Snippet #1531358

Nox sighed when he was ignored. He supposed it was not the worst reaction he could have gotten, but even so, he thought it would be much better if the two could at least be actually civil to each other. Oh, their manners, such as they were, had not faltered in the slightest, but it would take a fool not to sense the roiling hostility just beneath it. Eventually, though, Leander seemed to back down, and passed by him with a nod. Shaking his head, Nox made his way outside behind herself and Flin, finding his way back to his mild-mannered horse.

His kris knives, he chose to strap to his back with a peculiar arrangement of leather he had picked out beside them which seemed to be suited just for that purpose. They wound up crosswise, and easily accessible over either shoulder, though he really hoped he would not have to do such a thing as draw them at any point. Swinging up onto the gentle mare, he settled and moved up to the caravan in just enough time to overhear Leander giving some riding advice to Sebastian. That seemed a bit odd; she had appeared the least comfortable of the lot with the notion of riding, but she sat like she knew what she was doing. He adjusted his posture to match her own and immediately felt more solid in his seat.

When they started forward, he noted that Sebastian appeared to be having some difficulty and flinched sympathetically, though there was little he could give in the way of counsel, except perhaps to be softer with his gestures. All of these thoughts left his mind, though, when the gates opened, and Nox was reminded once more just how beautiful the world really was. Apparently, this was just as true of his new residence as it had been of his old, maybe more so, since he was actually in a condition to enjoy it.

The sprawling plains were a vibrant green, and it appeared that the area immediately outside the walls must be some kind of vineyard country, if the apparatuses around were anything to go by. It very much resembled the older methods of winemaking he had read about (though never seen, of course). The sun was warm on his face and in his hair, and Nox thought that maybe things weren't quite so dire as he had imagined them to be moments ago. "It's extraordinary, isn't it?" he asked nobody in particular, a fascinated smile lighting his face with almost childlike delight. He was here, he was alive, and he could see and feel all of it. For him, such simple things were enough.

The creatures caught his attention next, though, and he lay against the muscled neck of his horse so as to get a better look. The patient animal whuffed softly, but continued at the moderate walking pace that Kali had set, which allowed him ample opportunity to study what he was seeing, to really look at it. The animals were at once fantastical and mundane, as though each was a strange chimera of things he had seen before and things he could scarcely have imagined. He caught sight of a flock of shimmering, scaled birds overhead, and tilted his head back to observe the iridescent shimmers they made when the sunlight struck them just so. Their long-plumed tails seemed to leave a trail of color in the air behind them, but that was surely his imagination, for they faded as soon as they came into view.

It seemed to him that all of these creatures were used to living in proximity with people (he found that he could no longer use the word "human" comfortably, simply because it implied a set species), as much as people were accustomed to dealing with them. Still, they weren't exactly domestic, and somewhere in amidst all the wonderment and delight a thought struck him: would they have to confront larger, more feral creatures somewhere along the road? All of this was so new and pristine to him that Nox had a desire to leave it all as though he had never been by, and he was loath to consider marring the wilderness by passing where he shouldn't. There was also, of course, a tinge of apprehension, for if this place could conjure beings from his childhood dreams, surely it was also capable of producing the kin of his nightmares?

Perhaps it would be best to ask now rather than wait to be surprised. He knew that anything relating to their purpose or the Guard's plans was taboo, but surely someone would see the value in answering a simple query or two about the land itself? He supposed there was only one way to find out. "Excuse me? Lieutenant Reshma? Pardon me if the question is intrusive, but is there anything you can tell us about what we'll be facing? Speaking for myself at least, I honestly have no idea what to expect from this journey, and I think perhaps any small piece of information might be of assistance." What he was really saying, of course, was that he wished to live, and frankly wasn't sure how to go about guarding against the contrary when he knew not in which form it would appear.

Nox looked about him at the others, perhaps seeking confirmation that at least one other was thinking in the same direction as he. Leander probably was; he'd be willing to bet she'd take any information she could get, and probably be able to do more with it than any of them. Flin he wasn't sure about exactly, but he'd seemed a bit... paranoid before, and so might want such knowledge. Sebastian just looked like he really wanted to be elsewhere, and Nox couldn't blame him for that. Marlaina, he though, would probably accept just about anything with that odd sort of inhuman grace and poise she had. As for himself, who could say? Only time would really tell how any of them adapted or failed to in regards to their situation. He certainly hoped all of them would manage it okay.