"Why have we stopped?"

They were mid-way through the thick pine woods, no where near any carriage stop. On top of that, it was nearing sunset, and the clouds that had rolled in earlier were now covering the land in a robust downpour. It wasn't Ydel's ideal situation, by any means.

"Don't get impatient," snapped the carriage driver.His boots made a squelching sound in the muddy undergrowth as he hopped down from the driver's seat. "Just need to check something."

Ydel sighed loudly, but said nothing, choosing instead to rearrange some of her packages to form a sort of lap-top platform she could rest her head on. It had been a fairly long day, and the sound of the rain on the leaves was hypnotic to the point of drowsiness. Her eyes lost focus amidst the grey and green that surrounded her, and her thoughts drifted over the day's course until they settled gently on the memory of Garrisson.

A soft, almost imperceptible sigh escaped her lips as she thought back to their chance meeting that morning in front of the bakery. They'd exchanged witty banter and subtle innuendos until his fiance - and her best friend - came out of the shop, arms laden with pastries, and whisked him away off to the next stop on their errands list. Ydel sighed again, this time a little sadly. Love was never simple, it seemed.