<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffa64d">"Please, we have children who've barely eaten. We aren' begging here. We have a little to trade. Please help us." </span>The driver's voice sounded desperate. Even Arc could hear that. But the longer they stayed, the more time they had to map the area. One traveler in need could quickly into 10, and before you knew it his home would be on everyone's map. He would have to move and torch his home, and that was unacceptable.<br/><br/>"I am barely making it as it is," Arc replied, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "If you go now you can make it to town by evening tomorrow." Arc was prepared to send them away just when a child stepped out from the wagon. It was hard to see him from Arc's point of view, but he looked emaciated and weak. Even from his distance he could tell the young one had barely had anything. It was beginning to pull on his heart strings.<br/><br/>Arc sighed softly as he wrestled with the two halves of his personality. On the one hand, he didn' care what they wanted or needed. All he wanted was for then to leave immediately. The other hand, the one that held emotions like compassion and sympathy, wanted nothing more than to help them with some basic provisions at the very least.<br/><br/>"Disarm and put your weapons over there. One of my associates will bring you some food rations and some water. That's all I can spare." His anger was apparent in his voice, especially to Madison if she could hear him. He had much more, of course, even medicine that might be useful. But what would he do if Madison needed it and he had given it away? No, he would get them to town and away from there as fast as possible with enough food and water for the journey.<br/><br/>"Em," Arc called out, hoping his friend would get the idea. Food and water please, quickly."<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffa64d">"Thank you sir. God bless you! We'd prob..."</span><br/><br/>"Save your blessings for someone that cares. You can thank me by leaving as soon as possible." Arc cut off that sentence before it could get any more whimsical. It wasn' that he believed in God or not. He simply believed that, if one existed, he quit paying attention to Earth long ago, and had left humanity to its own fate.