Vepice looked at Kai with hope in her eyes. She took a step away from the stew of ingredients that even his natural ability to wither organic matter, dared not to touch.
"Do I need to bring anything?" Vepice asked, her voice quiet but curious.
Kai tilted his head. "Do you have anything you want to bring?"
She hesitated for a moment, then turned and padded barefoot over the damp earth. Her destination: a crude bed formed of animal hides and thick wooden branches woven together into a raised mat. It was stained with age, worn by time and solitude, but well-kept.
"Just this," she murmured.
She knelt down, reaching into a bundle of fur tucked beneath the hides. When she rose, her hand held a small, timeworn locket strung with frayed leather. The metal was tarnished, the clasp nearly rusted through, but when she opened it with a gentle click, a smile ghosted across her lips.
