“When you are poor.”  Mitch explained to Kalista, “You do not have the choice to have anything but salted meat.  You see, salt preserves it and allows it to be set up and sold to commoners like my family.  Bless me.”  There was a deep hmm as he considered asking her about her grandfather but declined as he said to Kalista, “After we have the meal at the inn, I would find a wagon for you and I.  I am tired of walking.”  The truth was, in a wagon, Mitch could hide away from potential complications; who was going to look for a bandit in a respectable wagon.  “I would hire as a guard, but…”  Mitch paused and looked at Kalista and he said softly, “I could never do it without having you with me.  No one would hire me on my own as they would assume I’m just there to rob them, but if I had you with.”<br/><br/>Mitch stopped, then apologized, “I’m sorry, Kalista, I was just dreaming of being out of the woods and by the sea.  I always wanted to see it and they say the winter by the sea .. it’s less likely to snow and the food is fantastic.  I am looking forward to trying fish.  I never have, sorry.  I know after our meal at the inn, you will be gone to do what ever healers do.  Please forgive my presumption.”<br/><br/>Reaching the inn entrance he turned his hand to the door and he opened I, but waited for Kalista to lead in before him, his nose still catching the wonderful scents and he knew that at least for the next hour he would be a normal man, with a pretty (if very odd) girl .. and it felt good to have the sense of normalcy about it.  What a strange feeling, he had to admit.<br/><br/>Eyes were adjusting as he looked into the building and the inn was bustling with all sorts of life and different types of humanity, he hadn’t recognized any of them really except the dwarves and elves, he had no idea what the grey man was that was the same size of the dwarves but no beards and much more slender.  He was glad that Kalista was going in first, she would know more than him… he had never seen the insides of an inn such as this before.