Han and Liszendir stayed in the inn at Hobb's Bazaar for only a few more days, until she had begun to recover her strength, at least enough to travel.  During the long walk, her wrists had started healing, but they had not been reset properly, and so, although they were regaining their function again, especially with the enforced rest Han was insisting on, she would bear the mark of their disalignment the rest of her life.  Liszendir offered no more intimacies, and Han cautiously avoided any situations likely to produce them.

When she announced she was ready, together they took the money Han had made and bought up a store of provisions and a pack beast, a drif, similar to the ones of the team which had pulled the wagon to Hobb's Bazaar.  This one was slightly smaller, however, and it definitely possessed a livelier personality than either of those in the team.

Neither Liszendir nor Han were particularly knowledgeable with animals; but with much trying, they eventually got it to behave more or less as they wanted, all to the general entertainment of the stablemaster and his louts and hangers-on.  After the initial trying session, they led it through the streets with a light bit and halter.  Liszendir favored the drif with an evil leer, then turned to Han in resigned disgust.

"One thing is certain: if all else fails, we can at Ieast eat the intractable beast!"  At the tone of her remarks, which he sensed was not completely to his advantage, the drif raised a ragged eyebrow, lowered an ear, and thereupon seemed to behave with slightly more decorum.  Liszendir was unimpressed; she continued to glare at it from time.  She was still hungry.  Han grimaced and added, for emphasis, a few remarks of his own.

"And on the hoof might even be more effective.  Then it can serve both ways!"  He also leered at it meaningfully.  "If we can find any meat at all under this fluff."  He poked experimentally in the general area of the ribs.  The creature was covered with a fine rich pelt of light tan-brown color.

Despite Han's suspicions, however, the drif did have meat under the soft fur, and for all its seeming fragility, would carry a huge load without complaint.  In fact, it misbehaved only when it had no load.

Thus they set out for the hills to the southeast, where they had originally intended to meet.  Curiously, Liszendir was reluctant when it came to it, to leave Hobb's Bazaar; but she admitted readily the wisdom of it.  The two of them together attracted too much attention, too much curiosity.  It was true that ler and human both lived in peace on Chalcedon; but they did not yet cohabit.  Han and Liszendir were not intimate, but they had been together, and he noted that a new side of her personality had appeared since they had gotten back together, after she had wandered, dazed, into the market.  She was more relaxed, less peremptory, less standoffish.  Sometimes she could be as charming as a child, innocently affectionate, and full of unexpected turns of thought and word.  She was not the only one changing; he was noticing changes in himself as well.

Along the empty road to the south and east, they passed few travelers.  An occasional wagon, a herd of drif being driven by country louts who gaped in astonishment at them, and at anything else which happened to pass.  As they walked, Han outlined his plan.