Reluctant companions (Eyesoffire & Ecchi)

Long, slow, taxing hours passed as Gideon kept watched while the horse moved onwards steadily. He wasn't going to shift his back, he just sat there, slightly hunched, allowing Leilia to rest on him. Although he wasn't on greatest terms he wasn't going to allow her to just fall off. Everything was made more arduous due to the rain's movement from the West to East. Now Gideon's hair was wet and clung to his head. He had a grim xpression due to the fact that he had no hood. The horse too seemed to share his feelings as it moved along, head low to the ground as rainwater dripped down to its nose and fell of the end. Blinking Crispin squinted in the darkness. Ahead of him he could see faint glowing lights. They had been flowing the path South so this would have had to be Edric's Stead.

He approached quietly, still keeping the same pace, not wanting to speed up so as not to raise suspicion of their aims here. "Leilia." He whispered, moving his back to get her awake faster. "Look alive." As they approached a helmed guard holding a torch. "What business do you have here?" he asked, a little rudely.
"None, we wish to stay the night...get out of the rain a little."
"Traveling a little late, aren't you? What, did you think it would be good to come from Harrowdale?" The guard asked, increasingly getting on Gideon's nerves.
"We got caught in the storm, decided to take shelter in a cave and realized it wasn't the best place to stay."
"Who's this behind you?"
Gideon raised his eyebrows as he turned back to Leilia, he grinned. "She's my lover...want me to prove it?" Gideon turned as best he could on the horse, wrapped his hands around her hips and pulled her close.
The guard shook his head and waved them into the town.
Pulling up to the Inn and entering it was a relief. Gideon hurried inside and immediately went to the fire.

Leilia seemed to sleep through the rain as it came down on them, not letting it bother her nap as they rode along toward Edric's Stead. Only when she heard his voice and felt him shift did she open her eyes and lift her head to look about. She was thankful she didn't wake to the sight of enemy forces surrounding them, but rather a single guard on patrol along the road. She remains silent as Gideon speaks with him, keeping the rough linen cloth up over her head, her gaze drifting over the guard slowly.

She was content to simply let Gideon handle the talking, and remain still and quiet as she watched.. that is until Gideon's answer to the guard's question of who she was. Her eyes widened slightly at his reply, then narrowed as she looked to him while he shifted and pulled her close. Her hand on the other side pf the horse, away from the guard slipped to Gideon's thigh, and her fingers gave him a hard pinch there, silently letting him know what she thought of his little joke. Still, she remained silent, letting the guard think what he will as he let them pass on.

Once up to the inn, she dismounted with him, letting him take care of tying the stolen horse's reigns to the rail outside. She steps inside and slowly looks around. There were much fewer people occupying the space in this tavern than the last, as few people were still awake at this late hour. She moves gracefully over to the fire to join her companion, sitting in a nearby seat. "Will we be staying here the rest of the night? At least what's left of it. Some food and a warm drink would so us good I believe, if nothing else."

"I think we'll have to stay here tonight." Gideon said as he watched the fire lick the sides of it's brick fireplace. He was warming his hands, the cold rain had soaked almost all his clothes and even dampened his spirits. Turning his head to Leilia he could tell that she had been sleeping. She still had that look of drowsiness upon her, it was natural, it wasn't every day that they came to a town at this hour and in this weather. He stood up and walked ot her side, keeping close to her so that she wouldn't have t drastically turn hear head to look at him, or even speak loudly. It was said that soe could tell an elf by their eyes and voice. Gideon could tell by using their eyes and Leilia's, oddly enough, seemed to have something human about them, at least in his opinion. It made Gideon feel a little comfortable around her than he normally would.

"What do you want to drink?" He said, in almost a whisper. He looked from her face to the cloth that covered her head. Gideon blinked. "You look like you'd be my sick sister." He bit his bottom lip in contemplation. "I think we'd better keep it that way. At least for the people in here...not so much the guard outside." he grinned, Gideon couldn't help himself.
Sobering up he moved back a little towards the bar. "No sense in you buying anything here...what do you want?....Besides a bed to sleep in."

Leilia suppressed a shiver now that she was beginning to feel the cold of her wet clothes against her skin. She was glad that Elves were much more resistant to sickness, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about the mission being held up by a cold, unless of course Gideon ended up with one. Still, she felt uncomfortably in her soggy, heavier clothing. She looked to him as he spoke to her. "Sick sister? Ironic considering I'm the least likely between us to end up sick."

She would shrug lightly as she considers. "Some ale will be fine. And something roasted if they have food to serve." She sighs softly and looks to the fire, pulling the cloth over her head a bit tighter, though it did little to warm her considering it was as soaked as everything else. "The sooner we get a room, the better."

"'A' room, not two?" Gideon grinned as he got up and moved to the counter. Buying a small, roasted chicken with some vegetables and two pints of ale hardly took a dent out of his savings. Being a sellsword, and a good one at that he knew how to turn a profit. But even within the occupation of sellsword there was something else, a certain kind of work he did that guaranteed increased pay. The bartender gave him a weary eye as he turned to return back to his 'sister'. He doubled back quickly, forgetting about the room.
"Got a nice one for two on the third floor, ye can see the stables from the window."
"That will do." Gideon slapped the money down after setting the drinks aside and walked back to Leilia, pulling a small table between them and placing the chicken and vegetables on it. He pulled his chair closer to the table and waited for her to eat first. He held the drink close to his lips but pulled it away.
"You look like you'd be sick." He said as if teasing her choice of garb. "You've got it around your head, you don't want to make eye contact, or any contact for that matter, with anyone else. What's more you're soaking wet. But, you'd need to have black hair and darker skin to actually be my sister." He placed his elbows on his knees and watched her, almost wide-eyed, as if he were a child looking at something shiny.
"Better eat that or I'm going to star believing you're sick."

Leilia gives him a look at the question of two rooms. She shakes her head a bit to him, waiting for him to return over with the food. Having her own room would be nice, she would admit, however they had a long journey ahead of them, and little room to make more money on the way. It would do them no good to spend it all on unnecessary comforts. For now she simply listened as she waiting while he got the food and paid for the room.

When he returns to her side, she looks to the plate of food set before her on the table. She reaches to pluck up some of the fruit and eat it, waiting until she's finished and swallowed before speaking again. "That is why I need to get a proper cloak." She takes a piece of the chicken with the crude pronged piece of metal to eat it, again waiting until she'd finished it before speaking at all. "We need to watch our spending. We don't know how much more we may need to travel after we find this contact in the south. After we leave this town, camping may be the better option to inns."

Gideon sighed and leaned back in his chair. He'd had his fill of camping, he ranged the western slopes for weeks on end, camp after camp was made and brought down day after day. But she had a point, he had to admit that thought he'd made a hefty sum it might not last as long as he would have wanted it to. Rubbing the bridge of his nose he nodded. "Alright, that sounds fine to me." He took a leg off the chick with his hands, not caring what anyone thought of him. Taking a bite he chewed a little and realized that it wasn't as bad as he expected. Perhaps this poultry was worth the coin he paid.
He ate in silence and watched Leilia for time to time, something about her intrigued him but he couldn't put his finger on it. Eventually, after his pint was empty and just a bone remained of his piece of chicken, Gideon got up from the chair and fumbled with a key the innkeeper had given him. "I need to see you in our room, it's best we discuss this in private." He told Leilia and went up to freshen up before sleeping. He figured he might as well take advantage of the clean sheets and water while he still could.
When Leilia entered he was sharpening his blade with a wet stone. Looking up he stopped and sheathed his weapon. "My people seem to be pretty lax when it comes to detecting elves in their own town. It's probably because they don't expect one to be here." He pointed at her. "You're people, I assume, won't be so dismissive about this...what do you propose we do?"

Leilia nods and finishes up eating. She heads up to the room after him, stepping inside. She looks to the blade he was sharpening as he sheathes it, then pulls the rough cloth from her head, dropping the damp thing to the floor. She then begins pulling off her weapons as she listens to him, sighing softly. "No, I don't think they will be. We watch our lands closely, always vigilant. And our sentries usually see anyone coming toward them first." She starts unlatching her bracers and the rest of her armor, dropping it all aside onto the floor. "As for what to do... I'm not exactly sure yet. I rather doubt we could pass you off as an Elf as easily as I can pass for human. I could take you past sentries as a prisoner, and if asked I'll simply explain I'm taking you to one of the cities to be questioned." She would shrug then, working her boots off before starting to tug her tunic loose. "Unless you have some other ideas."

"I hardly doubt you'd like to hear the first idea that comes to mind." Gideon said as he watched Leilia take off her armor in front of him. "I'd like to take a cautious and more silent approach when in your lands. Elves, from what I hear, are hard to kill." He gave her a slight grin. In the past men like Serwin Earcutter made Gideon's claim unlikely. The man had killed so many elves in the previous wars and taken all their ears as proof of his triumph. He died asleep in bed, some say the Elves poisoned him, others believe his deeds and killings caught up with him. Gideon thought it was his age, he had been an older man then.

A hand rested on the hilt of his sword. The other ran across the stubble on his chin. "The prisoner idea seems decent...at best tolerable. I don't see myself slipping past Elves undetected so your idea may be our best bet." He looked at the single bed in the room and placed a hand in his pocket, after fumbling around for a bit he pulled out a single coin. "I'm looking to make our time together as fair and smooth as possible. I can't deny that I don't want that bed, regardless of how hard it looks. However I'm not going to just claim it. Shall we flip for it? If so I say heads." He threw her the coin. "To be fair I think you should flip it...it's not weighted."

Leilia nods slowly to him as he speaks, pulling off her still damp tunic, and leaving only the cloth bound around her breasts. "It may not be the idea plan for you, but I do believe it is our only real chance of getting past the sentries and patrols without raising suspicion." She places her tunic down in the growing pile of her things on the floor, then turns to look at him.

She listens to his talk of the bed, and reaches out to catch the coin, looking at it. She looks back up at him again, and would shrug. "I don't mind if you take the bed.. all that interests me is the blanket. There is no need to flip if we agree to split it that way. The bed for you, the blanket and floor for me. I doubt the bed is that much more comfortable than the floor as it is. Either would be somewhat less comfortable than camping in nature I'm sure.. but I'm used to that, so beds don't interest me enough to compete for it." She thinks a moment before speaking up again. "Tents, and blankets are something we should look into picking up while we're here as well."

Gideon got up with a sigh. "Fair enough." he fell onto the bed and grimaced. She was right, it wasn't much better than the floor. His body was so longing for a bed that his eyes must have deceived him into thinking this one was actually comfortable. Rubbing his back he got up and took off his boots. Leaving everything else on he took off his sword belt and placed the sheathed weapon and his dagger beside him. He looked around the room. "When we buy things tomorrow you can stay here if you want, I don't care if you're just lazy or don't want to attract any attention. The choice is yours." He blew out the candle and almost instinctively said 'goodnight' but held his tongue.

Instead he rolled onto his back and looked past his weapon to the open window that blew in a chill. The shutters slowly moved as the curtains fluttered noiselessly as if two ghosts had chosen to linger by the frame. His eyes moved down to Leilia's form and he stretched out his arm, tapping her on the shoulder. "Coin?"

Leilia nods as he agrees to her terms of sharing minor comforts. She moves to pick up the blankets, wrapping it around herself, before a moment later her pants drop to the floor from beneath it. She pushes them off into the pile with her food, now wearing only her undergarments under the blanket. She looks to him as she moves onto the floor, preparing to lay down, until he asks her for the coin. She looks to the night stand where she's set it upon picking up the blanket and points to it. "There, on the night stand."

She lays herself down, wrapping herself up in the blanket as she rested her head down against the hard wood floor. She didn't mind the breeze blowing in.. it made her think of when she slept outside. Finding the floor harder than she'd hoped, she reaches to grab her pants and tunic, folding them up under her head to use as a makeshift pillow. "If you can bring me a pen and paper when you wake, I will stay here while you shop, and try to plot out a course through the Elven lands, from what I know of them."

Gideon got up and walked over Leilia to the nightstand where he slipped the coin into his sleeve and made his way back to the bed. "Pen and paper should be in this room, if not I'll find your some from downstairs before I leave." He turned his back to the window and closed his eyes. Sleep didn't come easy, he wanted to keep watch as he usually did. he was so used to nodding off with his back to a tree or a wall but now it was different. He had a bed. Why did this position seem so different to him? had he really been in the wild that long? He craved the bed when he saw it, why was it so foreign now? He felt like a child who wanted a toy just for the sake of having it. The feeling made him shudder a little, kids were annoying. He finally slept to dreams of chasing a stag through the trees. It was dark, almost black, his first hunt. No one helped, people just watched, saw him track it, kill it and skin it. Then they cooked it for him. It was more than just an initiation. He learned the value of life that night. Then something else came, wolves. Wolves with red eyes, breathing flame and dark tentacles rising from their backs, slashing at everything with cruel blades at their end.

He woke up sweating to a bright, warm day, the sound of birds coming from the window. The cloth barely blew in the tiniest of breezes. Gideon sighed and looked for his blades. Both were there beside him, he rubbed his face, his hand felt damp. Strapping his weapons on Gideon moved for his boots when he was ready he moved to Leilia, crouched down and shook her till she woke. "I'm heading out now." There was still a sleepy look in his eyes but he was feeling totally awake. "Is there anything I can get for you, not just the trip?"

Leilia slipped off to sleep, in spite of the hard floor under her. She began to dream herself of being in a small clearing as the sun set. She'd just finished eating a fox she'd killed and cooked, her camp fire still crackling. Being alone, she stood and removed her armor and weapons, then began to dance, a traditional Elven dance of thanks to the gods.. she would often do so when she camped alone, thanking them for their provision of food, their gift of fire, and their guidance. Suddenly, everything turned dark, pitch black.. much faster and darker than it should be from the setting of the sun. Something lurked in the tree line, long dark shapes snaking out along the ground. Some darted out from the branches, dark tendrils reaching out toward her. She turned to grab her weapons, only to find them gone, along with the armor she'd removed... then she looked down, realizing she was suddenly completely naked. She felt the dark tendtrils beginning to wrap around her waist, her arms and legs, one around her neck....

Then she woke to Gideon shaking her, a light cold sweat over her skin. She looks up wide eyes at first, then slipping back to a bleary eyed tired expression. She was shifted a bit, the blanket having fallen below her chest as she no doubt tossed and turned from her rather strange dream. The cloth bound around her breasts had shifted slightly as well, showing just the barest hint of the under swells of her plump breasts. She looks up at him, blinking away the tired feeling and yawning lightly with a hand over her mouth before she answers. "Cloak.. an earthy color if you can find one.. but nothing too elegant of course." She simply lays there for the moment, looking up at him, not really noticing the condition of the blanket or her under top.

Gideon eyes lingered on Leilia's for a moment. he'd noticed that she was sweaty too. The night had not been warm and there was no other explanation as to why she'd be sweaty. "You didn't have a dreamless sleep....either" He said calmly. Removing his hand he stood up and placed his left palm on the hilt of his sword, a ranger's usual resting position. He looked down at her for a moment. "A simple cloak." he said, almost softly and turned, walking out the door. He had completely forgotten about the pen and paper she wanted and didn't realize it until mid afternoon. He'd bought bags for the horses and stocked them with food, nuts, fruit, salted and dried meats. Fresh vegetables and fruits were kept in a bag on his back. He wanted something tasty before they had to ration the food so that's why he had the fresh stuff with him.

His mind had been preoccupied with Leilia's expression and the sweat. It seemed strange that a woman like that would have woken up in that condition. He was used to nights alone in dark, deathly-silent woods and his dream had caused him alarm, was it possible she had something similar? He continued to walk until he found camping supplies and bought a sturdy-looking tent and some blankets. Returning to the inn he walked up and unlocked the door setting everything down just inside the room. "Horses are packed and saddled and I've had a drink to get wake me up." he said to Leilia. "I trust you found a paper and pen."

After Gideon left, Leilia lifted herself from the floor, feeling a bit stiff from sleeping on it. She stretches out and looks down, seeing her top was shifted a bit.. then wondering if Gideon had noticed. She fixes it and glances to her things, then to the door. She'd said she was going to stay while he shopped, and do something... She looks around the room, recalling that she was going to draw up a rout they could take through her people's lands... Thinking of her people's lands made her think of that odd dream. Was there some meaning behind it, or was it just an ordinary nightmare? She'd never had one like that before.

She moves to the night stand, sitting on the edge of the bed and opening one of the drawers. As luck would have it, there was a pen, and some paper inside. She pulled out both, setting the paper on the top of the night stand and then beginning to draw onto it, starting with the boarder of the Elven lands they would reach first at the top, considering the top edge of the paper north, and the lower edge south. She begins to mark out various spots, some with one sort of marking, others with another. She was pointing out areas that are typically well guarded, main roads and areas near villages. The other marks were places that were more secluded, usually ignored.. much of it being hunting grounds.

Her icy blue gaze lifts from the paper to the door as it opens, seeing Gideon step inside. She nods to him then motions to the paper on the table, using the pen in her hand to do so. "I did, luckily. I'm marking out the least safe, and more safe areas.. we can choose what course to plot out from there..." She idly wondered what sort of cloak he would have picked out for her, her gaze drifting over to her things in a pile, then to the blanket on the floor with her tunic and pants...... her tunic and pants... on the floor.

Her eyes widen as she realizes, she'd gotten right down to business marking the paper, and completely forgotten to redress. She sat still in only her cloth wrap top, and her little loincloth. Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink as she realizes her mistake, but as she'd acted casual up to now, hoped to play it off as if she didn't care. She stands, slowly, and moves over to Gideon, holding out the paper so he could see it, and hopefully keep his attention more on it, than her.

She points to the first set of markings. "These are where patrols will be found more often, along the main roads. Sentries will often perch in the trees to watch the area as well." She then points to the second set of markings. "These are the areas that will usually be overlooked, hunting grounds mostly. But that doesn't mean we might not run into Elves out there to hunt game, so we must still be careful." After that, she would let him take the paper, and slowly move over toward her clothes, trying not to seem as if she were in a hurry. "We should decide together how we wish to travel through."

Inspecting the paper closely he tried to memorize it as best he could, just in case things went badly along the way. His eyes scanned across the sheet, looking at the marking, following the lines and roads, the hunting grounds and the villages. He pursed his lips as he brought the paper down to see Leilia putting her clothes on. Moving to the bed he sat down with his back to her and folded to paper. "You don't have hide it like that. To most you'd be doing a good job but I noticed you face when you were aware of it." He slid the paper in his pocket and moved to check the bags. "I'm not new to the female body...and the first time we met I'd see much more, even if the sun was reflecting off the water." He grinned a little to himself as he made sure the weight was distributed evenly in all the bags. "Leilia...if you want me out of the room you just have to ask."

It was then that he realized that he hadn't gotten her cloak. When he had gone to have a drink all he could think about was his dream. It plagued his mind, his every thought at that time. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the melancholic atmosphere. Whatever it was it wasn't helping him. Gideon sighed and turned to her. "We'll need to get your cloak on the way out. I was a little preoccupied with something when I went to buy things." Biting his lower lip a little part of him hoped she understood...even hoped that she had a dream like his....

Leilia picks up her pants as he looks over the paper, slowly, casually pulling them on and up to her hips to tie off the string that held them tight. She looks to him, and can't help but blush a bit more as he seems to have seen through her act to play off her half nakedness casually. She just sighs and snatches up her tunic, pulling it on and tying it tight as well. "No.. you don't need to leave the room. I'm already redressed anyway." She would look at him again, frowning slightly. "Though, whether you're familiar with the bodies of other women or not... I'm not.. used to men seeing me so unclothed. But we are companions in this quest... and will be traveling together for a while. So I'm sure such things are bound to happen, lest I stay bound up in my clothing without a moment of respite." She sighs softly, shaking her head some. "Just.. do me the courtesy of trying not to look in such instances."

She begins to gather up her other things, pulling on her boots and the pieces of leather armor, finally slipping her weapons into place. She looks over at him with a disappointed look, then grabs up the rough linen she'd hoped she could leave behind to pull it over herself again. "Fine.. but let's be quick about getting it. I do not wish to linger here longer than necessary..." She stands ready to go now, letting him hold onto the "map" for now. "We can plot our course as we leave."

After he returned the key to the innkeeper Gideon made his way to their horse and saddled it up, the creature couldn't be too heavily burdened as they had camping equipment to carry. Gideon tried to find a way to get all their stuff moving while not hurting the creature's back. He looked for a cart but no one wanted to part with it. Then he tried to find smaller items for some of the things but people declines giving him anything in exchange. Time was going by and Gideon was getting more and more irritated by the second. He almost snapped at a young boy who wanted him to buy some honeyed apples.

Feeling a little low and disappointed by his attitude he moved to Leilia's side and leaned against their horse. He sighed and looked at the animal, who seemed to know exactly what was going on. It had intelligent eyes and locked them with Gideon's. Patting the horse's neck he moved to take its bridle and held it firmly.
He gave Leilia a ponderous look. "You know...I think it's time you stole a horse of your own."

Leilia sighed watching Gideon as they went about town, trying to find some way to carry their supplies. She had to nudge him, seeing that he was about to snap at that boy.. then she bought one of the honeyed apples to appease the child. She looks to him as he comes to her and suggests stealing a horse herself, thinking about his words. They could travel faster with two horses to share the burden... but... "How will we make the story work, with us both on horses? You would need to be securely bound on yours, and your horse tied to mine, if we want to convince patrols or sentries you are my prisoner..." She sighed a bit, looking off to the distant structure of the local stables.

"Do it." he said, eyebrows raised, he was adamant about it. "I don't care, but we can't have this horse carry us and all of this stuff, and you heard the people, they won't sell a cart. I have rope enough for my hands and the horses in my bag, besides you can be assured that the story will work better this way. It's better to have me on another horse securely bound than right behind you on the same one, where I can easily reach for you blade." He angled his head down a little so that he had to look at her from beneath his eyebrows. His eyes shifted from her to the stables behind her. Three lovely, strong and young mounts were grazing near the water troughs with an old, fat man sitting by them as he peeled potatoes. Occasionally the man would have to shoo a horse away as one of them got too eager.

One of the horses seemed to be hard-headed and when it couldn't get potatoes from the man's hand it went for them from the pile he made in a basket. Gideon nodded at it, "That one there is as stubborn as you are." His gaze fell back onto the elf. "Leilia, you know I"m right."

Leilia sighs, watching the three horses and the older man. She notes the one that seemed quite stubborn and bold was a rather beautiful white stallion... the sort of horse Elves would often ride. Perfect for her in fact.. its actions showed it had less fear than the others, but may need more taming as well. Elves had a particular knack for taming animals though. It was in the eyes.. they could often make a connection, and the beasts would come to understand them better.

She turns to Gideon, nodding. "Fine.. but I'll do it my way. First... my cloak. You seem to be neglecting that task. Let's go get a cloak while we still have a good standing in this town.. horse thievery can come later." She looks down into one of her pouches, seeming to search for something. She slips out a vial, looking at the color of it, nodding slowly. She slips it away again after confirming what she needed, and looked to him again. "You would know where to find a cloak in a human town better than I."

Gideon nodded slowly and walked off. She assumed he knew where to find a cloak, but did he really? Not here. In fact he didn't know where to find a cloak in any town. He hardly wore one and the only cloak given to him was when he was in the order of rangers. He scoured the town looking for any place that sold a cloak, soon he asked people they pointed him to a place called the Barbed Needle. It seemed like an interesting title. When he entered the place he never felt so alienated. The walls were covered with linen and fabrics of all kind. They came from the South and far East, even furs from the North.
"I need a cloak, earthen color." He said to the shop owner. She nodded and rummaged in the back bringing out an old cloak that was still in surprisingly good condition. It was a mix of green and brown giving it an odd color that one really couldn't put their finger on. It would work for Leilia if she was traveling in densely wooded areas. He picked it up for 17 silver and walked out the door, retracing his steps to his horse. Handing the folded cloak to Leilia Gideon looked down at her. "It'll look good on you...and you'll look good on that horse." He jerked his head in the stable's direction as if to say 'get moving.'

Leilia waits patiently while Gideon goes off to fetch her a cloak. She stays with the horse, gently petting at its snout as she watches the stables carefully. That white horse certainly did look quite strong, and showed no fear of the older man, even as he had to chase it off a couple times. Eventually the man had to move away, and moments later he came back with a younger man.. a son, or else hired help of some kind. She watches as he handles the white horse, leading it away from the peeled potatoes. She watches him closely, as the sun begins to sink lower in the sky.

It was mere hours away from sunset as Gideon returned with the cloak. By now the older man had gone inside, leaving only the younger man outside to tend to getting the horses rounded up and locked into their stables for the night. She reaches to take the cloak, quickly pulling the rough cloth from her head, then wrapping the cloak around herself and tying it off. She hands the cloth to him. "We can hold onto this. We never know when it might be handy." She would then walk off toward the stables.. and if Gideon looked to one of the bags nearby, he would see her armor and most of her weapons had been left behind.

She moves up toward the young man, just as he was preparing to get the last horse into the stable, the white one she wanted. She walks up quietly behind him, speaking softly. "My what a fine horse that is..." They would speak back and forth a bit, Leilia putting on an overly feminine flare to her words and each motion. It was almost as if she were attempting to seduce the man... and as the conversation went on, it became obvious that was exactly what she was doing. Soon she lured him in, his hands barely able to to resist roaming all over... and then the moment came, a kiss. It lasted a few moments, deep and passionate... and as the young man pulled away, he stumbled, Leilia simply watching him. Soon he'd fallen back on his ass to the ground, and then dropped completely, out cold in a deep slumber.

A few moments looking the white horse in the eyes passed before she came walking back up toward Gideon, leading the horse along. "Let's get it packed and go. Before someone finds that stable hand 'sleeping on the job', and this horse missing." It was already saddled.. and simply needed the bags loaded on. "We can camp tonight when we find a good spot to do so."

"Remind me never to kiss you." Gideon said, pulling a bag off his chestnut mare and securing it to the saddle of Leilia's mount. He looked up at the beast, it was a strong one, it's eyes were intelligent as well. Perhaps there was more to it than others expected. That was the case with many beasts and birds. As a ranger he'd come across a lot of wildlife and although being a human does come with a higher intellect and arrogance that tags along, in his younger, more naive years he had found out how to be outfoxed...by a fox, or why his mother had always told him owls were wise. There was some truth in the tales that treated animals like humans.

After the bags had been divided Gideon walked over to the front of Leilia's horse's muzzle and stroked it slowly. He looked at his elven companion. "The beast is strong and has intelligent eyes....don't name it until it's proven to be a reliable mount...it hurts to do such a thing too early, trust me, I know."
He quickly mounted his own steed and walked to the gate, waiting for Leilia.