"This is a TERRIBLE idea," Shayn whispered angrily after they had reached the others' small camp with the giants. "What in the world made it pop into your head?"
Simone pursed her lips. "Letting giants wander our world unescorted would have been worse," She retorted. "At least now I can make introductions, explain things, and keep it from turning into an unintentional war."
"You mean we can," Shayn corrected with a decided grumpiness to his tone. "My mother would skin me alive if she found out I let a woman go off alone without escorting her."
"I'm not alone, am I?" She gestured up at the giants. "Mass-wise, this is the most company I've been around in quite some time."
"You're hilarious." The man deadpanned. "Best joke I've heard today."
"It makes sense this way. You don't have to come. You can head back to Klain with the others and the halflings as planned." She suggested.
"My mother aside, I already told the giants I was coming. Won't it hurt their pride if I change my mind and decide they're not worth my time?" He frowned.
"Not if you grovel as if you're not worthy of their company," Her lips curled into a subtle smile.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" His eyes narrowed. She shrugged noncommittally, but the smirk remained. "Back to being insufferable, I see."
"All the more reason for you to want to go back to Klain," Simone finished putting her things into a pack and slung it over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Shayn."
"As if you could be rid of me that easily," He rolled his eyes, "I need to torture you as much as you've made me suffer!"
"You're sure you want to commit being around me that long?" Simone refused to let her mood be brought down. "You seem to suffer almost constantly in my presence. It would take ages for you to inflict the same on me."
He inhaled angrily through his nose, preparing another retort, but blew a slow breath out through his lips instead, willing himself to be calmer. Rational. Logical. Persuasive.
"There are still a lot of the archives' maps in the wagon," He scratched his chin. "Are you sure they'll make it back to the library all right without their caretaker?"
"Victoria promised me she would take studious custody of them and see that they made it back safely. If the king's own sister and brother-in-law cannot be trusted with the kingdom's treasures, then who can?" Though Simone's words were confident, the way her eyes trailed towards the boxes in the wagon told Shayn she was more reluctant to leave the articles behind than she let on.
"I'm sure the Treasurer won't mind at all that you abandoned your mission in favor of another." Shayn turned to stroke his horse's forelock. It wouldn't be fair to subject the loyal animal to being carried by a running giant. Shayn wasn't particularly looking forward to it, himself.
"He's very understanding," Her voice grew less certain.
"Oh! I'm sure! And after all, you've been around so long, I'm sure you've earned enough trust to decide for yourself what job is most important for you to do," He continued. He managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, trusting his instinct that she would feel the need to argue against whatever position he took in a discussion they had.
"Of course I have," She said a little more quietly. "And this is something worthy of spending that trust on… I think."
He was gaining ground in convincing her to stay with the others, but what would drive the nail home? He groped about for some morsel of teasing, of information, of cajoling, that would press the point without overplaying his hand.
"What would make you think otherwise?" He decided a question was safer than making an outright statement. She lingered a moment, considering his face before answering. He tried to keep his expression interested without being too obvious.
"I had… that is, this may shock you to your very core," She warned, intriguing him, "but I've always been… a good girl."
His eyebrows shot up. "I'm utterly appalled."
"It's true! I've behaved to the point of bordering on sycophantic! It's a difficult habit to break but I really do think this is the right thing to do… don't you?" She pressed her knuckles to her lips as if she immediately regretted asking his advice, but he was momentarily too distracted to give any.
"Ok Miss 'behaving to the point of being a sycophant', riddle me this," He peered at her. "Why is it that your instincts for good behavior were utterly thrown out the window the moment I became your coworker? You criticized and made snide comments from moment one!"
"An excellent question which I don't have a good answer to," she blinked at him with a little chagrin in her eyes, "but now that you point it out, my predilection for good behavior has been disrupted by your presence. It calls this decision somewhat into question, doesn't it?"
She frowned and looked down at her feet as she thought it over. The question hung in the air, but she raised her eyes after a few moments of silence.
"No, I really do think it would be wrong to let the giants run around without someone to keep an eye on them. Historically, they're so easily offended that someone could get hurt. I think I can help smooth over any diplomatic faux pas that may occur and keep everyone safe. You don't have to come." She slung her bag over her shoulder. "I understand perfectly if you've already had your fill of adventure and want to get back to your nice home and the rest of your family."
The last sentence likely wasn't meant as a guilt trip, as she seemed to sincerely mean it, but he felt the pang of it nonetheless.
"This is ridiculous. You're ridiculous." He mumbled.
"You're coming, then?" Her eyes lit up, and he paused for a moment. Could it be that she was actually happy, excited even, to have him along?
Of course she was! He'd saved her life twice now. Her survival prospects were much higher with him along. It was that and nothing more. There was no reason for him to think anything more about it. Better to cast it from his mind entirely.
He nodded, and she smiled broadly. It warmed something in him. She was rather disheveled from the slightly rough handling by the giantess a while before, but the wispy curls that had come loose from her braid framed her face like a halo. It was entrancing.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Victoria ran up to hug Simone. "Since I know Bran and Tom, they insist I should stay with them, and I can't exactly refuse, can I? The halflings do seem slightly less… dangerous," She lowered her voice, "although, the giants are a little friendlier. I'm not sure who'll have the harder task."
"You will, if you don't make sure all my books and maps make it back safely," Simone warned her playfully. "I'll never let you hear the end of it."
"Cross my heart, I'll not let harm come to a single letter on a single page entrusted to my care," Victoria vowed solemnly before hugging Simone again. "Shayn, please take care of her!"
The girl hugged him briefly, and then choked up a little.
"We'll be fine," He assured her, and then raised his voice for the rest of the party to hear. "Keep Gabriel and Kyler in line for me."
"As if, Little Brother," Kyler said from the wagon's seat. "I'm the most responsible one in the family."
That could easily be true, if you averaged Riley's antics against his moments of heroism. But Shayn wasn't about to admit that out loud.
"Keep thinking that, if it makes you feel better," Shayn walked over to clasp forearms in a farewell. "Stay safe," He added.
"You too." Kyler replied quietly. There was nothing more to be said between them. They knew each other too well to need more words.
"YOU ARE READY, FINALLY?" Jarnsaxa's booming-whisper caused Simone to jump, and Shayn snickered.
"Yes, Great Jarnsaxa, we are ready to go." Simone called, giving Shayn a withering glance.
"I hate this part," He whispered just before a large hand caught him up into the air, pack and all.
The ground disappeared below him, and his head swam with the sudden change in elevation. As their friends hadn't been far from where they had encountered the non-humans, the giants had consented to walk the 'short' distance.
That had been harrowing enough.
Shayn dreaded the thought of what riding on a running giant would be like. He wasn't a hundred percent confident a human could even survive such a thing, but Jarnsaxa insisted that she was the smoothest runner of her generation and they would hardly feel the movement.
Still, even the slightest wrong move could send them tumbling to their deaths. It wasn't a pleasant prospect.