[Kransha]

Kalimac, as he dismounted rather awkwardly from the wagon, noticed his sister, Estella Bolger, waving at him out of the corner of his eye. More nimbly than usual, he swung down onto the ground, landing roughly, and quickly brushed some clinging hay off of his prized olive-colored vest, one of his prized and more expensive possessions. He headed towards Estella, who heedlessly breezed past him before he could even open his mouth. After craning his neck momentarily to see his sister galloping in the direction of Elsa, he turned back to Marcho Bolger, who took his hand firmly and shook it. He looked for a moment into the eyes of the Bolger before he was addressed.

“How are you holding up?” he said bluntly, letting go of Kalimac’s hand.

The hobbit took a slight step back, neatly picking off the last bits of hay and wagon debris, and looked up at the warm, friendly, and confident expression on his brother-in-law’s face.

“I have been holding up as well as anyone else could upon a trip such as this.” He said, a smile curling over his neutral lips, “To be more specific, I have been holding up well. I have my worries about the children, but they seem just as enthusiastic about this expedition as I, which is certainly a good sign. Elsa seems to be in good spirits, and Alora and Crispin have not said anything negative about the move, though I would’ve expected at least a little resistance from one of them. As you probably know, when one is trying to keep a family thriving, most decisions cannot be agreed upon by all. There always seems to be a little bit of dissonance, but so far I have encountered none. Hopefully, there is none to be encountered at all.”

Kalimac paused, drawing in breath, and his smile faded briefly, but returned as his eyes brightened.

“And what of you, Marcho? Have you been considering what will be put in the multitudes of books that will surely be written about you, the fearless leader of such a harrowing quest?” he joked, swelling minimally and letting a conservative chuckle slip from his composed demeanor. “How have you been holding up on this trip?”