Haley leaned into the coach as it moved forward on the dirt road. The sound of the wheels was almost hypnotic at this point, she could get lost in it for moments; but she had to stay alert. She pulled her coat around her and looked in the back of the coach. A young girl with dark skin, almost barely a woman, sat in the back. A bright red jewel was embedded in her chest just under her neck, it flared with her heartbeat glowing warmly in the shade of the compartment. Her golden circlet sat on her head, a shining emerald settled on her forehead. The girl smiled as she noticed Haley's glace, her green eyes shining with youth and happiness, she waved. Haley waved back with a smile then turned to put her eyes back on the road. The sun was slowly going down and soon it would be time for the caravan to circle up for the night and make camp. Haley tightened her grip on her glaive and scanned the surrounding area for any signs of danger.
Her eyes settled on another one of the caravan guards, a hired hand like her dressed differently from the Haldean security. His black hair had streaks of dark green around his face, it was wild and unkempt stopping at his shoulders, he walked with a curious sort of bounce to his step. They hadn't spoken but she had kept an eye on him. Something was strange about him; he kept to himself, didn't speak often and didn't seem to wear armor instead favoring loose almost older clothing. His skin was a darker complexion, like the Haldean high born. Though his style of attire suggested otherwise, she couldn't quite place it or even if it was regional, it could have just as easily been attire cobbled together from his travels. He was tall easily 6ft and some more muscular, toned and probably tough. She thought he was cute, but hadn't really had a chance to speak with him at length. He ate away from the group and slept on the outskirts of camp didn't even use a tent, just in the open air sometimes with a covering if the weather was slightly wet or in one of the caravan wagons if it had been pouring. His features were unlike Haldean, a bit wider and less pronounced. She couldn't really place him without asking, but it was fun to pass the time to think about it.
Aside from the Haldean guard there were only a few extra hired hands. There was herself, the stranger she had her eye on, a masked Arborfolk and what she could only guess was his daughter who also wore a mask, a one armed swordsman, and a dark but shiny Kelekona; extra hired hands assigned to specific parts of the caravan. They had been on the road a few days and while they hadn't really exchanged words she thought they were definitely the most interesting. She wondered why she wasn't more interested in the Kelekona it was a strange creature with its elongated reptilian head topped with two crests along the top of its head and shrinking down it's back and shining deep blue and purple scaled skin, she did want to touch it though that was first in her mind when she saw them, she wondered what sex it was there were no markers that she could identify, maybe the crest?
She fell into her thoughts while keeping her eyes on the road until they began to circle up for the night. Haley slid down off of the cart as it moved off the road taking a stand on the side of the road to watch for anyone coming along the road. The one armed swordsman was to her right scanning the horizon. The other guards made motions to bring down the camp and set up for the night while her and the other odd ones kept lookout on the outside of the ring, but only until camp was set up, these were indeed their most vulnerable times when hands were busy and people were attempting to settle in and those she guessed were the things they had been hired for.
When the tents had been put up it was their job to wait until the guards had eaten and then they would take their place along the perimeter for the night watch and they would go into waiting for the morning, they weren't necessarily off duty, just on light duty to be tapped if a situation arose in the night, they were also bodyguards for the important people in the camp so they were more useful in the camp rather than on the outskirts during the night where everyone was in the same place.
