Saman is awake - he's just climbing out of the river as Ara'Vine exits his tent. 

"Good morning," he greets as quietly as a giant turtle monster can, mindful of Erin, who is still asleep. 

"Good morning," he repeats back. 

"Do you normally spend a few days per town, or will Erin want to move on right away?"

"It depends on how many people need help in the village we are visiting," he says. "I don't know if she'll need to stay longer here." 

"Hmm.  This town does have a pretty big hospital, and a lot of problems."  

He wanders off to go about the quieter of morning tasks.

Eventually, Erin wakes. She climbs out of her tent, rubbing at her eyes groggily. She wanders over to Sam to give him a hug, and then turns to take in their camp, slowly putting together a mental list of things to do this morning. 

Belatedly, she notices Ara'Vine, blinking at him in surprise for a moment before her mind wakes up enough for her to recall meeting him the previous day. 

"Oh," she says, "Good morning." 

"Good morning!"  He is much more of a morning person, and has had plenty of time to wake up and consider their options.  

"Do you think we should stay in Silcardine another day?  If not, I can pack up the tents while you get ready, but if we're staying I'll go gather more firewood."

She considers, "They don't need me here, really," she decides at length. "The hospital is well supplied, and the healers know their work. I think I would rather move on." 

"Thank you," she adds, motioning to her tent, "I should still visit the hospital before we leave, to let them know," she says. 

"Okay."

He starts with his own tent, quickly dismantling it.  He's a bit slower with hers, being an unfamiliar design, but gets it back into a wrapped bundle easily enough.  

When he's done with it, Sam speaks up, "Her things go in the packs on my shell." He turns a bit to show off the water resistant packs. "I can carry your things as well, of course," he adds. 

"Thank you."  His tent and spare outfit can go in the pack.  Ara'Vine's orichalcum items, other valuables, canteen, and knife will stay on his own person.  

As he packs up the tents, she makes her way back into Silcardine. She lets the priest she had met the day before know that she is leaving, and once they say their goodbyes she exits the building.

She pauses, though, as she passes the statue of Paean. She turns to look up at his face for a moment, a conflicted look crossing her own, and then bows, and turns to return to their camp. 

When she gets back, she notes the tents have been taken down, and placed up in Saman's packs. She smiles up (way up) at Ara'Vine, appreciative, and then sets to packing up the few items she'd left out around the camp. 

"Will you travel on Sam's back?" She asks once she has them all gathered up. "I would't expect you to be too heavy for him," she adds, or at least she hopes not. She doesn't really know what sort of changes he's made, and whether they might affect how much he weighs. 

He's about as heavy as he looks, which is quite heavy but is well within Saman's power to carry.  "I will if we're travelling in the water.  The road's been mostly following the river, but it's not always visible and I'd rather not wind up separated."

"We prefer to travel by water," she says, patting one of Sam's legs. 

She lightens herself, and flutters up onto his back, settling her things into the packs. She glides back down again as Saman gets up, ready to begin the slow plod back to the river. 

"Ready to go?" She asks Ara'Vine, stepping back to follow after her brother. 

"Sure."

So they can follow Sam down to the river's edge, and then after he's swapped legs for flippers they can climb on board. 

And then they're off to the next village. 

This close to the mouth of the river is pretty densely inhabited, being the point where the Therma'Ro ocean trade routes meet with the start of the great Soth River coming north from the desert.  It isn't long at all before they spot another village.

"We didn't spend much time here, the last time we came through," she explains as Sam makes for the shore. "They didn't have any urgent cases, and we were trying to reach Olivine sooner, rather than later." 

"Makes sense."

He patiently waits until they're at the shore, then disembarks.  Ara'Vine kind of wishes he had wings, too, but even with weight-wire there would be too many things he'd have to change.  Especially now that he's trying very hard not to use his power frivolously.  Speaking of which, he should probably get the wire traded in for something useful...

Ara'Vine is quiet and somewhat lost in thought.  

She glides down as well, pausing beside him. 

"...Should I come find you for the midday meal?" She asks, uncertain.

Getting used to a new traveling companion is going to be a bit awkward, she realises suddenly, given that she's spent a significant portion of her life with just Sam. 

"No.  We can meet back here for evening meal.  I can bring the food supplies this time."  He considers for a moment, then adds, "Do you normally buy food for Saman?"  He's not entirely sure what turtles eat.

She shakes her head, "He usually hunts for food himself," she glances back at him, "Though sometimes I'll share a bit of my food with him," she admits. Trying to keep him fed by herself would be... Challenging.

Well, if Saman wants him to pick up something, he can ask.  

Ara'Vine nods, feeling somewhat awkward himself.  To avoid that, he waves to them and heads down the road into town on his long legs, deciding to check for any temples to Diamondeye or Enmire first.  

She waves, hugs Sam goodbye, and heads down another road, towards the town's center, in hopes of asking directions to any healer they might have, or failing that to the local leader. 

She is directed to the shop that sells paper, pens, and ink.  The village is too small to support a full-time healer, but he trained for a few years at the hospital and takes anything too small or too urgent to send the few hours to Silcardine.  The rooftop garden of the shop has both healing herbs and plants for dyes.