Reality's Cold Hand (Aleth)

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Cuddy slowly cantered along the border of Lycia to the rest of Elibe. Flynn rode on his horse's back, debating whether to truly enter the country or not. Two of its league members were filled with conflict. He doubt anyone was hiring mercenaries due to the strained political status of the area. On the other hand, more people would be in need of mercenaries with bandits more rampant in this area. Tough choices either way. The time could be wasted trying to find gold that wasn't there or he could get rich really fast if people wanted protection that badly.

"Couldn't hurt to try," the mercenary muttered to himself. "It's not like I'm pressed for anything."

Flynn, now settled on a decision, turned his horse towards the road farther into Lycia. He spurred Cuddy and the horse started to run at a quick pace, not very fast, but certainly faster than what they were moving at before. The pair galloped along, the rider keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of a town or merchant caravan or wagon. So far, all he saw were trees, grass, and shrubbery. Nothing of striking importance. They ran along the path for about a half an hour before Flynn was fed up with staring at the blurry nothing from the back of his horse. He pulled on Cuddy's reins, slowing the horse down to a standstill. The mercenary dismounted and pulled a carrot from the horse's saddlebags. Flynn fed Cuddy the vegetable, then readjusted the swords on his back. The straps kept digging into the section of his neck that connected his neck to his shoulder. It was fairly uncomfortable at times. So he stood, leaning against Cuddy and talking to the horse to alleviate the boredom of such an empty area.

[Aleth]

Ah Lycia, the land of opportunities. It had been ages since Aleth last walked through the territories. When exactly was the last time? Didn't she meet a rather annoying knight here? She really couldn't tell or remember at this point. She could only wish for the best of him, of which he would probably be laughing at if he ever found out.

Looking around, it appeared as though she was once again seemed to be in the knack of getting lost. Had her sense of direction also deteriorated over the years? With her free hand, she adjusted the strap on her back, her blade clanging against the bulky shield attached the nub of what was left her right arm. By this point she had practically learned to be ambidextrous. It was either learn to fight with her less dominant side or give up the lifestyle of freedom. She loved being a mercenary, but the costs of it all was something she wish she could live without.

Thinking about the costs, she was actually pretty well off at the moment. It hadn't been long since her last payout and she actually managed to save her money without using them up for her pleasure or helping a town renovate. So of course she was in a rather chipper mood, so much so that she was practically beaming even while lost. For once luck was on her side, as she saw a figure and their steed off in the distance.

"Hello there," she called, approaching as she waved her arm to attract the figure's attention. After a little more strolling she found that it was a young man around her age.

"Excuse me, you don't happen to know where I am or the closest town that might offer an honest job?"

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Flynn sighed as Cuddy nudged his rider's arm, asking for another snack. The mercenary stared Cuddy for a moment. "You don't even know what I'm saying, do you?" he asked the horse. Cuddy nudged him again with his nose. The Sacaen rolled his eyes and grabbed a carrot from the saddlebags. Cuddy happuly crunched it down as Flynn watched. He smiled slightly at his horse and ran his fingers through the horse's mane. "You're such a spoiled brat, you know?" Flynn said. Cuddy snorted in response. The Sacaen patted Cuddy's neck.

A voice shouting drew Flynn's attention from his steed. A young, blonde woman was approaching him. He waved back as the woman walked closer before crossing his arms. He didn't distrust this person just yet, but he was wary of her. Attacks by brigands were becoming more common and the mercenary was always on alert when he was traveling. She didn't appear threatening, at least. "Hello," he replied. "Fancy meeting another soul around here." He gave a passing view at the empty landscape.

The mercenary shrugged at the woman's question. He didn't know where anything was around here just as much as she did. "Your guess is as good as mine, miss," Flynn said. "I'm looking for a town and honest work myself. Selling my skills to the rebellion doesn't quite pay what I want just yet." He gave a joking smile as he finished, but mentally wondered if saying he was working with the rebellion was the right thing, even if he did have no allegiance to the people in Bern. Just their gold.

[Aleth]

Aleth was glad that the red haired man answered her questions. It seems that far too many people were willing to simply ignore a person in need than bother with just a few words. It was a real shame that she didn’t seem to know where they were as well. That just meant that if she headed in one direction, theoretically the road would lead to a town eventually. For once when she had money, she had no place to spend it on. This sort of irony was not lost to her.

It took her only a moment to register what the man said concerning the Bern rebellion. In all honesty, she had mixed feelings concerning the issues. As an Ilian, she was generally opposed to their existence. It wasn’t like a great deal of Ilia was actually hospitable in the best of seasons. She could also understand their anger and reluctance to let go of their nation. In the end, she tolerated the whole controversy. Surviving day by day was important. Unless the two happened to be on opposing sides, they would luckily not have to kill each other.

“Thanks for the answer,” she said, a genuine smile on her hands. She thought of the current situation and what would be the best way to approach it.

“Maybe we could travel together until the next town?” she offered. This would be much safer than traveling alone in her book. Plus there was a side of her that feared she would drift too far off the road and end up lost in some woods.

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Flynn took the fact that she didn't strike out at him instantly at mentioning the rebellion as a good sign. He relaxed a little bit, but kept his arms crossed and remained leaning against his horse. Which almost ending in him falling as the horse moved to turn around and face the woman. The mercenary stumbled back as Cuddy turned around and trotted over to the woman. He glared at his horse, which Cuddy, of course, ignored. "You big lug," Flynn whispered angrily before looking back at the woman. He smiled apologetically.

"Sorry about that. He likes to meet new people," the Sacaen said as he walked over to stand next to Cuddy. He patted the horse's neck. "Say hi, Cuddy." The horse snorted, which Flynn took as a hello from his horse. "It's not a problem at all, miss. There's no point in not trying to help others out in this empty place." Flynn gave another passing look at the Lycian landscape. Somehow, it felt more empty than Sacae. At least in Sacae there was always merchants traveling or other tribes wandering around. The plains may have looked empty, but there was always life around you. Lycia just felt...lifeless. Maybe it's because he was out in the country side with nothing around him. Who knew? With Ostia andaus fallen, maybe Lycia was dying out.

Flynn shrugged in response, "I don't see why not. You can ride Cuddy if you want. I need to stretch my legs for a bit. I've been riding for a good few hours now and my legs are pretty stiff. Need to be ready whenever bandits may strike, yes?" He laughed slightly, stretching his legs as he did.

[Aleth]

Aleth was a bit surprised when the horse trotted over to her side. It was affectionate enough and wasn't prone to trying to maul her to death like Ligora's pegasus. She had a peculiar distrust with horse like beings, especially when their masters like to tie up a little girl and dangle her in the air while they flew around in top speed. It should be fine as long as it didn't have wings, she wouldn't be nearly as uneasy.

"Thank you, I won't hold you back," she promised, taking her hand and gently stroking the horse's head. It seemed the horse liked her enough, but when the offer came up to ride him, she was less then thrilled, but honestly honored. The problem was the issue of declining without offending.

"I think Cuddy can use some rest too, I wouldn't mind just walking to the next town," she replied, flushing a little with her face. She knew how to ride a horse, her parents forced her to learn even after the traumatic incident. She hated it all the way through, it seemed too rough, especially for long periods of time. It was much better to have tired and exhausted legs than to be on an animal.

"Sorry, I just prefer to walk, the names Aleth, traveled all the way from Ilia to look for some job opportunities," she answered, offering her hand out for a shake.

"I'll be sure to watch your back if you ever need it," she smiled, not meaning to be flattering, but did so out of habit. She had become quite a bit more pleasant then when she was younger.

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Flynn nodded with a smile as e watched the woman stroke Cuddy's head. The horse enjoyed the attention he was getting and whinnied softly, prompting his rider to roll his eyes. He was glad to have agreed in helping her. It always made him feel better inside, less tied to money and more too morals. But you couldn't pay store owners with morals, so money was still the primary objective. That and building a reputation. The mercenary cocked his head to the side in confusion. She didn't want a free ride? That was odd, but Flynn didn't push or insist. The woman looked dead set on walking rather than riding Cuddy. He instead shrugged in response.

"Fair enough. I'm certain he'll appreciate the break. We've been riding for a few days now with minimal rests in between," Flynn said. He hated making his horse run for so long, but time was a crucial factor to consider and he didn't like to waste any of it. He continued, "He's a tough one, though. He kept on going, never stopping unless he had wanted to stop. "I don't really care. I was only offering," Flynn said. He started to nodded as the woman introduced herself, but froze at the mention of Ilia. Crap, was she a possible enemy now that she knew? Still, she wasn't attacking him, so he felt calmed by that, but he stayed alert either way. He didn't want to end up dead for wrongfully trusting people that would stab him in the back.

"Name's Flynn," the mercenary replied. A confident smile crept across his face. "No need to worry about me, Miss Aleth. No bandit can touch me." This, of course, wasn't true but he liked to exaggerate a bit.

[Aleth]

Aleth raised an eyebrow at the rather bold statement. Well it's good to confident in one's skill anyways, he didn't come off as too cocky, so that's always a positive. One of the few things she agreed with her parents was that cockiness literally killed and she had been cautious enough to reach the fine line of being confident, but not arrogant. She patted the horse on his side as they began to move. Yes, she believed she can get along with the two just fine.

"Thanks for the offer, I just never felt all that comfortable around mounts, especially pegasuses and as far as I can tell a horse isn't too dissimilar from the flying kind," Aleth admitted with a good-natured shrug and chuckle. He didn't need to know about all the practical torture she had under the hands of one of those...beasts.

"You can just call me Aleth, no need for the miss, I'm hardly a noble," she said, thinking back on how much she disliked any form of titles. She cared very little for most nobles and the only thing that kept her around them was their gold. They offered job for the common good every now and then, but usually their squabbles provided a lot of work. As far as she knew Lycia had plenty of the bloodthirsty kind, so she could essentially get a decent job if there was a disagreement between territories.

"I'm guessing if we follow this road, we'll eventually reach town at some point, right?" she asked, waving her hand to indicate the path before them. There was no town in sight, but it could just be over the next few hills or so.

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Flynn shrugged and smiled, nodding understandingly. He could get why some people didn't like to ride horses or pegasi. A bad experience with them could ruin riding the beasts for the rest of someone's life. Luckily, Flynn had gotten pretty good at riding a horse and rarely fell off of Cuddy. "Just trying to be friendly," the mercenary said. "Never hurts to ask if someone wants to a ride. Some people can be pretty weary when I encounter them and they appreciate it. I'd say this version of the mount is a lot different from the winged horses. I honestly prefer horses to pegasi, solely for the reason they stay on the ground rather than fly. When equestrian animals get scared, they can buck pretty bad and I would rather not be on the back of a pegasus high in the air when that happens."

The Sacaen shrugged again, "It's a natural thing for me. My mother taught me to treat all I encounter with respect, noble or no. The only people I tend to ignore that rule for is self-righteous soldiers. The ones who seem to think they're so much better than everyone else simply because they're in the military with some shiny armor they didn't have to pay for." Flynn gave a grunt of disdain. He got enough crap for being Sacaen, but soldiers were often the worst in their treatment of him.

Flynn looked out over the rolling hills as Aleth gestured, nodding in agreement as he did. "Most likely. We'll just need to stick to the road and we should be fine."