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[Alynia Scentai]

Alynia wrapped the veil back around her head. She saw the black speck of a fellow traveler up ahead and she did not wish to be accidentally killed for being from the Kingdom of Night. That happened here, sometimes. If she wrapped her head in the veil, though, no one noticed her skin colour. Also, it kept away the heat and sand.

In front of her sat her son Gavin, but he was asleep, curled up against her body. Hopefully, he would not give her away if the traveler turned out to be aggressive. Usually, though, she could get by peacefully with a child.

It was dangerous traveling in the Kingdom of Light during these militant times. If she had her way, she would by no means be here at all. She hated the heat, the way the sun blistered her skin if she left it uncovered, the way she sweated through her clothes daily. She hated having to carry so much water with her. She hated that she had been forced to sell Hyacinth, her mare to get a camel. Hyacinth had not done well in the desert climate and all the locals had camels. She called her camel Lump, and while she grew to like him, it was a slow process. She missed her horse dreadfully.

She had left Karnak some time back in the Kingdom of Night. She had lost track of time, but it was probably close to a year now. They had gotten into a fight, and she left him, upset by what he had said. He had never liked Gavin, and it had finally come to the last straw for her.

The Kingdom of Light had seemed like the only logical choice, because she knew someone there. That was back when she did not want to be alone. Now, she couldn't care less. She was used to being "alone," though she never was without Gavin.

Coming out of her reverie, she saw that the dark speck in the distance had morphed into a person. She tensed up but said nothing. Sometimes, it was safer to keep quiet. If they were friendly, she would find out soon enough.

[Xavier Felins]

Xavier considered himself both an intelligent and wise man, but for the very life of him, he could not figure this situation out. It simply made no sense. He remembered entering one of their offices, then being stabbed in the gut by Trelven, and then waking up in the desert on another continent with some supplies and a turban in a pouch. Xavier inspected where his wound had been. It was mostly healed, probably with magic. He had wrapped his head up to keep himself cool and covered his face with the excess cloth to keep the sand out of his face. He had also taken to walking, trying to find some signs of civilization, and trying to piece together what exactly was going on.

He and Trelven had been working on a project under the grand master's nose. They had been trying to expose traitors within the organization. Why did Trelven stab him when they entered the office together? The assassin remembered seeing a few faces in the room that they had suspected of treason, just before being stabbed and blacking out. Had Trelven, Xavier's own handler been a traitor? It did not seem likely. Perhaps he had been trying to gain the trust of the traitors by bringing down one of the men that they knew was on to them. Still, how was he still alive? It would not be the first time that he was asking himself that question. He had all of his gear on him, his daggers and his crossbow. He had his leather armor and some supplies on him. Whoever left him here wanted him to survive, but why?

Xavier continued walking. He was frustrated that he could not have all of the answers right now, but the assassin knew that survival was his first priority out here. He had to find a town or something, or he would die; there was no question about it. Xavier had some survival training, but he still needed to find some civilization as quickly as possible.

Hours passed and the sun continued to beat down on his him. Xavier thought that he saw in the distance, someone approaching. At first, he thought it an illusion, but he cleared his eyes, raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, and could confirm that it was indeed a traveler. If they proved to be hostile, he would kill them and steal their mount and supplies. Should they prove to be his better, they would kill him, but Xavier would accept his fate. If they proved to be friendly, perhaps they could provide him with some aid. The assassin clutched a small hidden throwing knife in the palm of his hand so that the stranger would not be able to tell that he had a weapon ready. Although Xavier remained wary of the stranger, he decided that he would continue his approach.

[Alynia Scentai]

Time passed slowly as the person inched forward. Finally, he was close enough that she could see a man. He was turbanned and he wore dark clothes. As he got closer, though, Alynia saw his face was white like hers. She smiled in relief. He was not from the Kingdom of Light or the Kingdom of NIght! That meant he was simply a harmless traveler.

He watched her warily too, she noticed, so she tried to act as unthreatening as possible. "Hello," she said when he was close enough to hear. "My name is Alynia. Where are you from?" She signalled for the camel to kneel and then laboriously dismounted. She left Gavin sitting on the seat.

She could not see much of the man's face or skin, but there was something about him that made her vaguely nervous. She decided not to get too close. Then, she realised that he must be exhausted. The direction he had come from had no towns for miles, and here he was with no camel and only a small pack. Perhaps he was lost. She wondered if she would have to help him.

She sighed. She had been headed home, back to the Kingdom of Night. She still had a ways to go, but she was exited. She would soon be home. Now, she might have to stop over in some town to lead this man to safety. That was, of course, if he was lost. She smiled warmly at him. Even if he was lost, she would not hesitate to help him.

[Xavier Felins]

As the traveler drew closer, Xavier noticed that it was a girl, and a rather beautiful one at that. He was relieved at the fact that she did not attack him, but he still did not let his guard down. He kept his eyes trained on her hands, waiting for them to draw a weapon. If they did, his first throwing knife would strike the good hand, and his second would strike her jugular vein.

Although he had a plan of attack, he would try to match her tone and remain friendly. She introduced herself and asked him where he was from. Xavier would answer the question truthfuly, but he would not give away too much information. In his training, he had learned that information is power. The more a killer knows about his target, the more likely he is to succeed.
"Xavier, I'm from Dallin. Is this....is this the Kingdom of Light?" Xavier knew that it was a weird question, but he needed to gain his bearings

[Alynia Scentai]

Very tense, the newcomer said, "Xavier, I'm from Dallin. Is this....is this the Kingdom of Light?" Alynia smiled.

"Of course! Where else would it be?" she gestured to the miles upon miles of emptiness. Never having been schooled, she was not sure if Keehrr had any other deserts on different continents, but obviously there were none in Nelim. That was all Xavier need know.

"Are you thirsty?" she asked. "I have water here, if you'd like to share it." She reached back and patted her pack on the camel, but she did not move. She waited for a response from him before she got anything out. He might not want anything.

[Xavier Felins]

Xavier smirked under his mask at Alynia's comment. He was expecting an answer of that sort, he knew it was a rather awkward question. Since when does anyone end up on another continent and not know it? Obviously it had happened to Xavier, and it bothered the hell out of him. He had to figure out what was going on.

Xavier's mind snaped back into the situation at hand, he had to focus in order to stay alive. The girl offered him water. Xavier did not know the customs of Alynia's people. Was it rude to refuse something offered to him? Perhaps. But if he did accept, would she require something in return? Xavier decided that he was making this too complicated.
"Sure." he said as he held out his left hand (which was not holding the knife). Before removing the part of his turban that covered his face, he whispered a spell that would allow him to detect any toxins or poison in the water. Detecting nothing, Xavier said"thank you," and took a drink.

The assassin slipped the throwing knife back into his leather gauntlet before removing his mask to take a drink. He still could not completely let his guard down, but she did not seem to have intentions of killing him. But as paranoid as Xavier was, the mask had been more to shield his face from the sand, rather than hide his identity. Revealing his knife scared face would not bring him much trouble when he was this far from home.

Xavier addressed Alynia again. "Just trying to get my bearings here stranger, where exactly are we in the kingdom?" It occured to Xavier that she might not even know where they were, but it was still a question worth asking.

[Alynia Scentai]

"Sure," Xavier said and reached out his hand. Alynia then took out her water and handed it to him. The man muttered something under his breath before taking a drink, and Alynia mused on that for a moment. Was it magic? Some type of magic that purified water? Or was he delusional from the heat? "Thank you," he told her. She smiled again.

"Of course."

Then the man removed his mask and began to drink from her water. She stared at him. His face had two large scars on the right hand side. It marred his face, but what made her stare more than that was how it scared her. Any man who had scars was likely one to fear. It meant that he got into fights. Mentally, she checked him for weapons. He had a crossbow attached to his belt, but she saw nothing else. She had assumed he carried nothing else, but what if he was just hiding his weapons?

Well, what if? He was not using them on her. For now, she would just trust him. "Just trying to get my bearings here stranger, where exactly are we in the kingdom?" he asked. Ileraill chuckled.

"Let me show you on my map. We are about three days ride from Saral," she explained. Then she turned to her camel and carefully removed her pack and began to dig through it for her map. Gavin shifted slightly in his sleep, but did not wake up. "Here it is," she said pulling out a tattered papyrus sheet.

"Here is the closest village, Hamaisel." She pointed to a spot nest to one of the streams on the map. "It is a day and a half's ride south of here. I am going north to Saral, though, which is up here." She pointed to a marked city. Then with a wry glance at him, she decided she had better clarify. "Saral is the capital city. It's very large, whereas Hamaisel is nothing more than a village." Then, she rolled up her map again.

"Where are you headed? We could ride together if you want to go to Saral. I have enough water and food for all of us, if need be." She stuck the rolled-up map back into her pack. She always carried extra food and water, in case she got lost. She had never had to use it for stranded people, but that just made it exciting.

[Xavier Felins]

Considering his profession, Xavier was not used to people granting him hospitality. Most of the people that he had frequent contact with were scum of the earth. Alynia seemed decent though.

She showed him her map and pointed out the capital city. The more people in a concentrated area, the easier it would be to find out more information on his situation. He did not have connections in the capital, but it would not be hard to make them. It was not near a port, so it may be awhile before he could get back to Dallin. But perhaps that was for the better.

"The capital it is then. I thank you for your hospitality. Glad you weren't a bandit or something." said Xavier.

He still wasn't completely sure about this. He did not know if this girl had other motives or if she was simply being polite. Either way, he was stranded in the desert and was not about to refuse hospitality.

[Alynia Scentai]

Xavier seemed to consider for a moment, then he said, "The capital it is then. I thank you for your hospitality. Glad you weren't a bandit or something." Alynia grinned. It would be fun to travel with an adult, for once.

"There aren't many bandits out here anymore," she told him. "Not much of anyone, really. It is getting dangerous, especially for those with white skin, like us." It was dangerous enough that she was loathe to travel, but she knew it was the only way to get home. And she did so want to go home.

She moved to her camel then and gently shook the boy lying in the saddle. He stirred and awoke. He yawned as she lifted hum don from the saddle and set him on the ground before her. He came up to her waist now; he was getting so big!

"This is my son, Gavin," she introduced. "Gavin, this man is named Xavier. He will be travelling with us to Saral."

"Good morning, Mister Xavier," Gavin intoned. He stared at the man, his eyes wide, and Alynia got the feeling he was staring at Xavier's scars. She put her hand on his head nervously, hoping he would not say anything rude. To her relief, he simply took a step back toward her, eyes on Xavier.

"Well," she said energetically. "Would you like to ride the camel first?"

[Xavier Felins]

A child. Xavier was never very good with children. They only ever seemed to get in his way, "Morning." was all Xavier said to the boy with an affirmative nod. He read the boy's expression and could tell that he found Xavier's scars to be somewhat unsettling; something that Xavier wan not entirely unaccustomed to.

Xavier accepted her offer to ride the camel. He would not remain on the beast for long, however. Xavier imagined that he had a better constitution than the girl or her son, so he would let them ride it after awhile. They were no good to him dead afterall. So he climbed atop the camel and kicked it lightly to a walking pace.

[Alynia Scentai]

"Morning," Xavier said and nodded.

He agreed to ride to ride the camel and he mounted with ease. Alynia watched, curious. Where had he learned to ride a camel? She had not thought he was fro around here. Then he began to walk and she had to take Gavin's hand and walk or be left behind.

"Mum, no!" Gavin said and pulled away from her to trot up ahead. She let him. He had little enough time to exercise. As she watched him, the thought occurred to her that Xavier's somewhat cold reception of him might arise from the fact that he disliked children. Some people were like that. In fact, she herself had been like that a few years ago, before meeting her son. He had changed her heart. Perhaps he would change Xavier's as well.

"So what brings you to the Kingdom of Light?" she asked Xavier, trying to make conversation. Xavier, she had noticed, was not very talkative, but she would be a good hostess and try to keep him entertained.

[Xavier Felins]

Alynia asked a question that Xavier desparately did not want to be asked, but he knew that it had to come out sooner or later. Truth was that he had no idea on this green earth why he was in the Kingdom of Light. Perhaps the fact that it was far enough away from Seroff that they would not look for him...or maybe he was supposed to find something here. He would eventually find out, and when he did, he would deal with the problem appropriately.

"I'm an adventurer." Said Xavier. He couldn't just tell her I kill people for money. Adventurer seemed like a believable answer, since Xavier seemed to fit the bill for that sort of person. "Something of a fortune hunter. Came here looking for work. You?"

[Alynia Scentai]

"I'm an adventurer," he said flatly. "Something of a fortune hunter. Came here looking for work. You?" Alynia stared at him. "Fortune hunter," in these times, often translated to bandit. But this man was not robbing her. He could not be a bandit, could he?

Then she shook herself and reminded herself that he had asked a question. She thought for a minute, trying to remember and once she did, trying to formulate an answer. What was she doing here?

She had come at first just to get away from her brother. She had a friend here and she had come to stay with him for a while. But tensions had grown in the past year, and he had suggested she go home. At that point, though, she had not been sure where she could go. Her brother would surely not accept her back, and she knew and understood the Kingdom of Light. So she had stayed. She traveled from town to town, staying only long enough for her welcome to be fresh and genuine.

Soon, she would go home, she told herself. But she never had. Now she was heading to the capital. It was too dangerous for her in the small oases, because tensions were so high between the races. She hoped the situation would be different in the capital.

"I am just traveling," she said finally, evasively. "I like it here." That was a blatant lie, and she could not even meet his eyes as she spoke it. She felt her cheeks turn slightly pink. "Actually, after Saral, I plan to head back to the Kingdom of Night, where I am from."

[Xavier Felins]

"You don't sound very enthusiasticn speaking of this place. Sounds to me like you really want to go home." Said Xavier.

This was very strange for Xavier. He being personable...well, personable for him anyway. Xavier was usually the type that would only say what was important and nothing more. He had no use for idle chatter. But then again he had never been stranded in a desert in a situation like this, so it was better than nothing. As long as he didn't give her too much information. If he could gain her trust, and perhaps figure out if he could trust her, this could proove to be beneficial.

[Alynia Scentai]

Xavier looked her in the eye. "You don't sound very enthusiastic speaking of this place. Sounds to me like you really want to go home." Alynia looked back at him for a moment and then broke eye contact. She pursed her lips.

"You're right. I do want to go home. But I don't like to think about it too much. I'll be home soon." She let the time pass in silence for a while. Eventually Gavin came back to her complaining that he was tired of walking. Alynia hefted him onto her hip. He was getting too big to carry and soon enough she would tire too, but she had to help her son.

He laid his head down on her shoulder and watched Xavier with his purple eyes. Alynia sighed. Sometimes, there was just no way to make a child be polite.

"So what are you going to do when we get to Saral?" Alynia asked after checking to make sure he was still awake. For all she knew, he could have been exhausted and wanted to sleep.

[Xavier Felins]

He didn't mind the child staring at him. He couldn't say that he blamed Gavin; afterall there was this strange man who they had just randomly picked up in the desert who was not only travelling with them, but riding their camel. Gavin clearly didn't trust Xavier, and Xavier knew that the boy was right not to. After walking for some time, Xavier could tell that his companions were getting tired. Xavier had better conditioning than either of these two and he knew it. He knew that it would be beneficial to gain their trust, so he would be courteous. Xavier jumped down from the camal and handed the reigns over to Alynia.
"You both look tired. Perhaps it is my turn to walk."

Alynia asked him something that he had not thought of himself yet. "So what are you going to do when we get to Saral?"

"Honestly, I don't know; probably get a room at first and maybe find my way home..." and try to figure out what in the hell is going on. Xavier thought. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone who lives there?"

[Alynia Scentai]

"You both look tired. Perhaps it is my turn to walk," Xavier said. Alynia offered him a grateful smile. As her guest, she did not want to kick him off of Lump the camel. He was a strong animal, but not strong enough for two adults. And she did not trust the stranger to be seated with Gavin alone. He pulled on the reins and Lump knelt obediently to the ground. After he hopped off, Alynia lifted Gavin up half the way and he scrambled up the rest of the way. She wondered briefly where all his energy came from. Then she climbed up herself.

"Thank you," she said, truly grateful.

In response to her question, he said, "Honestly, I don't know; probably get a room at first and maybe find my way home... You wouldn't happen to know anyone who lives there?" Alynia looked down at him as Lump stood up again. She urged him into a walk.

"I have a friend," she said warily. Would Lamissa want a stranger in her house? She was risking a lot housing Gavin and Alynia, with their pale skin. But Lamissa had a good heart. She would bring in any type of strays, especially if Alynia said he was trustworthy.

"She lives in a large house in Saral. You could stay with me there, but we would have to be discreet. Tensions between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Light are high." As she said it, she paused. Was Xavier eevn from the Kingdom of Night? He did not look it. He was bigger than most men she knew and his skin was not so pale. He looked maybe more like he was from the Kingdom of Might, but not exactly that either. "Where are you from?" she asked.

[Xavier Felins]

Alynia thanked him for allowing them back on the camel. Xavier would probably continue to walk the rest of the way, his combat training had given him more endurance than Alynia or her son had, that was for sure. Xavier was grateful for the offer to stay in her friend's home, he would probably accept the offer. He understood the need for discression. Xavier was all too familiar with the concept for reasons that Alynia would probably be better suited not to know. Xavier did respond to her question, however.

"Seroff, Dallin. Long way from home."

[Alynia Scentai]

"Seroff, Dallin. Long way from home," Xavier said. Alynia's jaw dropped.

"Dallin! That is far from here!" She had never been to Dallin of course, and only heard about it in her school books as a young child. She didn't know anything about it except for the name, really.

"What is it like in Dallin?" she asked curiously.

"What's Dallin?" her son demanded from her lap. She smiled.

"Dallin is a country far away from here, Gavin. Like the Kingdom of Night, but much, much farther. It is across the ocean," she explained. It was the best explanation she had, but oftentimes, her explanations were not good enough for Gavin. He was a very curious child. This time, he settled with just an "oh".

[Xavier Felins]

(OOC: Sorry for taking FOREVER)

Xavier was somewhat taken aback by her question. He was not used to holding down a conversation like this, but if he was going to be traveling with her, there wasn't much else to do.

"Haven't been to Trigger or Dekk much. Vonfra is...pretty. Seroff is where I'm from. Lot of people live there. It's a large country, but with it's population, it doesn't feel large enough. Slaves are plentiful, it's a good country if you want to be owned or own someone. That's why I'm an adventurer. I left for a reason."

It was pessimistic, but believable. Xavier wasn't really trying to tell lies, just half truths. Her son seemed an inquisitive boy. These were good people. He didn't want to divulge too much information and cause them harm. He had to keep his story vague.

"How much longer, you think?" asked Xavier after sone time of travel.