>"No. No it isn't so bad at all."
>Kyouko puts her hand on yours and smiles. No, this isn't so bad at all.
>A few moments later, Kagerou returns with your tea. The ginger is sharp, but aromatic, and a wonderful change after a week of river water and mostly dry food. The salmon which follows later is even nicer - lightly smoked and seasoned with dash of spice and a touch of lemon. Kyouko eats twice as much as anyone else, but makes up for it with effusive compliments to the chef.
>Kagerou seems so much more at ease than she was when you were travelling together, especially as the evening wears on; you suppose it helps not to be on the spot for a stranger's life, but instead sharing a warm meal inside your own home. You speak a little of the better parts of your life - Kyouko practically insists you retell a couple of her favorite Seeker stories and seems to enjoy hearing them nearly as much the second time around. Then she makes Kagerou blush a little by admiring her woodburnings and even coaxes some unguarded conversation from the werewolf about her own life; for the most part, she has lived a simple and unassuming one, if surprisingly industrious. As it turns out, this house
was built in large part by her own hands - with just a little pitching in from some of her neighbours. This part of the wilderness is apparently not quite as uninhabited as your journey though it would suggest, though you think they're all some form of recluse or another; who else would choose to live an hour away from anyone who can speak? You don't think Kyouko really understands it either - she came to the city to get
away from the quiet, after all - but she's nothing if not supportive of people's life choices. Honestly, you think a kind heart is enough to satisfy her, and Kagerou certainly has that.
>All in all, it's nice to have a proper chair, a proper meal, and a proper roof over your head after what feels like an eternity on the road. There's still more road ahead of you, but the couple hours back to Isir's Cross feels like nothing at all after weeks of rugged woodlands.
>Eventually, the evening draws to a close. The two of you bid farewell to Kagerou, ford the Grau, and follow the trail back to Isir's Cross. When the trees finally thin out and you emerge onto the highway, your breath nearly catches in your throat. The wilderness is behind you now and the rest of your life is in front of you.
>Kyouko lets out a little cheer. "Civilization!"
