<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/db/e9/cf/dbe9cf5fe0e93ceb0b2c4707e6679664--character-portraits-character-ideas.jpg)</div>Maybe it was that weird golden glow that had done it, or perhaps the gross hardtack and a shade too soft cheese that had helped? Whatever it was, Soph could feel her energy and strength returning. The cuts and scrapes were starting to knit together under the caked on mud and her legs and limbs felt a little less heavy. But was she going to tell HIM that? Hell no!<br/><br/>She had been abandoned to finish out the remainder of their scolding, a ritual that mimicked her childhood. Often she would have to stay for the full duration of the lecture as Les was far too sweet and often cried when in trouble, but even then the stern talking to was just for show, making it even more tedious to wait out.<br/><br/>He was starting to explain how things worked and she found, especially with how he was looming over her like this, that she had little choice but to actually listen. Her violet eyes squinted as she gazed up at him, watching as he gestured with his hands, imitating spellcraft and pointing to their completely fucking useless swords. Privately she allowed herself a moments fantasy of going back to the merchants she purchased them from and sticking them right up their…<br/><br/>“You haven’t finished the quest yet I believe.”<br/><br/>“Huh?” she replied but he did not wait for an answer before continuing.<br/><br/>Difficult to tell if the food was bad or she had sat in the sun too long after overexerting herself, but the old man was starting to make sense. Maybe a bit too much. The idea of going back down to the rats and trying that disaster all over again made her lips recoil into a grimace. She wanted to argue, even tried to think of a few good points she could throw back at him, but he didn’t get that armor and those gray hairs being wrong.<br/><br/>Well, she was at least sort of sure he didn’t… maybe.<br/><br/>Course they were fucking interested! What the hell else could they do? They had no money, no food, no place to sleep and she sure as shit wasn’t gonna sleep in a stable again.<br/><br/>“Yes, fine… okay.” she grumbled, the tingling in her legs telling her they had fallen asleep.<br/><br/>Getting to her feet would have been tricky enough after all that fighting and slogging through mud, but on a hill with her legs asleep? Well, this wasn’t gonna be very graceful. She rolled onto her hands and knees, her dirt and mud splattered bottom making the cheap leather pants groan as she clawed at the ground with her hands and boots, eventually finding purchase and heaving herself up. Pins and needles raced up and down her muscles as they protested, sore and stiff as she forced them to move.<br/><br/>“Les… Les, hey, listen.” She groaned, stumbling finally up beside the redhead.<br/><br/>“I… ugh… I think he’s right.” She said, being careful to keep her voice low enough so that the smug geezer down the hill couldn’t hear her.<br/><br/>“I don’t like it any better than you do, but I think we can probably finish this like he said.”<br/><br/>As she spoke she swatted at the caked on mud that had started to dry letting it tumble back to the ground.<br/><br/>“Just think, we’ll get triple the amount of silver we had expected and then we can ditch that old fossil and… and… maybe we’ll figure this shit out enough to go adventuring without the chaperone.”<br/><br/>She finished, pulling a few twigs out of her long black hair before peering down her sweat dappled nose at the copper-haired woman.<br/><br/>“What do you think?”<br/>