10th of Winter, 516 AV
Sloane woke slowly, her mind sluggishly making it's way back to the land of the living, feeling almost as if her body and mind had a disconnect to bridge and mend. She ached all over, her muscles strained and tense, her skin bruised. The skin over her knees, elbows and hands was raw and broken in place's, still healing from the various tumbles and falls she'd taken in the Sea of Grass. Groaning, the young woman rolled onto her front, burrowing her face into her bed roll and wrapping her arms over her head. The previous days had been nothing but fear, pain and panic, to the point that Sloane was left totally drained and emotionally exhausted. She simply wanted to be left alone.
It was not to be however, and the low noise of her tent flap opening and closing caught Sloane's attention. She hurriedly pushed herself up and flipped over, drawing her knees up to her chest protectively. She felt safer with the Firelash Pavilion than she had in day's, surrounded by powerful and competent horse-lords, with little risk of bandits or animals getting to her, but the Pavilion brought a whole slew of new fears for Sloane. The foremost of those fear's was the men; they were large and rough, hardened by decades spent surviving in the Sea of Grass, and Sloane knew that she'd have no chance of stopping or deterring them should they decide that she was a target after all. It was only Whayhana though, and Sloane relaxed, body unfurling from its protective position slowly as the older woman ducked under the flap, allowing it to fall closed behind her. As far as she could tell, Hana was the only member of the Pavilion that could speak Common with any reliability, and the older woman seemed to have taken it upon herself to help welcome and settle the younger woman, taking her under her wing.
"Morning meal." She said in her deep, soft voice, holding out a wooden plate laden with meat and flatbread. Sloane accepted it hurriedly, stomach growling, but paused before eating it. "Thank you." She tried, her Pavi weak, and her Grassland sign even worse. Hana reached out and corrected her with gentle hands, but shook her head slowly. "No need sign. Formal sign only." She murmured, but looked appreciative anyway. Sloane nodded and dug into her food, expecting the other woman to leave. Hana didn't however, and watched silently, clearly waiting for Sloane to finish so that they could speak more.
Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts
