To say that Xavier was against this trip was something of an understatement, he considered it the height of folly.  But as was his nature, once the decision was made, he put his full effort and support behind young Miss Sergovia.  As their progress slowed once again he moved forward, shifting the spear he used as a hiking staff to his left hand and drawing his sword.  The road to Barovia, if one insisted on calling it a road, was overgrown from disuse and several times he had resorted to using his blade to cut through the densest of the undergrowth between the trees.  He hacked away something of a path in their general direction, enough for the two girls to pass through without too badly tearing into the fabric of their clothes.  It was something close to a crime for Xavier to use his blade in such a way, he would need to spend no small amount of time sharpening and dressing the blade when they finally reached their destination.  Once through this latest hedge he fell back once again, content to follow and listening for Katya's response to Miss Sergovia's question.<br/><br/>Xavier had a general idea of their direction of travel but he was more concerned with how to get back to the established road they had left that morning than where they were going.  Taking up the rear he spent a lot of time looking back, picking out landmarks such as there were but he had to admit much of it all looked the same.  He hacked a few trees to leave blazes to follow in hopes Esperanza would find her answers soon and be ready to head home.  For her sake, he hoped she would find the answers she sought, he knew how haunted she was by her unknown past.  He was not her counselor by any stretch but he had a fondness for her that was unlike his hired hand relationship with the rest of the family.  He was careful to keep that fondness hidden, though not always successful especially when they were alone.  She was something like the daughter he never had and like many parents he wondered why she couldn't just be sensible and marry a wealthy nobleman and live a life of comfort while furthering her family's fortunes.  Her beauty would make that easy enough, her temperament was another matter entirely.  Not that she was unpleasant in any way, she just seemed too independent to take such confining vows and submit to a man she didn't find worthy.  He couldn't help but smile at her insistence that she not marry a man that couldn't best her in a duel, much to the frustration of her parents and more than a few aspiring suitors..  Even if he did feel a most unfatherly jealousy when she took the losers to her bed.  Xavier himself was no duelest, often reminding Esperanza that in a true fight there were no rules, but he couldn't stop his mind from considering her challenge for himself.  He tried not to dwell on that idea to keep his own sanity.<br/><br/>Katya on the other hand, was a nearly complete mystery to Xavier.  About the only thing he was confident about her was that she had a nothing much to lose quality about her which could be very dangerous.  He had some doubts about the validity of her letter, and even more so the story behind it.  Still he could clearly see the shock of both girls as they realized how identical they were to each other in most every detail.  That was about the only genuine emotion he sensed from her.  Clearly they were kin and their paths couldn't help but be intertwined but he felt certain the wolves weren't the only predators about.