Wrong Place, Wrong Time? I Think So. (Lion!)

[Anonymous]

Adalia gave a passive nod and slid do the side making noises at her horse who waddled closer and laid down so she could go into the packs. Wiggling closer to the packs to get cloth, to look back at him with a bemused look on her face "I wouldn't go out looking for you. I'd probably get into big trouble and be kicked out of the military." Adalia pulled the cloth from the saddle bags before she grabbed his wrist and pulled his wounded arm across her lap, bleeding side up so it didn't get on her stockings or skirt.

She tried to be gentle, but the aftershock of the scuffle left her hands shaking slightly, but she still did a decent job of wrapping up his arm. Gentle, not too tight. While she had his arm she examined his hand for any possible damage by the rope. Then she looked at her own wrist and let go of his arm. The blood had dried on her hand and she hissed when she had to bend it as she picked at the knot giving him a grumpy pout before looking back down. "I can't undo the knot." Her voice was quiet as she picked at it, irritating the wound enough for it to open and start bleeding again.

Adalia stuck her arm out. "Can you undo your knots please?" She had the decency to keep her head down, knowing that he'd probably think her beyond pathetic for her inability to undo a simple knot. Adalia was in the military because she was good with magic, not her for physical power or great wits. "So, you're name is Hysaeda the Star Runner and you're an Umbraeon. Why couldn't you have told me that in the first place?"

[Lion]

It seemed like an uneasy truce.  As if two outcast tribes who had been enemies for centuries and constantly warred for the same century, had suddenly decided to lay down their arms and unite to fight against their common enemies.  Except in this case, she and he were not tribes and they didn't have a common enemy, not even a common interest.  She didn't want her ass on the line, and he didn't want to be carted away to a city to be tried for a crime he was completely innocent of.  But they were fighting a war as a result of these conflicting interests, each had their own desires and neither of them wanted their head on a pike, or so he assumed.  There was certain shame in submission to one's enemy, but only if it resulted in their demise.  If he survived...if only, he would live to see the dawn, then perhaps there was a little honor in what she proposed.  Yet there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he could trust the system in which he would be judged.

He did not make a pained face despite his bleeding arm which she had yanked toward her and cleaned all there was and bandaged all that was needed.  He didn't like how she fixed his wound, but then again he didn't exactly have his gear or any of his medicines.  All he could do was meditate to encourage his body to heal faster.  And with all the stress exacerbating his thoughts right now, meditation was out of the question.  He just wanted to get a move on.  "You're helpless," he muttered without passion, merely remarking on something he noticed.  But he reached forward and quickly undid the knot without any issues.  He stretched the rope across her eyes and showed to her what it was made out of.  "Juoda saplings.  They're rare in this area, but abundant where I'm from.  They make strong rope, even when they're young, but unfortunately don't grow to be very formidable when they get older."

He didn't want to answer he question about why he didn't tell her in the first place.  He had his reasons and they were reasons of tradition he knew she would never understand.  Sure he could simply say that, but there was no use; so he said that instead.  "You're an Outlander," he said quietly.  "Part of the reason, I had given to you when you pushed me down: You are my enemy.  If you are a soldier of any merit at all, you'd know that enemies should be left in ignorance if it's better for yourself.  At the time, it was better for me.  There is no use in explaining more than that to you.  You are not where I'm from."  And he didn't want to her understand.  To be in his society was something like an exclusive membership.  It was better that people didn't know; the less they knew, the less people there were to bother them.

Hysaeda stood up now and nodded to her.  "Am I to be your prisoner again?  If so, it is best that you act like the soldier you present yourself to be and tie me again.  You wouldn't want your officers to think otherwise."

[Anonymous]

Feeling very put out, the spark of absolute loathing had somewhat diminished and she remained quiet while he untied her ankles. You're helpless. Instead of burning anger Adalia just sighed, she knew that. Shoulders slumped forward she watched his hands, his eyes, as he explained what he tied her up with. Of course. A tree. Damn heathen. Adalia glared off to the side before standing up and walking to get her dagger.

Her fingers were grasped around the hilt and she stood up and watched him when he explained why he didn't just tell her all that in the first place. Outlander. Adalia frowned and played with the edge of the knife before she put it back on her belt and wandered to where her gauntlets were laying. Quickly she placed them back on, the cool metal uncomfortable against the hand with the ruined glove. "I was never cut out to be a soldier. Why couldn't you have just said you were kidnapped too? This would have made everything easier." A quick glare towards him and she wandered back to the horse, untying the rest of the rope from around it's middle and turning back to Hysaeda.

"Of course, you're right." A exaggerated sigh and she closed her eyes for a moment before getting onto the horse, walking it towards him with a hand up. "We'll get there faster if you ride too. You can get on behind me." Adalia shuffled up the saddle, leaving the stirrups empty. "Put your right," Adalia patted her leg, "leg into this one." She pointed. "Then swing your leg around." With the rope in hand, she looked him up and down again. "When you're on the horse I'll tie your hands up."

It'd only been a day and Adalia was rather tired of the fighting. She imagined she'd be able to kick him in the chin again if he put up a fuss, he seemed to be good at pissing her off. Maybe it was a talent. She'd never met anyone so... infuriating. "C'mon. The sooner we get there the sooner you're off and you can go back to making out with your juujuu saplings or whatever they're called."

[Lion]

He was busy studying the intricacies of the lines of his hands, something he often did when he didn't want to look at someone, and it was a curious thing to see if he could palm read like he'd seen some blind woman do it one time.  Of course he didn't know a thing about palm reading, but it was fun to pretend he did.  "I could have.  But it seemed I was a little more inclined to tell the truth than to lie directly to your face.  I have a little more tact than that, thank you.  Though I'm not above it if I must."  His voice was solemn and filled with the seriousness that he regarded all strangers.

He was so busy looking at his hands that he didn't even notice that she climbed onto that beast she called a horse.  He looked at the four-legged thing as if it were a deformed creature.  "He looks like a buffoon," he said plainly, frowning wryly.  The horse flashed his teeth at him.  Oh gods!  Those teeth!  Long, flat, squarish and awkward.  He cringed in severe distaste and thought of the rows and rows of the razor-sharp teeth that Averians had, medium-sized feathered-reptilians that were as fun to ride as they were valuable to kill.  Their teeth could easily shred skin if they bit down hard enough.  But this horse's teeth...it looked like it could take his whole arm off if he didn't watch himself.  "I don't like horses," he remarked trying to get out of riding the thing.  "I don't know how to ride one anyway.  I don't ride horses."

[Blah! Short, but I didn't know what else to add. Keeping up the irritation though 8D]

[Anonymous]

A leer before she rolled her eyes. "Great, you don't lie to keep yourself out of trouble so you could later explain yourself. You're an idiot." A huff and she squared her shoulders and waited for him to get on the horse. And waited. Adalia looked back down frowning, licking her lips before sucking the lower one into her mouth so she didn't say anything further that would cause unwanted trouble. The last thing she wanted to do right now was sit on his chest to get his damn attention.

Adalia reached down and grabbed Hysaeda's chin. "He is not a buffoon, He is a well trained horse." The claws on the gauntlets poked at his skin but didn't cause any lasting damage. Irritated. A soft breath and Adalia closed her eyes and shimmied up further until she was almost sitting on his neck. "Now, get your ass on the horse." Adalia turned around to face him, fluttering her eyes and smiling. "Unless you're afraid of the plant eating horse. I was under the impression that you were male but..." Adalia eyed him up and down, "I've never met an Umbraeon before, so, for all I know, you could really be a deformed woman."

Nudging the horse, he began to walk slowly, Adalia moved him in a gentle circle around Hysaeda. "We have to find a stream, Atras deserves a break." Adalia leaned forward and cooed to her horse, saying things quickly in a quiet in a gentle voice. "C'mon, Hysaeda, please. You'll make things a lot easier for yourself if you just sit on the damn horse. I can understand if you're afraid of it but.." Adalia glared at him for a moment, "It's sort of pathetic to be scared of an animal that eats nothing but plants and that's trained to have people on it."

[Lion]

Hysaeda rolled his eyes; he couldn't help it since this wasn't the first tim eh ewas accused of being less than an Umbraeon male just because he refused to do something.  Back then it was because he didn't want to be goaded into a fight with his childhood enemy, a bastard and bully that need his head kicked in, and now it was because he didn't want to ride a stupid horse.  Again, he fumed, furrowing his brows together and forcing air out through flared nostrils.  He glowered at her and said sharply, "I am not afraid."

But of course words were nothing if one did not have the will to back them.  It was one thing to refuse a challenge against one person whom he knew to be a complete imbecile , and another to be degraded by a complete stranger.  Now, quite suddenly, he felt like he needed to prove her wrong.

He added a feigned chuckle to her comment, then backed away a little bit, putting some distance between him and that damn horse.  "You and your straying eyes should know better than to think to call me a woman," he remarked before he suddenly ran forward when the horse had turned away form him and jumped up at the right time.  He vaulted over on the horse high enough that he landed flat on the saddle behind her.  The landing was a clean one, if hurting his butt just a little upon the impact.  He found he landed a little too close to her and scooted back to give his groin some breathing space.  It seemed a little awkward now as Atras turned his head to look back at the newly added weight to his back.

"I'm just not used to the massiveness of beasts like this.  But I will tellyou one thing, he will make good meat.  I know just the right method and what spices are needed to make some deliciousness horse jerky.  If I'm not killed, I'll have to make you some one day.  But that's no promise," he said.  Soon he crossed his arms over his chest and clasped his legs tightly around the horse where he sat.  "Water is to the east.  Hurry up and tie me up so we can get this whole thing over with."  At least, he hoped, now that he was on the horse, he wouldn't have to have anymore of her lip.

[Anonymous]

Pursing her lips she looked at him from hooded eyelids and rose an eyebrow, about to retort something about to show her that he wasn't afraid. He did what she wanted him to do though. Prove to her that he wasn't by getting on the horse. A delighted grin grew on her face and she sat up straighter, only to stare at him with a frozen grin when he mentioned something about straying eyes. Like she wanted to look for her pleasure. Pfft.

The frozen grin turned into a bored look when he finally got onto the damn horse. Adalia reached forward and pet the horses neck, freezing when he spoke. A horrified look was on her face and she slowly turned around to stare at him. "He's my pet. I love Atras! I'm not going to eat him!" In an effort to back up what she was saying she reached back and pinched his thigh. "No eating my horse." Her voice was stern, angry.

"Fine." Adalia snapped, taking his hands and tying the rope around his wrists, glaring at him in the eyes before she scooted backwards a little to steer the horse better. "To the east? Okie-Dokie." A soft nudge and the horse began to walk, "You might want to hold onto something, you'll need to keep your balance. Or you'll fall off."

 Almost an hour of riding forward and slowly going east before the reached the river, Adalia swung down first giving a stretch before holding her hands up for Hysaeda. "Your butt will probably hurt, I'll help you down." An evil glimmer was in her eye. He's supposedly never ridden a horse before, so he'll probably be walking funny for at least a little while. She'd get twisted delight out of that.

[Lion]

No, he'd never ridden a horse before in all his life.  He'd seen others ride and learned from their actions (and mistakes), but he'd never taken it upon himself to care to learn.  Umbraeons didn't ride the cumbersome creatures that were horses.  Instead they relied on the speed and agility of the averians.  Since they were larger than people, but a little smaller than horses, those two legged animals with their saurian features and tendrils that extended from their heads and sometimes stood in tall rows on their skulls, resembling warrior stripes.  Sitting on one usually required an excellent middle balance and the willingness to sit on your knees for long periods of time.  Different sizes of the creature, required different riding methods, but usually never had to completely straddle the creature as was involved with riding a horse.

Hysaeda shook his head at her and said with confidence, "It's worth a try to get down myself.  Or else, I'll never learn.  Even if I fall, I can still get back up."  He said this with no sharpness of tongue but with the sincerity of his willingness to learn.  He still didn't like horses, but at least he wouldn't have to be prejudice against them.  They still made good meat, but he knew that some people were quite sentimental about their animals that they wouldn't want to eat them; even if it meant surviving another day or starving to death for the sake of the animal.

Carefully, he swung his leg over and landed with a little less grace than he had when he vaulted onto the horse.  She was right; his butt was very sore, but it had been a long while since he'd ridden any sort of animal lately that he had to take some time to stretch his legs.  And so he did, though he was partly tied, making the act of extending his leg nearly parallel to the tree a bit awkward.  But he did it anyway and with little real exertion on his part.  Once his joints were back in their familiar places, he began his walk toward the sound of water.  As he passed her, he took once glance back at her once and scoffed.  "You might have been expecting me to walk like I had a stick up my ass, but despite your prejudices, I have ridden before.  Just not a horse.  Now come on before your beast dies of thirst."

[Anonymous]

Honestly, Adalia was a little dissapointed when he didn't waddle around like a duck. She didn't show it though and just watched him walk, a little amused that he knew what she wanted. "You're so positive." She remarked, her voice bored and monotone before leading the horse to the small river. Atras went gleefully and she removed the bit from his mouth and removed the reigns while he wandered into the water to drink.

Adalia pondered for a moment before sitting on a rock and removing her boots, rolling her stockings down her thighs and off her legs placing them both beside her before she wandered into the water to stand beside Atras, petting his side and smiling slightly. "So, if you didn't ride a horse, just what did you ride?" A dragon? Adalia looked over her shoulder towards Hysaeda, an eyebrow raised, curious. "I hear gossip about Adela starting a dragon army." One hand held the bottom of her long trailing skirt as she stood beside her horse and leered at Hysaeda over her shoulder.

"Or something different?" Genuine curiosity. "I've only ever ridden a horse. Atras is mine. I've had him since he was a little baby." She rubbed the horses neck and smiled fondly before giving a sigh. "Do you keep pets? Y'know. Umbraeons?"

[Lion]

I have to be, he thought with a wry frown.  Or else I'd drown in my own misery.  It's not every day that I'm dragged along with some one to some city that will determine my sentence.  Hysaeda sighed and stepped into the water with his sandal-boots still on.  He didn't mind getting his feet wet and the shoes had a way of gripping even the slippery rocks underneath.

"You ask many questions," he remarked looking at where he stepped in the widening stream.  He looked away toward his left where the water stream extended far into the trees and around a bend where it disappeared from sight.  "Why the sudden interest?" he resumed, taking the time to look around him and survey his surroundings.  If he could find a map of this area, maybe he could better explore the area.  Speaking of which.  But wasn't sure if he should let her questions just hang like that.

[Anonymous]

A distinct frown was on her face when she turned to glare at him, her hair falling over her shoulder before she pushed it behind her ear again and let out a soft breath. Ducking her head she dragged her foot through the water before shrugging. "Well, I figured I'd ask questions you probably knew since I'm so... Uneducated." A leer towards him and then A pretend brightness and she gave a stretch and pet the horses neck again.

Adalia gave a quick glare over her shoulder. He probably didn't even know how to read. "What were you doing where we found you if you're not a rogue?" An eyebrow raised and she took a step closer, legs planted somewhat apart so she could keep her balance better. Adventuring? Running away? Atras lifted his head, flicking his ears, listening to the surroundings. He gave Adalia a look before walking back out of the river to lay down, watching.

"We'll head out when you're ready. And once I get my stockings and shoes back on."

[Lion]

"It's not because I don't know.  It's just that information is a sacred thing.  Even simple things like riding.  Wisdom, similarly to knowledge, is earned.  What would the world come to if everything was just given away for free?  Your questions were simple things, but I was wondering what made you worthy to know.  I don't mind answering...but anything you learn should be held with the utmost regard, even small details....  Especially the small details." He said as he washed his feet as awkwardly as he did with his wrists bound as they were.

"I've ridden averians before.  They're smaller than horses and much more maneuverable.  Less weight means more speed, or more potential for speed.  Have you ever seen one?  I haven't seen many dragons except for my cousin's; he can understand them better than I can for he has the gift to tame them.  Where he is, there's a whole camp of the, each one loyal to their respective rider.

"What the burned Outlanders do in their borders is no one else's business but their's.   Dragon army or not, I could care less."  Hysaeda kicked a rock up and tossed it to the shore with his foot.  It was then that he walked out and sat on the streams edge before dipping his hands in for a drink, sipping with his lips outstretched and breathing harshly through his nose.

Hysaeda stalked back to the horse after looking around him and for a second it was almost as if he could feel the heartbeat of the earth.  He closed his eyes for a second and breathed in for a long time, slowly and with emphasis.  "I was meditating, training.  I am as unremitting as you to my duties," he said slowly before waiting by the horse.

[Anonymous]

It was strange, being spoken to like a simpleton. She was an educated woman dammit! Adalia kept her head turned away from him so he didn't see her expression, but her hands were folded across her chest and she frowned, her eyes closing before glaring at the river.  "Can't say I've ever seen any averians." Adalia confessed before turning back around and sitting on a large rock, pulling the sheer stockings up her legs and wiggling her toes before replacing her boots.

"Burned Outlanders...?" An eyebrow drew up her face and she stared at him confused. That was a funny name for Adelans. Then what he said previously really sunk in. "Understand them? Dragon's talk now, too?"  She followed after him, giving the horses nose a pet before she got up onto the saddle. "C'mon, Rogue." Adalia smirked before shuffling forward and looking down. Meditating. Yeah sure. "Ah huh. You'll have to show me this meditating thing. I'm not buying it. You seem like a decent sort of..." Adalia paused, "Man."

"You should care about what the people on your boarders do. It's when you don't care that wars start, and I'm pretty sure Adela could wipe you guys out in no time. They're a large country and you're... well." Adalia pursed her lips forward. "Bird riding... People." The opal haired woman paused for a moment, looking off to the side. They were still people if they weren't human right? It was humanoid that made them people.

Adalia looked at Hysaeda, frowning slightly. He looked like a people. "So. Do you speak a special language? I know Serendipity used to, but only old people speak it." Adalia spoke up, waiting for him to get on the horse before she wilted a little from her soon to be confession, "Old people, royalty and scholars. I never bothered to, but now I sort of regret it."

[Lion]

Hysaeda smiled in her direction, clearly amused.  "They might, they might not.  But I don't think we have any serious ill will toward them.  Maybe they can find trouble with a small clan or two that might have problems with an army outpost or some traders, but I don't believe many more will care unless there was an invasion of some kind."  He sniffed harshly before studying the different designs nature had carved into the trees around him.  There were interesting things to be noticed all around.

"Yes, meditating.  You know, the art of concentration and breathing.  To better become one with yourself.  Or the world around you.  Whatever you might think it is.  I might show you, someday.  If you earn the right."  Hysaeda closed his eyes again for a moment before catching an itch along his neck and scratching it generously.

"I do.  And most others of my kind.  We can speak many languages, usually those general to the area where we're from.  It's called Sevic, it's out ancient tongue.  And usually spoken only when necessary.  Common was a hard one to come by, but we can speak it fluently, just as easily as I'm talking to you now.  We have other languages that let us understand certain things, things that you normally wouldn't understand.  Like dragons, as you said before.  Maybe they don't talk to you, but they talk to us."  He climbed up behind her, jumping and vaulting over from the side instead of from behind as he did at first.  "I don't think it's too late for you to learn your old tongue.  I mean if you really want to."

[Anonymous]

"Sevic." Adalia tasted the word on her tongue before she settled back, shifting back onto the saddle to put them closer together. She'd shuffled closer to the horses neck on the way here, and she'd been uncomfortable the entire time. Sitting on the edge of the saddle wasn't peachy keen in her books so Adalia would suffer being too close to him until they got to the next stop.

"It's too late for me to learn." A nod and she grabbed his hands. "Sorry." Before she pulled them over her, shuffling back again and she took his hands. "You might have to do this. So I'll teach you." A solemn nod and she took his bound hands and put the reigns inside them before closing his hands. Her heels nudged the horse and Atras began to walk. "So, pulling on this one." Adalia moved his hand to the side, "Makes him go right. The other way does the same thing."

After getting comfortable, putting her back to his chest she made sure his hands were safely in front of her and she tucked his arms underneath hers and nudged the horse again. It was one thing to walk, another to trot. "Better hold on, Rogue." Adalia looked over her shoulder and held his hands to her stomach. On a spur of the moment, Adalia gave Atras another push and he was out on a full gallop.

It didn't last long and her one hand was holding his tightly, pressing them close together so that Hysaeda didn't fall off. "Horses run fast, too. Bumpy though." Adalia licked her lips and turned to look over her shoulder. "If you're tired you can sleep." Her back was straight and she turned back around, the horse wasn't galloping anymore, or trotting. It was a slow walk, almost a dawdle.

[Lion]

It all happened so fast that he didn't even have time to protest, or to grab onto to anything worth holding for that matter.  She nearly knocked him from his position on the saddle when she yanked his arms over her head and forced the leather reins into his hands and locked them together.  His wrists felt like they were gonna break while they were bound and forced as they were.  But his body was resilient and he forced his body to slide closer to hers.  Growing angry and tense for a bit he cried out in indignation.  "WHAT THE HELL!?"

Hysaeda held on for dear life and nearly wrapped his legs around her waist, but he did find one hand slip as the horse suddenly ran faster and he grabbed her breasts in desperation.  Was she trying to kill him!?  He didn't notice until they suddenly slowed down and he grabbed the free reign again.  "I hate horses.  They're better as food," he said quietly, trying to regain some sense of calm.  "I hate horses...and I hate you!"

Hysaeda forced his hands away from her and scooted his himself as far back into the saddle as possible.  "Just keep steering the beast.  I'll be fine on my own back here.  Brute."

[Anonymous]

His complete and utter indignation made her throw her head back and laugh, a wide grin pulling at her mouth while she turned around. "Too much for you, Rogue?" Adalias voice had a saucy tone and she shifted to the side, "I hate you. I sure as hell wouldn't want you in my mouth. You wouldn't make good food at all." She glared before she reached forward and pet at Atras' neck and making noises at him, saying words of encourangement she knew he couldn't understand.

"It's okay that you're afraid." Adalia turned to the side to look at Hysaeda over her shoulder and pat his knee then she opened her eyes wide and removed her hand from his knee like it was too hot and she'd burned herself. "You just touched my breasts!" She accused, mouth open, cheeks bright red. "What did you do that for? You weren't going to fall off you Chicken-Shit! You can talk to dragons but you're afraid of a running horse!" Adalia covered her chest with one arm and leaned away from him, "What the hell is wrong with you?" It wasn't that she felt terribly violated, but this was how a lady was supposed to react when being touched.

Horribly and like she just got abused. Couldn't really blame him, Adalia was sure she'd grab on the closest thing if she'd just been scared, but still! Couldn't let Hysaeda know she wasn't really bothered, that would be bad. It would ruin her reputation. Adalia wouldn't be marriage material anymore if she didn't scream bloody murder when someone touched her.

[Lion]

"I'm quite sure that I wouldn't.  Forbid that you're the victim of clan warfare.  You would be chopped up, cooked, then sent as rations to the enemy.  A traditional insult, if you will," he replied resting his hands comfortably in his lap.  He rode better now that he didn't have the reins in his hand.  He didn't like horses for their cumbersomeness, not because he deemed them difficult to ride.  As a matter of fact, they looked a lot easier to ride than averians were, for there was much more strength behind the beast to press onward.  He still didn't like them, and he was damned sure that he never would.

"I'm not," he repeated.  "I just don't like horses.  I'm on one now aren't I?  I was just surprised when you grabbed my hands.  You should have warned me first.  That would have been the nicer thing to do, even for your prisoner."  His voice was solemn and he meant every word he said.  He looked at her once and smirked a little when she seemed offended.  "You're more indignant than I am," he said.  "You confuse fear with dislike.  Don't do that.  That'll get you killed someday.  Like I said, I was surprised; that's all.  I didn't do it on purpose and if you have any sense, you'd understand that.  I was right about you being uneducated.  Some lady you are."

Undoubtedly, he'd never understand the traditions and methods of her culture.  And he didn't really want to, but he had little choice now that he was with her. I should strangle her he thought briefly.  But then refigured the thought; he'd never really killed anyone out of malice before and though he didn't like her, there was little that he had against her other than her treatment of him.  Her resentment however, were little need for death.  He was not a murder after all.  He only ever killed in self-defense.  "How far are we from the city anyway?"

[Anonymous]

At the mention of being cooked up, Adalia went a little green and pale. Swallowing thickly her back went a little straighter and she just stared ahead. Sent as rations to the enemy? "That's disgusting." Adalia said quietly, her head turned down. She didn't like war and fighting. It was wrong. It killed people and made the ones who survived act like ghosts or monsters. Obviously tense by now, she kept the horse going at a steady pace while Hysaeda explained himself.

Fear with dislike.

Adalia was pretty sure he didn't fear her. "I'm sorry for not warning you." Her voice was quiet and she kept her head down. Embarrassment kept her head lowered and her back straight. Some lady she was. Some soldier she was. Not crying, but certinally feeling full of self pity, she took a deep breath before pulling the horse to a stop and sliding off the side to continue on foot. Things had taken a turn for the worst and she kept her sights to the ground as she walked.

"We're a few days from Arca still. I..." Adalia stopped talking and  frowned again. She kept walking. The rest of the way until the next place they'd camp she kept walking. Mind reeled. Horrible captor, horrible lady, horrible soldier.

 When they finally got to the camp site it'd been a few hours of Adalia not talking before she dropped the horses reins and went about pulling things out of the saddle bags. It wasn't close to sunset yet, but there were dark clouds rolling in. "It's going to rain." Adalia said simply, sucking her lower lip into her mouth. "There's a make shift tent. You can use it or we can share it."A soft shrug. "I know you don't like me much, so, I'm giving you first dibs. They'd probably rather have me die anyway. An unlady like failure of a solider who's also uneducated." Her voice was venom before she took a deep breath. "Don't know how I got trained in the first place."

Adalia went on grumbling as she made the 'tent' if it could be called that. It was basically a tarp to keep the rain off.  After she hefted the saddle bags off of the horse and rubbed her hands along his sides. Wanting nothing more than to go out for a walk, Adalia curled up with her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. When this crap was done with she'd quit the stupid army and settle down to have stupid babies for someone she didn't even like. "You make everything so troublesome, Rogue."

[Lion]

Quiet...everything was quiet.  As much as he was relieved to have her finally stop talking, the silence was just as disturbing.  It was sort of eerie too.  For silence between two people, especially those that didn't like one another from the start, was an often foreboding thing.  Silence always made way for time for reflection, brooding, sulking, conspiring, and ultimately even thinking up plots against the other they were traveling with.  Not to imply that that was what Hysaeda was doing, but he couldn't help but think that that's what Adalia was doing.  She'd grown uneasily quiet and in a sense, he could feel it, if only from her body language.

It was hours before they spoke again.  Along the way, he said nothing, not wanting to further exacerbate her current mood, whatever that was, depressed or vengeful or whatnot.  He instead occupied his time by looking around them and wondering if the sky would look the same when they reached the city.  He figured it wouldn't be long upon arrival that he'd be thrown into a cell with nothing more than a tiny hole by which to view the outside world.  He'd read about things like that, in various scrolls that passed through his hands from traveling merchants, stories of bandits and thieves being captured and killed by small military forces.  This also led him to wonder if he was going to be thrown into a military prison, or one led by the city guards.  He was sure there was a difference...but seeing how she was now, he didn't think it was a good idea to ask.

Hysaeda focused his sights on the nature around him, on the hills and the trees and the way the sky was rolling over them with black clouds like a blanket.  It was not even close to evening, at least, from the way he read the earth around him.  Animals that flourished in the nocturne were not emerging from their underground burrows and roosts.  "Yes," he agreed, nodding when she said that it would rain.  Then she offered the tent to him and his first reaction would be taken aback with disgust; he didn't need anything from her, not even things she offered.  But he didn't say that.  Instead, he saw the way she constructed the cloth in what looked like a tarp.  He wouldn't be warded off by a little rain, but he didn't think now in his prisoner state would be a good time to get drenched.

He'd slid off the horse not long after her and reached for shoulder.  With his hands bound he patted her, or rather nudged her, and pointed with his head, "This is not a tent and won't do much to protect you.  Look, it leans funny on this side.  I'll help you make it better."  And with that he disappeared from off to the side for a while and emerged back with a large pile of several sticks and dropped them at her feet.  After that, he began to weave the sticks together in a make-shift net that curved around and would serve as a solid frame for the tarp to hang over.  After about fifteen minutes, he ripped down the tarp and dug four ends of it deep into the ground over the structure.  In the end, a dome-shaped figure with the tarp covering over it that was wide enough for two, was presented to her.

Hysaeda shrugged.  "You're right that I don't like you. But it just wouldn't be right to leave you out in the rain.  Get inside, start a fire and warm yourself.  It'll be wide enough for the both of us.  And then we can discuss just what kind of trouble you mean, for your awfully depressed, and if I'm going to travel a few more days with you, then I'm going to need you to have a clean head."