[color=999933]"Wolf's bane,"[/color] the small woman mumbled as she rifled through the shelves. [color=999933]"Yes. Bogwart, yes. Firelash... Why in the name of all that's holy do I even [i]have[/i] firelash?"[/color] Grimacing, she discarded it behind her, letting the bottle smash against the floor as she hastily went about gathering up essentials.

At a whopping five feet and one inch tall, Gabriela had to stand on a footstool to properly search through the highest shelves, and she was doing so busily. Bottled liquids and pouches of ground herbs were being thrust quickly into her bags. She was being very choosy about what to bring, not wanting to weigh herself down overmuch. At least, that was her intention. In reality she was snatching up anything remotely useful because she didn't have the time to weigh what would be useful and what would not. Almost everything in her laboratory had a use.

[color=999933][i]And of [/i]course[i] it's going to be confiscated to make some midwife's hand grease,[/i][/color] she thought bitterly as she stepped down from the shelf, [color=999933][i]or some idiot is going to try and make tea out of the basil and lavender.[/i][/color]

Gabby sighed and looked around the room. It looked like looters had been through it already, which they hadn't. Gabby had found things she wouldn't be able to take with her - furniture, excess cutlery, those bottles of wine Marius had stashed in the broom closet - and sold as many of them as she could, knowing she'd need every last coin. It wasn't as much as she'd have liked; only a few people had the means of taking a lot of that extra baggage with them, and they knew the sellers were desperate. Still, it was enough to last her the journey at least, and she'd made sure to put the most valuable coins in the hidden compartments in her boots.

There weren't many preparations left to make. Gabby tugged her gambeson on - [color=999933][i]A great lot of harm [b]this[/b] will stop,[/i][/color] she thought pessimistically to herself - and tightened her belt a notch. She made sure her focus crystal was still where it ought to be, and it was: on a chain dangling from her wrist, hidden under the sleeve of her tunic. She felt the familiar, latent energies inside waiting for a strong mind to wield them, just as she always did. There were a few other things to bring: a snack for the road, her morningstar...

Gabby looked once more around the room as she headed for the door. She thought about her old mentor, how this was probably the last time she'd be in a familiar place for a long time, and how she hadn't visited his grave since last week. For a fleeting moment, she thought of going out to visit that place and give him one last farewell. He deserved that.

But then she thought about the coming armies of orcs and the grand Varyan legion, and she settled for a half-assed, two-fingered salute before rushing out onto the cobbled streets as quick as she could. Marius would understand.

The road was only somewhat busy, but that was probably normal for a city in the latter stages of an evacuation, Gabby figured. So was thievery. She kept a close eye on her things, carefully keeping a hand on her morningstar as a warning to anyone that wanted to try playing cutpurse. Someone, of course, [i]did[/i] make such an attempt. A kid of around thirteen or so ran up to her and tried that pickpocketing trick Gabby had been victim to before: the bump-and-grab. So, when he got too close, Gabby jabbed her elbow into his side.

[color=sienna]"Ow! Watch it, lady!"[/color] he rasped.

[color=999933]"Watch yourself,"[/color] Gabby snapped back, picking up her pace. She didn't want to get caught in a conversation with a scamp. He slowed down and eventually turned back, apparently not ready to leave the city yet. Gabby left him to his business.

A few more minutes went by; Gabby managed to get out of the city gates. The caravan wasn't that far ahead, though the sight of it actually made her heart sink. It was nothing more than a few measly wagons and a handful of armed guards, a small group weighed down by supplies, easy pickings for even a small force of raiders or bandits. As if that weren't enough, those who were her age or even younger were hefting weapons around... which, to her, suggested the guards were expecting kids to join in any fight they got into.

[color=999933][i]Here lies Gabby Varanus,[/i][/color] she thought bitterly to herself. [color=999933][i]She joined up with a small band of runaway nobodies and got murdered by her own people. The end![/i][/color] Nevertheless, she liked her chances more with a few more warm bodies holding sharp sticks nearby, so Gabby fell in with the others, overhearing what was probably some sergeant (judging by his scarred face and his armor) rambling at some young boy with blonde hair, probably a rich merchant's son lucky enough to have some real armor. Gabby's father had an old suit of armor back home, in fact...

But hey! The boy looked impressionable, roughly her age and well equipped. Gabby made a mental note to try and make a good first impression with him; knowing someone rich enough to have his own suit of armor, and perhaps someone skilled enough to use that sword in his scabbard, could be a good thing.

[color=salmon]"Alright!"[/color] the maybe-a-sergeant barked, [color=salmon]"Are we ready to head out?"[/color]

Gabby started to reply to that, but got the impression he was checking with someone else in the caravan - probably someone checking the supplies or the like. So, instead, she glanced up at the sky, trying to get a good idea of what the weather she was going to be like. Then, she realized something.

[color=999933]"Damn it,"[/color] she grumbled. [color=999933]"I didn't bring a cloak."[/color]