After a few moments of standing there in the clearing, lost in my thoughts, I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to see Elaris walking back toward me, her silver hair gleaming in the filtered sunlight that trickled through the dense canopy of the forest.
She had a mischievous smile on her face, the kind that suggested she had a plan something I wasn't entirely prepared for.
"Hey," she called out, her voice casual and friendly. "Garren said we're heading out to explore more of this forest, and we were wondering if you'd like to come along. No pressure or anything just thought it might be fun."
I blinked, surprised by the invitation. After all, I hadn't said yes to joining their group, and yet here they were, offering to include me like I was already one of them.
Part of me wanted to politely decline, go back to my original mission, and return to the guild to process everything that had just happened.