Departure

"Damn, you get paid 80 pearls a week and you mostly bought potatoes?" Lilin asked, "you should broaden your horizons!"

Annie shook her head, loading her bag onto the carriage. "I've eaten many foods in my time, dear, and I've found the best way to enjoy food is to feel like I deserve to eat it."

With a grunt, Annie got herself up and into the carriage as well.
"And, the best way to feel like I deserve it is to prepare it for myself."

Lilin rolled her eyes, vaulting into the carriage with one hand and a flap of her wings. "Whatever. I got myself some REAL food!"

She yanked the carriage door closed as she sat down, then reached into her bag and pulled out a large bag of dried meat. She tore it open and started to chew on it, grinning at the texture and flavor. Annie could see that the meat was tough, Lilin clearly biting hard into it and seeming to relish the challenge the food posed.

"Get a move on!" Lilin shouted to the carriage driver, banging a hand on the wall behind her.

"So... Do we know anything about this town we're going to?" Annie asked as she felt the carriage starting to move.

Lilin thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Not really. It's a town to the east, the people aren't paying up. Honestly, I might just wipe the town off the map and take the money they owe. Easiest that way."

Annie felt her heart sink. She kept forgetting how little death seemed to mean to Lilin.
"Now, now," she said, trying not to let the fullness of her disapproval show. "If the King wanted to destroy the town, wouldn't he have done it himself?"

Lilin looked up. She started to scowl, but she realized Annie had a point. Her scowl softened as she tried to think of a proper rebuttal.
"Well, maybe he just didn't want to waste his time and Mana on it!"

Annie shook her head. "No, Lilin. Wouldn't the King prefer to have the income from that town?"

"Well, maybe," she admitted, "but wouldn't it save more money to just not have a town there than it would earn with taxes? They're just farmers, anyways, we've got plenty more."

"If they're farmers, wouldn't that mean they're in the Life Belt? That means the King wanted a town there. Besides, wouldn't it impress the King more to know we were able to convince them to pay rather than just wiping them out?"

Lilin scowled, but started to mull it over. Annie was right on all accounts. The King absolutely could have wiped out the town himself and spared himself the trouble, but he didn't. But would he really be more proud of them if they convinced the people to pay up rather than killing them? Lilin thought about it, and realized it had been a long time since she was sent to talk with any commoners. Last time she was sent, she had killed a bunch of people. Maybe Annie was right, maybe the best way to gain favor with the King and get his attention would be to do that.

"Alright, fine," Lilin finally relented. "I'll just scare them into paying up. But the King had better be impressed by this, or else you'll be paying for it!"

Annie internally sighed with relief. She didn't like this tactic either, but it was certainly a far cry from wiping out the town and robbing the place.
"I think all they'll need is a stern talking to," she said passively.

"Oh, they'll get a stern talking to," Lilin said with a grin. "That, and then some!"

The ride was mundane. Annie thought it was quite novel to be in a carriage drawn by... Well, they were similar enough to horses, but not quite. The creatures pulling them along were in the general shape of horses, but had muscles like bulls and massive horns to match. They also had much larger and thicker tails. Regardless of what animal in specific was drawing the cart, it was still a comfortable little experience.

Outside the carriage, Annie recognized the Deathlands. They went on for as far as the eye could see, and Annie wondered if she'd be able to navigate through this if she needed to. It was easy to tell if one was going deeper in or heading outwards based on the intensity of the storm, but there was no real way to know if your path was going to lead to the castle or not. Annie shivered at the thought of having to walk through the storm, the carriage's protected cabin feeling quite cozy as it completely protected them from the rain and wind. How was the driver doing?

Annie stretched her neck a bit to try and see the driver. Surely they were sheltered from this horrible weather as well, right? Well, she was partially correct in that assumption. She saw that the driver was an aged man with a greying beard and a weathered face. He had a canopy over him and the sides of his perch were protected by a similar material as protected her and Lilin, but the front of it was entirely open. It was probably to allow him to give verbal commands as he drove, but it meant he was getting soaked!

...Or, rather, it WOULD mean that if the rain were hitting him. The man's face was wet, certainly, but most of the rest of him was covered by what seemed to be a waterproof blanket. He had draped it over his shoulders and done a clasp behind his neck to keep it secure, and it deflected the pouring rain effortlessly. Annie felt at ease, realizing that this driver clearly knew what this ride was like.

The driver looked over and noticed one of his passengers looking at him. He turned his head and spoke with a gruff voice.

"Everything alright back there?" He asked, his voice having something similar to a southern accent.

"Quite," Annie replied, "Are you alright up there, sir?"

"Yeah," he replied, sighing a bit. "This drive's never pleasant, but I've gotten used to it. Lemme know if there's any leaks or holes back there, you hear? I'm not looking to have any problems with the King, and all."

Annie nodded, settling back into her seat. The driver seemed to be a kind man. Perhaps the people outside of the castle were kinder? She'd had good experiences with Six and Deuce, and Lilin had her moments, but aside from them, Annie had experienced very few kindnesses. Well, there wasn't any point speculating on how people in this world would act, only time would tell. For now, Annie relaxed. She let the driver do his driving, and she closed her eyes to rest.

She wouldn't plan on the townsfolk being kind, but she could certainly hope.