Ulmus

Your character has just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As they look around, their gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. They duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? She begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” ((How do you respond?)) Lavandula looks about the tent with interest, poking one of the suspended candles with evident curiosity. He appears to be humming softly to himself, briefly distracted until the hag loudly clears her throat, “Ahem”. “oh apologies” Lavandula politely smiled, as he slightly bobbed his head in apology, quietly making his way towards the cushion, he soon sat down on the cushion in a relaxed manner, fidgeting with a bracelet around his wrist, composed of varying wooden beads, each seeming individually carved, he looked up to the roof of the tent, never really making eye contact with the hag. The hag drummed her fingers expectantly against the withered armrest of her chair, the audible creak of the chair, or maybe her back as the hag leaned back into her chair. “Well? Out with your story…” She grinned, perhaps already guessing what it may be. “My story? “ Lavandula asked, genuinely confused, shifting on the cushion to a more comfortable position. “I guess I don't really have a story.. Not yet anyway?” He would shrug, sitting up, chewing on a dried fruit from his pocket as he spoke. “I mean, I only recently left my village” Lavandula placed a handful more dried fruit in his mouth as he continued to talk “I'm hoping to see and explore the wider world, perhaps secure passage to Azuras, selling trinkets and such I make in the towns I travel through” He smiled politely at the hag “sorry I don't have much of a story to tell” Lavandula rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he slowly stood up, stretching* After a brief silence Lavandula spoke, with uncertainty as he adjusted his hair, moving it to the side. “Maybe i’ll try to settle in a city, though i’m not too sure…” He shrugged, clearly unsure of where his journey might take him, slightly anxious about the unknown. The hag cackled, loud and hearty, "Perhaps next time we meet you'll have a story to tell, no?“She waved him off, a polite sign that it was time to go, or maybe she was just bored with him. “Until then.” Lavandula nodded, waving politely as he left, seeming a little less nervous about his future travels. As he was about to exit the tent, he paused, planting a wooden bead on the cushion, responding to the hag’s comment cheerfully. “Until then.” With that, Lavandula went on his way, venturing out to the swamplands, occasionally looking up to the empty sky.