Things don't necessarily get better, but they don't get any worse. After a night of terrible sleep, Sorey comes to a decision as he's kicking dirt over the ashes of last night's fire; the only thing he can do for now is to try and get Vahvuus to explore the world with him.

There seems to be a lot of things he doesn't know and he's not entirely sure he can believe the extent of the Abbey's cause after being instructed to kill his own partner if necessary, but one thing he does know is that the way Vahvuus's face had lit up upon seeing that fountain had been genuine, and it had been good. He needs to make that happen again.

After a few days of travel they come upon a stream, a beautiful burbling brook pouring into the valley from a nearby lake, a small waterfall ending in a pool just large enough for him to bathe in, and give his clothes a quick wash so he doesn't arrive in port smelling horribly, at least. Exorcists must always be presentable, after all, one of the rules he'd always found a little silly but nonetheless must obey.

"Vahvuus," he calls as he takes off his boots, then his gloves and tabard. "Would you like to get in the water with me?"