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The Two Adventurers (ZodiacDragon1014 and Karo)

"That's definitely a reassuring thought." she said. "Thanks for the reminder."

She shrugged her bag back onto her shoulder. He was right, though. It was obvious there was something out here that wanted them dead, but why? It didn't make any sense.

"Well, we're not making any progress standing around here.' she said. "Let's go, and we'll see what the day brings us."
 
Jerik nodded in agreement. They were going nowhere fast, and needed to get moving. Whatever and whoever dwelled in this forest could no doubt be watching them at this very moment, and even then, they were all sorts of other creatures and monsters that could lurk in a forest such as this that would give them a hard time.

"Lead the way."

Jerik said, motioning to her to take the lead. As they trudged through the forest, he kept to himself for a while, thinking about all that could dwell within this forest. Dragons were a known entity, and although he was certain that a dragon hadn't attacked them at that moment via the vines, he had to wonder if one was actually watching them...
 
She nodded to him, and started off through the trees. There was no sign of a path, no trail through the dense woods, so progress was slow. Arastine, again, seemed completely on edge, perhaps even worse than the previous day. Every little sound made her jump, and after just a few short minutes of walking, she had one of her knives drawn and ready, just in case they were ambushed.

Thankfully, the day was mostly uneventful. They were able to find a small clearing to break for a quick midday meal in. They were mercifully left alone while they ate, and even afterwards.

Soon, night was nearly on them, and it would once again do to stop for the evening and rest. As they were looking for a spot to set up camp, Arastine paused.

"Listen." she said. "I hear water. It's not too far off." she said.
 
Jerik stopped behind her and listened for the sound of running water. His sense of hearing was not quite as sharp as Arastine's, so it took him a little while longer to detect it. After just a few moments however, he could hear the faint sound of running water.

"I hear it too."

Jerik could hear it, but he was unable to detect which direction the noise was coming from.

"I can't make out where it's coming from though. What about you?"
 
She listened for a while longer. "I think it's this way..." she said, starting off through the trees again. "We should check it out; if it's a big enough river, it might lead out of the woods. We can probably follow it out of here, and it'll probably lead to somewhere near a town." she said. "I hope, at least."

Of course there was always the possibility that it was a trick of the woods, an illusion or worse, that it was a trap or ambush. It was somewhat strange that, just as they were running low on water, there was some nearby. It was probably just a coincidence, though.

At least, that's what she told herself. She was still cautious as she stepped through the brush, and soon enough, the sound of running, rushing water drew closer as they approached the stream.
 
"With any luck, it's out ticket to water and our way out of here."

Jerik said to her, trying his best to reassure her that things would hopefully work out for the better. He wasn't always the most optimistic person in the world. He usually considered himself a realist. However he felt now wasn't the time to bring up what would or could most likely happen. An unknown forest that seemed to act on its own. Some other possible entities in this forest luring them into some sort of trap. He didn't know for sure, but he'd be damned if he was going to pass up an opportunity for water and a way out. As a precaution however, his right hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He remained close to her, beside her now as a kind of reassurance to her that he was also here to protect her.
 
It was an odd sense of calm that she received from having Jerik at her back, not having to worry nearly as much about an ambush with a second set of eyes and ears. Even if her senses were a bit sharper than his, he made up for it with sheer power that she lacked. They did make quite a good team, really. Shame this was only a temporary arrangement, but they both had their own agendas to tend to once they were out of the woods.

Soon, they reached the source of the sound, a wide stream cutting through the woods. Arastine paused a moment, then slowly crept forward, her knife drawn and ready. There were no signs of life anywhere, no movement. Then again, it had been that way before they had been attacked by those vines and branches before, as well. It really wasn't a sure sign of safety here.

However, it appeared to be safe. After a few steps, the thief motioned for Jerik to follow along behind her, closer to the bank of the stream. "I think it's fine..." she said. "No obvious traps..."
 
Jerik walked alongside her, his right hand gripping the hilt of his partially drawn sword. He himself wasn't looking for possible traps. He was tuning in to possible ambushes, and a water source would have been a perfect set up. He scanned the area and listened all around him. Nothing.

"Hmm... I think we may be in the clear as well."

Jerik relaxed and let his scabbard conceal what little of the blade he had withdrawn from it. His hand now removed from the hilt, he reached for his canteen from his pack and knelt down by the bank of the stream.

"Let's go ahead and make this quick before that changes."

He was happy to see that the stream was in fact real. Like Arastine had mentioned before, it would most likely provide a means of navigation out of this forest if they followed it, and they wouldn't run out of water. At the same time however, the stream presented its possible dangers. Since it was the only source of water either of them had seen in a long while, the potential for it to be a heavily used water source by other wildlife in this forest was incredibly high, for both creatures hostile and otherwise.
 
Arastine put her knife away, and breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, there was probably something lurking nearby, ready to jump them, but the thought slipped to the back of her mind. This was perhaps the best chance they had to find their way out of the woods. The river had to lead somewhere, right?

The thief took the time to take a few drinks from the rushing stream before she filled her canteen up. She splashed a bit of water on her face to clean up some of the dirt that had accumulated there. She hadn't really been able to afford the water to wash herself decently, so this was a welcome sight, without a doubt.

Soon, she settled back on her heels at the edge of the stream.

"There's one small problem." she said. "Well, potential problem. The way the river flows, that way, is the direction we came in from. We can follow it upstream, but there's a chance that we'll end up at the source of the water before we're really out of the woods." She said.
 
Jerik himself followed close to her example, first filling his canteen with water and then washing his face. The fight with the vines and brances just the other day had left its mark on him, and it was time to wash that all away. As soon as he was done, Jerik stood up and looked upstream as Arastine spoke.

"Well, it'll be a chance we'll have to take. It's out best bet out of here."

Jerik walked up right beside her, and looks to her.

"Ready?"
 
"You know.' she said. "It's starting to get late, and this is as good of a spot to set up camp for the night as any." She said. "Who knows when we'll find another open spot, and there actually aren't too many trees here, so that makes me feel a lot better." she said, not too fondly remembering the attack from the previous day. She had the feeling trees would be making her nervous for some time after this.

"The extra time we'll take walking probably won't make up for the fact that this is just kind of a nice spot to stay at. We probably won't find better for a while."
 
Jerik was more than happy to go ahead and take the rest for today. They hadn't gotten as far as they had both initially would have liked, but travel was also about survival, and what would be the best way to maximize their chances of doing just that. It was as good a plan as any, and Jerik looked to her and nodded in approval.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Tomorrow can be our long haul."

Jerik set his pack down by the bank and looks out over the water, admiring the view. For a forest that had once tried to kill them, the view was still quite beautiful. He couldn't help but continue to wonder what awaited them, and just how close they were to exiting this place. He then looked to her. He hadn't meant for his gaze to linger, yet there he was, watching her for a long while. She really was beautiful, and despite whatever dirt and grime seemed to be on her, none of it could conceal how beautiful she looked. He felt it strange too how he had only now begun to take notice. Perhaps it was because he was trusting her more and was becoming much less wary of her intentions. Whatever the reason was, he noticed her beauty now more than ever, and began to almost hope that they wouldn't separate once they had exited the forest.
 
She nodded in return, and busied herself with setting up a campsite for them, at least clearing out any loose debris and foliage from the ground. It was probably the best they could hope for, as far as resting places went.

Arastine found herself optimistically hopeful, perhaps too optimistic. She wanted nothing more than to be out of these woods, and this was their best shot.

She didn't seem to notice that Jerik was staring at her. In fact, she seemed to be completely off guard, instead of her usual tense stance. Even in their short time, she had come to hold a good deal of trust in Jerik. She didn't have to constantly be watching her back because he was there to help her. She had begun to shed her armor, leaving it in a neat pile as she made her way over to the stream again, taking a few moments to wash her face and arms more thoroughly, as long as they were stopping anyway.

As she splashed the cool water over her face, she looked up to Jerik, and caught his eye. She gave him a curious glance, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Is...something wrong?" she asked.
 
It wasn't until Arastine had caught Jerik's gaze did he finally return back to reality. He had watched her long enough to feel just a little bit embarrassed at being caught doing so. In response, he stumbled with his words.

"Hm? Oh! Sorry... I, uh-was kind of just staring off into space, thinking..."

When he looked back at how he had managed to get his words out, he silently cursed himself at how much he had stumbled over speaking. With any luck, she would think that she merely caught him off guard on not necessarily staring and admiring her. Doing his best not to dwell on it any more than he had already, and in hopes of drawing less attention to this, Jerik puts his stuff down and assists Arastine with the set up of camp with what little else was needed to be done.
 
(Sorry about the late response. I've been busy~)

Arastine blinked a bit, then shrugged. Normally, she'd have been put off by his obvious attempt to cover his tracks, but it was different with him.

She trusted him. She hadn't trusted another human, or anyone remotely human, for that matter, in a long time. She had been only out to take care of herself, and no one else she had met had been up to the task.

Instead of dwelling on this, though, she instead focused on getting a fire started, and their dinner together.

"You know.' she said as she tended to the growing flames. "We work pretty well together. Maybe we could team up again some time, that is if your order or whatever you're looking for is alright with you working with a thief." she chuckled.
 
((It's no problem at all. I understand. =) ))

Jerik couldn't tell if she simply ignored his stumbling just moments before, or if she chose to ignore it. It came as further relief when she spoke, not acknowledging it in the least. He continued to tend to the camp, listening to her words. When she had finished, he couldn't help but smile just a little. She seemed to trust him well enough at wanting to team up with him again sometime in the future. He was relieved, because he trusted her as well, despite her background as a thief. His smile grows just a bit larger.

"I would certainly enjoy that. In the few days that we've known each other, we've proven to be quite an effective team."

Jerik paused for a moment, considering the order he was seeking out and their possible reaction to a thief. In all honesty, he wasn't sure how they'd react or treat her. Thieves generally weren't a trustworthy bunch, but Arastine, to him at least, was a special case. Perhaps the order would see that as well.

"Oh I'm sure they wouldn't mind too much, as long as I keep you away from any treasures they might have."

Jerik says with a chuckle, giving her a little bit of a hard time because she was a thief.
 
"If they keep them locked up well enough and out of sight, I will do what I can, but I make no promises." She replied with a smirk to him. "I think I told you when we first met that, as a thief, I have my honor. Part of that is that I don't steal from friends, and I suppose organizations they might affiliate themselves with."

She offered a smile to him again. He had every right to be wary of her intentions still. They had only known each other for a few days, and their meeting had been on not-too-pleasant terms. There was no offense shown on her face as she settled down near the fire.

"I make no guarantees, though; if, perhaps, they seem well enough off, I may help myself to a trinket or to." she replied with a smirk.
 
"You suppose, huh? Not all that reassuring to me or the order."

Jerik says with a chuckle, taking his place by the fire as well. He wasn't entirely sure how serious she would be about possibly robbing the Order of the Bahamut, especially since now the two of them had grown closer to each other just in the couple days that had met. This was an order dedicated to the protection of those who couldn't protect themselves from the hidden horrors of the world, namely the army of Tiamat, the evil dragon and sister to Bahamut himself. Even though he couldn't peg just how serious she actually was, it almost didn't matter. He liked her.

"Just be careful. If the stories and legends are true, I wouldn't believe you'd be too fond of a Dragonborn pursuing you."

Jerik says with a smile, and fishes out his canteen for a drink.
 
"Please. You underestimate me." she said with a grin, then hopped to her feet. She drew a dagger from her belt, brandishing it in a distinctly showy manner in the air in Jerik's direction. Not close enough to pose any sort of threat, even if the toothy smirk on her lips had indicated any sort of ill intent. No, she was simply being a braggart.

"I am Lady Arastine Arroway. Master thief and rogue. I've evaded every shackle they've tried to put around my wrists and every noose they've tried to put around my neck. I'm known better than many infamous scoundrels with twice my number of active years or more. My name is whispered at the scenes of crimes, and yet I always disappear without a trace."

Her grin widened, and she sheathed her dagger again. "And, on top of all that, I know when to be careful and when to watch my step."
 
Jerik couldn't help but laugh as he watched her display. She certainly didn't lack for confidence, which was an admirable quality in the world they lived in. She was something else. He didn't doubt she was the best, or was at least among the best of the thieves in her field. He put his canteen back into his pack and looked up to her again with a smile.

"That all may be true, but I do seem to remember one incident where this thief was unable to make away with rations off of a dumb warrior. Embarassing..."

A very wide grin shown on Jerik's face. He was making fun of her sure, but it was all in good fun. It was a sure sign that he was becoming much more comfortable with her, and it was almost staggering just how quickly his opinion of her and feelings for her were changing.
 
"Well, that dumb warrior was lucky the thief was in an amiable mood and didn't slit his throat.' She replied with a smirk.

She laughed a bit at her own morbid little joke, and flopped down next to him on the ground. "Wow." She said after a while, staring into the fire as it burned brightly. "I don't remember the last time I was able to just...joke around with someone. It's been way too long. Maybe I should think about retiring early...' she mused, then shrugged.
 
Jerik also laughed at her joke. Whatever ill will that had initially been had between the two of them seemed to be almost completely gone. A possible side effect of being thrust into a situation where survival meant dependance on each other, Jerik put just about his full trust into her.

"Well I think we can just go ahead and call it that dumb warrior's dumb luck."

Jerik said with a grin, watching her as she set herself down next to him. He watched her for a moment, listening to her as she spoke, then looked to the fire as soon as she was finished.

"Same here."

He managed to say.

"Life just seems to get in the way sometimes, and you never have time for the pleasures you used to enjoy and now take for granted."
 
Arastine chuckled as she nodded in agreement. In her years of working alone, she hadn't...really realized how much she missed the company of another. She had just grown used to being by herself. She had almost forgotten how nice people could be when they weren't more interested in seeing a rope around her neck than holding down a conversation.

She nodded as she watched the fire along with him.

"I know how that is." She laughed. "I mean, I hardly remember what fun is. I mean...what I do, it's a thrill, but it's not fun. Stealing this, conning for that." she shrugged. "Always watching my back, worried who might be after me. Honestly, it's kind of nice out here, not having to worry about any of that. I mean, obviously we have whatever is out here to contend with, but...it's different somehow."

She shifted in her seat next to him. As she did so, her hand brushed against his. An accidental touch perhaps, as she made no real mention of it, hardly even a movement to hint at it aside from an easily missed sideways glance over to Jerik.
 
Considering her profession, Jerik could believe that she had spent most of her life alone. He remembered her telling him that her thievery began in childhood, and he wondered just how much of her childhood she ended up spending alone. He himself had been around many people, but if only for short periods of time. Even then, the duty of a warrior often meant friends lost, and even lovers lost. He didn't dare to dwell on this train of thought however.

Jerik then felt Arastine's hand brush up against his own. At first he thought it was only accidental. However, there was no reaction from her, no pulling her hand away from his own. It remained right where it was. He wasn't all too sure what to make of this. Taking in a deep breath, he curled his fingers around her hand, then looked to her.

"Know this..."

Jerik began.

"I will always have your back. As long as we're here in this forest, whenever we're with each other, you can consider me an ally, a friend, your shield, your extra pair of eyes. Anything you need."
 
Arastine couldn't help but give the slightest glimmer of a smile at his reaction. She had been hoping for...she didn't even know. But the light touch, the simple little sigh of affection, meant a lot. Even if it was only a gesture with no real meaning behind it, it was a comfort.

Almost as soon as she felt his hand move to grip hers, she laced her fingers through his. Something so simple...she had forgotten how much she had missed it.

"I know." she replied as he spoke, breaking into a bright smile. "It's...been so long. Since I've had a real friend. Thank you."
 
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