Walk walk walk. They're getting close to the border when Valna says, "You don't have to tell me but I'm curious about your prayers."

"- all religions I have heard of encourage prayer, but it is vanishingly rare for it to have confirmable effects apart from specifically the morning prayers for spells. I think of it primarily as a way to reflect on the principles I'm meant to live by and center myself relative to them; She's not going to say anything unless something incredibly dire is in the offing, but I have Her book and other ways to begin to guess what She'd say if it were less expensive."

"...Makes sense, I guess."

"Does it? I've never tried to explain prayer across such a cultural gulf."

"It’s like having a smart friend who’s busy, right?"

"- busy isn't exactly it. It's more analogous to... She can only communicate in writing, and paper and ink are more precious than diamonds. The spells are inexpensive in large part because I choose them and she isn't giving me any information with them. Some people do ask their god to choose their spells for them, gods who are more profligate with their metaphorical paper, but I would wait for a very remarkable emergency and one where I was confident I'd be able to interpret the message usefully."

"Huh."

Walk walk.

Indeed walk walk.

At the next settlement they come to (a few little houses), Valna says they're there.

"Will they speak the same language here?"

"Some of them but you'll want to get theirs too. This place might not do it, you might need to be further into their territory, I'm not actually sure, but I think this'll do."

"Thank you very much for the escort."

"It's been interesting!"

And he approaches the houses, hands visible and not near his mace.

Valna hangs around being visibly not panicked about Blai. This will not carry as much weight as a local doing it but they have good relations with Acarthen; it'll be helpful.

Someone exits a house and asks something in a new language, sounding confused.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak your language."

The person seems unalarmed by this and points further in almost the direction they've been walking, then pulls their mouth to the side as though thinking, holds up a hand, and ducks back in to grab some sunflower seeds to offer them.

Valna help does this have ritual significance

She thanks the person and takes some sunflower seeds.

"We should go further that way and we'll find someone who can give you their language."

He accepts seeds. "All right."

Munch munch walk walk. "I haven't been here in a while. It's good to see they're still doing okay."

"Do the seeds mean something?"

"They mean we walked a long way and might not have had dinner and he wanted to be friendly. It's - a part of welcoming you that doesn't take time that could keep you from going and getting the language."