A few of the leaders happened to be near the council tent, talking; a couple of the eldest leaders were sitting inside in the shade. The weather had been cooling as the season faded and the camp with Remal and Hin's people had been traveling northward, but it was still quite warm out during the middle part of the day. Where they'd come from, they'd been used to hot weather at the middle time of the year, but had been using mud-and-brick houses instead of the coarse woolen tents they now used while traveling, and a broad river had afforded lush vegetation. Without the brick houses and abundant trees, they'd often been dealing with improvising other ways to keep cooler in these drier, more open places they'd had to travel through in recent months. It had been a bit much for some of their elders, but many of them had fared remarkably well - in their seventies, the two leaders in the council tent were almost the eldest of all those in the camp, and a good couple of decades older than Remal's mother, that was for sure. In their youth, they had survived severe drought 'back home' and even traveled farther away from the village than most ever had before now, to find extra work to bring back food and trade goods to supply what their families lacked. Some of their elders who'd been only about ten years younger hadn't been nearly as hardy. They certainly had lost a number of them in their travels, including some who had been leaders; and some of the leaders now (especially the older ones and those who had gone most often to get water nearest the marshy-bordered lake) were among those who were the most sick in the camp.
Undoubtedly the leaders both within and without the council tent were talking about the sick people of the camp and how best to transport them away from the lake as soon as it could be done safely. They still had other matters to deal with, surely, but currently most of the leaders' discussion and efforts - indeed, that of the entire camp - was focused as much as possible on moving the camp and saving their ill... or attempting to save them. Any leaders not present or themselves counted among the ill were most likely helping tend the sick or preparing sleds and litters to add to the wagons to move them with, since those who took sick quickly became too ill to walk much - first being too nauseous and then afterwards too weakened.
As the two scouts neared with their visitor in tow, the leaders conversing outside the council tent had slowly realized there was a stranger among them, and Hin ran some paces ahead to give an exceptionally brief summation of the situation. Two of the leaders immediately ran off to gather others, and the third quickly ducked into the tent to tell the two inside while Hin returned quickly to where Emri was nearing the end of her slow walk to the tent with Remal watching her like a hawk.
Hin smiled broadly at Emri. “They’re getting the leaders all together - those that can come, of course - so you can tell them how you want to help the Healer, and ask them about whether you can travel with our camp for a bit.” He seemed rather optimistic and hopeful, though Remal wasn’t quite sure if he should be.
In rather short order, about a dozen leaders were assembled inside the tent, sitting on plain three-legged stools in something like a rough half-circle with the visitor sitting opposite, a scout on either side of her, also all on the same kind of stools. Remal had thought their visitor appeared uncertain whether to be glad of a rest from walking and standing, or not. Emri seemed to sit as awkwardly as she walked, or maybe it was uncomfortably - if she was suffering some kind of infirmity, it surely wasn’t aggravated exclusively by standing or walking. On the other hand, thus far she didn’t show symptoms of suffering the same illness as any in the camp, which he wasn’t sure was either good or bad.
Remal half-expected the leaders to begin with the questions that he and Hin had tried asking Emri already, but for the most part the leaders thought of different things to ask, or asked in more direct ways. Different leaders asked questions as they came up, quickly and as efficiently as they could. The answers they received tended towards using what seemed like as few words as possible, or not enough.
What was her name? Emri? Just Emri, nothing more than that? Alright, then. What was Miss Emri’s profession? She was a student, an apprentice? Of what? The study of nature, living things, plants… not something they had heard of as a profession, did she mean that she was studying herbs and medicines, apprenticed to a Healer? Partly, perhaps mostly, in a way, but not exactly… they weren’t sure what she meant by that, but that was enough about that topic for the time being. They really didn’t want to drag out the meeting, they had a lot to do. Oh, she’d heard? Of course, that’s what the scouts had started to say she wanted to help with - so she had already collected some herbs she believed would help their sick people? No, none of them wanted to take the time to examine the herbs now, they’d leave that for their Healer. So, why was she traveling, was she far from home, how long had she been traveling alone? She was traveling to study, she said, examining the native plants and animals of the area, and she was quite some distance from home, it wasn’t nearby - in answer to the leaders pressing for more specifics, she did say that home, for her, was not one of the nearest settlements to here. She was so vague about it and hadn’t even bothered answering about how long she’d traveled by herself or how far she’d actually traveled, that they left it alone from there, for now. Fine, then, the question remaining was why she’d want to travel with them. Emri replied with the simple answer she had already given to the scouts: that it was safer to travel with a group. To that she actually for once added information she had not been specifically asked to provide, saying that she knew the area and could help them find food and water, in addition to knowing what plants grew in that region which were good for medicine.
Surprised, Remal looked more closely than he had been at Emri’s face, seeking any sign that she was making that part up just to persuade them to let her travel with the camp. Her face was as impassive as ever, even her eyes looking steadfastly ahead at the leaders in front of her, waiting for their reply. Remal couldn’t read a thing there, much to his irritation. He glanced at the leaders to see if they seemed to be leaning towards allowing her to stay or not. Some seemed more inclined one way or the other, but many of them appeared to Remal like they were undecided. A few whispers passed quickly between some of them, and one of the most senior leaders said:
“We have many factors to consider before coming to a final decision whether you can be allowed to travel with our camp or not. For now, you may take the herbs you have gathered to our Healer to examine and appraise. If he wishes to use them, or for you to help him in any way, we will support that based on his judgment. Provisionally, that is, unless we decide that you must go regardless.” With a semi-formal gesture of dismissal, the short impromptu meeting was over… or, at least, the interview portion of it was. Most of the leaders might plan to stay and discuss things amongst themselves since they happened to be conveniently all together at the moment.
Emri seemed slightly hesitant or reluctant to stand up again, but Hin offered her a hand for a moment and gave her an encouraging smile as she stood, telling her not to worry and that he expected she’d be allowed to stay and travel with their camp a while. He added that he was sure she would like the Healer - a man named Faver Laeron - and that pretty much everyone got along with him.
Remal had thought he and Hin would both escort the young lady to where the Healer was working, but as soon as they were dismissed, a slight flurry of quick whispers and gestures among the leaders brought two of them nearer: one of the middle-aged ones - a hearty smiling woman in her late thirties named Rinna - and the other was Aron Spelal, youngest of the officially recognized leaders, a man near Remal’s age who had grown up with him and who pulled him aside while the older leader patted Hin on the back and started up conversation jovially while linking arms with both Hin and Emri and setting off in the direction of the Healer’s tent. All the while, Remal noted that until she was pulled along to go meet the Healer, Emri hardly moved except to flick her eyes back and forth watching the movements of the other people as the meeting broke up, and once or twice she stretched the fingers of her hand that wasn’t occupied with holding the sack that she’d been collecting herbs in.
“If I might speak to you a moment, Haelson,” Aron began, speaking slowly as though to allow the others time to move farther away, “I have some matters to discuss with you.” He was slightly younger than Remal, a couple of years at most - but that still put them in the same generation that had grown up together in the village they’d come from. About half the people in the camp were from the same village originally or had moved into it at some point, and the other half had moved away with them from farms and hamlets in the surrounding area. Though they were not all related, the village had been small enough that most people initially had known everyone else at least a little bit, and those who weren’t related usually had enough of a social or business connection that if they weren’t friends they at least regarded each other the way others might view not-too-distant relatives. The same was true of most of the people who had come from the surrounding area, with many having been related to or regularly traded with the people from the village.
“What is it, Spelal?” Remal asked slowly, not sure he was going to like whatever it was. The two usually got along alright, but Remal wouldn’t be quick to call the other man a friend - a fact which although not lost on Aron Spelal, wasn’t always regarded by him, either.
Aron looked towards the three who were receding from view to see how far away they were. Remal glanced that way as well, then back towards the remaining leaders, who had circled their stools and were talking quietly. He looked back as Aron finally spoke up again.
“You’ve got a sharp eye, Remal. What do you think?” He gave a slight nod towards the visitor and her escorts.
Remal raised an eyebrow, surprised that even the youngest of the leaders would ask his opinion. He was sure the others were already deciding for themselves whether to let the girl stay, and the only opinion they might wait on before making a final decision as a group would be that of the Healer or the middle-aged woman who had walked off starting a conversation with Emri and Hin. Remal guessed the point was more for that leader to get more information about Emri, than to help escort her to the Healer. Still, once asked, Remal would give his two coins’ worth on the subject.
“Of the girl? I think if she’s from around here, she should go back home. She might know the plants around here, but I doubt she knows anything of the terrain. Either that, or she’s unwell and a liability. She could hardly walk along the hillside without help, even the flatter ground was giving her trouble. She claims to be well, but I don’t think she can be trusted at her word. She was avoiding direct questions and vague with anything she did answer. I want to make sure Faver thoroughly tests anything she recommends before giving it to any of our sick people. For all we know, she could be some unhinged mischief-crazed child under that-”
Aron guffawed, banking Remal’s flood of opinion. “Child? You mean mentally?” He said it like it was the funniest thing he’d heard all week, and suddenly Remal thought he must be picturing the girl as an escaped invalid who any moment would turn into a frothing maniac. That wasn’t really what he meant, but…
Aron laughed, slapped Remal on the arm, and said, “I take back what I said about you having a sharp eye.” He managed to stop laughing, and added: “That girl must be almost as old as I am. She’s got a young-looking face, I grant you, but for her to be as tall as she is... if she’s a child, then the people in this region must be unusually tall. And she might not have much of a figure, but she looks full-grown to me. If she isn’t, I’ll eat my shoes. And if she’s still in her teens as well, I’ll eat my socks for dessert.”
Remal frowned and muttered while the other man went on, and when he finally paused, Remal stoically insisted: “Her age doesn’t matter. What you should have noticed is the way she looks at people, and how her face hardly has any expression at all. That and her evasiveness. There’s something just not right about her.” Nevertheless, what Aron had said did get him thinking. Why had he been more inclined to think the girl was younger than she looked? Or that she looked younger to him? It must be the way he had seen her young-looking face first off, and leaning over instead of standing up straight at her full height… and the way she had moved, walking around up on the hills - or slipping on them. The way younger animals are more awkward than older more sure-footed ones. Something about her just seemed… what was the word for it? Inexperienced, out there in that setting, no matter what she might or might not know about plants in the area.
Aron looked serious, now, too. “I did notice, that, yes. She’s very… almost looks emotionless. That’s why I wanted to know what you might have seen. Was there anything else odd, unusual, that you noticed? Anything at all?”
“What?” Remal muttered, then said, “No… wait, there was one other thing: she seemed confused at first by the way we talked, but maybe she was just getting used to hearing a different accent than what people in this region use. She doesn’t really sound like she has a very strong accent though, just… I don’t know, but she talks a little bit odd, too. And I wouldn’t say she’s emotionless, just that she doesn’t show it anywhere except her eyes.”
“Hm… well, I agree with you that there is something odd about her, or multiple odd things. But I’m not convinced that means she can’t be trusted. Maybe she’s just uncomfortable around new people, and she might not be all that strange for the customs of people in this region; we really haven’t met local people from around here yet, they could seem quite foreign to us. And maybe she can’t go back wherever she came from; she may know of some danger that she is simply unwilling to talk about to people she just met. We could learn valuable information from her, if we can get her to say more. Perhaps between you and Faver, the two of you can get her to talk a bit, if she hasn’t already opened up to Rinna.”
“Oh, so you want me to go along to meet them over there after all?” Remal had half-thought the entire point of delaying him was so he wouldn’t follow over to the Healer’s tent - especially since he didn’t really think the other leaders would care too much what he thought.
“Certainly.” Aron said, with a little bit of a mischievous look that gave Remal pause. “I think you’re right about our visitor Emri showing some emotion in her eyes; judging by the way she looked at everyone present, I would say it seemed that she finds you intimidating for some reason.”
“Ah.” Remal said, with a tired sigh. Just like a camp leader to ask him to play up something as if he was their trained pet. “You mean to see if she’ll talk to Faver just because he’ll seem really nice in comparison. Like when children tell everything to one parent they think they can get sympathy and protection from, because they’re afraid the other would get mad and punish them.”
“Maybe you should become a teacher, training apprentices.” Aron said with a grin. “Since you haven’t got children of your own to deal with yet, but seem to be developing a knack.”
“Oh no, not me.” Remal declared quickly. “Just because I understand one thing doesn’t make me an expert on youngsters. Hin’s the one to talk to about children.” Remal was annoyed, especially since he knew it was just another hint that the leaders thought he should be married and starting a family by now. Had they been talking to his older sister again, or what? They had better not have been bothering his mother over the subject, or he’d be really annoyed with them.
“Besides, who are you to talk about it?” He couldn’t help throwing a dig back at Aron, though he knew it was mean, since the younger man had been married for a couple of years and hoping for children, but had lost his wife along with the others the camp had buried after crossing the desert only a couple of months ago. Not enough time gone past, he realized too late, and Remal didn’t dare try taking the words back now or saying anything else, which would likely make it worse. He hurried away quickly, not wanting to find out whether Aron was getting angry or sad at that moment.
