“Most people of higher standing would balance the profit and loss of every action, even when the action in question involved avenging their murdered children. Some, however, were prone to acting on emotion alone. At times it was hard to tell whether those nobles are stupid ones, or just overly naive ones.” - - Memnon de Javrila, Philosophy lecturer at the Levain Institute of Higher Learning, circa 524 FP.
The next morning, Celia woke up and lifted her blanket - the merchant that offered his hospitality had allowed the two women to sleep under one of the lean-to shelters that they built against the wagons - and found that there was still a light drizzle still. The grass outside the shelter was pretty wet, so it was fortunate that they accepted the gossipy merchant’s offer of hospitality.
Aideen was already missing by then, likely already awake since long ago, if she slept at all, and Celia found her helping one of the caravan’s guards with cooking their breakfast, something the unliving woman seemed particularly skilled with and took pleasure in. It was still a bit jarring to Celia to see her so happily chatting as if she had not just killed or crippled half a dozen people but two days ago, but the younger woman sort of understood where she was coming from as well.
Celia recalled that the older woman likely had lived a far, far longer time than her own nineteen years. She wondered if she might find her own views changed after she herself lived longer. The younger girl was well aware that while she was considered an adult by society since some years ago, her views can often still be naive and immature at times.
Breakfast was soon served, just as the light drizzle died off and the morning sun peeked out from the clouds with its warming rays. Some light soup - mostly somewhat wilted vegetables and preserved meats - eaten with coarse bread was served, which was honestly better food than what most would have been able to afford in the County.
It was also nowhere near as good as the breakfast Aideen had cooked the day before, but Celia knew better than to take issue with that. For what it was worth, Aideen seemed to be gleefully chatting with the middle-aged merchant, trading stories of their respective travels. The merchant happily told her of his travels in the other regions of the Empire, while Aideen regaled him with her tales of the neighboring kingdom.
Before they departed that morning, Aideen purchased what looked like a jar of fruit preserved from honey from the merchant. That was a genuine luxury in these regions. Something only nobles would even get a taste of, and the way Aideen so nonchalantly passed several silver coins - more than what an average farmer might make in a whole month - for it was a bit hard to stomach for someone who grew up in relative poverty like Celia.
Celia was a bit confused when Aideen stayed where they camped for the night while the merchant’s small caravan departed ahead of them. She said a polite goodbye to the merchant nonetheless, and wished him well in his travels and business.
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“I can see it in your face,” said Aideen soon after the caravan left their sight. “You’re wondering why we didn’t just travel along with them, aren’t you?”
“Am I that easy to see through?” asked Celia with a slight frown.
“The way you looked made it pretty obvious for all to see, lass,” replied Aideen with a slight chuckle she didn’t bother to hide from Celia. “But yeah, I have reasons for parting ways with that merchant. Remember those rumors he told us about yesterday?”
“About the murder of the landlord’s son you killed?” she asked somewhat accusingly.
“None other,” answered Aideen all too nonchalantly. Most anyone would have thought she had nothing to do with the matter with how she reacted. “Rumors meant that the landlord must have begun to investigate about the incident, and if anyone with a brain were to investigate, they would easily find a couple of sources for first-hand information.”
“Those guard,” said Celia with realization. “You had left those gate guards alive. Why?”
“Because they had looks of sympathy in their eyes when they saw what happened,” stated Aideen bluntly to the younger woman’s question, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “They were merely people dragged into the matter by circumstances beyond their control. That was why I had gone easy on them. Their injuries would heal without lasting effects after a month or two.”
“That’s… surprisingly thoughtful of you,” said Celia after a moment of silence. “So you’re assuming that the landlord would have interrogated them about us?”
“That’s what anyone with half a brain would have done,” said Aideen with a nod. “Those guards saw our appearances clearly. They also saw us leaving from the eastern gates. Put those two facts together, and if that landlord was an emotional sort, which people who spoiled their kids rotten like that usually are, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sent out some people to pursue us. I simply didn’t want to entangle that merchant in that mess.”
“So that’s why…”
“Speak of the devil,” said Aideen after they had a short moment of silence where she left Celia to simmer with her own thoughts. “Take a look out west. See that dust cloud there in the distance? Bet you a gold coin that’s people coming to look for us.”
Celia peered into the distance, and soon enough, she caught sight of the dust cloud Aideen mentioned. It looked like the sort that was kicked up when a group of riders were in a hurry, and it was definitely getting closer. She thought they were maybe half an hour or so away, probably less, and either way horses run much faster than humans could, so there was no way they could outrun them.
“What do we do? Run into the forest?” asked Celia with some nervousness in her voice at the development.
“Now think, girl. Say we run into the forest. Whoever those are will then keep going on this road, now wouldn’t they? Then they’d catch up with that merchant we met before after a while,” said Aideen as she gestured with her hands to underline her words. “Now what would happen when they caught up to and question those merchants?”
“They would probably admit to meeting us,” replied Celia, after which she seemed to realize what Aideen meant. “Oh deities… that would implicate them as well, wouldn’t it?”
“Precisely so, especially if the landlord in question is emotional, and since he bothered to send a pursuit after us, he was most likely very emotional indeed,” said Aideen. “That is why we’re going to meet them right here, and clean up after our own mess.”