Tails tighten a bit snugglier, and her arms wrap around the girl in a gentle hug. "But you were still living in her space, studying as her apprentice, shaping your environment with her expectations, regardless of her good intentions."

"... Yeah."

Her voice gets a little firmer. 

"I never want to be kept again."

"Damn right. S'why, if you accept my help with a place to stay, I insist we book the room in your name. I don't want any of my help to turn into another cage, so you should hold the key to anything I help with. Hopefully if there's nothing for me to suddenly yank out from under you, if it's not in my control, help can be safer to accept."

She chuckles a bit. "People've said I have a bit of a Saving People Thing, and here I go doing it again, trying to help a girl I've only known for half a day, all because I'm curious. Take my help or don't, I'm just eager to see what you write in the next chapter of your story."

"And how do you think that goes?"

She hums, intrigued. "That has some options! The broad strokes are likely to involve getting some kind of initial landing spot in Spasiba, finding some way of making starter alchemist money, using that money to stabilize housing into some cheaper and more-permanent form, gathering more skills of whichever sort you wish (though likely more alchemy), and slowly climbing back and forth to higher stability like that until you're satisfied with your situation. You'll probably be looking to make friends, probably looking for fuckbuddies, can't really guess whether you'll be looking for romance or not.

"Trying to refine for more specifics... You'll have a lot simpler of a first week if you take my suggestion of getting a suite at an inn together, but you could certainly pull it off on your own, likely through skipping sleep and hunting for some initial prospects on basic alchemy work, and then spending your savings on a cheap inn while you hurried to get that done. In either case at that point you likely start looking for better books and maybe instruction, and trying to settle into a social circle of your own choosing. It gets very hazy from there, as the range of possibilities gets much wider."

"Accordingly," she finishes with a warm grin, "that's the part I'm most interested to see you write."

... she likes this girl.

"... I..."

She hums softly. 

"I can't guarantee anything, but... I feel like it would be a mistake to reject your help out of hand... and anyway I can always leave, right?"

"Exactly right. Keeping things in your name whenever we can figure out how to do so is entirely for the sake of making sure you can always leave — or just kick me out and keep the place for yourself, as the case may be. If we get a suite together, and you get tired of me, then all you have to say is 'Sable, I'm done with you, out', and off I go, because it's your space."

She grins wider. "And of course you can't guarantee anything, this is about how we get along as we get to know each other better. Anyone who'd expect you to when we've only known each other for half a damned day is either a moron or an asshole. Or both."

"... yeah."

Lily rests her head back against Sable and lets a little of the tension leave her body.

Well, relaxing like that deserves more snuggles, so she squeezes Lily a bit tighter with her tails and arms.

And they fly onwards and south.

Is she hungry? She's always hungry. Yeah, she could go for a snack. Let's see... Ah, there's a nice clearing she's used a time or two before just over the next ridge.

"How d'you feel about setting down for a lunch break shortly? This is roughly the halfway point, maybe a touch past it."

"I don't technically need to eat... but it'd be nice."

"Okay! I just have some basic things that keep well, so it won't be fancy, but it should be enjoyable enough. There's a nice clearing just over the next ridge, so we should be setting down in just a minute or so."

And sure enough, the ridge passes by underneath them, and then there's a pleasant little outcrop on the side of the hill. Sable spirals gracefully down, lands in a crouch, and pauses to make sure Lily's feet are under her before unwrapping her tails.

Lily flops forwards onto the ground and lies there for a moment. 

Then she rolls over and smiles up at Sable. 

"It's good to be back on solid ground again."

She wriggles her back against the grass, heedless of staining her dress, and then wiggles her toes a little.

Sable flops down beside her, wriggling as well, giggling and briefly curling her wings and tails around herself. "Hahaaaa, yes, yes it is."

She sighs happily there for a moment, then sits up and pulls her bag into her lap. Everything is very tightly organized inside, when she opens it, and out comes a metal box. She opens it up, and it unfolds into a number of smaller compartments: some contain small shakers for spices, some contain non-perishable condiments, one has a block of cheese, one's full of shreds of smoked meat, one has some pickled veggies, and one has some soft round flatbreads.

She sets the box on a convenient rock. "So this is my usual lunch kit. Typically what I do is take one of these," she grabs a flatbread, "then add things to it until I have the makings of a nice sandwich, then roll it up."

Putting word to deed, she pulls a utensil out of a small compartment and spreads a couple condiments on the wrap. Next she grabs the cheese and slices a few strips, dropping them in, followed by some meat, a few veggies, and then she pronounces it done and rolls it up.

"Tada."

And then she bites into it and grins.

"That looks nice. Can I try?"

"Absolutely!" She waves encouragingly at the box, then takes another bite of her wrap.

She doesn't recognize all of these, but she's willing to experiment! 

She gets out a flatbread, some meat and cheese, and some strange-looking small vegetables from a compartment that says they're grilled, rolls up the wrap, and takes a bite. 

!!!??????? 

Her mouth is - stinging-hot??? It feels like it's all tingly? What were those vegetables????

That's certainly a sudden shocked expression on Lily's face. Sable tilts her head. Did she... Oh.

"Did you use some of the hot peppers?"

She nods quickly!!

"Oops. Sorry I forgot to mention those. Yeah, people sometimes add very spicy things to their food. I like it, but it's definitely tastier in moderation, especially if you're not used to them yet."

She starts muttering to herself, thinking about a way to help. "Let's see... the normal solution to spice overload is milk, though that's too perishable to bring along. Cheese will do as a substitute though."

She grabs the cheese, slices some broad, thin strips, and hands them to Lily.

Lily quickly bites into the cheese, then takes a few moments and untenses a bit. 

"That... Was certainly a surprise. They're not medicinal?"

"Nope. I just like 'em. Not everyone does, and of those who do people vary in how much they like to use."