The road to Veroigne
Balir found it odd for Kirpich to call out to the travelers ahead of them on the road. They didn't seem to be dangerous that he saw, but he wasn't well versed on the ways of humans either. It was simply a different world, which was the whole point of him being here in the first place. He couldn't relate to the other races (even the Elves...) if he didn't spend time among them. Eventually he would need to navigate social situations like this.
Since Kirpich had already spoken with the strangers, Balir decided to follow his lead. He subtly checked on his axe and 2 throwing axes, and took his shield off of his back where he was carrying it. While he didn't expect any trouble, he wanted to be ready just in case the humans were hostile.
As he prepared his shield, Balir had a small chuckle to himself at how different things were for the humans. If the traveling party had been Dwarves, the whole group would probably be sharing an ale or mead by now.