[ there aren't many things that Rudbeckia will hesitate to do in the name of her own survival, but out of everything, putting the responsibility on a young girl to protect her... kind of makes her feel like a scumbag. she's well aware that there is probably some manner of fantasy genre bullshit going on, and it means that this kid is a thousand times more capable than someone like her could ever hope to be—in which case, it's not much different to being protected by Endymion or any other squire.

... it still doesn't feel good, though. they should take extra care to avoid running into anyone else so that nothing has to happen. ]

Um, I'm not entirely sure... [ it's a habit of hers to deflect in this way, carefully side-stepping the consequences of a more certain statement. ] Although, it seems likely that everyone went right to the kitchens to gather food, so shall we look for blankets instead?

[ for all appearances, Ruby is carefree as she walks alongside Gray, her fingers laced together behind her back and her steps light, almost skipping. ]

It's quite cold, and we're going to be here a while.