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"Maybe," Mike said reluctantly, pausing in the doorway to his room. "I'll carry it if that's the vote. It sort of feels like Bernon's mission more than mine, though….you know? He was the on who was originally entrusted with it, so I almost think he has the most right to see it to its end."
Bernon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Aw, well…..maybe we should take turns carrying it. That's a lot of responsibility to put on just one person."
Tanrial hummed then shrugged, “Fair enough. Rather avoid the same fate Frodo had in Lord of the Rings anyway. We’ll take turns then, swapping each day till we arrive, how ‘bout that?”
Both Mike and Bernon nodded their agreement, although Mike looked a bit confused at the book reference. "Sounds good to me," Bernon said, heading into his room. "I'll meet back up with you guys once I'm done packing and we can figure out who carries it first."
"Sounds good," Tanrial gave them both a two fingered salute, "Meet you downstairs soon." She said before walking to her room, starting to pack.
Mike was, of course, the first one to finish, and his footsteps thumped down the stairs after only a few minutes. Bernon took his time, however, making sure that he not only had everything, but that it was arranged neatly inside his backpack where he could find it easily. He carefully wrapped the map, his sketchbooks, and the data drive in leather to protect them, then nestled them carefully among his spare clothes–except the data drive, which he left out for the moment.
Tanrial made sure everything was somewhat neatly packed away but didn't worry about it too much. Everything was there so why worry? She changed into a dry pair of clothes before she headed back downstairs.
Mike was sitting at the table again, an he nodded when he saw her, then went back to checking the accuracy of his new compass. "You know, to be honest, I'll be glad to get back on the road again. This village is great, but I'm not used to staying in one spot for so long. I'll bet Bernon's getting restless too–we're both still more wanderers than settlers. How do you feel about it?"
Tanrial shrugged a shoulder, sitting down opposite him, "I used to be a traveler, before all of this happened. But you learn to settle down after a while. I missed traveling, that's for sure, but I don't mind staying in one place, been doing it for a few years now."
"To each their own." Mike put away his compass and took out a tiny sewing kit to examine next. "Back before I met you guys, I tended to keep moving because I could rarely tolerate human company for more than a few days. And to be fair, they could rarely tolerate me. I wasn't exactly a socialite like Bernon." He paused thoughtfully. "I'm not sure when or how I got better at living with other people, but it's definitely been a recent development. I probably have you two to thank for that."
Tanrial smiled and sent Mike a wink, "I mean if you hadn't been dragged into all of this you never would have met us and would probably be wandering by yourself so yes, you do. You're welcome."
"Thanks," Mike said dryly. "I wouldn't have known what I was missing, either. You remember how aloof I was when we first met. I wasn't exactly looking for friends back then."
"What are we talking about?" Bernon asked as he walked down the stairs and joined them, heavily loaded down with his backpack and the spare supplies.
"The benefits of being forced to travel with others," Mike said, making room for Bernon at the table. "Did you already pack your share of the rations?"
"Yep." Bernon dumped down the packaged food in front of them. "So all this should be split semi-equally between the two of you, although I guess Mike can probably carry more, as we said earlier."
Tanrial hummed and nodded, starting to dish out the food as evenly as possible on the table in front of them all, "Well, I'll split them evenly first and we can go from there, figure out how much extra you're gonna carry, Mike."
(I gotta work all day today, seeya tomorrow)
Mike nodded and helped her sort the provisions into two piles. As they were doing so, Rebka approached their table with even more food.
"Da said to give you all this," she said as she set the carefully wrapped and preserved food down. "I hope it helps out on your trip."
"Thanks so much, Rebka," Bernon said gratefully. "Tell your dad we owe him one."
Mike nodded. "Tanrial, I'll take this new food on top of my pile, and that should make us even, agreed?"
(Aight, see you tomorrow)
Tanrial looked up and nodded a little, “It should do, yeah. Sounds like a good plan.” It didn’t take long until the rations were evenly sorted, plus Mike’s extra’s to balance it out.
Mike added the supplies to his backpack and zipped it up tight, then stretched. "And now that's done. The only other thing I can think to do so we're prepared for tomorrow is have a little supper and then go to sleep."
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not all that hungry," Bernon confessed. "That was a pretty big lunch we had. I might head upstairs a little early myself."
"I might have some tea or something, probably not much food. Like you said, we had a big lunch." Tanrial shrugged, placing the food in her own bag.
Mike nodded. "I'll have tea too. Good night, Bern."
"Night. Oh, what time are we getting up tomorrow?"
"Let's say about sunrise, maybe a little before if you can manage. I'll see you then."
"Sure." Bernon waved and headed up the stairs, yawning. "Sleep well, guys."
Tanrial waved goodbye before turning to Mike, “I’ll go get us some tea then. Be right back.”
"Thanks," Mike said. "Will you also thank the bartender for all those free nights in our rooms? I don't know what we would have done without this place."
Tanrial nodded, "Will do." She said, standing and heading over to the bar.
The bartender saw her coming and was already pouring her a cup of tea. "Let me guess. Tea, hm? Anything else for you tonight? We're well-stocked now that most of our guests have gone."
She held up two fingers with a smile, "Two cups, actually, if that's possible. Mike would like one as well," She said, leaning against the counter, "And we have everything else covered. Thank you, for letting us stay here for free, as well, we really appreciate the kindness and you've been a huge help."
The bartender obligingly poured out two cups, nodding. "It's nothing. After what you three have done for us, I'd say giving you bed and breakfast makes us about even." He put the cups on a tray with honey and milk and handed it to Tanrial. "I hope your journey goes as well as can be expected, and that you find the place you're looking for without trouble."
Tanrial chuckled lightly, accepting the tray gladly, “Suppose that’s true. But again, thank you, we wouldn’t have been able to help without the kindness you and everyone else in the village showed.”
"I guess that's what happens when people know how to work together." The bartender gave Tanrial a gruff smile. "Enjoy your tea now. And tell your friends we appreciate them too."