Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 20)

"Vili, we can't--"

"Rugga!" The man, Vili, raised his eyebrows at her. "Times are changing. The world is ending. Perhaps we may have a hand in what the gods wish. We need to be very careful. Refusing their call could be dangerous."

"This is a child," Rugga scoffed.

“I’m nearly sixteen,” Rana sniffed, frowning at the lady. “Old enough for marriage.” Allegedly. She glanced at the man again. “You keep saying Rugga. What does that mean?” She didn’t recognize it as a name, instead thinking it was some sort of exclamation or slang she didn’t understand yet with her limited grasp of the language.

Rugga smirked. Vili pointed at her with a quizzical look on his face. "You've not been in the North long at all, have you? That is Rugga, just like I'm Vili. And that's Dimir." He pointed at the other man.

Rana glanced among them, committing the names to memory. She gave a hesitant nod. “Oh… it’s nice to meet you… are you… well known here?” She didn’t know why he assumed she hadn’t been here long. Were they local celebrities? Should those names mean something to her?

"Not at all, I shouldn't think. We don't stay anywhere long enough to be well known." He glanced at Rugga. "Should we...?"

"I think so." Rugga stepped back over to the fire. "Join us for dinner?" she asked reluctantly.

Rana looked amongst them. This seemed… weird. Hostility to the offer of a joint meal? Were they going to poison her? She hesitated. “Um…” the thought of going back to the stuffy Keep was unpleasant. “… I could hang around for a few minutes, I guess.” She took an uncertain step forward.

The trio seated themselves back around the fire, and Dimir took the leg off the heat. Rugga passed around some wooden bowls, and Dimir carved a slice off for each of them.
"What brought you north?" Vili asked Rana.

Rana was quiet for a moment, barely resisting the urge to stupidly reply 'my Father' that immediately jumped to her mind. She shuffled forward, awkwardly standing close to the ring but not actually sitting down yet.

"Um... my Father has business up here," she said carefully, trying to decide how much she wanted to reveal. She figured to a certain extent her clothes would out her as wealthy, but she also didn't want to willingly get herself into a ransom situation by being a bratty rich kid. "I was allowed to tag along to experience the culture of the Northern Realm."

Rugga let out a loud laugh that was more a scoff. "I'm sure that's a novelty. How are you finding our strange and savage ways, girl?"

Vili tore into his slice of meat, ducking his head so he wouldn't have to reach too far and combing his beard down to keep it from getting food in it.

"I don't think it's savage," Rana said quietly, sitting down on a nearby rock. She tucked her legs under herself politely, straightening her coat. "It's different from what I'm accustomed to, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's what makes people interesting. That we're not all the same."

"Well said," Rugga muttered, seeming disappointed that Rana had offered a good response. "You're the first Easterner I've heard to say such a thing."

"How long are you going to be here in the north?" the Dimir asked.