No Need For Phoebe

[Treijim]

Seeing he had held their attention, he put on a proud smile and puffed out his chest as though meeting some great idol that he wholly admired.

"My name is Blake Guillera Behaerahel," he said, allowing his complex name to flow off his tongue as though it was really nothing. A passerby heard his name and almost walked into a lantern post as he turned his head in disbelief. Blake looked from Fin to Phoebe again, his smile still strong, but his mind now pondering what else there was to tell about one's self beside one's own name, as their faces were ones of dissatisfaction.

"I'm wandering, too," he finally said. It had an air of sadness -- the way he said it -- yet he still remained confident and naive in his expression, his golden eyes glinting in the sun. "You're going to Hadar, aren't you? I can take you there. Nobody else will. Not for free. So you have to say yes." He let out a giggle of amusement and nodded. "You two will need horses first. The stables are this way," he began to walk off toward the stables, clearly visible not far from the east gate. "Come on! Stop dawdling!"

[Blake is so fun to play as XD]

[gummiarms]

Phoebe looked over to Fin, and then back at the peculiar boy. "Do you think we should?"

But she was already following. If nothing else, the boy had made a good point about getting mounts. And a guide would be a good idea should they encounter trouble on the road ahead.

Still, she could not get over how strange this boy was, and that strangeness put her on guard.

[Dreadicon]

Fin came up next to her. "Well, he seems a bit peculiar, but he's still only a boy. Besides, when is gold-guilded armor a sign for worry?" he said with a smile, "And I like his cheery disposition."

[gummiarms]

Phoebe pointed out, "A child of his age should not be able to wear such armor and move about with ease. It probably weighs twice as much its bearer, especially if it has gilding on it. And for another thing, how did he even get the armor? It would have to have been custom tailored to fit a boy his size, and I can tell you that it would have been quite expensive. So, who would be so rich and powerful as to have this gilt armor made for their child as if on a whim, and yet allow him to roam as he pleases without so much as a single escort?"

She mused, "Unless, perhaps, his parents were assassinated, but I'm sure I would have heard of a rich or powerful lord like that going missing. Not to mention that I've never heard of a lord with such n outlandish name..."

Realizing she was just going in circles, Phoebe eventually trailed off. It wasn't like she wanted to distrust him, and she was actually a little concerned with the thought of some young boy wandering about on his own. She turned to Blake and put on a sweet smile. "Blake, if I may ask, where are your parents?"

[Treijim]

Everything Phoebe said to Fin didn't reach Blake's ears. As they had been approaching the stables, he met them again with two horses ready to go, though he had barely said two words to the stablehand. He gave both his companions a rein each and then addressed Phoebe's question.

"My parents went to the market to buy something. They didn't tell me, but I know what it is." His grin widened and he looked about carefully. "They're getting me a present for my birthday, because it's tomorrow. They'll be back this morning. Don't worry." Then he flipped the subject around entirely. "Are you both ready to go?"

[gummiarms]

Phoebe guessed the boy was lying, but she didn't particularly feel like forcing the truth out of him. For the time being she would simply have to accept her new companion as he was, and the truth would surely make itself evident with time.

Still, his motivation for joining them remained unclear. It could have been anything, ranging from a boyish sense of adventure to some far reaching conspiracy, but it was impossible for her to get a good sense of his motivations. Normally she wouldn't give it much thought, but she was also concerned about what machinations her brother might have set into motion to thwart her. She couldn't rule out the possibility that this peculiar boy might be a spy or even -Nikina forbid- an assassin. She would have to be cautious until she knew she could trust him. Though, she realized, much the same could said of Fin.

Phoebe took the reins of the mount that Blake offered her. "Of course, if you are certain that your parents will not object." The fact that he had only gotten two mounts wasn't lost on her. "You can ride with me, if you like." She mounted her steed as she awaited his answer.