To which Brook answered with, "It's still early spring, and most trees are just now budding, but the white trees do not sprout leaves. In late fall, they will all flower for one week, and then they will sleep again."

They eventually stopped for the night and made came just out of sight to anyone traveling on the road. Brook had suggested it, and Nathan did not question it. Ari did.

"Not all those within Aldatu are as hospitable as the Reekalf, and we will do best to avoid them." Brook answered as she straightened out a fur bedroll next to the firewood they had collected for later.

Ari thought this was strange since they had not seen anyone on the road since that morning, but her feet grabbed her attention before she could press Brook further. A sharp pain came from within her boots, and she sat down abruptly on a large rock next to her bedroll. She carefully pulled off each boot and soc, knowing what she was going to find. Large blisters pulsed on the back of her ankle, and another one had formed on her right foot near the pinky toe. The latter had burst and was burning and slightly bleeding.

"Holy shit!" Nathan said as he walked over to Ari carrying what she thought might be dinner.

"Oh my!" Brook responded when she followed Nathan's gaze. "No worries! I have something for that." Brook dug into her bag and pulled out a small dark blue jar with a cork top. She walked across and to Ari and handed her the jar. "Slather a good amount of the that on each blister while see if there is any taeka nearby." Without another wor, she set off into the wood, and Nathan went back to preparing dinner. Ari uncorked the bottle and dipped her finger into the mixture. It reminded Ari of Vaseline, but without the powerful odo, and when she applied it to the popped bliste, the pain disappeared almost instantly. By the time Ari had applied the mixture to all her blister, Brook was coming back towards the camp looking please and holding a large leaf.

"This stuff is amazing," Ari said as she recorked the jar and handed it back to Brook.

"If you think that's amazing, wait until you see what this baby can do!" Brook said as she fanned herself with the large leaf. She broke it into pieces and placed them on Ari's blisters. "Now, use your socks to hold these in place overnight. Try not to move them around as you do so."

Ari managed to get her socks on and sat down on her bed roll next to the fire Nathan had started and was using to boil a small pot of stew. The smell made Ari's stomach growl. Nathan chuckled and said, "Only a few more minutes, then everything should be tender enough."

Brook sat down on her bedroll across from Ar, and she asked her, "How did you get so skilled in medicine?"

Brook smiled and said, "My mom was the village docto, and I often assisted her."

Ari nodded and the swordslayg next to Brook's bedroll, and she asked, "What about your swords skills?"

"Those," Brook said as she watched Nathan stir the pot "are my father's teachings. He's a captain for the arm, and he wasn't going to have a daughter who didn't know how to properly smack the guys around." The girls chuckle, and Brook continued, "I'll teach a few techniques as we journey so that you may be able to defend yourself if necessary."

"Hey! That's my job." Nathan said suddenly.

Brook looked at him with skepticism, "When was the last time youhandlede a sword mighty Nathan?"

"It's been a while, but I'm sure it will all come back to me." Nathan said, puffing out his chest a little at Brook's mocking gaze.

Before Brook could retort, Ari said, "Is the stew ready? I'm starving."

Nathan passed out bowls of hot stew and slices of bread. They ate and cleaned the used cookware before settling down by the fire once again. Brook remained standing and tossed one of her blades to Nathan. It fell to his side, and he looked up at her. "Come on, show me what you know," Brook said as she walked over to a clear area near the campfire.

"I just ate!" Nathan protested.

"Battles are not always fought under perfect conditions, now come." Brook held up her sword in a fighting stance without removing the sheath. Ari figured this was because she did not want to cause Nathan any harm.

Nathan huffed and picked up the sword as he strode to face Brook. He copied her stance and nodded to her. Her movement was so quick that Ari didn't see what happened, but she did see Nathan grasped at his wrist and move back a step.

"My father taught me that if you can't kill your enemy within three blows, you might as well fall on your own sword. You just received your first, " Brook said with a menacing stare at Nathan.

Nathan's cheeks flushed with anger, shook out his wrist, and returned to his original stance and position. "Three hits? Too easy, I'll land a fatal blow in one."

Ari watched with her knees drawn up to her chest as they both moved. Brook made to pierce Nathan's stomach, but he drove away the strike with his own sword. Nathan pushed her sword hard to knock her off balance and drove his on strike at her side. Brook dodged his blow, and he fell forward towards her, and she smacked him in the back as she walked past. "Two," she said triumphantly, not turning back to face Nathan, who had straightened and turned around. His anger got the better of him as he lifted the sword and made to strike Brook on the back. She didn't turn but stepped off to the side right before he caught up to her, and she stuck out her foot. He tripped and fell hard to the dirt. He turned over to find Brook standing over him with her sword aimed directly at his heart. She gave his chest a light tap and said, "Three."

They stared at each other for so long Ari got a little embarrassed, but then Nathan smacked the sword away from his chest and came to his feet as he said, "Alright, so I'm a bit rusty."

Brook raised an eyebrow and smiled, "No worries, I'll just train you both. Of course, you can skip the beginner stuff since you've done it before." She patted his shoulder, and Ari could tell his ego was bruised when he came back to fire.

Ari smiled at him, but the smile he returned was half-hearted, and Ari wished Brook had taken it easier on him.

"We should get some sleep; we have another long day ahead of us tomorrow," Nathan said.

"Agreed," Brook said as she removed her boots. "Sleep well, you two!"

"Night," Ari said. She laid on top of her covers since it was a pleasant evening, and her eyes had just begun to close when she thought to herself,'I hope I don't have that weird dream again'