"You make compelling points, but. You really want to travel with me? Why?"

She shrugs. "First: Why not? Second: They say you're trouble? I say you're adventure. Excitement and opportunities. Third: You'll attract guys who talk with me just to dive my dungeon. I've got nothing against dungeon-diving, but some guys are... Eh. Four: I did a divination a while ago that I think was actually about you, maybe!"

Ame snorts at point three.

At point four, "...okay, that's interesting. What did you get?"

"If you've never used azyr I'm not sure it'll make much sense, but it was something like... Distant echoes of a far-off storm. Something that will come to pass, but the shape and strength undecided. The opportunity to watch. The lover, the dungeon, and change."

"That is super vague, but it does sound like me, for whatever that's worth."

Ame regards the other girl for a long moment.

"What's your name? And how fast can you run."

"Elizabeth. Journeywoman Elizabeth Farri Kiers-Humboldt." She pauses. "...Not as fast as a horse?"

"Ameron for-fuck's-sake-I-still-can't-remember-my-family-name, nice to meet you." Wry smile.

"I'm pretty sure I'm faster than a horse by now, and more importantly, I can keep up that pace all day. On the other hand, I don't actually know where I'm going beyond 'somewhere in Xantha' and Raz says getting there is less than straightforward, so you probably wouldn't actually slow me down that much..."

"I could try to learn shadowhorse... Ulgu isn't my favorite but if you're that mobile and I am too it would certainly be easier in a lot of ways."

"You could? Well, it couldn't hurt, probably. Alright, then. I have a couple more goodbyes to say before we set out, but it shouldn't take long. Where're you gonna be?"

"Around the market! Got a bit more restocking to do."

"Alright, see you in a bit."

Ame goes back to the butcher's, looking for Codri.

He's in one of the sheds nearby, one of the many cousins of his informs her.

And there he is, carefully hanging pieces of meat on hooks and salting them.

"Hullo, Ame."

"Hey."

Ame goes up to him and smiles gently.

"Raz is kicking me out," she says wryly. "I get why, but before I go, I felt like maybe giving you a parting gift, as thanks for inviting me into town in the first place. And your brother said something about bacon?"

"Gift? The bacon, yeah! I'll give you some, for being willing to help get back at that villain, even if he scampered off somewhere in the end. I know all my pigs end up as food, so it's got to be appreciated."

"It is. It's been ages since I've had bacon."

"And, I wanted to cheer you up. It just... I got the impression your brother kind of cockblocked you when we first met, even if you weren't in the mood then to do anything about it, so it'd bug me if I left without giving you a chance to get your hands on me."

He fetches a small wrapped package. "Well, this is your bacon. A few good meals worth. Don't open that until you're ready to cook it, it's got a preserving spell on the paper. And the other thing... Well I won't say no, but don't feel obligated, you hear?"

Ame gives him a deadpan raised eyebrow as she puts the bacon in a side pouch of her pack.

"Did I say anything about obligation? C'mon, you don't hear me telling you not to give me closure-bacon because you might feel obligated about it."

"Well, alright. I mean, there's work to be done, but you probably want to leave soon right? I guess - lemme just finish this real quick and wash up a bit. I share a room but they're all out on the town right now."

Ame definitely wants him to wash his hands, especially since she doesn't have time for another bath before hitting the road.

Once he's ready, Ame follows him to his room and strips.

As she wraps herself around him, she playfully tells him, "We do have to make this quick, so it won't be up to my usual standards. I hope you can forgive me for that."

And then he's inside her, and she's riding him eagerly, using all her skill to milk an orgasm out of him that's spectacular enough to make up for how short their encounter has to be.

Codri plays with her breasts during the brief time he lasts, then lies there panting as Ame dresses again. He gives her a thumbs up and a slightly loopy grin from his spot on the bed when she leaves.

Ame manages to cum right after he does, and she spares a few moments to hold him while they catch their breath.

Getting dressed has increased in complexity lately: fishnet panties, vinyl microskirt, cheap goth-y walking boots, fishnet shirt, thigh-strap for first knife, thigh-strap for second knife, gladius scabbard, shield hung on scabbard strap, then finally the travel pack with its secure arrangement of straps, with full canteen hung opposite the shield.

With a parting smile, Ame heads out to return to the market. On the way she asks if anyone's seen Arwen, and detours to give him a spontaneous hug. "Sorry again for all the trouble, and thanks for everything, bye!"

"It all worked out okay, more or less. Good luck with life!"

Elizabeth the wizardess is doing a puppet show with weeds for a bunch of little kids to entertain herself. She wraps it up when she spots Ame - the dandelion prince slays the spiny monster.

"So, plans. I've never heard of Xantha, what do you know about it?"

The puppet show is kind of neat.

Ame pulls out her, oh hell with it it's a Quest Journal.

"Xantha's an ancient empire in the mountains, in the north-east of the world, according to Raz. We're heading north and a little east from here, possibly toward some place called Columnar."

"Columnar is maybe a hundred miles south of here. It's a coastal port city. I guess the idea is that we could get passage around the world? It seems like a detour but I'm not sure how fast boats are compared to walking. Or, running, if you're tireless and I learn shadowhorse."

"Oh, so I guess that means we need to decide now if we're heading north or south. I'm not sure which way would be better."