A Missing Friend

I’ve become accustomed to walking and writing at the same time (although I think my handwriting suffers a bit for it).
 
Us five--four are currently making our way to the city of Ylraphon, working through shock after shock.
 
In the dead of night dear Skodrun up and left us, leaving his tent and a few of his belongings behind.
 
I still can’t quite understand it, he seemed so very happy with us. Such boundless energy and that cheery disposition. Did something happen to startle him off or did he perhaps receive some secret missive to leave post-haste.
 
Either way I felt upset at the loss of his presence. Everyone was keen to track him down, despite the encroaching evening, and we moved to search for him at the Witching Hour. In doing so we came across a peculiar and aggressive community of plant-like creatures.
 
In truth I was overtired and had I a jot of sense I would've suggested we search in the morning… But I missed a great deal of conversation and ended up bumbling into these plant-bipeds. They attacked instantaneously and a terrible fight ensued. Allie and Bree made the most of my impediment magicks and Kirst finished off a fearsome bark-formed giant like he was cracking open a boiled egg.
 
I found myself borrowing from Her power a great deal that fight. So frightened I was that I wouldn’t have the strength to keep everyone safe. Poor Krist took the brunt of the damage, and for every blow I was there trying to heal it.
 
I was so exhausted by the end of it I felt like one of those old hollow trees you find in dead woods. From a distance it’s in one piece but upon closer inspection it’s nothing but a tired shell.
 
Not even two-hundred years old and I’m calling myself ‘tired’, Dad would split his sides laughing at that.
 
I can’t really recall much of the journey back to the tree-house. I suppose I put one foot in front of the other and got there, but much else I can’t recall.
 
I do remember sitting on the stairs and pulling the splinter of wood from my shoulder. Staring at it for a time. Now that I think on it, I can’t even remember how long I looked at it.
 
Blood soaking into bark.
 
I must’ve looked quite a state sitting there with my stained clothing staring at a chunk of wood. A funny, pathetic, little thing, really.
 
I had meant to tidy myself up before going into the tree-house, but Krist must have spotted me sitting there. Sweet man, forever concerned for others. I hadn’t meant to burden him or anyone else with my clumsiness during the fight, yet he spotted me and promptly took me to bed.
 
It is… very nice not to trance by myself.
 
I hope that I don’t add to his worries. I’m hardly the competent city-folk he must be accustomed to being around. Silly forest girl.
 
Speaking of which, after having a (thankfully) brief conversation with Buttercup, stopping off at the sunken ship to acquire funds and a delightful encounter with my darling Grung once again we now make haste towards a city.
 
A city wherein we are not accused of murder or other such foul deeds.
 
Allie intends to conduct research whilst Bree and Krist are to go investigating with the populace.
 
I’m not wholly sure who I could aid in this. I’m certainly not gifted academically as Allie is and I do not have the guile and charm of Bree and Krist - why combined they would have charisma in spades.
 
I wouldn’t want to be a bother to either party… Perhaps I could simply keep Allie company in whichever book repository she finds herself in. I have little experience in such places, but my curiosity leads me to wonder what they’re like.
 
Under different circumstances, I would’ve loved to have come here to peruse the quiet libraries with Allie at our leisure, to visit exotic haberdasheries with Bree, drink rich mead and ale with Skodrun and go dancing with Krist in a tavern alive with music.
 
Silly daydreams. I’ll let myself indulge in them a while longer.