[Ridge]
"Um, Ridge?"
I shove a clean shirt into my bag, "Yeah, Doc?" I reply distractedly.
"Did you...talk to Kadeeth? Y'know, about last night?" He asks. I catch a glimpse of his hands fidgeting nervously in my peripheral vision so I stand up. His face is etched with stress.
"I did." I reach behind him and grab a small sack of apples from the supply pile.
His face screws up in a confused manner, "But you both seem fine?" I open the sack of fruit.
"Never better." I remark. He opens his mouth to ask again, so I shove an apple in before he can speak. He's surprised at first but then he bites down and removes it.
"What was that f-"
I sigh, "Listen, Raforn, I know what you're worried about. I handled it though. I'd never let Kadeeth do crap like that without repercussions." His blush flares up angrily.
"REPERCUSSIONS? Like a little kid when they lie about eating dessert before supper?" He asks incredulously.
"That's a bit specific." I note. His face burns brighter, spreading to his ears. If he grew his hair out, it would cover the tips and no one would ever know. Unless they looked at his face of course.
"What? How are you not taking this seriously? Do you even know what he did? What exactly did he tell you?" He steps closer, invading my personal space. He's too heated to reason with right now. There's no point in trying to have a meaningful discussion while he's in this weird self-righteous mood.
"Raforn. Trust me, any thoughts he had of ever pulling that shit again have been waterboarded out of him. Let it go." I warn, standing up straighter.
My bad leg aches in protest but I need to make my point. I have to be sure that Raforn doesn't feel the need to confront Kadeeth. That's where I see this heading with how upset he is right now. Last night must have really freaked him out. Maybe I'd be reacting similarly if I'd been awake with him. We'll never know.
"You freaks ready to go?" Sileenas sultry voice rises up over whatever bullshit Raforn was about to spew. His posture sinks and he sighs in defeat.
"We're not a circus." He mumbles at her, taking a bite of his apple and shuffling dejectedly away towards Tellur to restock his own bag.
"Sure, and I'm not about to lead said circus halfway across the country." She snarks sarcastically. Raforn rolls his eyes, tossing his apple up and catching it. He takes another bite and then panics, spitting it on the ground.
"What's wrong?" Tellur asks him, more curiosity than genuine concern on his rough face.
"There's a bug on it!" Raforn cries, continuing to spit on the ground until he's satisfied that there isn't an insect in his mouth.
Tellur starts laughing, "Well not anymore." He teases, which leads to the two of them bickering, completely off in their own world.
I smile faintly at their antics and go back to loading some of our things onto a wagon. I can't quite call them carriages, but they are horse drawn, so at least we won't have to walk anymore. Maybe now my ankle will actually have some time to rest and heal.
I should have Raforn look at it. I know he inspected my head after it was done in with the hilt of a sword and then cracked on cobblestone, but he hasn't checked on my foot in a while. I'm worried that it may have gotten worse when I twisted it while falling after getting hit.
"As agreed, we'll take you as far as Eldmiss." Sileena interrupts my thoughts. She's observing me and the guys with half lidded eyes. Not with malice, just simple interest.
"Right, and from there we'll rendezvous with the Fourth Order of Ifeer and head to the coast." I confirm.
"We'll make a few stops along the way, mostly to Knighthood Academies and Noble households with large militias. The Fourth Order will escort you to Port. You may send all of your gathered forces back here and the Viscount will organize everything." She throws a large crate of heavy wool blankets onto the back of the wagon effortlessly, "However, since everyone will be gathering around here, it will be a hassle to go all the way back out west to bring you back.
"So, a few of our members will continue with you after Eldmiss. There's no guarantee the Fourth Order will be willing to help you on your return journey either, so this will ensure that you are not left unprotected." She explains carefully.
"Understood, and thank you." I turn to her, "We really appreciate your help, especially with how the skirmish last night went down." I clarify.
She stops moving things around and addresses me head on, leaning in close, "So you've been briefed on that." Her eyes narrow, voice dripping with venom, "While your big friend over there might not have done any real damage, that obsessive psychopath you let follow you around has permanently DESTROYED a man's face. If anything like that happens again, I'd sooner let the Empire fall than help you." She backs up, fixing her leather gloves and clicking her tongue, satisfied that she's made her point.
I look her dead in the eyes, "Trust me, Chief, if something like that ever happens again, I'll personally hold him down for your retribution." I promise.
One of the most dangerous, yet exciting, promises I've made if you ask me. Her eyes glimmer with surprise and delight. Then she smiles. Not a charming business smile, but a genuinely pleased grin. She even laughs. Sort of.
"I think we'll get along just fine. And although the Noble will undoubtedly piss me off again, I'll try to be considerate. For your sake, Sir Ridge." She no longer has that wall up on her face. Instead, there's a new shine to the way she looks at me.
I can only describe it as a fragile form of... respect.