The sweet way Théadan cuddled closer and nuzzled his face into her hair tugged at her heart. His words on the other hand were goading and she was tempted to twist around to face him so she could take him on. It was just so comfortable there though, with his arms around her and his body curled around hers so they could touch as much as possible. Even as she debated retaliation, Théadan’s words sweetened and he was pointing out all the sweet things he could say about her if she was nice to him. He painted a picture for her that she wanted, made all the more tempting with the way his hand slowly smoothed over her abdomen. “If you tell them every day, they might begin to favor me over you,” she chuckled softly, knowing that was not at all what she wanted. Competition with him, unless done as a game, was out of the question. He gave her the opportunity to get back at him though, sleepily snuggling her face down on the pillow she used before sighing and telling him with a small laugh, “I don’t think I could be nice to you every day anyway. Sometimes you just deserve a little tormenting.”<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>She woke up sore the next morning. Sore and unwilling to climb out of bed. It appeared two hard sessions with Théadan in one day was too much. Eventually she had risen however, and had been grumpy about it until she realized they would be moving on. Excitement was beginning to build within Navia the more she realized she would soon be back with her family; it lessened the stiffness and tenderness of her body. She had even managed enough motivation to pull on the pants and long shirt combination she had, having worn the green dress the day before. There was so much she wanted to do when they arrived, so many people she wanted to see and to introduce Théadan to, that Navia could not resist the enthusiasm she had once they had saddled up the horses and said goodbye to Baiza.<br/><br/>The spa owner had packed them meals to take with them, said there were some items in the bag she handed over that Osa had come down and demanded be put in, and was happy to give them blankets and bedrolls for their journey in case they were unable to find housing. Once the horses were packed up with the new belongings, Baiza had taken a moment to briefly hug Théadan before pulling Navia into a long one. She had been saying soft words to her, how proud she was and how much she looked like her mother, but Navia’s gaze had been drawn to an upstairs window, where Osa stood amongst the gauzy curtains, her eyes watching shrewdly. It had sent a chill down her spine, but she had smiled at the<i>kavi </i>and sent her a little wave, to which Osa had merely nodded.<br/><br/>The way to Mandira seemed easy enough. They had their map and Baiza had pointed out how the road would take them first to Puri, then down to Mandira, passing several little towns they could stop in when they tired. Navia just had to get them to Puri and the rest of the way would be easy. The road they traveled upon was narrower than ones they had used in the past, cutting straight through the jungle. The canopies of the massive trees covered them, shading them and trapping heat, and the dirt below was well-trodden, keeping plants from springing up. The edges of the road were wild with vines and small plants however, for clearly the jungle desired to reclaim the land its lost to the road, but humans foiled it. With Wyndagar having forgiven Théadan and the two horses eager to move on after a couple nights in a stable, they had ridden at a brisk pace after leaving the spa until Navia guided Varinata to a walk. Her gaze wandered the trees surrounding them for a time and the jungle sounds filled her ears, a content smile on her face while she planned on taking a break to enjoy the scenery.<br/><br/>Her horse seemed to have a different plan in mind however, a snort escaping the pretty mare before she tossed her head and pulled on the reins. Frowning, Navia glanced down at Vari, surprised the pale gray animal was against the slower pace she had chosen. “It appears Vari would rather run than walk through the trees,” Navia commented before looking to Théadan with a competitive smirk, glancing at Wyndagar briefly, “Care to make things interesting?” Even while Navia waited for him to answer, she prepared to let Vari let off her steam, hands leaving the reins to gather up her thick black hair and pull it into a quick braid. It had been quite some time since they’d raced after all. It nearly felt like years ago.