...and finds the group waiting for her.

Test Expected Scene (CF 5). 1d10=9. The expected scene happens!

Gilia arrives in front of the Crooked Cock just in time to see the four adventurers beginning to walk away from it. "Wait!" she cries.

The group halts, turning to view her with expressions that mingle surprise, wariness, and irritation. "We weren't sure you were actually coming!" Hal exclaims dryly. Then he takes her in, and he frowns sharply. "What are you...why are you dressed like you just got out of bed? Where's your gear?"

"I...I..." Gilia pauses, uncertain whether she should share the details of what her morning's been. "...I ran into some trouble," she says finally. When she sees Hal's brows climb, she adds, "It's done. I solved it. But...it made me late." She straightens, juts out her chin. It feels a little ridiculous, since she's nearly twice as tall as most of this group, but it helps her feel confident. "We can move on. I'm ready to go."

There's a long pause, then Hal shrugs. "All right!" he says. "If you're sure you don't need anything else...let's head out."

As the group sets out once more, Bodill pauses by Gilia. "These're yours," they say gruffly, dropping a pack on the ground that lets out a solid clank. "Cookin' gear." The dwarf eyes her for a moment, then shakes their head and says, "Take this, too."

They pass her a crossbow, and Gilia takes it gingerly in both hands. "Uh, thank you. I don't...I'm not really much of a shot."

"Better learn fast, then," the dwarf mutters, stumping away. Gilia sighs, hefts her heavy burdens, and follows the adventurers out of town.

They head into the forests outside Mudrin, turning off the road about a mile down to begin picking their way between the trees. "So...what are we looking for, exactly?" Gilia asks as they walk.

"A strange ruin is said to lie in these woods," Jamir explains. "Travelers who have seen it says that it gives the sense of a place of peace, but that it also seems to bend space around it, confusing them and getting them lost. I suspect a fey grove of some kind, myself."

"Oh, really? The fey?" Gilia asks, very interested. "Wow. That would be amazing!"

"Indeed, it would," Jamir says wryly. "Though my hope is that it would also prove lucrative. Those who are able to pierce a fairy's illusions oft come away richer for their trouble..."

"Fey are tricksy," Bodill grumbles. "Best be cautious."

"Don't worry, Bodill, we will be," Hal reassures them, sword in hand as the group trudges through the woods.