I searched valleys and mountaintops, rolling hills and ticking clocks~

Annie found herself lulled into a walking near-slumber, with the rhythmic tug of the corgis on their leashes, and the sun warming her face, and the bustle of traders all around her. The chaos seemed somewhat peaceful when she wasn't involved in it. She didn't care about trading today. She was just here to let her dogs explore somewhere new on their walk, and they seemed to be rather excited about it. In retrospect, a busy market area was probably not the best place to take four rambunctious little furry rockets, but Annie wanted to keep them happy. Besides, she figured that they might use up their energy faster if they were energetic about a new location to roam around, and maybe she could go back home in less time. Annie felt a tinge of guilt for wanting the corigs to need less time for walks, but was soon distracted from this by the sudden absence of a pull on her arm. "Wha-" Annie looked down and her pleasant expression turned to one of horror. Nip had escaped his leash and was bounding off down the upper district, knocking into trading carts and generally causing a ruckus on his freedom-spawned adrenaline rush. "Nip! Come back!" Annie called out, but she knew it was useless. She sighed and hurried after the light orange streak that was darting down another alley. She turned the corner to follow him, but he was gone. There was, however, someone else. Annie paused to catch her breath and smile at the familiar face. "Hey, funny seeing you here. How are you?" she said. The other corgis were elated at the new person to sniff and dragged her over a few steps closer to him so they could frantically circle his legs. "Sorry, I seem to have misplaced a corgi."

Annie ran a hand through her hair and took a second to catch her breath while Derald spoke. "I was doing pretty swell until my dog went on a rampage, and yes, actually," she responded when he asked about a new dog walk area. "They were getting bored, so... really? Tess let you cook something? Or do you just gather supplies." Annie laughed, momentarily forgetting about the missing dog. She figured their pancake cooking had gone pretty well last time, so maybe he was off the hook. Then he mentioned the missing corgi again and Annie smacked herself in the face with her hand. "Oh my gosh, yes, Nip! He ran off and... surprised you recognized him, he'd be flattered... um... should I, like, dog whistle or something? I don't know- NIP!" Annie suddenly spotted the corgi peeking over the corner a few feet away and gasped. She lunged forward and grabbed the dog, who looked disgruntled that his  wild adventure had been cut short. Annie linked his leash back on his collar and stood up, taking a deep breath. "Thank you so much. He's a rambunctious one," she said with a laugh. Nip and the other corgis tugged her along, down the alley. They loved Derald, but they wanted to see more places. "Uh, thanks again, bye!" Annie called over her shoulder as they pulled her away. She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't want to keep the dogs from their walk, either. "See you later!"