Yuki is by herself as far as warriors go. So, she does her best when they reach the campfire to look stern and a bit dour. She’s not really sure what dour actually looks like though? How many times do you sit around and think to yourself that you want to look dour? Outside of trying to be somebody’s bodyguard, it doesn’t really come up. She thinks it looks sort of frowny, but like, without trying, like if you could frown with fewer muscles and without actually looking sad but just kinda not happy instead. Mostly she looks like she’s pouting though.

Of course, there’s not much reason to actually be guarding anybody on the Roads. The meal ritual is part of the travel and it’s very rare to have fights here. Certainly, nobody would actually try to assault a merchant on the Roads, they’d put such a huge target on themselves for everyone else everywhere. Travel had to be safe. So guarding was more of a theoretical thing. It just felt right with both Anna and Magasha at another camp. She was the only guard, so she had to look guardy! Guardesque! Like a guard!

But, when the announcement is for Heron herself, the great hero of the ages, well, it’s hard to hold a pouty dour face. Instead, her tail flips up in excitement. Before she can think the better of it, she gushes “Oh gosh, I never got to meet you the last time I was here!” Suli coughs, and Yuki blushes. “Um…that is, this is m-my um first ever errantry and um, I was busy with training when you last came through Kel, and I’ve only ever visited Aestival once before, s-so I’ve never met the Hero before and it’s a very great honor. We are merchants returning to Aestival after the Crevas festival. I have taken a contract to protect this honorable trader and her servant and see that they come to no harm during their travels.”

She offers a belated bow. “Um, as to your granddaughter’s request. We um…well I suppose I don’t know what animals count, but I was at the er, the light crown ceremony in Crevas and there was a very strange large and heavy crow that arrived during it and transferred the power of light into the golden fawn that everyone seems to be hunting now. I um, imagine that would be interesting. Oh a-and thank you for sharing your food your um…h-highness…hero-ness?”