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Elias nods as the girl approaches, but is otherwise quiet. Having set his gear inside, he is scrounging the surrounding area for a bit of kindling and some firewood.

"Elias, would you mind if I join you?" Liri asks in Elven.

Angel sits near Liri and Elias and watches Maghus closely.

Maughus gives a grunt to acknowledge Liri's compliment, but does not return her smile, and does not hold her gaze for long. Instead, his eyes dart around, looking everywhere else, and without another word he takes himself a short distance away and fades into the vegetation, all the while staring back up the trail.

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The building itself, upon closer examination, is barely habitable from civilized standards. Like many abandoned buildings a good part of it has turned into a rookery, and the attendant mass of guano below the nesting area has spawned an ecosystem of its own, with insects and centipedes figuring heavily into the equation. The fact that Maughus considers this to be comfortable accommodations speaks volumes about the man, although to be fair he did say he only sheltered there on the worst winter nights.

The unroofed portion of the building is cleaner, though, and fortunately the fire pit is set into that part of the floor. Providing you don't want to spread out within the walls to sleep, the ruin will serve as a decent campsite.

"Not at all."

Liri smiles. Obviously, Elias is not a man of many words. Silently, she walks beside him, gathering kindling, all the while keeping eyes and ears open to take in the scenery, watching out for anything strange, especially for a trace of the hooded figure Angel and she had noticed earlier.

Rising to her feet Angel too collects firewood, moving a short distance from the group she keeps her eyes focused on Maughus, but motions to Liri and Elias to join her. When they do she pulls them close.

"I believe we should watch Maughus, I am not suggesting he cannot be trusted, rather I believe he has his own agenda." She waits for a response, her eyes darting over towards the Ranger.

"Yes, he is a strange man. But if you watch him, you should watch me, too. After all, I'm as new to the group as he is." Liri's smile at Angel softens her words.

"Consider it done!" Bastian says with a wink to Liri as he walks by.

When he gets into the ramshackle building he drops an armload of broken limbs and twigs near the fire pit. Looking to Salia has asks "Do you think I could use some of the coals to make some ash cakes for the group? It's been a while since I've been able to do some rustic baking!"

(I hope this scenario works since Liri was mentioned as leaving the fire and the building, going to talk to Elias, but it was unspecific as to where Elias was. I presumed that he was still outside, so I responded as such)

At Bastian's comment. Liri laughs and shakes her head, then continues on.

(we'll make the scenario work. There's some coming and going with the wood gathering.)


After a while, Liri comes back and sniffs appreciatively, then goes over to Salia. "That looks good, and smells even better" she tells the young woman.

"Liri." Angel calls, after the elf walks away, "You do not get where I am without trusting your instincts, you build up a sense of a person quickly." She pulls the girl in conspiratorially. "I sense I can trust you, despite having only just met you, him." She points to Maguhus. "I do not get the same sense."

Putting some firewood down next to Sallia, she gives the girl a grin, and walks over towards the Ranger.

"Tell me, what do you see when you look to the trees?" She asks plainly, her stance almost military. "Where were you Stationed?"

Liri's eyes follow Angel. There was some truth in what she said about instincts, but they could be misleading.

Sitting down near the fire, Liri watches Salia cooking and Bastian making bread.

Maughus is slow to respond to Angel's first question, but it is unclear whether he is lost in thought or pondering his answer.
"Whydoyouwanttoknowthat?" flies from his mouth upon hearing her second question, the words speeding forth like a ballista bolt, followed by a brief pause and a nervous chuckle - apparently he is surprised by his response as well. He then swallows and continues to speak, now in a more conversational tone, although his eyes are still a bit twitchy. "It's in the nuntio post factum. All the information anyone needs in in there. You know. You've served. It's all in there.
"I'm retired now," he says, as if that fully answers the question.

Another swallow, a deep breath, and he returns to the first question. "What do I see? Trees. Trees. Squirrel chasing another squirrel. Trees. Half-fallen tree. Trees. It's all shockingly mundane. Nothing the least bit unusual.
"But he's out there, someplace, I am sure of it. Mister Dirtnap himself, waiting for us. Waiting to finish the job."

Maughus resumes gazing off into the distance, his face resolving into the distinctive "thousand yard stare" that Angel has seen before, in the legions.

He speaks again a moment later, so quietly that Angel almost doesn't hear him. "Have you seen your Fraso lately?"

Angel is momentarily taken aback. Fraso was standing next to the wagon, wasn't he? She is unsure.

"Everybody, by the Wagon NOW! Angel barks, she glances at the wagon fully expecting Fraso to not be there.

"Yes, I served, I got beaten and whipped for standing up for my beliefs." She turns, something was screwing with her head and frankly she didn't like it.

Leaving Maughus to his stare she tries to pull the group together.

"Stay together, no one goes alone, there is something out here, don't spend time asking silly questions how, just.. Someone was there, and now he is not." She says to the whole group.

"Daos, what do you sense? There is magic at work, I think." She asks the Mage, pulling him close.

"Elias, Liri, eyes peeled, don't let anything get past you.

"Papa, watch the wagon, keep an eye on Fraso."

Finally she looks to Bastian, smiling, "Keep an eye on Salia, and Fraso, I need you on this please?"

Surprised, Liri looks up at Angel, why was she so frantic now? Everything had seemed peaceful. nevertheless, she slowly gets up. Looking at Elias, she tries to get a mute understanding with him. Who of them will look which way, to keep the directions covered Maughus can't see?