Somehow, the idea of stumbling into the woods late at night didn't really sit well with Joanne. Who knew what could be lurking in there, but more likely she'd just wind up getting lost and turned around in the darkness. Staying there by the road didn't seem like the best idea either. She was still near enough to the village for a search party to find her, and if they took her back, well... she wasn't sure she could work up the nerve to leave again. She was already feeling a bit homesick, and it was still just the first night.

Hefting her pack carefully, she took a deep breath before setting out again down that path, ignoring the aches in her legs and the burning of her muscles. Just a little farther and then she could stop. She had to keep telling herself that to push herself to continue on, and gradually it seemed to work.

As another hour of solid walking went by, with no changes in sight though, that confidence began to wear thin again. Just as she was considering slipping into the woods for the night anyway, she saw it. A glimmer of light up ahead. Some form of civilization. Her glee and anticipation was quickly tempered as she remembered that just because there were people ahead didn't mean that they were the kind of people she would want to run into. Warnings sprang up in her mind, the reasons she had always been told not to wander too far from the village. Bandits, slavers, thugs... and worse. Feeling a bit more cautious, she continued on toward that light, wary for any sign of life.

As she drew in closer, she began to see not one but many lights, all clustered together. Then a building came into view, the source of the lights. An inn-house. An immense feeling of gratitude and relief passed through her as she picked up the pace, hurrying in toward the building and through the door. Stepping in, she gave a soft sigh, smiling as the warmth and light from the fireplace met her, even if it was mostly just smoldering embers at that point. The large room she stepped into was almost completely deserted, most of the patrons having retired to their rooms for the night. Of those that were left, one small group of three cloaked figures were huddled together having their own whispered conversation; one woman was sitting at the bar, yawning softly and picking at her plate of food; and another woman was alone at her table, several empty tankards scattered across it as she lay there, snoring somewhat cutely. There was no sign of the innkeeper, though it sounded like she was busy in the backroom and likely would return before too much longer.