Excalibur

Briar nudged her back with her hip, and the little handmaiden could see the happiness in Briar, the companionship. This was far beyond anything Lia had experienced before, and she cherished every moment with Briar. Her Mistress, her friend, her protector. She was something special and cherished in this world.

When they arrived at a point Briar approved of, Lia quickly got to work helping her unfurl the net. Briar expressed a hope it wouldn’t get washed away, and Lia watched her Mistress dip a toe in the water. “Just don’t try diving in after it!” Lia teased as Briar came back to the netting. No doubt if her lady got swept down the river, Lia would have to find a way to fish her out - and without having learned to swim, that was bound to be a recipe for disaster.

Manipulating the netting just right to get it into the water turned out to be a bit of a mission, but Lia was good at reading the cues of others, and Briar was strong and sure. Together they made a good team, and the net was cast.

As Briar took watch by the netting, the little handmaiden gave a quick glance at the netting and then to her Mistress. She hoped nothing would go awry while she was herb gathering… but Briar was right, the pack needed it. She didn’t venture too far away from Briar as she started to search for herbs. Her ill-fated search for flowers wouldn’t be soon forgotten.

She had gathered a small bundle when Briar’s voice summoned her back. Returning at a brisk trott, she dutifully grabbed the offered end. When indicated, the handmaiden pulled, equally as surprised by the difficulty of it. Not wanting to disappoint, she leaned her weight back, putting her back into it with a grunt. Then suddenly, it gave way! Lia toppled with a little noise of surprise, already stammering an apology “Mistress, i’m sorry, I-” the old habit dying hard before she saw there was no blame in Briar, only disappointment at the broken net. She still felt a little miserable at this venture going awry, she earlier happiness seeming to have evaporated from her Mistress's face. “It glinted like metal, Mistress. Perhaps some sort of debris?”

"Speech"