CH 1: This Place Sucks

[HorizonsDream]

~It is a lot of people to protect,~ Echo thinks to herself. She seeks out Gimog. "Hey, what are we suppose to do about food out here?" she asks curiously once she finds him.

[JadedDM]

Gimog turns to her. "Did you not bring any for the trip?" he asks. "Well, we all carry some dry rations with us. And each morning, the Pharise conjures food and water from Gonto to help feed the pilgrims. But it goes fast. There might be some remaining; I should warn you, though, while highly nourishing, it's incredibly bland and tasteless."

[HorizonsDream]

"Well, yes, I have some," she says. "It probably won't last me four weeks, but I'll check out the food that was created once I'm out," she adds with a nod. "Thank you." With that found out now, she walks back over to Renegade, and has some of her own rations before she mounts up.

[JadedDM]

Renegade had had plenty to eat, too, by grazing. There was also a small watering hole nearby to drink from. It occurs to Echo she could probably refill her nearly empty waterskin there.

[HorizonsDream]

While letting her horse take his fill of water, she refills her waterskin for the day. Once done, she searches out Hollidan providing he isn't speaking with the other paladins anymore.

[JadedDM]

The other two paladins have started to take their positions at the front and back of the group. Hollidan is tending to his horse, putting her saddle back on her. "Easy now, Clem. Let's not have a repeat of last time. It took hours to scrub the mud off my armor," he says to the horse.

[HorizonsDream]

"Don't have a good control over your horse?" Echo asks with a smirk. "Mine just likes to stop randomly. Seems like yours likes to fling mud at you?"

[JadedDM]

Hollidan smirks. "Nah, more like fling me at the mud," he says as he pets the horse. "Anyway, she's well-trained. She just gets easily spooked sometimes. Isn't that right, Clem?" he asks. "Sleep alright? I saw you go into Nuvain's tent last night. Hope he didn't keep you up all night."

[HorizonsDream]

"Keeping an eye on me, are you?" Echo asks. "It was nice of him to offer his tent to me actually, otherwise I would have been sleeping in the rain. We had an...interesting conversation, and then I went to sleep. So I guess that means I slept all right. I'm use to sleeping on a hard bed, so sleeping on the hard ground isn't much different."

[JadedDM]

"Yeah, he's a good kid. Can be kind of awkward, though. You must have made an impression on him, though. He asked me a ton of questions about you this morning. For some reason, he really wanted to know what I thought of you." Hollidan shrugs. "That was weird enough, but the really strange part was he kept emphasizing how important it was for us humans to know each other. Whatever that means."

[HorizonsDream]

Echo can't help but laugh, as if she was in on some sort of inside joke that was absolutely hilarious. "I wouldn't worry about it too much," she says through light chuckles. "I think he is just trying to help me out, even though I didn't actually ask him for his help. Though, now I'm a little curious on what he might have said to your paladin leader, what was his name again?" she asks.

[JadedDM]

"The captain? Argis Bulwark. Why, were you two country hens clucking away last night about how dreamy he is, or something?" Hollidan asks with an exaggerated eyeroll.

[HorizonsDream]

"Ohh, aren't we the jealous one," Echo says. "Are you wanting the ladies to swoon over you as they do him?" she asks in amusement. "He simply asked me if I was attracted to anyone. While I'm not quite attracted to anyone, I did mention that your leader was handsome. Oh, and I also mentioned that you weren't..." Echo pauses for a moment, as if trying to decide on the word that she wants to use. After all, she doesn't want to come out and say he is handsome. That would be opening up a bit too much. "Well, I told him that I thought you weren't ugly," she finally says.

[JadedDM]

"Please, miss!" Hollidan insists, putting his hands to his cheeks. "You are making me blush with these compliments. I am not worthy of such praise! Are you also a poet, in addition to a scribe?"

[HorizonsDream]

Echo rolls her eyes. "Clem, it is time for you master's mud bath," she says to his horse. "Or maybe it is time for me to turn you into that stinky old cheese you mentioned yesterday."