<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"mhmm?" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">Artemis rose her head to look at Thomas when he spoke to her. Her head had been drifting in her own little world of fancy as her thoughts ran in circles and a coy little smile curled onto her lips. </span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)"><i>She'd finally done it... All those years of training... Of being told it's stupid to be a knight and believing in children stories... they had all come to this and she was a chosen guardian! </i></span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)"><i>She had met various trainers that day. Rich snobs. Those who seeked glory without putting in the hard work as they approached the Aron and just demanded she joined them. Artemis had turned her nose away withiut a second thought. She hadn't trained all this time to bond with someone who would waste her time. That's when she set eyes on Thomas. He wasn't the heroic looking trainer she had pictured, but then again the world hadn't been as kind as she imagined on her journey. Yet she could sense his kind soul and like her, a need to better himself! There was potential, not just for him but for too and a reason to protect.</i></span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">All these thoughts and more dashed from the Aron's mind as Artemis' smile faultered and she looked around at the woodland setting. They had been trekking for sometime now and a break did seem welcomed. Although her clothes gave the appearance of armour, the only actual armour she wore was her token visor headpiece on her forehead. She was used to long days walking in her sturdy boots, but it was her trainer who was not. A small laugh left her lips as she began to smile again, </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"This is a marathon, not a sprint Thomas. We can take a break if you wish. But if you say the inn is close it makes sense to make haste there" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">she noted what he had said about being a late entry and snorted disaprovingly, </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"What does it matter if you were a late entry?! You have just as much right to compete as I do. If anything - more right!" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">Her voice trailed off into an inaudible grumble and eventually a sigh as she shook her head. </span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">It wasn't worth a penny on her thoughts to be thinking of the others. She could clearly see the nerves on Thomas' face and needed to focus on him - not the berating of others. Although they had seen no trouble, the forest was a dangerous place. Whilst her steel nature was handy for protecting against such poison types here, she too was cautious. There were many other types lurking in the trees that could have the upper hand on her should they be forced to engage in battle. </span>