"Indeed it is! This is for you. Ah, it's a bit heavy. Would you like me to put this somewhere? Oh, or perhaps you have some smaller bottles to split this all up into? That may make it a bit easier to handle, I suppose." Beist responded cheerily, lifting the bottle slightly, showing it to Orym.

The bottle was nearly as large as the Halfling was, and almost entirely filled with the heavy green liquid. The great beast man could carry it easily, but he doubted his small friend would be able to even lift it off the ground. It would be best if he placed it somewhere for him or poured it into multiple bottles for him. He didn't want his friend to be injured dealing with such a dangerous material thanks to him. Beist suddenly grew a bit uncertain, his ears and tail drooping.

"Ah... Is this too much? Maybe I should have brought less. This isn't even half of what was collected, though..." he mumbled. He had debated with himself how much of the collected rain to give to his friend, not wanting to be stingy with it, but also not wanting to be overbearing with too large of a gift. Now he though he may have made a mistake in his calculations of how much he should give. Perhaps this large bottle was far too much. It was a bottle to the giant man, but it would be more accurate to call it a jug for anyone else. He forgot about his skewed sense of size.

"I knew I should have used a smaller bottle."

Orym looks at the bottle he holds up with a smile, the wrinkles beneath his eyes lifting as he laughs softly. The droop of Beist’s tails and ears don’t escape him— but truly, he doesn’t mind. The old man shakes his head, smile still warm. “Actually, it’s perfect.” he answers, holding up one finger to signal Beist to wait, while he retreats back into the wagon he was about to leave.

Leni-Aura waits patiently at Beist’s side, looking up at the liquid in the bottle, while Orym rummages about inside. Her ears perk when she hears him call, “Leni! Help an old man out, would you?” She bounces up into the wagon with a single leap ⁽¹⁾, and disappears inside to join Orym.

The two halflings return eventually; Orym carries some rather lovely decorative bottles, while Leni-Aura carries two others. Together, they look like they should be able to hold most of the liquid that Beist has collected; and Orym seems quite cheery as Leni-Aura crowds her bottles together in one hand, and helps him down the steps. “You can never— thank you, Leni— have too much acid when it comes to alchemy. Good, natural acid is so hard to come by.” he chuckles, setting down each bottle in a line.

Leni-Aura looks at his line quizzically, then steps forwards and mimics his placement of bottles. Orym smiles gratefully at her, before looking up at Beist. “A little extra could never hurt; it really is such a useful component, isn’t it? Even in herbalism, it helps to dissolve or soften some of the hardest materials for their uses.”

---

^{(1) Long Stride}

Beist was relieved to hear it. His ears and tail perked up again as his uncertainty was washed away. He was glad to hear how much the herbalist appreciated the gift and how useful it would be to him. He sat down with a small smile and began to distribute the acid into the many, much smaller bottles with the help of Leni and Orym. For someone so large, he was surprisingly nimble with his hands. He'd had years of practice with being an alchemist. Pouring liquids was an easy task and he had not lost his skills when he had grown. In fact, they may have even grown now that he had an extra pair of hands to work with.

With all of the acid decanted, he wanted to help put the bottles all away in Orym's wagon, but stopped himself. He assuredly wouldn't fit inside the Halfling's wagon and would likely just be in the way of Leni who was already assisting Orym with it all. He picked up the large, empty jug that looked like a bottle in the giant beast man's grasp and gave a small wave.

"I'm happy that you will have plenty of use for it! I'll head back now and see to it that Dora and I are prepared to set off. I haven't gotten her into her harness yet, ah, I wanted her to have a little time to spread her wings before we go... She was all cooped up last night... Hopefully tonight's weather will be kinder and she can have some time to fly." he said, his tone shifting from happy to a bit sad and back to happy again as he finished. He looked to Leni as he mentioned flying, wondering if she'd like another ride on the griffin's back.

Beist made his way back to his wagon, his large stride making the walk short, and went to Dora who was sitting at the front of the wagon, waiting for him. He gave her some scritches under her chin and some strokes of her large beak and some pats on the back and some pats on the top of her head, spoiling her as much as he could with all of his hands. She playfully bit at his horns while he gave her so much attention while he chuckled. After a few moments, Beist stopped and Dora released his horn.

"Alright, it's time to get ready to go. We don't want to keep our friends waiting, do we?" he said as he began to get Dora into her harness. She calmly allowed him to strap and buckle her in. With that finished, he sat down at the front of the wagon and waited for the caravan to start moving.

After a moment, Beist suddenly remembered the little Drake still snuggled up against his stomach and looked at the little drake-shaped lump in the front of his robe. Nimbus even seemed to have started taking a nap at some point without him realizing, a small, chirp-like snore coming from the lump.

"I had better bring you back to Leni, haven't I? Though, maybe she appreciates the break, eh? You little trouble-maker." he joked quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping drake. Maybe he could just wait to bring Nimbus back until he woke up, or Leni came by looking for him. He'd hate to interrupt their nap time and thought Leni might not mind him watching him for a while anyways.

Orym takes the time to help Beist distribute the acid into the ornamental, smaller bottles that he and Leni-Aura had taken from the wagon; Leni-Aura watches at first, pacing curiously around them— but eventually settles down to assist when she thinks she’s observed long enough to get a handle on it.

By that time, Beist and Orym have done most of the work— but she does manage to cap one bottle without hurting herself. Orym smiles, thanking her as she places a cork in the top and looks at him as if seeking his approval. He nods, looking up at Beist as he starts to speak. “Oh, I most certainly will! Leni and I will go ahead and put all of this away.” he says, smiling at Beist before gathering up one of the smaller bottles.

Leni-Aura picks up the others, looking towards Beist when he mentions Dora needing to stretch her wings. “Maybe… the weather will be better tonight.” she agrees, “So she can stretch her wings. May Avasha be merciful.”

Orym nods his agreement; Leni-Aura offers a last glance at Nimbus, who’s beginning to doze in Beist’s clothes; and the two parties separate for a time to take care of their respective business. Together, it doesn’t take long for Leni-Aura and Orym to organize the new additions to the caravan; placed carefully on the lower shelves, and braced by hand-crafted holders to ensure they don’t tip; they’re safe for the bumpy ride ahead.

---

As the moments pass, the caravan still lingers and prepares— but preparations are obviously almost complete; and as Nimbus is spoken to, he shifts slightly; he snuggles against Beist’s fur and curls up tighter. Not long after, Leni-Aura arrives from the merchant’s caravan, her paw-steps quiet against the harsh earth. “Beist? You still have Nimbus with you, yes?” she asks, ears flicking slightly when she notices the small lump in the front of his robe. It doesn’t take long before Nimbus’ tiny chirp-snores fill the air; her gaze softens somewhat.

“Maybe you should keep him with you for a bit if he’s asleep; but, the caravan is ready to start moving when you are. They think it’ll be another few days or so until we reach the border of the Frost Gale.”

"Yes, he's right here. He's sound asleep. He's in good hands, I assure you." Beist answered Leni with a small chuckle at his own joke. He spoke in a whisper, not wanting to wake the little drake up. "We are all ready to leave now." he let Leni know so that she could convey it to the rest of the caravan.

Once the message had been passed along, Leni came back and sat next to a delighted Beist at the front of the wagon. He was happy to have her company again, but Orym was too busy to return with his duties as the leader of the caravan. He had already spent the previous day shirking them to spend time with his fellow plant enthusiast and was now needed to run things smoothly. A little sad, but understandable. Still, Beist was happy that Leni had wanted to travel with him again, and she had even brought some snacks with her for Dora.

With Nimbus napping in Beist's robe, the caravan soon started moving again. Dora pulled the large wagon along at the back of the line, the griffin keeping pace with the horses. Beist spoke to her and Leni a bit less than he usually would as they travelled since he didn't want to wake Nimbus, but he still kept up some quiet conversation. Though, the conversation was mostly with Leni since Dora couldn't speak back. Dora was used to that and she enjoyed it anyways, listening to the conversation and looking back over her shoulder with a small screech in response to a question or statement every now and then or rolling her eyes at Beist's fatherly humor. After a while, Nimbus awoke with a little yawn and their head poked out from the beast man's robe.

"Ah, look who's awake. Did you enjoy your nap?" Beist asked after feeling the movement of the drake and looking down to see them yawning. He gently pet the drake's head with a finger with a smile on his face. The drake answered with their usual happy chirps and climbing out onto Beist's lap to stretch.

“I know.” Leni-Aura answers simply, nodding with her words. If there is anyone she trusts with Nimbus, it’s Beist; although, she can’t explain why… by all accounts, she feels it awfully soon to admit that she trusts the great beast man— but she has met him on numerous accounts, and he has always been… in many ways, he has always been a little like Orym.

She trusts Orym.

Leni-Aura blinks when she hears Beist’s voice, and nods at Beist’s confirmation; and with that, she spins around and heads back to the caravan to give them the okay… only to return by herself to Beist’s wagon. She hates to admit to him that Orym will be busy in the other Caravan, but Beist seems only a bit disappointed. She decides to stay— for Nimbus, of course— and no one else, even though she did also come back with a small pack full of snacks for Dora by chance.

Once Beist is ready to go, and Dora has been fed some snacks, Leni-Aura hops up into the wagon to let Dora take over. For the most part, it’s fairly quiet; Beist speaks sometimes, and she answers back to the best of her ability.

She’s no Orym, though, so her knowledge on plants is extremely surface level. She doesn’t mind listening to Beist ramble, though; she’s leaning her arms against the window of the wagon when she hears Beist speak. “Ah… he awakes.” she murmurs, watching the little silhouette of Nimbus crawl out from Beist’s robes to stretch. Nimbus takes his time stretching his back— winged claws extended much like a cat might stretch— before he rises up to two feet and squeaks up at Beist.

After a moment, he looks around, as if searching for something— and when he finally spots Leni-Aura— he peeps at her excitedly. He flutters up onto Beist’s shoulder, leaning his head out to receive a fond scritch beneath the chin from the rabbitaur. “Good morning, mati.” she greets him lazily; she listens to the drake’s happy, rumbling chirps— until he’s had his fill of attention from her, and turns back to Beist with curious squeaks.

Leni-Aura rolls her eyes, watching idly while Nimbus scrambles back onto Beist’s lap, then wiggles his haunches— intending to fly out to Dora. “Troublemaker.” Leni-Aura mumbles, her voice full of affection, despite the exasperation in her tone. “How do you handle something so troublesome? He's like a child; always running away and running around. I worry when he gets too big, he won't listen to me anymore.”

As if he listens to her now.

Beist chuckled as Nimbus leapt onto Dora's back. The griffin looked over her shoulder at the little drake, but continued walking , diligently pulling the wagon. She didn't mind Nimbus playing on her back. She even played with him a little as she walk, stretching and folding her wings for the drake to run onto and off of like a game.

"He certainly does seem a bit rambunctious sometimes, though I wouldn't say I really deal with it. All he ever wants to do when he's with me is sleep inside my robe. He treats me like a walking hammock, doesn't he?" Beist laughed once he finished his joking complaint about Nimbus treatment of him. He really didn't mind it. He was actually a bit glad the drake did so, since it made him much less troublesome on the occasion that Leni let him hold onto the tyke who he enjoyed the company of even if it was just their little chirp-like snores.

"He certainly does remind me of a child, or, well, maybe a cat with wings and the intelligence of a child..." Beist chuckled.

"I'm afraid I don't really have experience in raising children. I never did have any of my own. It's difficult for Werebeasts to find love for various reasons. And they're a handful to raise! I know my mother had quite the time raising my brother and I. Complained that raising us was practically like raising two bear cubs!" Beist laughed as he reminisced.

"Ah, my apologies. This is about Nimbus. Let's see... Have you tried looking for books about raising drakes? I've heard of knights who ride on adult drakes. Maybe one of them raised theirs from a baby. They could have written a book about it?" he suggested. "Or maybe try training him with treats. He reminds me of a cat. Maybe you can use similar tricks that they use to train cats." Beist mumbled, trying to think of anything that might be of assistance before looking at Leni with a warm smile. "But you know, I think you're raising him just fine. He knows when to be serious. And the rest of the time, he's just enjoying being young, isn't he? There's nothing wrong with that. You could try to do it yourself a bit more." He finished jokingly with a chuckle, but on the inside was serious. He wished the warrior would relax a little more and enjoy being young, something he had neglected to do. He didn't want to watch her make the same mistake he had.

Leni-Aura’s lips quirk up in a smile as she watches Nimbus prance and run across the griffon’s wings— she’s glad Dora’s not still mad about him launching himself onto her this morning. She looks back to Beist when he starts talking, and rolls her eyes at the mention of Nimbus treating him like a hammock.

“He does seem to like your robe.” she agrees; pretty soon, Nimbus will be too big to jump around on even Beist like that— or on Dora, like this. The thought makes her a little sad while she watches the drake’s eager pouncing. “I do not think I have seen such a cat, but I have seen children.” she muses idly, not really making the connection. She turns her eyes back to Beist when he mentions children, though.

He’s never had children?

He seems like he would be a good father.

“...Were you a… troublesome child?” she asks, brows furrowing at the mere thought of Beist being anything than what he already is. She just can’t imagine him being anything of the sort, when he is so calm and collected as he is now, but then again, even Orym could tell unusual stories from his childhood that don’t seem like they’re quite the same….

Then again, even she was different as a child.

Happier.

She blinks, looking back up at him as he continues. “I cannot read.” she answers simply, ears flicking slightly at her admission. She looks down. “Though, I have heard of the Drake-Riding Warriors before.” she trails off, considering his advice. “I do not know if he could be trained like… a cat... but maybe.” Can cats even be trained? Every cat she’s met seemed quite aloof, or bloodthirsty in the case of the Displacer Beasts of the Moon Glade.

She blinks at the drake, brows furrowing slightly when Beist mentions enjoying being young— and that she could try it herself. “What do you mean?” she bemuses, “I’m not a child anymore; I don't have time to frolic or play. I am fine.”

Beist gave another hearty chuckle.

"Isn't every child at least a little troublesome? Though I must admit I was much quieter than my brother, I still got into my fair share of trouble."

Beist was surprised to hear that Leni couldn't read. He had assumed as the assistant of a scholar, she must have at least basic reading skills, but he had been wrong. How did she do her duties as his assistant if she couldn't read? He'd have to ask Orym about that later. In the meantime, he felt a bit rude for assuming something incorrect.

"My apologies. I shouldn't have assumed you could. I'd just though Orym or someone else on the caravan would have taught you. Well, if none of them want to teach you, then I'll just have to do it myself." Beist looked at Leni with a kind smile. "If you'd like me to, that is. I could even teach you while we travel. Dora is quite dependable, I don't need to use reigns or anything. I have some books in the wagon I could use to teach you. Of course, it will certainly take more than a couple of days to fully learn how to read, so you'll have to continue your studies after this trip is over with someone from the caravan." Beist started to ramble on, excitedly planning out lessons in his mind before even receiving an answer of whether Leni would like him to teach her or not.

“I suppose so, it just seems so…” she trails off, looking at Beist from the corner of her eyes. “...I can not imagine you getting in much trouble.” she finally admits, her voice almost sheepish when she gets the phrase out. Leni-Aura shuffles her paws against the floor of the wagon, ears laying back slightly when Beist regards the caravan. “They have tried,” she answers, idly plucking at the strap of her pauldrons while she speaks. “... But learning common was hard enough. I am not patient.” Leni-Aura’s gaze drifts away while Beist continues, offering to teach her to read with the books in the back, but she’s not… really sure she can, honestly.

She thinks back to all the times Orym or Alara had tried, but she had exploded on them in return— too frustrated, embarrassed, and ill-tempered to continue when she would make her repeated mistakes.

At some point, they had respected her wishes and stopped trying.

She breathes a little sigh, “I appreciate, but I do not know if that is a good idea.” she mumbles, “Not a good student. I have never needed to read before, and I think it is fine if I never do.” She shakes her head, looking back up at Beist. “I fight, anyway... What good would it do to read for a warrior? I could be doing other more useful types of combat training.”

Beist's eager planning of reading lessons was cut short as Leni shot down his offer, giving difficulty and her own impatience as excuses. Beist's tail that had been swaying happily behind him sank down and dangled limply behind him. His ears drooped and his face was filled with disappointment.

"I'm... disappointed to hear that. I suppose it's true, reading may not be the most important skill to have in a fight, but it is a very important skill to have regardless! And you're more than a warrior. You're also an herbalist's assistant, an adventurer, and Nimbus's caretaker, aren't you? Wouldn't reading help with all of those?" Beist asserted, looking down at Leni sadly.

Beist looked away and put his hands on his lap, weaving his fingers together. He felt a bit embarrassed now, preaching like that. He hoped Leni wouldn't think badly of him for talking down to her so much. He just hated to hear her giving up on herself. Even if she didn't need reading for her daily life, he believed it was a wonderful skill to have and was disappointed to hear her saying she couldn't do it. He felt maybe he should apologize for sounded so high and mighty, but couldn't bring himself to. He also felt everything he'd said was true. He looked back to Leni

"I believe you can learn to read, even if you don't think you can. Do you really not want to try?" he said, not looking toward her.

Leni-Aura blinks a few times when the tone of Beist’s voice changes so suddenly; he sounds… sad. Something about it makes her heart flutter guiltily; her shoulders drop when she peeks up at Beist, only to see him looking back down at her with an expression full of sadness. It shakes her composure; she opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out; so she closes her mouth, and looks down at her paws with a gloomy expression.

She starts to run her fingers through tangled locks of brown hair, ears lowering slightly while she considers what he’s saying. She’s… not really an herbalist’s assistant; she helps Orym sometimes, but mostly by sight. She supposes she could be considered an adventurer, and she is Nimbus’ caretaker, but… she frowns, uncertain how to respond when she feels as heavy as she does.

It’s like Beist cut into her with only his words; it… it stings a bit to know that she might have let him down, even over something as miniscule to her as reading… But she does think, and she does consider, all the times it would have been nice to know how to read.

She furrows her brows, thinking of Nimbus— and if there is something out there… in writing… urgh…

“...I guess I could try again.” she answers hesitantly, her ears lying back flat against her skull while she speaks. “I’m… better at common now, so… maybe it won’t be so hard now…” she trails off, looking hesitantly up at Beist, as if seeking some kind of response from him. She really doesn’t want Beist to be upset with her, but she just… “What kind of books do you have to start with?”

Beist's ears and tail perked up a bit as he heard Leni speak, but then drooped again with guilt as he saw her ears flattened against her head. He supposed his ears and tail weren't the only ones that might betray their owner's emotions sometimes, though Leni clearly had much better control over hers. He felt a pang of guilt for making her feel bad and fumbled around as he tried to find the proper words to apologize.

"I- uh. I'm sorry... I didn't mean to guilt you into doing something you truly don't want to do. I just... I was sad to see you not even want to try, I suppose. I feel everyone should want to improve themself, don't you? I really would be happy to teach you, but only if you actually want me to. I'd never force you." Beist spoke slowly, thinking about the words before he said them but also being genuine. He gestured with his hands awkwardly, unsure of what to be doing with them as he spoke.

Dora watched the whole awkward exchange over her shoulder as she walked, her eyes narrowed while Nimbus continued playing around on her back and wings obliviously.

Leni-Aura blinks, taking a soft breath while she tries to find her words; it’s… hard.

It’s hard for her to be honest and transparent. It doesn’t come easy. She would rather tuck away and let the feelings eat at her soul until she simply cannot stand it anymore; like she had once upon a time. Like they’d let her do without pressing her.

Slowly, she shakes her head.

“May I be truthful?” she asks hesitantly, tail twitching slightly. “... few of my warren know how to read. They think it unimportant, because it will not aid a warrior on the field of battle.” She blinks slowly, plucking absently at the cuffs of her gauntlets. “I was trained to fight. I was not trained for much else. I did not focus on much else.” She looks back up at him. “I had never left Dragon Cradle until I did; it is hard to know what was important and what was not at first. Reading was not important to me, but people here are very different. I fought Orym a lot because of it; it is habit, sometimes.”

She seems to be struggling to explain herself, but she seems to be genuine— at least in wanting to communicate something about her reluctance into the matter. “But I think I understand a little better than I once did… I think... but I am still learning.” she adds, her ears slowly perking forwards when she looks at him. “So, I would like to try again... If you will teach me?” She looks down at her paws sheepishly, ears lowering again— though, this time, in slight embarrassment.

"Maybe it would be a surprise for Orym."

Beist smiled and placed a giant hand on top of Leni's head, patting her head and ruffling her hair like a proud father. Dora slowed her gait, already knowing what was about to happen.

"A welcome surprise, I'm sure." he said before hopping off the side of the bench. "I'll get the books!"

Beist went to the back of the wagon while it was still moving and stepped into it. After a moment, he handed a book through the front window to Leni. And then another book. And another one. After stacking four books on the seat, he reappeared at the side of the wagon and climbed back up with a grunt. Dora quickened her pace to catch back up with the caravan.

"Alright, you said you were impatient, yes? Then let's get started right away! Before this trip to Frostgale ends I'll have you able to read so well, any scholar in Charon would want to hire you. And while you're learning to read, might as well learn to write too! Reading and writing go hand in hand, like mmm, striking and blocking with a spear!" he stated as he placed a small slate and pencil in her hands.

"Yes, I hope you're ready for this. I show my students no mercy." Beist only half-joked. He may have been gentle and understanding, but he had high expectations for his student that he wouldn't allow to be unfulfilled. There was a fire lit in his eyes as he looked at Leni confidently.

And so began Beist's grueling reading and writing bootcamp.