Saskia, meanwhile, thoughtfully considers her amount of free time.

She curiously takes the caramel thing. She puts it in her mouth. She makes happy noises.

Aw.

"i think i can. and that i want to. i couldn't every um - day? - there's still a lot of things in the library that i need to look through. but this was nice."

(She looks curiously at the caramel thing.)

"Well, all right."

(Veron distributes a caramel thing to Saskia as well.)

"Thank you," she says, and gets up and walks over to Veron and hugs him.

Oh goodness! He hadn't been planning to pressure her about physical affection, considering, but since she went and initiated it, yes okay hugs! Gentle ones that she could easily escape from.

"You're welcome."

"Thank you too," she says to Saskia, trying to figure out if the shadow-woman is solid enough to hug.

"it's my pleasure," says Saskia, shyly.

She's probably solid enough to hug, she's successfully carrying a solid object; the caramel thing. Something in the construction of the caramel thing's wrapper is apparently confusing though, because rather than trying to figure out how to unwrap it she just turns her hand translucent and insubstantial and reaches through it to grab the candy. For half a second the candy also turns translucent and insubstantial, and then back to normal once it's out of the wrapper.

"... this is delicious," she declares happily, once she finally has extracted it and made it disappear into her face. There is no obvious aperture. Shadow people: weird.

"Can I hug you?" Annasarelle asks finally.

"oh. yes."

She holds out her arms for a hug.

Hug!

She is kind of cold and weirdly squishy, but not actually unpleasant to hug.

It is an interesting texture. Annasarelle hugs her happily.

Eventually she steps away. "Thank you," she says earnestly.

"you're welcome!"

Annasarelle glances back at Veron, seemingly at a loss for what to do next.

"I got you some things," Veron offers, as the something to do next. He offers her the little backpack; he kept it packed light, since she is eight, but it has her water canteen and tidy little wrapped snacks for the road and the spare set of clothes. The bedroll is a bit heavier, so it's in the Bag of Holding, but it's got a nice warm blanket if she'd like it.

"I didn't get anything from your house, I probably should have asked if there was anything you wanted from there. If there's anything irreplaceable back there I can maybe get it, but most things I can just buy for you in the next town we're in?"

She shakes her head. "My foster-mother already got rid of Mama's things."

"Ah," he says. It's kind of amazing, how much measured and calm condemnation he can fit into a single syllable. There's a lot of condemnation, in that syllable.

"... what sorts of things did she have?" ventures Saskia, in the ensuing silence.

"She had a pretty dress," Annasarelle says wistfully, "and three necklaces and a bracelet. One of the necklaces matched the bracelet, she said Papa gave her those. And some books."

Saskia nods, looking thoughtful.

"... the Plane of Shadow has shadows of, um, everything. copies of things. i could maybe help you find one or more of the shadows of them, but i wouldn't know how to find things, uh. here."

"... I could maybe manage it," says Veron, thoughtfully. "Do you know who she sold them to?"

"No."