Ree looks up at the gates of the Friendly Arm Inn and turns to her companion, "Never thought we'd end up back here" She says with a sense of nostalgia in her voice.
It's clear that these two Hin's have been traveling for a long time; yet, the gate has always held a special spot in Ree's heart. "I wonder if anyone we know is still around" She shrugs, unsure if she even has the desire to see old acquaintances.
After a few days of resting and getting their bearings, it was clear that much had changed-- both the lands, the locals, and the general happenings of the area made it feel as if they were foreigners visiting for their first time. For all intents and purposes this was pretty much true. Ree and the other Hin exchanged pleasantries and parted ways, with Ree making her way to the Gullykin eager to see if it had grown with grandeur like the rest of the establishments. Before she knew it, she found herself blending right back into the Hin community, spending her nights in the Cornucopia Tavern and mingling with the locals over countless bottles of Berduskan Dark. She was happy to be spending time with her people once again, being a Hin has never been easy after all, and she has always preferred the company of her own kind. While not an overly paranoid Hin, her many past experiences had taught her to be cautious no matter where she was. It was this natural instinct, her inner voice, that demanded that she always had her eyes on the door and be aware of her surroundings. That trait of hers paid off and allowed her to see him first-- a human carrying various odds and ends proclaiming to be a merchant. Her first thought was, what was he doing all the way up here this late at night? Her second thought, when she realized he had singled her out almost immediately, was that 'this wasn't normal, and something definitely was -not- right'. Her years of experience of working closely with people of all walks of life had reminded her that the best thing to do is remain calm and to be 'just another ordinary Hin'. The man was pleasant enough, and while he was not particularly convincing or persuasive, he had sowed the sense of wonder and intrigue in Ree's little heart by providing her an expensive gift-- as with most Hin's, she was a victim to her heritage and always had a weakness for material things. This interaction was a calling card that someone wanted to meet her, and apparently it was someone she knew. This wasn't a subtle a message, nor a mere suggestion, it was clear that there was an encounter coming that she could not avoid. After their conversation the man got up and departed leaving Ree to her own thoughts. She spent the next few hours drinking wine quietly to herself with thoughts racing through her head. Deep down and in the moment she felt conflicted-- these coming days would be defining for the Hin in both who she was, and what her role was in these lands. After one to many drinks than she should of had, the little Hin finally stumbled back to the room she rented. Whether it was wine insomnia, or her hyper active Hin mind playing games with her head, she laid awake staring at the ceiling and could not stop thinking at what had transpired. Frustrated at not being able to sleep, she began to make little shadow puppets on the walls -- animals she had seen throughout her adventures, willing them to dance about in an entertaining theatre. Slowly but surely her mind started to quiet and she fell into a deep sleep. Ree had thought she could leave the past well enough behind but... Well... the past had different ideas.
