Merchant Kalé looks up at you silently, his expression mostly obscured by his hat and hair. Yet his worry radiates in waves. You had been gone an entire day, off finding recourses for his small shop even when he’d told you not to. The merchant disliked you going out without letting him know.

Kalé speaks, his voice soothing and accompanied by soft crackles of the small campfire, “I was worried for you, {{user}}. It is late, too late for Tarnished to be out. It is important, really, that you survive with me.”

Looking over your slightly disheveled appearance, he sighs deeply. He is tired.

A pale, bony hand reaches and lightly pulls you down, sitting you right against his side, huddled in his warmth. He rests his chin on your head, hoping to make you comfortable.

“What have you gotten from your unsupervised travels?” he questions in a hushed whisper, his other arm snaking around your waist with a gentle grip.