<span style="font-style: italic">"You should tell Rooster to take a bath. If I can smell him from across the street, the Az'bedar will be able to smell him a hundred yards off. Besides, if I have to ride on one of those things, I don't want to have to do it with him sitting there smelling like a fucking latrine."</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"It goes beyond a personal grudge if a man's smell might alert an Az'bedar scout. They are going to know we're there, eventually. But I'd rather they not find out until the last possible minute. They will take it as a -personal- offense and kill as all the more quickly if Rooster is stinking up their territory."</span><br/><br/>"Roger that, Serdadu," Zilard responded to Kaitar's insitence that Rooster take a bath. The word he chose was an uintended faux pas. Zilard was told as a boy that the term,<span style="font-style: italic">Serdadu</span>was a form of respect like<span style="font-style: italic">sir</span>or<span style="font-style: italic">ma'am</span>, but it actually had negative connotations. It was more like saying<span style="font-style: italic">'Roger that, fat bottom.'</span>Since Zilard didn't actually know the Shyiine language and only picked up a few words and phrases here and there, living amongst the humans. He honestly didn't know any better. "I will insure all three of us clean our nasty stinking bodies."<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Have you been out there before, or is this your first time?"</span><br/><br/>Zilard considered the question asked of him. "Have I ever been out there before?" He contemplated that. "In all honesty, I was born and raised here in Dogton. I've traveled to several of the other cities. I've been<span style="font-style: italic">down range</span>in the Voidlands more than a dozen times, but only at distances up to about twelve miles. Never as far as we are suggesting for tomorrow." Zilard looked at Kaitar to read his reaction. He really didn't care what the Shyiine mercenary thought about Zilard's capacity to survive in the desert. Either he made it or he did not. That was on him anyway. "I figured you would share some of your wisdom with us on surviving down range."<br/><br/>After the meeting, Zilard would link back up with Rooster and Whitey. Tell them to take a shower with scentless soap and be ready before the sunrise. Rooster would drive and Whitey would man the<span style="font-style: italic">pig</span>. Zilard himself would go over his pack and check the Roller. It was one of hte sand colored ones to help camouflage their presence, but nothing would conceal any sand they kicked up or the sound of the engine. Zilard would take his shower before hitting the rack.