Shortly after his youngest went off with Jieun to find her a new spirit, Rowan began the arduous task of heading towards where the Wanderer was currently staying. He slowly made his way across the clearing, using his spirit beast as a crutch to help him move. He knew that he should probably just let Bough carry him the whole way, but he wanted to move mostly under his own power whenever possible.

  He’d been trying not to let it show to his family, but the loss of his leg was really getting to him. He knew it was a normal feeling. Lucius’ father struggled with the loss of his hand at a young age, and at one point he’d talked to the both of them about it. One of the things he’d said had stuck with Rowan, but only now was it truly registering.

  The worst part wasn’t the loss, it was the brief moments of forgetting.

  More than once now he’d tried to stand, only to stumble or fall over in shame.

  It was difficult to undo a lifetime of habit.

  As he drew closer to the Xin family home he brought himself out of the funk he was in as best he could. This was an important conversation he needed to have, and he needed to be at his best for it.

  For the sake of his youngest child’s future.

  He knocked firmly on the front door and awaited a response.

  After a few moments with no reply he tried again, with a bit less confidence.

  Was she out visiting her snake spirit beast?

  After the third round of knocking he at least heard a disgruntled shout from somewhere in the home, so he patiently waited for her to open the door.

  Eventually the door opened to reveal Scholar Mu in a somewhat disheveled state. She was rubbing the sleep out of her blue eyes, and without her hat Rowan was able to see her short and frizzy copper hair.

  “Waddya want?” She said quite irritably. “‘Sfar too early for guests. Haven’t even made me tea yet.”

  Rowan looked at the sky, idly noting to himself that maybe wanderers didn’t get up at sunrise like most common folk.

  “Apologies, Master Wanderer. I didn’t realize you’d still be sleeping. I can come back later if you want?”

  He noticed her eyes briefly glancing at his stump of a leg before she let out a breath.

  “Bah, it’s fine, I’m already up anyways. Come on in, I’ll put the kettle on.”

  As she went back inside Rowan followed as best he could, leaving Bough to wait and graze outside.

  “You haven’t got yourself a crutch or sumthin’ yet?” Mu commented as she watched him awkwardly make his way to the central table.

  “Don’t need one.” He said with a grunt as he settled down in his seat, with the wanderer just giving him an unconvinced hum in reply. She started a fire and set a battered kettle on a hook above it.

  “Would ya’ like some of me tea? Cultivated the leaves myself! Fair warnin’, the taste is pretty shite, but it wakes you up like nuthin’ else.”

  Rowan thought the offer over for a few moments before eventually shrugging. “Sure, if you’re offering.” He wasn’t particularly tired, but some extra energy likely wouldn’t hurt.

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  Mu began puttering around, gathering a mixture of foodstuffs from either her bag or from the few bundles that had been provided to her by Rowan’s community.

  “You eaten yet?” She asks as she placed the collected food at the table, and all but collapsed into her own chair.

  At his nod she let out a sigh of relief and began tucking in to the haphazardly assembled meal. “That’s good, was plannin’ on eating all of this meself anyways.”

  “I take it you’re not a morning person?” He idly questioned, deciding to save any serious discussion for later, preferably after Mu had drunk her morning tea.

  “No sane person is.” She replied with a snort through a mouthful of food.

  Rowan felt like the farmers of the world would disagree, but held his tongue.

  The two of them fell into a mostly companionable silence as Mu finished her food, the kettle beginning to whistle as she wiped her hands and mouth with a tattered handkerchief.

  Scholar Mu cleaned up the various crumbs and detritus left from her meal and fetched some mugs. One carved of stone that was left in the Xin home, and the other was a battered and dented one made of metal she pulled from her travel bag.

  After placing those on the table she grabbed the kettle from the fire and pulled a cloth sachet from a pouch on her belt, carelessly tossing the sachet into the kettle and letting the tea steep for a bit before pouring it into the two waiting mugs.

  Rowan let it cool a bit before taking a sip, his face scrunching into a grimace which caused Mu to laugh.

  “Warned ya’ ‘bout the taste, didn’t I?”

  “It’s like you deliberately tried to make medicine taste worse.” He grumbled while taking another sip, he’s a guest and it’d be rude not to finish.

  The bitter brew seemed to almost immediately make Mu perk up, and by the time she was halfway through her cup she was ready for the meat of the meeting.

  “So what brings you here so early?”

  Rowan hummed a bit as he thought of where he wanted to start.

  “Why did you try to scan my youngest without her permission?”

  She winced. “Heard about that, huh? As I told her aunt, just simple curiosity gone awry. Nothing nefarious.”

  “And what would you have done if there was something strange about my daughter?”

  She sipped at her beverage, giving him a suspicious look.

  “Depends on how strange, but I wouldnae harm the girly if that’s your worry.”

  He gave her a measuring stare, briefly wishing he had Willow’s ability to read intention.

  “What’s the requirements for someone to join the Wanderers?”

  Mu arched a brow at the seemingly sudden shift in topic.

  “There’s a coupla different ways, but with your injury I don’t think you’d make the cut.”

  He shook his head. “Not talking about me.”

  “You really know how to pique a lady’s curiosity, dontcha?” She said with a smirk. “Guessin’ you think your kid’s some kinda genius and want to foist her off to somewhere she can grow all stronglike?”

  “Something like that.” He grimaced again, this time not from the bitter brew. “Some of the clans will likely be after her soon, if they aren’t already. I’ve heard tales of the Wanderers harboring such people.”

  Her smirk vanished. “We do, if they show enough talent to be worth the trouble, but we’re na a daycare. Haven’t heard of us doin’ such a thing for a brat like her.”

  “What if I told you her path isn’t something I’ve even heard of?”

  “I’d say you’re likely lyin’ to make your kid sound more impressive, or you don’t get out much. Plus it would have to be a helluva path to make it worth standing against multiple clans like you implied.”

  Here was the big gamble, hopefully it paid off.

  “She’s bound a spirit of almost every prime element. All she needs is a wood sprite.”

  That piece of information lit a fire in the Scholar’s eyes, and a wide grin split her face.

  “If that’s true then that’s absolutely fascinating!”

  She leaned closer across the table, an almost child-like exuberance taking over her features.

  “Tell me more!”

  Rowan desperately hoped he hadn’t just made a mistake.