The coffee was better than the elf could have ever imagined, even being made by a goblin. Oh, it was no High Mountain Court brunch affair, but it was fresh, with fresh cream, and real sugar, and tasted of hazelnuts with a faint undertone of chocolate.
Harriet sighed happily, blinking finally to some form of alertness, only to find herself increasingly wary of the pressing fog.
"Are you sure we should leave today?" she asked, hushed and apprehensive.
"You're the one in a hurry," Guffin shrugged, sipping their own coffee. "Why?"
"This fog," the elf shuddered. "It's thick, likely made of magic. The moon only knows what spells are caught up in it."
"It's just fog," the goblin snorted. "Did you think these were called the Misted Mountains for fun? Stuff rises up out of the damp hollows when it's a little chilly in the morning. It doesn't bite, and it keeps the sun off for a little while."
"In fact," they continued, "it would probably be best if we got going while it is still misty. Which way are we going?"
Harriet choked briefly on her last sip of coffee.
"You demanded to come and don't even know where we're going?" she asked incredulously.
"You didn't say," Guffin shrugged, confiscating her coffee cup and wiping it out with a rag that no longer had a color to it. "It doesn't really matter. Not like the 'Chosen One' is on a map, right? Since I could be, or might not be. But I do know the roads around here, so's if you're looking for somewhere specific, we can get there faster."
"I was hoping for a city," the mage admitted. "Somewhere with a magic academy, or a lord with an odd child, even some street urchins with the capacity to overcome hardship. Just... variety, I guess?"
"Nearest city to here is Green Laurel," the goblin explained, getting back into their pack. "Down the mountain, up the next one, and halfway down the other side. Good two weeks' walk if you're going there directly. What kinda time do you have? Because I'd either like to be back here or a long ways south before the snow hits."
Not as much as she would like, but enough.
"Green Laurel will do," Harriet agreed coolly. "Two weeks will be no strain, and I too would like to be home before winter."
Guffin nodded, hefted the bag one final time, and gestured for the elf to get moving. Slightly embarrassed at her morning slowness, she hefted her own bag and began the next part of her journey with a step across the small yard towards the crossroads.