Bobby
"I'll take that as a compliment." Mercurio proudly replied, standing up from the table and walking over to Kharlyle for a quick hug. Whether if the younger brother hugged back or not, he would still feel the brotherly connection they had ever since their youth.

"We have much to discuss. Much to prepare." Mercurio broke the hug and stepped back a little. "Whoever you'll send to Zacharov, I'll have someone send your bloodhound some armor and some weaponry."
Jeremy
Kharlyle stood up and returned the gesture. No one would be surprised to find out that Mercurio was the only person Kharlyle would willingly hug, and their brotherly bond was more than mutual.

"Thank you brother, I need times like these..." Kharlyle stood back, scratched under his chin and exhaled "And you're right you know, something tells me this war will change us, as solid as we may seem, for better or worse" The younger brother leaned up against the table. "Once again, thank you, it's our talks that remind me I'm human, I'm not evil, I'm just not" He breathed deeply.

"They remind me that I haven't sinned a day in my life, maybe I'm just not capable of it." A toothy grin stretched across Kharlyle's face "Farewell brother"
Eddie
Josephine wanted to ask Amaryllis if she needed help, but the young woman did it all herself. She fiddled a bit with her fingers as she waited for a response. It didn't take long for her curious gaze to start to wander and see everything with fascination. She continued to watch as Amaryllis prepared the tea. She quite liked tea. Sure, she had a better taste after trying the herbs at the manor and even the rare ones that got her in trouble.

"Wow! Are you alright now, Ryllis? That must have been a scare!" She asked, worried about her, visible in her frown. "But do you think all shifters butare the same? I've never met one, I hope I meet a good one. What if they just feel lonely?" Josie smiled. She was reflecting herself in her words. But her smile was emancipated by a ray of hope that bather her still small borders of the world. As far as she had traveled, there was still much to live and experience.

" Pleeaase stop calling me ma'am. I'm sixteen! And you're my friend, right?" She pursed her lips, further into the words that the shepherdess spoke. "Cozy. Peaceful. Nothing like poor, no. Are you poor, Amaryllis? I don't think you are. Hey! I want to help you cook dinner for everyone, so please tell me what I need to do! The knights try their best to keep me from doing anything, saying it's imperative we go on our way, but to travel is supposed to be fun, right? I want to see the world now that I have this chance and I want to feel it too! Will you help me? "
Dale
Duke Darin the Brave, which he felt was a suitable title, hadn't been able to go through negotiations very well. All in all, it had been a right mess, ending with him being imprisoned in a traditional noble manner that being, a rather comfortable room that was usually enough to keep nobles from making a run for it. Unfortunately, Darin was a rather unusual noble, which become all the more evident as he had managed to the together several sheets into a rope, crack a window, subdue some poor guard, disguise himself, and promptly make his way out of Iron Gate. In that order, specifically. Still, Darin's poor sense of geography, combined with him not even having a map, resulted in the lonesome duke ending up.. Somewhere, generally South of Iron Gate. Luckily he had managed to nab a couple lovely pieces of loot (including a pleasant looking silver candelabrum) that he could bribe any peasants he came across with. Still, he couldn't bribe the lay of the land, and as Darin soon enough found himself wading through a swamp, it started to occur to him..
"Wait.. I'm lost again, aren't I..?" He remarked with a frustrated sigh, punting some random rock off into the foggy distance- which made a quiet *Plup* As it broke through the water's surface.
Darin was free. He still wasn't particularly pleased.

Distant grumbling could be heard as Darin waded through the swamp, occasionally waving his arms around to shake off some kind of bloodsucking bug or other pest. "Oh what the hell, why would anyone want to even.. Exist, in conditions like these? I swear to the great northern gods, I'm not going to go through a swamp ever again.." Great. Judging by Darin's meagre knowledge of geography, he ought to be near the town of Ravenheart by now. There was no town anywhere in sight. He was completely lost. He couldn't really see how this day would get worse, as he slapped another mosquito that had decided to assault his neck.

Unfortunately during the various fights he had been in the last couple days, Darin had been separated from his trusty axe. At the moment he simply carried a sword he had nabbed on his hasty retreat from Iron Gate- which he promptly drew as he heard the cracking and crunching of branches. His eyes slowly scanned over the landscape, mostly seeing the odd amphibian going about their usual business. "Rrrrrright.. Who goes there? If you reveal yourself voluntarily, I won't have to reveal you violently."
Frankie
Amaryllis was rather bewildered by Josephine's child-like chatter and naivete. She seemed younger than she looked physically, but then again, she had been sheltered from the world. It produced an innocence in the young woman that surprised Amaryllis, but it wasn't an entirely unpleasant one. She found that she didn't begrudge Josephine of her sheltered and comfortable existence, and the innocence and wonder in the woman's voice was like the first breath of spring. The two women had led such different lives... 
Amaryllis stood up from her work and turned to look at Josephine for a moment, her eyes passing over the woman and taking in this delicate young flower, blooming in a world so bitterly cold and unforgiving. Then, a smile warmed Amaryllis' face as she replied, "I suppose it is supposed to be fun to travel... So yes, I will help you in whatever way I can... Josie." It felt a bit odd to call her that, instead of something more formal, but she found that it felt good too. 
She paused for a moment, then handed Josie a cutting board, along with some carrots and potatoes and a knife as she said, "Chop these up and add them to the stew. Do you need me to show you how?"
Eddie
Josephine was eager to explore the world, always curious about the lands that spanned beyond the eyes could see. She enjoyed the sense of freedom that came with traveling such a long distance, even though she was accompanied by men charged with protecting her with their life. The young girl was prepared for the crude reality that expected her at every turn, though there was a tingling anxiety that carved its way into her brain as it was normal with inexperience. Her father wasn't one to shelter her from the knowledge that there was evil, but he told her to trust her instinct over the dark stories of cutthroats and monsters lurking in the corners of the world. She was to learn firsthand about them, but she wanted to enjoy the moment of respite stopping at the cabin gave her.

The noble revealed to be quite dexterous with a blade, shaking her head with a soft smile. She was also eager to show she wasn't a pampered child like the others she met in auspicious occasions back home. They always depended on their servants to do everything, but Josephine was taught to be independent. She'd join the kitchen staff, mainly her nanny that was also her father's cook. It could be a surprise to Amaryllis how the girl wielded the knife and sliced the carrots and potatoes with thin skin peeled off before lining one at a time to chop in pieces and add it to the stew.

"Do you know a lot about the land here, Ryllis?" She asked with an innocent second intention. It had been a topic to find a guide of sorts, but she found the knights to be doubtful of all the people they met, valuing the privacy and safety of their charge.

Outside, the camp was prepared and the knights sat around the fires they set up, two for each four of the guardians, added another for Roderick and Tagus. While the others spoke ill of the peasant turned knight and their overall situation in sharing their time with a lowly peasant of Northwind, the knight commander and the young man focused on reading the map and planning their next step. It was, however, hard to concentrate with the pretentious gossip. Roderick believed that the differences between the group should be fixed by the group itself. So he pushed Tagus to stand for himself. The boy was anxious about proving himself, for the others saw him more as bait that could call out for them to protect Josephine than an actual guardian. There was one or maybe two knights that wanted to believe his abilities and preferred not to partake in the gossip, but they weren't open supporters of his success.

"At least if there's danger, we can be sure Tagus will come running with his tail between his legs to have the real men do their job!" One of the knights said.

"You're just jealous he's the lady's right hand. Maybe you should swallow your pride and learn from him?" Another said, just to spite the first.

"You think I have *Anything* To learn from a peasant? Shitblood will always be Shitblood."
Frankie
It was definitely better that Amaryllis couldn't hear the conversation outside, as all the talk about shitbloods and peasants likely would have made her a little less giving. She much preferred the company of Josephine, who seemed so sweet and kind that Amaryllis found that she quite liked her! The young girl was easy to talk to and rather entertaining, and Amaryllis was, admittedly, quite surprised at how well Josie could tackle the task of chopping up the vegetables and pealing the potatoes. She hadn't expected that, admittedly. She had expected the girl to be essentially useless in the kitchen, or really just useless in general!

As Josie chopped up the vegetables, Amaryllis turned her attention to the meat, taking out some lamb she had and trimming it a bit before dropping it into the now-boiling kettle. The meat would cook off, and the marrow would seep out into the stew, creating a thick, hearty broth. The meal should be ready in less than an hour! 

"Of course!" She replied warmly, looking rather pleased. "My family has been here longer than anybody can remember. Sometimes, I think my family just appeared out of the land, staff in hand." She chuckled a bit at that, her eyes sparkling with amusement. It was a funny thought, really, to imagine her ancestors popping up out of the dirt and chasing after unruly sheep. "I know these hills like the back of my hand. Been through just about every square inch of it, at one point or t'other. "I spend all summer, as well as early spring and late fall here in the mountains, but then when it gets on towards winter, I bring my flock down to Iron Gate and sell the majority off. Then it all begins again in the spring."
Eddie
It was the start of a memorable night alongside Amaryllis. Josephine lived in the constricting palm of his father all the way until she was sixteen years. She was given a freedom she couldn't thoroughly enjoy because she was limited to the walls of her family's manor in Taemar. But present time brought happiness to her and the metaphorical wings she took a fancy. There was no adult supervision, even though she tried to see herself as her own woman rather than a teen thrown into the real world with little to no experience. She had the knights to protect her, but they were outside, thus their prying eyes could not see her real self and judge her for being open to a peasant. At least not more than they already did.

Josephine's eyes were filled with wonder. The gleaming green orbs were streaken with golden awe and a natural curiosity that drove her to listen intently to every word and want to know more about the Sweetford family. Her own family had a standing reputation of ancient roots in the Taemarian nobility. Status felt so small, if only a nuisance, to the girl that helped Amaryllis with dinner. Out in the real world, away from politics and gossip, it didn't matter whether one was a noble or a peasant. Only their character and their wits. She wanted to become the best of herself for the coming years.

"That's amazing, Ryllis! And you've lived alone, taking care of your flock, all this time?" Her excitement dimmed with the knowledge that Amaryllis had no one to leave her flock with. She wanted to ask the young woman if she'd be their guide through Northwind, all the way to the Witherlands and back. Although she expected a no, Josephine brought the topic up anyway. "We're... Actually looking for someone to help us get to the Witherlands without much trouble. We've heard Northwind was becoming more dangerous each passing day." She nibbled on her bottom lip for a tiny frame of time. "You wouldn't... Want to accompany me, would you?"
Dale
Darin let out a little huff and looked down. Some sort of plump, green and particularily slimey looking toad had crawled onto his foot. While Darin was cruel, he wasn't the type to punt a toad into orbit for existing close to him. Even that was unecesarrily cruel by his standards. Still, as some strange, croaking voice finally answered, Darin crouched slightly, eyed around, and finally saw.. Some figure? A swamp dweller, no doubt! Darin remembered the tales he had heard during his childhood, both from caretakers, and as gossip- That in the swamps lived all matters of nasty critters. Most of which were enough to give young and impressionable boys little nightmares, and most of which had a taste for human flesh. Okay, maybe Darin was a little bit freaked out (He had always been the superstitious sort..) but he wasn't going to let it show at least. ".. Your domain? Heh.. I'm Duke Darin of the Grey Hills, and soon, all of Northwind will be my domain! Who do you think you are, trying to bo- Mhhraargh!" Darin was interrupted with a small tantrum as he frantically tried to wave off a mosquito that seemed very keen on a harassing him, before huffing and continuing "Yes, as said, my domain, who do you are, trying to boss the magnificent Duke around?!"
Frankie
Amaryllis had chattered on about her family and its history for quite a bit before Josie finally got around to asking her about being their guide through the mountains. She had been somewhat saddened when Josie had asked about her living alone, as it really hadn't been very long since her family had died. Her sadness rapidly went to surprise and then uncertaity at the next question though, and it made her falter quite a bit.
Could she be there guide? No, she couldn't leave the flock! ...Or could she? She could sell the herd and start over when she returned from her travels... She had often dreamed of the places that the traders she met went; the things they saw, the things they did, and things they knew of that she never would. Yet, now... Now she had a chance to escape her hum drum life, and travelling with Josie would likely be an experience unlike any other...
She bit her lower lip hard and didn't answer for quite some time, staring deep into the bubbling stew, her brow furrowed in concentration. It wasn't a question she had ever expected, nor was it an opportunity she had ever dreamed of. Yet she knew that she could guide Josie safely through the mountains... The areas that she didn't know, in the Witherlands, she would likely be able to navigate as well, as she understood mountain life and could almost sense the lay of the land around her. 
Finally, she replied, "As long you intend to be here until tomorrow... Give me until then to decide? I'd have some packing to do, and of course I'd have to decide what to do with my flock..."
Eddie
Josephine's features sharpened into a broad smile and jade greens shimmering with hope and fire. Her hope was that Amaryllis would choose to join her. The older woman was her first genuine sight for days. It would be a full week on the road on the next day, passing through settlements in Taemar until crossing to Northwind. The people she came across with then were a bit more fearful and submissive. Not abstract from politics, Josephine knew the Grunewalds ruled with an iron fist. Her land was harsh and cold, and she could mirror that with the slavers of Northwind. She had to arrive at nowhere in the deep wilderness to find Amaryllis. She liked her and her kindness. If she were a witch, she'd turn them all a long time ago. Of course, that silly thought fell apart. Her eyes beamed the reflection of the fire under the stew. 

"We do! We do intend to be here! Thank you so much for your kindness, Ryllis!"

Josephine was ecstatic for the possibility of Amaryllis joining the group. With another woman, it wouldn't be so hard to face all the men and tell them what to do. It wasn't like she owned them or they pledged duty to her. It felt like they were following another's orders that coincided with her well-being. Most of them were. Lord Roderick, however, kept them all on the same page. Or tried to.

Josephine's features sharpened into a broad smile and jade greens shimmering with hope and fire. Her hope was that Amaryllis would choose to join her. The older woman was her first genuine sight for days. It would be a full week on the road on the next day, passing through settlements in Taemar until crossing to Northwind. The people she came across with then were a bit more fearful and submissive. Not abstract from politics, Josephine knew the Grunewalds ruled with an iron fist. Her land was harsh and cold, and she could mirror that with the slavers of Northwind. She had to arrive at nowhere in the deep wilderness to find Amaryllis. She liked her and her kindness. If she were a witch, she'd turn them all a long time ago. Of course, that silly thought fell apart. Her eyes beamed the reflection of the fire under the stew. 

"We do! We do intend to be here! Thank you so much for your kindness, Ryllis!"

Josephine was ecstatic for the possibility of Amaryllis joining the group. With another woman, it wouldn't be so hard to face all the men and tell them what to do. It wasn't like she owned them or they pledged duty to her. It felt like they were following another's orders that coincided with her well-being. Most of them were. Lord Roderick, however, kept them all on the same page. Or tried to.

"Tell me more about... You and your family and... I don't know! About your flock!" She was half kidding about the flock and would hear every word attentively if Amaryllis did start to talk about her flock.
Betty
Forever, always, and never ending. That doesn't really make much sense putting these kinds of words together. That doesn't matter. Still within the comfort of mother nature, Vidu will always be wandering about and trying to get accustomed to all the new surroundings, sounds, things, you know. Leaving that dangerous island and onto a more... Calming one just doesn't make her feel like anything was going to get better. She was more tense, unable to let her guard down not even once. Even if a small harmless insect would flutter by, she'll just kill it in an instant as it comes within range of her attacks. She was use to all the danger, but peace just wasn't really much of a thing for her. There were a couple of times where she would move towards the borders of the forests, peeking her head out and into the open fields to take a gander of what was really going on out in the open air. Sometimes she would see people riding horses with these gigantic carts that were being pulled. Sometimes it was just people walking on foot. She found it... Interesting. She felt beckoned to leave, but she couldn't bring herself to do so which means staying within the forest. Alone. 😩 👌
Frankie
Amaryllis smiled brightly at the younger girl. Really, Josie's smile was infectious and her excitement filled Amaryllis with a sense of excitement as well. She had a great deal to think about though... 
She was grateful for the distraction from the decision she would have to make and was more than happy to chat with Josie some more, chattering on about her family and her flock and her life here in the mountains. She avoided talk of her immediately family though, as the subject of her parents and her siblings, and their deaths, was still too painful to talk in detail about. It was too soon... Perhaps that was why she was even considering travelling with Josie and her companions. After the loss of her family, she really had no one left. No one to tie her down. No one to stick around for. Just a flock of sheep, and while she cared for her flock, they were just a way to make a living to her. She could sell them, travel with Josephine, and when she eventually returned, she would simply buy a few head of sheep and begin again. 
About an hour later, the stew was prepped and ready for dinner. Amaryllis took a little taste of it, then smiled at Josie as she said, "I'd say it's just about perfect! Thank you for your help, Josie... Should I take this out to them? Or should they come inside? It would likely be easier for them to come inside and get their dinner."