[b][i](in response to Robert)[/i][/b] [@wierdw]

The woman contemplated Robert in silence for several moments after he finished speaking, varied sentiments shifting in her eyes. Finally, she let out a sigh that whispered of uneasy resignation.

"...So, you have come for these 'words of warning', then? If I were to deliver them to you in thunderous decree, would you heed them? Would you truly reconsider the path you unwittingly tread?..."

Curiosity flickered in her otherwise grave expression. She glanced away, and her voice adopted the polite detachment of a shopkeeper.

"Bandages and salves, we've plenty. Cloth and linen; ointments for broken tissue; balms for infections; antitoxins for the local fauna." She seemed to shrug without moving her body. Meanwhile, the small girl that had been in the corner appeared all too suddenly to place the respective items onto the counter in front of Robert – substances housed in miniature bottles and kits with homemade labels.

The elderly woman turned back to Robert, the look of appraisal returning. "I won't waste my breath trying to steer you from your course. If you insist on going to those cursed ruins in search of your missing mark, I'd only advise that you are fully prepared to meet the same fate as she did…"

Subtly, she wrung her hands, fingers counting over a bracelet of beads around her wrist. "...Let us hope that you, too, do not end up among the 'missing'."