HAVE FAITH !

Licia knows.

Rather, she doesn’t know about the surprise waiting at the bottom of the basket, specifically, but she has the certainty that this lovely little gift has to contain at least one small reminder of dear Pate’s passion for explosives. His expertise in setting traps would almost be praiseworthy, wasn’t he always, to some degree, taking occasions to aim it at her.

“Thank you, Pate,” she says, amiable, the smile on her face a curving of lips wholly void of pleasure. Cautious, the cleric lowers the whole thing to the ground, and when it doesn’t bursts into flames and black powder, she takes a step back, and another, and another. “Blessings upon you.”

“Oh?” Pate’s brow is quirked already in amusement but he eventually followed Licia’s line of sight. Oh, my. The poor ‘dear’. Pate lifted a hand to his lips in a quiet chuckle. “Those little beasts really are ferocious aren’t they? Can even best a mighty warrior.”

Crow feet formed at the corners of her eyes; there was no sound as she covered her smile behind gloved knuckles, her laughter silent but palpable. It’s the small things. Sometimes, a day could improve by sharing a chuckle with a friend. Specifically, a chuckle prompted by quietly enjoying the misfortune of others.

“It sure looks like so. I’m willing to bet on the piglets, again, but that would be an easy win, wouldn’t it? Ah. If only those undead stayed down, after being shot, or sliced, or mauled. Maybe there would be a corpse for us to loot. But no. They need to make our lives difficult.”

She sighed.

"Hrm."

“...Hmm? Pardon me, I was... absorbed in thought. Like yourself, no doubt.”

Likely. She can’t make anything out of that single sound. Is it a pensive hrm? A way to snap her back to focus? Something else entirely? Wandering warriors were their own, mysterious species. Monosyllabic at best. Entirely nonsensical more often than not.

“Hmm? What are you up to?”

"The usual, Pate.”