Stella's group sat together on one side of the fire, their packs stacked nearby as they quietly organized their equipment. The nervous energy from before still lingered in the air, though now it showed more in the occasional glance toward Aren and Daniel.
Daniel sat comfortably on a fallen log with his legs stretched toward the fire, lazily rotating a stick between his fingers as if he'd already forgotten the entire confrontation.
Aren sat a little further back, resting against a tree while watching the flames. For a while, nobody said anything.
Eventually, Aren broke the silence.
"So," he said calmly, glancing toward Stella across the fire. "Where did you hear about this Miracle Herb?"
The red-haired girl stared into the fire for several seconds, her expression unreadable as the flames flickered across her face.
Daniel glanced up slightly.
"…Yeah," he added casually. "You never actually said where that came from."
