"Don't be surprised if you see me again when this is over." He called after the mayor as he heard the guide's voice.<br/><br/>He walked up next to Ari, sorely tempted to just kill the guide. Glancing at her, he was asking without speaking if he could just kill the guide and save them the headache of dealing with him. His wrist flexed slightly as he fought down his urge. He, the guide, really got on his last nerve. Sooner he was out of the picture, the less likely he was to kill him his darn self.<br/><br/>After the mounted the camels, he made it a point to stay close to Ari. He wasn't sure why, but her safety and protection rendered his duty to protect the guide almost irrelevant to him. Maybe he was too invested in her but he would do everything in his power to see that she survived. She deserved to live regardless of what happened. He prayed he hadn't developed feeling for her.<br/><br/>"Dark Ridge is farther from here than you think, and the desert will be plagued by sand storms this time of year." He said as he adjusted his weapon harness, "I just hope we don't have to deal with Lucifer's Eye, since it lasts a full three months out of the year."<br/><br/>He didn't mean to, but he inadvertently let his outsider knowledge slip in front of the guide. His hood went up over his head, casting deep shadows over his face. His habits were coming back into effect now. Only way you'd see his face would be if you were dying or dead.  He reached over and handed Ari an small *<span style="font-style: italic">instrument</span>* that he had made with a promise to teach her how to play it soon. This was out of character for him as he never gave anything to anyone unless he was assassinating them.<br/><br/>"That the second one I made." He said, referring to the instrument, "It's a prized possession of mine, so don't lose or break it. If you play that and I can hear it, I'll come get you. That I swear to you."<br/><br/>________<br/><br/>Here's an example of the instrument Zepher gave Aristophillia -<a class="postlink" href="http://img.dxcdn.com/productimages/sku_421585_1.jpg">[ img ]</a>