[Baconwizard]

The sun was hot on the back of his neck as Gareth rode out of the wild jungle that bordered the quaint little town of Nabias. The summer sun had drove most of the town's inhabitants inside, to where it would be much cooler. Gareth understood that sentiment; even after shedding his cloak and outer armor, he still was sweating under the leathers and layers. Shy, the trusty penticorn that was plodding along down the road, didn't seem to be liking the heat either. The grizzled knight leaned forward and patted the creature's neck, murmuring, "We'll stop soon." Gareth needed supplies, and Shy needed to rest after their adventures through the thick jungle behind them. The penticorn had carried Gareth a long way, through woods and mountains and fields and cities. As far as the stubborn creature was concerned, he would go as far as he could go in whatever direction Gareth pointed him in.

On the town square, Gareth stopped, and dismounted, leading Shy to the stand, and roping the bridle loosely around the wooden pole designated for pack animals. The shops along the square were simple and quaint, an antiques store on the corner, a lawyer's office, a barbershop, a general store, even a little cafe and a flower shop. A young, blonde teen was exiting the shop, looking very disgruntled as he carried half his weight in a bouquet of roses. Gareth watched the boy go, then headed into the general store to stock up and buy a drink of water.

[RiDragon]

A young man trudged on through the humble town of Nabia, wearing black cloak that covered most of his face despite the relentless heat beaming down from a blindingly bright sun.  He tilted his hood up slightly, revealing feline-like orange eyes that peered around at the tiny cottages and shops that lined the outskirts of the small civilization.  If one were to inspect him further, they would realize that even though he looked quite innocent besides his curious choice of dress, he was quite armed.  Holsters holding small daggers were hidden under his cloak, sometimes they were visible as he walked.  He appeared to be searching for something, or perhaps someone, as he continued to peek out of his hood every few steps and scan his eyes over the area.  He noticed the boy that appeared to be in a rush, but ignored him for the most part, as the boy had little to do with his goal.

With a snarl, another soul was about a quarter mile away from the town, following the tracks of who he deemed his enemy.  Intimidating red eyes scanned the horizon, noticing a town entrance through the trees in the distance.  A low snarl escaped his lips as he drew his maroon cloak over himself and continued to trudge forward, ignoring his sweat from the heat.

[Baconwizard]

The dozen or so roses that Eli was sent to deliver were already wilting in the noonday sun, emitting a sticky-sweet, pungent odor around him. Great. All he needed was to go about smelling like roses. Eli sighed, then squinted up at the sky. Summer days always seemed to drag on the longest, didn't they? It was like the hot spell would never end. Eli trudged down the block, promising himself a popsicle from the General Store. He barely glanced at the strange man coming from the direction of the forest. What was the crazy guy doing wearing black, in this heat? Inwardly, Eli shook his head at the idiocy of some people. Outwardly, Eli just continued walking along, until he turned the corner and was out of sight.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Gareth, back in the General Store, had finished up buying enough supplies to last him the next few weeks, and had gotten directions to the local inn, which sat right off the main square. It wasn't quite on the square, confided the ancient man who leaned across the polished old counter to gossip at Gareth, because the inn was right next to the tavern, which was where all the people of disrepute gathered in town. It was a right enough place for a plate of food and a bed, but a bad place for good people to get mixed up in. Gareth quietly thanked the man, and paid him, then went back outside into the heat, which nearly hit him like a wave. Leading Shy down the street, Gareth headed towards Myra's Inn. He wasn't intimidated by the thought of people of disrepute. His sword hung at his side, casually, but Gareth knew that he could wield it without a thought. Still... it would be better if he could pass through this town without incident.

[RiDragon]

The cloaked young man noticed the glint of a sword as his eyes were again scouring the area, still looking for something unseen.  He put a boot forward to take a step, then drew it back, hesitant.  He weighed the pros and cons of talking to the man whom he assumed was a knight.  The knight could know about the rumors that he was a spy and bring him in for execution, but at the same time the knight may also be helpful in his search.  A long sigh whistled through his nose as he finally made his way to Gareth, albeit slowly, as if letting enough time pass for him to leave before he got there.  He cleared his throat a bit and said “Excuse me, ser knight, could you help me find someone?”  His voice sounded as if it were caked in dust, both from the heat and from the fact it was rarely used.
--------------
The menacing man on the outskirts of town continued forward, stopping suddenly and uttering a small curse.  The tracks he followed were covered by the steps of many other towns goers going about their normal businesses.  At this point, he had no idea if his prey lay in this town or just went through to shake him off and went off somewhere else.  Perhaps they were even long gone.  He cursed again, and took a quick look around.  Luckily, the town was small, they would not be able to hide if they were here.

[Baconwizard]

Gareth started as someone addressed him, and he turned to face the stranger with a level, gray-eyed gaze. His lined, stubbled face didn't give anything away. The stranger was young, and dressed heavily considering the hot weather. Not letting down his guard, Gareth adjusted his grip on Shy's bridle. "No need to call me Ser, young man." Gareth's voice was low, full of gravel and grit. His sword hung heavy at his side; Gareth hadn't worn the colors of his knighthood for a long time. "I'm just a traveller. Who are you searching for?"

[RiDragon]

Sighing a bit, as if he was hoping that he would be ignored.  He cleared his throat of its dryness a bit before continuing, "A girl, she may be in a cloak similar to mine, but red.  I am not sure.  She is one to change herself a lot."  He rumbled, appearing to be deep in thought for a second before adding, "She is one to talk a lot.  Usually easy to find.  I believe she is playing a game with me."  He sighed again, crossing his arms in an annoyed fashion.  He had still not given out his name, weather it was from social ineptness or from secrecy was known only inside his hidden mind.

[Baconwizard]

Gareth stared at the stranger with a flat stare, considering the strange man in front of him. After a moment, Gareth shook his head. "I haven't encountered many people with that description." There was a pause, the chirp of cicadas filling up their conversation, and Shy snorted and flicked a fly away with his tail. Gareth cleared his throat once. "I'm headed towards the inn. It could be possible your girl passed through there."

[RiDragon]

He nodded with understanding at Gareth.  He adjusted his weight to one foot and let his arms drop to his sides, though his body was still obviously tense.  This was probably about as relaxed as he ever got.  "Perhaps."  He said, more to himself than to the ex-knight.  "I suppose we will walk there together?"  For the first time, a bit of emotion escaped his voice.  Uncertainty, awkwardness.  Most likely in reaction with being with another person for the first time in what probably was ages.

[Baconwizard]

Gareth raised an eyebrow at that, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I suppose so." He didn't believe that this strange young man could find the inn on his own, anyway. Tugging on Shy's reins, Gareth led the way down the street. His boots were caked with dust, from hard travel and lots of wear and tear. Most of the ex-knights gear was in the same state, all except for the bright, well-oiled sword currently encased in a beaten-down leather sheath. Gareth wiped his brow, squinting up at the bright sun, muttering, "We must be mad to be walking about at noon, in this heat." He sighed, shaking his head at himself, then turned a corner to where a multi-leveled inn was nestled against another building. A tavern sat immediately on the inn's right, and the shapes of several creatures indicated that there were patrons at the bar, even in the middle of the day. Gareth scanned the area, then turned to his temporary traveling companion. "I need to put my horse in the stables."

[RiDragon]

The young man followed Gareth quietly, keeping his head down and looking at the ground, as if he didn't want his face to be seen.  He mumbled something as the ex-knight said something about the heat, and finally gave into it by uncovering his face from the hood he was almost suffocating in.  Bright orange eyes squinted at the brightness as he scratched at a grizzled face.  He was young, but had the look of raggedness due to stress from whatever he was doing.  He turned his gaze to Gareth, the bags under his eyes much more prevalent now that his face was exposed to the sun.  Licking his dry lips he said, "I understand.  I will be in the inn looking then, if you wish to speak."  

----
A slinking figure made its way around the town, peering intimidatingly at any who looked at him oddly.  Though, the heat was starting to get the best at the strange frighting man.  Feeling slightly faint, he tore his tattered cloak off and wiped his brow.  He was still quite a sight without his cloak on, maybe even more so.  Scars decorated his skin in slashes, red eyes peered from ink black hair, and he was also missing part of his ear.  He grimaced and slung the cloak over his shoulder, continuing on his way to search.

[Baconwizard]

Gareth considered the young man--more like a boy, he though--then nodded slowly. "While you're in there, why don't you find a room? You look as if you're going to pass out." With that, the knight led Shy towards the back, with the other horses. There was an oppressive heat in the air, some sort of invisible pressure weighing down upon them. Something might happen soon, Gareth thought. All the birds had disappeared from the sky, leaving it blank and empty and a crystal blue color. Sighing, Gareth fed and watered Shy, then went back around the front to step inside the inn.

[RiDragon]

Slightly taken aback by Gareth's comment he nodded quickly.  "I.. Thank you."  He managed to stammer, obviously not used to company such as the ex-knight.  He turned to part ways with the knight, then turned his head back, a thoughtful look on his face.  "I am Fox.  If you wished to know."  He said plainly, then turned back into the inn, the cool air making him sigh softly with relief.
It was a modest place, not too decorated, but not too empty either.  There was a fireplace in the corner, unlit obviously, and a few chairs scattered around, some with people sitting in them, most empty.  There was a single lantern in the corner, glowing only slightly, making the inn quite dark.  He rubbed his neck awkwardly.  He was admittedly used to just camping outside, and wasn't sure how exactly to get a room.

---
With a smug grin, the odd man noticed Gareth.  Well, he mostly noticed his sword.  Perhaps he should steal it?  No, that would bring too much attention.  He probably knew the goings on of the town, perhaps it would be best to follow him?  He followed from a distance, eyes glinting excitedly.

[Baconwizard]

The skin on the back of Gareth's neck prickled; it only did that when something was about to happen. Gareth turned around, standing in front of the entrance of the inn, and scanned the street for any signs of danger. Almost immediately his eyes fell on the dark man walking down the street. Yep. That smelled very much like danger. Gareth gripped the hilt of his sword, and stared at the stranger. "Can I help you?"

[RiDragon]

The man was slightly surprised at the knight's ability to pick him out so quickly, but he hid it under a grin.  "Yes, hello."  He said, his voice cool and almost calming, "I apologize for sneaking up on you, old habits.  I go by Wolf.  I am looking for some dangerous folk."
"I'm a bit of a bounty hunter you see, and they are very much sought after by the law, but too dangerous for normal law enforcers to take on."  He had told this lie so many times that it flowed from his mouth easily.
"They're a pair, actually, a girl and boy, usually together.  The girl has a scar on her nose and brass colored skin, black hair, green eyes.  The boy has a scar over his left eye, pale skin, with red hair and amber eyes.  The boy is the harder one to find.  Real quiet.  The girl you could pick out quite easily from a crowd."  He grinned as innocently as he could, hiding his anxious hope that Gareth knew where they were.  "I doubt you heard their names, even if you've seen them, but they go by Venn and Fox."  
He took a moment to scan the knight before he responded.  He was a bit disheveled for a royal knight.  Retired perhaps?  Or maybe kicked out?  His eyes glinted in curiosity, but he held his tongue.  There were much more important matters to attend to.

[Baconwizard]

Gareth could smell a rat from miles away, and this scarred, dark man was stinking to high heaven. Gareth knew bounty hunters; he'd tried out the occupation before, and he'd also had a couple bounties on his own head in his lifetime. But this guy... he didn't seem right. Gareth's face didn't show any of this; it was just his regular grumpy, bearded expression. Fox and Wolf. They made quite a pair. And this Venn woman must be a handful as well. Gareth frowned, bringing a hand up to stroke his growing beard, then sighed through his nose. "I did meet a strange-looking man when I passed the General Store. Didn't talk to him. But I noticed the scar on his face." Gareth pointed to his eye, then drew an invisible line across it, mimicking Fox's scar. With the same finger, Gareth pointed down the road, towards the edge of the town. "Went off in that direction." The ex-knight didn't mind lying to this man. Indeed, he'd sleep better knowing that Wolf was as far away as possible from this place.