Tirzah liked the riverlands. Easy walking, plenty of food. All she had to do was make sure she didn't bother any smugglers and keep Motley in line and she was set. Low standards ahoy, sure--but that just meant she was harder to disappoint, right? Right. She had more fun that way.
At the moment, she was on one of the river roads. Motley was trotting beside her, looking as interested in the surroundings as he ever did. Which wasn't much, really. He was mostly cat. (She'd long ago gotten used to the fact he'd gone and gotten personality on her; she guessed he was somewhere between a hound and a baby human in terms of smarts.) People kept giving them odd looks. Half of each look was for her, given she was pretty much a bean bobbing in a sea of milk, and then their eyes flicked downward and took in the patchwork creature at her side, and she smiled and waved because when you were the odd one out you had to be polite, especially if you wanted people to give you money.
Of a sudden, Motley bolted off through the crowd. Tirzah was about to call him back--no matter how curious the damn fool was, he wouldn't be able to disobey her. But he was just heading for the edge of the road. And it wasn't like she was in any pressing hurry to get somewhere. The only important place this road went was Selevea, and she wasn't quite ready for the big city yet. She needed to warm up with an inn or something first. So she ambled after him. He was sniffing what looked at first glance to her eyes (not the best, she'd be the first to admit) like a pile of rags. "Oh, leave it, ya fool," she said, rolling her eyes. He did that sometimes, got real interested in the most ridiculous things. Raising was such a crapshoot. "Heel."