The rhythmic clopping of the horses' hooves and the steady creak of the wooden cart wheels filled the air as they left the last outbuildings of Oakrest behind. Seraphina sat rigidly on the driver's bench, her hands holding the reins with practiced, if tense, precision. Adam occupied the space beside her, his posture relaxed in contrast to her knightly stiffness.
The silence between them was thick, broken only by the sounds of travel and the muted conversation from the back where Elise, Lilith, and Ignis were settled among their packs.
'This is awkward...' Adam thought, staring at the road ahead. 'Maybe I should just go sit in the back. But if we get ambushed from the front, I need to be here to react first...'
"Hey..."
Seraphina's voice, tight and formal, pulled him from his thoughts. He turned his head slightly. "Yeah? What's up?"
She kept her eyes firmly on the road, her profile sharp. "Thank you," she said, the words sounding forcibly pushed out. "For your... hard work."
