Tala was taken aback. She was trying to manipulate him, it's true, yet she did not expect to be so...successful. She had expected uncomfortable, placating response, as most would give to a crying criminal. And then Tala could curry a favor or two. Not one where she was immediately validated and assured. And there's just something about the way Lucan said it. Something gentle, strong, and sincere.

She let herself be pulled into his arms and hugged him back. Tightly. The warmth of another person... Tala had almost forgotten. As if being offered a fancy meal she normally wouldn't get, Tala greedily took the hug, not even savoring it.

"This is the first hug I've gotten in years. Thank you." Tala chuckled in her tears. She felt her eyes dry out, her crocodile tears stopping. What she felt was not relief. It was fear.

Why is he so kind? What is he thinking? Is he trying to manipulate her? What's happening?

She felt him pull away and her stomach dropped. She began to panic. This situation was unfamiliar. It was not supposed to happen like this. She was supposed to have control in this 'play'.

Tala's eyes followed Lucan's fingers as he moved to wipe her tears. Her expression betrayed her. Fear took over her eyes as she made eye contact with him.

"I-" Tala choked and inched away from him. "Ah, I'm sorry. I'm just overwhelmed." She gulped, avoiding eye contact as she tried to quell her panicking thoughts. "By your kindness. You're really kind."

It was a defensive mechanism. As Lucan spoke his promise, Tala immediately knew she had to run away from him. She did not want to know how he planned to achieve it. She was scared of even thinking about whether he meant it or not. It's better to not think about such things and let herself hope. At the moment, Lucan was too much for her. She needed to be away from him, and just rely on herself, just as how she was used to.

She could secretly leave tonight, when they stop to camp. Or she could leave when they're outside the city walls, that would be safer for her. Her stomach twisted as she thought of Barley's promise. A clean bed, a peaceful home, and a proper warm dinner. She wanted it so badly. Perhaps she should stick with the plan after all. At least until she experienced those things, just for one night...then she'll leave.

Lucan let her go through her emotions, he hadn't a clue that she was potentially trying to manipulate him. He just saw a sweet girl that needed help.

He cocked his head at her apology, shaking his head after. "No need to apologize, It's okay!" he smiled softly, he wanted to make her feel safe with him. He knew it wouldn't be easy but she deserved some help, she didn't deserve to go through life alone all the time.

It was starting to dawn on him how real all of this was now. His comfortable life in the wy of money and food was over now. He knew it wouldn't be easy to adjust but he was determined. He never wanted to go back, each time he felt a pang of guilt about leaving he remembered how his parents treated him and forced him into things that weren't true to his nature. He didn't want an army, he didn't want to hurt or kill anyone!

"You've done very well Tala, I don't know many people that would've made it that long in prison. Most would give up and wait to die" he spoke honestly, it'd be a harsh shock for any law abiding sun elf to end up in her position. Even the sun elves that broke the law had better prison conditions and he didn't think that was fair!

Tala smiled at him. This time her expression didn't give anything away.

"I'm tired, Luca," she said, leaning her head on the carriage wall. She closed her eyes, expecting herself to think for hours until they need to stop and camp. But exhaustion took over her and before she realized it, she fell asleep.

The carriage went on through the forest without a hitch. The day grew darker with every passing hour until eventually darkness wrapped around them and they were forced to stop.

The human men, Barley included, got out of the carriage and began building a fire. The moon elves all were similar to Tala, out cold. Elves had lower stamina than humans, and casting a spell in the middle of daylight took a lot of energy for the nocturnal moon elves. Tala remained sound asleep. In the dark, her skin glowed ever so slightly, silver like the full moon above. Moon elves emit a little light that one can only see at night. It was not enough to light the way, but it was enough to make them visible up close.

Tala was dreaming of a raven haired woman with dark purple eyes, easily mistaken for black. In the flickering candlelight, however, those intelligent purple eyes captivated Tala. She could not make out what the woman was saying. But she knew the woman was teaching her how to read, both hid in the attic, and Tala never felt so happy.