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Chapter Text

To be honest, Alicia was looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed again. After having chased the trail of the dragon orb through the better half of the continent only to have it stolen by the very gods she tried to oppose, she felt like she needed a rest. So the newly decimated group decided to stay in Crell Monferaigne for a few days, stocking up on supplies and weapons, before heading north, into something Alicia couldn't bear thinking about.

The three arrived in the late evening and stumbled through half-lit alleys until they found a decent inn. On the way Dylan had to ward off three or four shady thiefs while they passed through the not-so-well-off outskirts of town and they nearly lost Rufus when he thought somone had recognised him as the fugitive half-elf and he suddenly vanished (it turned out he used a simple cloaking spell, but they were all tired and needed a while to realise that).

Finally they found themselves standing in an antique but newly renovated foyer debating the price for three nights. They had found enough treasure on their adventure to pay for a whole floor, but they tried to save money, because weapons were expensive, especially in Crell and they did need new ones often. Finally Alicia made them a good bargain with Silmeria's help and all of them dragged their feet upstairs, to room number seven, where they found one big and two smaller beds.

The next morning, Alicia woke to the sounds of a busy town. She could hear two women arguing beneath her window, merchants praising their goods on a nearby market, and the hammering of a blacksmith. It was far later morning than they were used to, judging by the sun, but both her companions were still sleeping in the small beds flanking the door.

There was a sudden knocking on the door and both men startled. Rufus had already grabbed his bow and dylan was standing in front of the door waiting, until they remembered this inn included breakfast to the rooms. Grinning sheepishly, Rufus opened the door while Dylan relaxed but kept himself between Alicia and the maid who brought three tablets full of breakfast.

"You know, I don't think I ever had breakfast in bed", Rufus remarked after all sat down on the big bed with the food between them.

"I used to eat in bed a lot when I was still in- ...home. Sometimes I even sneaked food from our dinner table into bed", Alicia smiled fondly, but it quickly faded and she absent-mindedly chewed on a piece of buttered bread.

Both looked expectantly at Dylan, but apparently he didn't have the same rebelliousness as his companions, since he just a gave a non-committal shrug.

"Come on. Don't tell me you always obeyed every single rule", Rufus poked Dylan in the arm with the hand that wasn't busy holding his mug.

"There has to be something", Alicia agreed, but Dylan just explained that he never felt particularly opposed to regulations. Odin was an exception.

"I think I have been idle for long enough. I will pay the armoury a visit, and you two can buy victuals later", he continued, while arming himself. Wary, maybe even paranoid, as they were, they always slept in a set of practical clothes, and they never left their current shelter unarmed.

"Why are you always so serious?", Rufus started to ask but Dylan had already bid them farewell and with a sigh and "see ya in the evening" by Rufus disappeared through the door.

"So... maybe we should be going as well", Alicia spoke up after a silent while. She was still sort of uncomfortable with anything more than quietly agreeing, but Rufus smiled and nodded. He had been in one of his moods lately, and Alicia wasn't sure how to talk to him, even though he had usually been nice when talking to her. It was one of those moods Silmeria supposed were him failing to uphold his cheery façade and she found that Silmeria's explanation made sense, but she still didn't really understand the half-elf and living in isolation for so long hadn't helped either of them becoming more sociable. Not that it mattered much, since they were an awkward group to begin with.

Rufus stood up and streched.

"Yeah, we should. And I think I'm feeling lucky. I'll leave the armour off today". He grinned and grabbed just his cloak and a small dagger, since Dylan had disappeared with his bow. Alicia grabbed her own cloak and together they went looking for the nearest market.

A few chimes of the townhall's bells later they returned to their room with supplies that would last them for at least two weeks, which they guessed was the time they needed to reach Solde. They started unpacking on the big bed, but after a while of trying to re-fit old and new items in their bags they spread to the other beds. After a while and some space-altering magic they had crammed everything they needed in five bags and were left with a pile of supposedly useless items on Rufus' bed.

Going by the sun, it was well past lunch time, and they decided to look for something to eat that wasn't already safely stowed away beneath clothes and bat's wings (Alicia still didn't know why they had to keep wings, of all possible body parts). Dylan was out and probably still busy, so they left him a note.

Soon after, they sat under a tree with a loaf of bread and some cheese. They had found out that both the inn and the market were close to the rural outskirts and now they were sitting near a small flock of sheep that was guarded by a domestic dire wolf, exchanging stories and anecdotes.

"...or that one time when I sneaked past my guards", Rufus told her cheerily. "I tried to see what was beyond the forest, but I found an elven wolf with her pups instead. I stayed with them until I got hungry and went back. Turned out they didn't even notice I was gone". Alicia grinned and asked how they were now, but he shrugged and told her that it was too long ago for them to still be alive, and both hurried to find more pleasant topics.

They decided to visit a tavern in the evening. Neithern of them were big on drinking (that had been Arngrim's part) but they felt like having company. Also, they might find out something trough the grapevine, so they found the closest to their residence and paid for dinner and beer.

Two hours later, and still on their second pints, both were chatting with a merchant from Coriander who visited an old friend in Crell. Or had planned to, but when he arrived found his friend had been recruited for the army and accidently started an affair with his wife. Alicia wondered about the merchant's definition of accidently, but Rufus didn't seem fazed and continued to hold small talk.

After a while they were joined by a brunette man who introduced himself as Elliot, and the four of them started to talk about travelling and the news from Coriander and Kalstadt.

Before long, their group had grown and the stories they exchanged grew wilder and the jokes lewder by the minute. A woman with the typical white hair and dark skin from Kalstadt just mimicked how she had decaptated a desert beast with only a dagger which earned her the attention of even the neighbouring tables. Another younger woman Alicia remembered was called Sunita took that as the cue to tell how she got a formidable scar that went from her cheek over her neck to her upper arm. In the commotion nobody took notice of a well-travelled looking mercenary who sat down near the merchant, who boasted, again, about his Grand Feats of Adultery. Alicia noticed that his exploits became more audacious with every retelling, and she also noticed that a surly blonde man next to him eyed him closely.

And just when the merchant started another sentence, he found a knife at his throat and all hell broke loose.

The merchant started frantically apologising to the blonde man holding the blade, and most people figured out that the mercenary was the betrayed husband. They left the two on their own, but drew their weapons just in case. An until now quietly drunk couple however didn't notice this was aprivate matter, and both tried to separate the men, resulting in a few drops of blood spilled and two separate brawls emerging. Most bystanders had hurried to the other side of the bar room, but Alicia and Rufus were trapped between the table and expanding fights on either side, when someone, who was siding with the mercenary, shouted between two punches.

"I've seen that girl talk to the bastard before, she's probably been in on that affair". But Alicia didn't have time to wonder how the man came to his conclusion, because another woman now jumped on the table, while the shouting man fought a way through to them and both looked at them menacingly. Instictively she grabbed half of a smashed bottle as a weapon, but tried to reason with the two.

It was no use, as she found out seconds later when both charged. Rufus next to her parried with his small dagger, but the bottle shattered predictably after the first contact with the man's short sword. She ducked under the next swing and rammed her elbow into his stomach and the man collapsed half under the table, while Rufus used magic to stun the woman when she charged again. Alicia turned around but a third, younger man was already aiming a strike with his long sword at her back. She rolled to the side, but he struck again, with Alicia now trapped between him and the table. She cursed herself and Silmeria started yelling orders, but there was no way she could evade this blow.

Unless- with a quick leap Rufus jumped from the table into the swing of the sword. He wasn't used to close combat, but he had been trained with swords and a dagger, and it was enough to deflect the strike and give him enough time to cast a confusion spell over half the room.

Figuring this was the time to make a swift exit, Rufus slung his arms around Alicia's shoulders and towed her through the newly unhinged door. He hoped nobody had seen them and wished the fighting would stop soon, for the owner's sake.

When they were a few steps away, he made sure Alicia hadn't been affected by his spell and briefly checked them both for injuries, but except for his still ringing arm everything was fine.

Elliot saw them leave through the turmoil and decided to accompany them for part of the way home, to finish his interrupted chat with Rufus. He still had his arm around Alicia, while she was lost in thoughts about how he had defended her. Until she ran away she had lived life in safety, and travelling in the open left her feeling uneasy and vulnerable, and now the realisation that she still had people who cared about her hit her. Silmeria, on hearing her thoughts, laughed in the back of her head and mumbled something about a knight in shining armour, voice sounding amused but not unkind. And despite of Silmeria's teasing, Alicia still felt oddly safe.

On the second street Elliot wished them a worryingly innuendo-laden good night and hurried into a shaded by-way, leaving both in a suddenly very quiet street.

"Are you alright? You're so quiet", Rufus asked and turned to Alicia. "Well, quieter than usual, did you get hurt or something?"

"No, I'm fine. I was only thinking", she shook her head and feeling the need to explain further, she looked up and added "You protected me. Thank you".

"No problem, you know I'm here to help", he grinned at her, and when Alicia looked in his eyes she suddenly realised that he still held her. And that they were very close. And that his eyes were so very green. Startled by a rush of feelings she could have sworn hadn't been there a moment ago, she quickly looked to the ground and hoped he coudn't hear her heart beat or see her blush.

She wished she had drunk more, so the tangled ball of feelings and worries wouldn't feel so complicated, and cursed herself for drinking enough to even let those thoughts rise to her conciousness. There were more important things to think about than the arm around her shoulders. Important things like... like the arm that just moved like its owner wasn't sure on what to do with it.

Gathering the last bit of courage she found, she put her arm around his waist and after a bit of embarrassed looking-at-everything-but-the-other they strolled back to the inn where Dylan had already fallen asleep on his bed. What they had forgotten was the pile of useless things they left on the Rufus' bed, which they didn't want to manoeuvre now, so both occupied the big bed, with as much space between them a possible.

The next day, after a morning that should have been more awkward than it was, they picked up their armour and spent the day training with their old weapons, since the blacksmith was going to send new ones, as Dylan told them, and new armour he had acquired yesterday, on a secluded patch of dirt on the brink of town.

When they returned almost at nightfall a sending from the blacksmith had arrived, and after a last night's rest they travelled on.

Chapter Text

He didn't like the cold one bit, Rufus decided for the thousandth time that afternoon, and he wasn't rally made for it either, since elves were known for their love for warmth. And now he was stuck in this white hell, where he couldn't tell if a distance was a mile or ten. Estimating, they would hopefully climb over the peak of the pass tomorrow, and everything would be easier from there. He really hoped he was right, as they were walking uphill in knee-deep snow since yesterday, and now the steepest part of the pass laid in front of them, in all its silvery menace.

After what felt like hours, Dylan, who was walking in front, suggested they stopped and set up camp. Going by the almost golden glow on the snow cast by the low sun, it was about time, if they didn't want to be overrun by the darkness.

Alicia volunteered to collect branches for a fire and Rufus went to look for game. Just sitting in the cold waiting for nightfall didn't sound appealing to him, and he had seen small hares earlier. Also, it wasn't like extra food had ever hurt anyone.

When he returned, Dylan had already set up three clustered beds made of fur and blankets near the pile of firewood, which Alicia tried to set aflame. She was surprisingly good at surviving outdoors, but in this weather everyone would have trouble, so he knelt next to her and first cast a small force field to protect the embers against the wind, and then summoned small flames, until the wood caught fire. He then tossed the two hares he found to Dylan, who prepared to roast them. Before, Leone would have cooked, but now Dylan was the best and only voluntary cook of the group.

Exhausted, Rufus sat down on the middle bed. He could feel how depleted his magic was and let go of the force field. Using magic took its toll and he had to use quite a lot of it today, no thanks to all the trolls they encountered. He had heard there were some of them up here, but even if you expected them they were a handful. He sighed and sat closer to the fire. Straining magic limits had different effects depending on the user, just as using magic worked diffently for everyone. And while others got headaches or started throwing up, he felt cold. In the heat of battle, it wasn't so bad, sometimes even useful, but now that he had been still he could feel the coldness almost soak through him.

Alicia crouched next to the fire she was still stoking to a respectable height and turned to him.

"Are you alright?". Way to ask the obvious question, but instead of an actual answer he shivered when the wind picked up for a moment. Resigned he took his bow and the pointier parts of his armour off and threw a blanket over his shoulders.

"I hoped the fire would warm us, but it's not enough against this cold, is it?", she continued and held her hands so close to the flames they almost singed.

Throughout the journey, he had seen Alicia speak up more and more, and also talk to them with less and less stuttering, but she still kept a physical distance to everyone in the group. Or mostly everyone, since she didn't seem to mind being close to him. He figured it was because he was the first person she spoke more than a few words to after she ran away, as far a she told him. Or maybe she just liked him. Not that Rufus would know, since that was not a question he would ever ask.

"It's not only the cold, it's the magic. I feel like freezing when I use it too often", he finally answered and wrapped the blanket tighter.

"Maybe eating something will help you". Dylan had just finished preparing the hares and joined them by the fire.

A while later, when the sun had already set, they sat huddled together, as close to the fire as possible, with Rufus in the middle. He didn't like this one bit, but after Alicia had taken a closer look at him and declared that he looked horrible, they insisted on staying close to him, so he gave in and ignored the elbows in his ribs. All of them were quiet while they ate, and afterwards he stretched and declared that he felt much better now. The cold was still biting at his face and legs, but he felt comfortable and very, very tired.

He later woke up facing the fireplace, going by the warmth in his face, with his arms wrapped around something. Or someone, since it moved. He must have been a little more tired than he realised, since he had no recollection of lying down or cuddling up to someone, and he startled when he realised that he had probably woken Alicia up when he moved.

And true enough, he heard her ask quietly if he was awake again, and he quickly apologised and tried to disentangle his arms from the layers of blankets around them, but she told him he could stay like this if he wanted.

"You just collapsed so we tucked you in. and I felt cold as well, and you were warm. So...", she explained, still sounding sleepy, while he was suddenly very awake and aware. He could feel her breath on his face and he couldn't feel his arm anymore because she used it as a pillow.

"I mean...", Alicia seemed to have woken up a bit more, because she sounded slightly less calm and started fidgeting. "I just... I'm sorry if you don't" - and now had arrived at his level of embarrassment.

He mentally cursed himself for not knowing how to reply to that without making things even more awkward and cursed his lack of social skills. Not that Alicia was any better, but that was just how she was. So maybe he had reasons too, but he'd rather not think about them. There would be time for the complicated stuff later.

He just stammered an "I don't mind" and in response she hugged him tighter. And for once he didn't complain, because, by Odin's ravens, it was cold and he still felt shaky. Alicia had drifted to sleep again, and, grateful for the warmth, he fell asleep as well.

The next morning they were woken by Dylan, who was up early now that they were on the way, but they needed some effort to stay awake and face the new day. Rufus reckoned einherjar didn't feel the cold as intensive as the living did, since Dylan was still wearing nothing more than his usual armour and seemed to brush the cold off. Einherjar also didn't seem to have hair problems, he thought almost enviously, when he had to disentangle his hair from Alicia's headband where it had been caught overnight. She afterwards insisted on brushing it through, because according to her it looked "slightly tousled". And that was most probably an understatement, given Alicia's politeness.

He had read somewhere that there were incidents that forged friendships no matter what, and freezing to death was definitely one of them (even though he remembered the original quote mentioned trolls somewhere), and he let her brush his hair without much complaint.

Chapter Text

After what was only a week, but felt much longer, they arrived in the midst of chaos that was Solde. The signs off the attack on Dipan had caused a panic in the already anxious people, and now they were loading their belongings on carts. Merchants tried to sell their last goods in a hurry before absconding. Of course, no ships were sailing anymore, with the ominous clouds hanging over the only important destination from Solde.

Alicia could feel her heart sink as she saw the signs of destruction over Dipan; dark grey clouds of smoke and ash in the quickly darkening sky, and she would have given everything to be there right now. But they woud have to wait until next morning to traverse through the lost forest again, since it was already dangerous in daylight, and who knew what the moon would bring forth?

So they looked for the inn closest to the town gates, and in a rare stroke of luck, acquired the last three beds. All other beds place were already occupied by the ones who came back for their last goods, refugees and most probably plunderers. Granted, their rooms were crammed and on the opposite ends of the building, but it would suffice for one night. They had supper in Dylan's room, which was bigger than theirs, but only because he shared it with a dozen other travellers.

After an anxious meal, they bid each other good night and Rufus and Alicia went through a line of corridors to something that had probably been a storeroom only days before. It was clean enough, but there was only room for one bed with not even a foot of distance to the walls.

"Well, I've seen smaller beds", Rufus said, deadpan, while Alicia tried to reach the nightstand and put her smaller things down without walking over the bed. The woman at the reception had probably thought them a couple, but even so, the room, and also the bed, were tiny.

"But were those beds for more than one person?", Alicia asked back after she had to walk over the bed anyway, and both looked at each other. The whole situation was just too absurd, and Alicia started giggling. Soon both were sitting on the bed laughing, their bags around them, with a few items already unpacked.

"Well, we were lucky to even get a room, with all the people in here", Alicia finally managed to say between giggles and let herself fall back, only to land on one of the staffs she was planning to sell tomorrow and a thought she had been carrying with her for a while hit her.

She had been taught there were different kinds of magic, and what kind of magic one could use depended on affinity and, to an extent, learning. She had always been good at healing, which was the only magic she had been taught. But she didn't know any spells she would consider useful while fighting, and maybe there was a way to change that.

"So, it's still early and we have some time left", Alicia began and Rufus raised an eyebrow. "No, no, not like that! I mean, I was wondering if you could teach me about magic", she amended. "All I can do is heal, and I wanted to be of more use".

Rufus looked thoughtful for a while, then told her that he had never been really good at attacking magic either, but that he could still try.

Both sat opposite each other, like Alicia had done with her old teacher, only they sat on the bed and not the dining table because there weren't many alternatives.

"So, maybe we start on spells that target us and not enemies. I always feel like it's easier on volunteers", he started explaining. "So you have to just take the potential in someone and - it's weird to explain, it feels like fanning a fire", he waved his hands "like this. Might Reinforce." A small circle appeared around him and Alicia felt slightly more awake. She tried to concentrate on how the magic was feeling, to see how he was doing it, but there was nothing. It obviously worked different from the incantations for attack magic, and she wondered if she had to have elven blood or a special talent for this. But according to Rufus it was just practice, and he repeated it twice, until she felt how the magic touched her. To her it felt more like patching up cracks she didn't even notice, but when she tried to imitate the feeling, nothing happened.

"Maybe we can just - hang on, it will be easier like this", he held her hands and channelled energy through them again, and this time small sparks flew around and a shining double-circle appeared around them. Alicia figured the sparks were just his elemental affinity and tried to send some of her energy back the same way. And this time it seemed to work, since Rufus looked suddenly awake. She decided to try again.

"I think I've got-" she squeaked when a bolt of lightning from their hands struck the bed, and set the sheet on fire. Panicking she clung to Rufus' arm. But this wasn't the first time something got burnt when Rufus had practiced magic, so he just smothered the foot-high flame with a nearby pillow.

When the bed was safe, her mind started working again and she realised she still held onto Rufus and her heart was still racing. Sudden fire was something she had trouble handling since she was little and witnessed a court magician almost incinerate himself.

"I guess that didn't go as planned", Rufus tried to joke, but Alicia kept on staring quietly at the head-sized hole on the bed. Magic sometimes went out of control when the user was stressed or upset, and she must have been feeling awful if a simple energy transfer backfired that much. He half-hugged her and patted her shoulder, but wasn't sure how to comfort her.

"I think we should give it a rest for today", he finally said. "Magic is hard to do when you're under stress, and- Alicia?". She was fighting back tears and her heart hadn't calmed down much either. She remembered how lightning had struck the estate in Crell Monferaigne, and the ash cloud over Dipan. Her whole situation was just horrible, and now not even magic would work. What would happen if she had to heal someone and she couldn't do it? Her shoulders slumped.

"This is useless", she choked out. "I'm just baggage and-" but Rufus interrupted her by shushing her and holding her closer.

"Don't say that. You've had it worse than any of us, and you still give everything. Who cares about spells. You're not a burden" It was rare to hear him completely sincere, and Alicia looked up slowly. She didn't feel like she could handle him looking at her, but she had to know if he really meant it.

But looking up also meant that the sort-of-close comforting distance between them disappeared, and now she was sitting in Rufus' arms and was too close to his face. She could see that he was being completely honest, but she sensed more feelings that she couldn't interpret. But seeing him, looking at her almost adoringly, made the tears finally fall, and she silently cried until she fell asleep, with Rufus still watching over her, both in the unspoken agreement that they wouldn't talk about this in the morning.

The next morning they were woken by Dylan, who was up earlier than what should be legal, and after quick breakfast all three went to get their belongings from the rooms.

Alicia hid the burnt hole in the bed as well as she could, left a few oth to pay for new sheets on the small nightstand (after arguing with Rufus over how much would be enough) and hoped the innkeeper would only notice when they were far enough away. There was no time for arguing over beds, even if it was still early morning, but they had to meet Lezard in half an hour and they had to buy more provisions. One could never be too careful in the underground path. They returned to the foyer of the inn where Dylan already waited and the three headed to the town gates.

They had taken a different route to Solde then Lezard, because the mage had some "urgent errands" to run and they had agreed to meet at the town gates as at noon on the twentieth day after they separated (they wondered how Lezard wanted tocatch up to them when he was taking the long route almost all the way over the Kythena plains, but he assured them he would be punctual). And surely enough, they were greeted by the mage when they set out to the forest still in the early light of morning.

He seemed quite content with what he had done while he was away, as far as Alicia could tell, but wouldn't say a word about what exactly he did. He also didn't want to help Alicia and Rufus with their magic, but the two figured that last night's practise was enough for now.

Chapter Text

It had been two weeks since their disastrous misadventure in Dipan, and Alicia still hadn't smiled once. Whenever a corner of her mouth went up, another memory seemed to interrupt her thoughts and the would-be smile vanished. Rufus had tried to cheer her up, but he wasn't exactly happy either, and his few half-hearted attempts fell flat. And now they didn't even have Dylan to watch out for them, so together with the misery of having been once again betrayed, they felt a nagging need for vigilance.

It certainly hit Alicia hard, but wasn't like the situation was easy for him either. He still felt uneasy when he thought back to the execution, and, worst of all, what Alicia had to go through. But days of brisk travel had softened the edge at least a bit, constant fighting took their minds off the whole disaster at least for a while. But now they reached a quieter place he had both anticipated and dreaded.

The Forest of Spirits still looked a lot like he remembered, except for the paths, which seemd to change at random without leaving a trace of how they were only days ago. Damn elves and their magic. To make matters worse, not only was escaping them difficult, they had bred more monsters than ever before. And now Alicia and he found themselves once again with pack of wolves at their feet. They had given up fighting them a while ago, since one wolf quickly became five and they had to conserve their energy, so they ran for it.

When they had made it about a third of the way into the woods, going by Rufus' estimation, they decided to rest for the night. Both were tired and sore, and even though the sky was still lit a feint pink, it would be dark soon. They ate only a small supper, and both were very quiet. Usually they talked quite a bit (even if it wasn't the happiest talk), but Alicia seemed dead tired, and Rufus was deep in thought.

Hard to believe that this was where he spent half an eternity imprisoned, and harder to believe that they were going to overthrow the same person who was responsible for this. Looking at it like this it really was an impossible undertaking, and just thinking about it made him feel uneasy. There was so much that could go wrong and so much that had already gone wrong. He still didn't know how he felt about Alicia, but he knew he did not want her to suffer any more. But as things looked now, they all would suffer, and a lot at that.

"Rufus?", he heard Alicia speak up, a while after they went to sleep. They were both lying on the bare ground, since it was warm and they didn't want to leave too many traces in case anyone was looking for them. But it was uncomfortable and falling asleep wasn't easy.

In response he turned towards her, to find her sitting next to him and seemingly also lost in thought.

"You've been very quiet". He made a noncommittal sound. If that was all, he might as well go to sleep again.

"Isn't this where you grew up?", she continued, and now he felt like he owed her an explanation, so he told her how it all looked different from before, and that he tried to find a way, but it was difficult.

"Oh, uh, I didn't mean it like that. I thought it must be hard for you to-", she stopped abruptly, because she must have heard the rustling in the bushes behind them, too.

Seconds later three elven wolves jumped out of the scrub, and they had barely enough time to draw their weapons before being attacked.

The first one was quickly felled by Alicia, who sliced two of its paws clean off with the first strike and then stabbed its chest until the wolf stopped moving. Rufus had gotten a clean headshot on the second one, but the third jumped at his back and both landed in a tangle on the ground.

He tried to wrestle the wolf off, its sharp teeth right before his face, but it was too heavy. Somehow he managed to jab an arrow into the wolf's snout, but it still kept trying to bite and dripped blood on his face and hands. He lost his grip on the slippery jaws and they hit his shoulder, when something struck the beast aside.

Alicia had cut a deep gash in the beasts flank, and finally the wolf fled, leaving a red trail behind.

"Are you alright?", she asked, alarm audible in her voice. Catching his breath, he answered that he would probably survive, and sat up to examine the injury on his shoulder. His clothes had protected him from an open wound, but it would become a nice bruise, even when healed with magic. He wondered if the wolves had been one of the packs they ran from earlier. In the meantime Alicia had looked for more stray wolves, but when she found that they were safe again she searched the cadavers for anything of worth and then knelt next to him and took a closer look at his shoulder.

Bruises were surprisingly difficult to heal, but she tried anyway, so that the still forming bruise wouldn't hurt too much. When she was finished the fist-sized red spot looked far less vibrant then before and the pain was fading to a dull ache.

And then he realised how close they were. Alicia had put her hand on the bruise and kept him still with her other hand on his good shoulder, because he tended to fidget when being treated, and in her concentration she had leaned in close. Close enough to feel her breath on his skin and smell her hair. And then she looked up, presumably to ask how he was feeling, but the words died on her tongue. Both held their breath like the feintest movement would make the other flee.

"You... you have blood on your face", she finally got out despite her bated breath and she wiped the remainder off his face with a rag.

When the spell was broken both stood up and when he looked around he saw deep slashes in the ground and was glad that the claws missed his body. That would have been ugly. He pulled the layers of cloth over his shoulder again and after a debate of whether they should stay or look for another place to sleep they travelled on.

They walked deeper into the forest still, a small magic flame lighting the now dark way, until they found a natural overhang at a steep slope, where they would be well hidden from sight. Not that anyone could see them in the nightly forest, but they felt like taking precautions. Tired and still feeling decidedly crushed, Rufus laid down immediately and Alicia followed not soon after. It was sort of cramped and he did not want to know what kinds of insects lived here, but it would do. And when he was almost asleep, he felt Alicia grab his hand.