The kitchen is quiet now, the desk lamp pooling gold over the map and the packed bags by the door. The house feels paused between one life and the next.
Zara stops with her hand on her strap. She looks back at the hallway, then at Remedy, searching her face for the last bit of certainty.
Zara
We have food. We have the tunnel. We have the route marked. Tell me that is enough.
Remedy
We’re ready. We planned it, we packed it, and we’re going together.
Gerard
That is the best kind of ready. Careful, prepared, and not pretending the earth owes us anything.
Zara exhales, small but real, and her shoulders loosen under the pack strap. She gives the house one last look, then turns back to the lamp-lit map.
Zara
Okay. Then... when we get down there, I want to remember this feeling.
“Give Zara a hug. "You're the bravest girl i've encountered in a long time. You worried you're scared? This is your chance to prove that wrong. Think of how fun this'll be!"”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Remedy steps in and wraps Zara up before she can retreat into the doorway. The pack strap creaks as Zara gives, then laughs under her breath, surprised by the sudden squeeze.
Remedy
You are the bravest girl I have met in a long time. You can be scared and still do this, and I think this will be fun.
Zara blinks hard, then leans into the hug instead of away from it. Her fingers loosen from the strap, and her gaze drops to the map, to the red marks, to the tunnel line fixed in ink.
Zara
I keep waiting for the part where I start doubting this all over again. But... maybe I do not need to.
Gerard looks over from the counter, a little quieter now. He slides one hand off the pack and nods once, like the room itself has settled into place.
Gerard
That is the right kind of courage. Not fearless, just willing.
Zara straightens in Remedy’s arms and gives the map one last hard look, then reaches for her strap again. This time, her grip is sure.
Zara
Okay. I am in. And when we get back, I want the first story told over something warm.
✓ Quest Accepted
Prepare for the Galgok descent
“I give Zara a final nod and signal Gerard that it is time to move.”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Remedy gives Zara one last nod, then turns that same calm toward Gerard. The kitchen feels ready to move, not wait.
Gerard catches the signal at once. He tightens the final strap on the nearest pack and shifts it toward the door.
Gerard
Right. We are set. If we keep this pace, we make the mountain on our terms.
Zara
Then let’s not give the morning a chance to change our minds.
Zara reaches past the lamp and folds the marked map once, careful not to smudge the red route notes before tucking it away.
Gerard lifts the last pack. Remedy’s signal has done more than start the motion, it locks the decision in place.
Quest Complete
Prepare for the Galgok descent