Aren’t you observant, to any other sane minded person would have been a very obvious rhetorical question. That was to say, to everyone except Dane.<br/><br/>“Yes,” he answered without the slightest indication he’d understood the purpose of Ace asking it in the first place. He only furthered this by studying the man once he motioned to himself. Distracted by tracing scars, he had heard before that they made one more alluring. That there was some fascination to common folk to see them. He had been asked once by a rather drunk woman if he had any good scars, which had then turned into a long conversation about the nature of raised lines of flesh and wounds. In the end, she’d just looked sort of confused and gone quiet. Dane was equally happy when she’d walked away, hoping she’d realize the oddity of her infatuation.<br/><br/>Stuck in his thoughts, it was only then he trailed from his hands to the horse, a deep frown forming. That still didn’t sit right with him. There was no reason to steal things. Just what sort of predicament did they leave the owners in? He couldn’t imagine while neither Caine nor Ace took that into consideration though it seemed a malady of many people.  Dane had always been taught to do the right thing, and yet it seemed to be the only one doing it despite the far reaches of the church. Even some heathen religions taught proper tenants. Why did manners and common courtesy seem so out of place?<br/><br/>It was a thought instantly stricken away by the question, and his gaze snapped to him. He gave a huff and sat up a little straighter.<br/><br/>“How am I not what you see? It’s who I am, after all. Can I be anything else?”<br/><br/>Rather than flat out lying, Dane fell back on a tactic that others often found infuriating. Introspective questions were all too common in his upbringing, and the tradition of forcing self-reflection had solidified itself into his personality. Ace was far from the first person to have such a tactic wielded at him, and Dane seemed vastly comfortable with the way he gave a slight tilt of his head and an expectant stare. Though that wasn’t the end of it. He took a deep breath and followed up with, “Perhaps you’re looking for something that you’d simply like find? What is it?”<br/><br/>He’d faced off against scholars and soldiers alike in what was less a battle of wits and more a battle of resolve. An unsure man would instantly have to rephrase and doubt themselves, where a sure man could quickly aim the pointed end of a well poised phrase back at him. Thankfully for Dane, he’d found most people instantly running off into a slew of ‘what do you mean what do I mean?’ which was just as easy when avoiding questions he didn’t want to answer.<br/><br/>“I’ve told you my name and I’ve taken a job like I’ve taken any other. Perhaps there’s an expectation that you’re holding on me that I am not meeting? Perhaps I seem like someone you’ve met before?”<br/>He was hoping, at this point, to just lead him along into questions that would further muddle his suspicion. He was, after all, looking for something he was unsure of. That bit of doubt he hoped to stir up until it clogged whatever line of consciousness was interested in soothing out his story.