After a day of shopping, relaxation, and conversation, it was high time to get back to work. Boar rubbed his temples as he walked down the street with companions in tow towards the Merchant Quarter of Baldur's Gate. His head was pounding, and he took a sip from his waterskin. "Fucking hangover." He grumbled to himself more than anything.

Nearby, Kalinthe rolled his eyes, and patted Boar's shoulder. His hand gave off a purplish glow with flecks of bluish white at the edges about his hand as he did so. "Don't say I never did anything for you." He commented as the magic soothed Boar's hangover.

"Thanks." Boar sighed. His shoulders instantly relaxed as they walked.

Elli walked the slowest among them, hanging towards the back. Her eyes assessed the different shops that they were walking by. At one, she saw a grouping of two carts. Several workers were loading up the carts with wares and provisions while the merchant in charge ticked items off of a list.

He glanced up at the clearly staring woman. "May I help you?"

"Where is this shipment headed?" She asked intuitively.

"Waterdeep by way of the Trade Way." He remarked simply, turning his attention back to the documents at hand, and away from the strange lady.

"Do you need protection?" Elli pressed, flipping her head a bit, and a loose lock of her spiked hair flipped back out of her face.

The merchant turned to actually look at Elli now. He gave her a once over. "What could you do?" He scoffed.

Elli's lips pursed. This man was starting to make her angry. It was too bad that they needed an excuse to follow along with the caravan. She took a breath, getting ready to give him a piece of her mind when she felt three larger figures move closely behind her, and another shorter one step beside her. One of the bodies behind her reached out, and she felt a hand grip her shoulder in a firm but calming gesture. Her head turned to the side as Xanth spoke in his grisled voice.

"She is a doctor. We're the fighters." He corrected the merchant as his eyes gave a dangerous, pulsing glow.

"Prove it." The merchant spat, pointing with his pen. "Lift that."

Kalinthe sighed, and stepped around the group, moving over to the box, and hoisting it up with little effort before loading it into one of the carts. He turned to look at the merchant. "Well?" His musical timbre rising up a pitch before lowering back down melodically. "Will you have us as bodyguards, or should we take our services elsewhere?"

The man hummed, and released a sigh. He looked between the two ladies, and the smaller Xanth. Then, he looked back to Kalinthe. Determined to deal with only one nuisance at the moment. "They will be able to handle it?" He asked pointedly. His demeanor was firm, and demanded no nonsense.

Kalinthe eyed the man back. He schooled his expression for a moment before cracking a smile. "If they couldn't, we would be in a much different locale at the moment. I hear that the Styx is lovely this time of year."

He nodded, and shook Kalinthe's hand. "Very well. You're hired. In two days' time, meet me here at first light, and we'll make way with the caravan."

"Lovely." Kalinthe responded plainly, shaking the man's hand with his cold, gauntlet covered one. "Enjoy your next forty-eight hours." His grin stretching wider at the somewhat panic stricken look on their new employer's face. He turned with a billow of robes, and stalked off with the group in tow.

Ellingsithurtal strode beside the wagon. Her eyes peeled for any sign of the cult of the dragon in their midst. Except, instead of watching anybody particularly suspicious among the group, her attention kept wandering to a halfling. He was skinnier than some of the other halfling's she'd met, which is why he was so familiar. His name was an odd one, too. Losvius Longnose. She knew it without asking. She would recognize that snooping rat anywhere. Luckily, he hadn't recognized her yet, but it was only a matter of time. Her satchel seemed to weigh heavier over her shoulder, and she pulled it in front of her, dipping her hand in so she could feel that it was still there. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth.

At the sudden noise, Nebula turned her attention towards Elli. "Doing alright over there, doc?"

Elli nodded. "Yes." She lied smoothly. "Just thought I'd forgotten some supplies back in town.

Nebula's eyes squinted at the other woman before she rolled them, and nodded, looking ahead. "Alright, then. Just don't forget to actually do what we've come here for."

"I won't." Elli frowned, looking at the Nebula with a small bit of anger in her eyes. She shook her head, and fell back a bit. She didn't want to be so closely under Nebula's thumb for a minute. Her fingers gently caressed the surface of the item in her bag. She palmed it, and carefully pulled it out. Her bag was quickly slung back over her shoulder. She opened her hand, and looked down at a gold necklace with a red gem at the center of it. It's craftsmanship was intricate, and she was certain that the ruby was real. Her eyes hung on it for another moment before she pulled the necklace around her neck.

Night fell, and small groups gathered about different fires along the road. Their group being no exception. They were eating a bland meal of cooked rice and pickled vegetables. At least, it beat dried rations. Mostly. Elli took a bite, and looked up to find the figure of that halfling again. Damned that halfling. Always getting into everybody's business. She watched stoically as he climbed into the back of their cart, and started to rifle through their belongings. She stood up, and calmly walked over to him. She leaned on the cart a little, and crossed her arms. "And, what do you think you're doing exactly?" She demanded in a quiet, yet urgent, tone.

The halfling jumped and spun around. A hand rested on the center of his chest, and he panted as he tried to calm himself back down. "I'm sorry, lass. I didn't mean nuffin' of it. Just lookin' for some interestin' folks is all." He responded defensively as he carefully started to climb out of the wagon. He looked up at her taller figure expectantly as if waiting for something.

"I don't care about your pathetic excuses. Just go." She waved a hand. "Get out of here." She told him, reaching up to the pendant on her neck, and clutching it tightly in her hand so she knew that it was safe.

The man eyed what she was holding, but nodded, stalking off to another fire in the distance. Elli's eyes followed Longnose as he walked away. She wanted to be sure that he couldn't be around to notice. To remember her. The halfling walked by the next closest fire, and she saw their employer chatting animatedly with a group of adventurers. She watched for a moment, and shook her head. She had a bad feeling about that, but, as her eyes watched the halfling's expression, as he turned back around to see her watching him, all other thoughts were forgotten.