“Protect you. Five sisters, their fates explained and freed if possible,” Darius repeated, thinking over the situation. He would be lying if he said the treasure involved was not tempting. With funding like was she expressed, Darius could set Adrian up in a place of study. One that would accept him and give him the studies he wanted so desperately before fate took a hand. And it would set Darius on his road, wherever it may be, for his life. There was a part of him, the one he preferred not to focus on, that reached out to this woman simply because she was in need. She was an innocent, a beautiful woman who knew little of the world and needed protection and a guide. He shook his thoughts away from that. It was a knight’s weakness and he was no longer a knight.<br/>“Do you know anything of where they were headed? Hints of who the men might have been or where they were going next? Anything that might guide your path? Many men of many different kinds seems a little vag-”<br/><br/>Darius’s words were cut off by the sound of the lock clicking and the door to the room opening. Adrian, dust covered and breathing heavily, came into the room. By the time he had the door shut, Darius had pushed away from the wall and reached him, gripping his shoulder roughly. “Where were you?” He half growled, eyes narrowed.<br/><br/>Adrian only laughed, causing Darius’s frown to deepen. “You always get angry when you think I’m in trouble, brother.” Darius sighed and let go of his brother, stepping back put keeping a close eye on him. “The day you greet me properly is the day I know you no longer love me. I got lost.”<br/><br/>“You got lost.” Darius’s tone was one of disbelief, not in his brother but in the amount of worry he had just been put through.<br/><br/>“I did indeed.” Adrian hit his clothing, removing the dust. He then looked up to see Shira. “That was a bit of a rough patch there at the square. Are you well, Ma’am?”<br/><br/>Darius cleared his throat. “Lady Shira, this is Adrian my brother and squire. Adrian, this is Shira. She is our new employer. We were just discussing terms.”<br/><br/>Adrian bowed and smiled at Shira. “A pleasure to meet you. Hopefully we can be of service.”<br/><br/>Darius quickly updated Adiran on the terms that Shira had presented before turning back to her. “I have a few terms of my own. I can be a sword and a shield. My brother can be a bow and a sword. Travel with those completely ignorant of a weapon bodes badly for possible dangers. Would you be willing to learn a bit of how to defend yourself? That is a part of me terms. The other is that our fee goes towards the adventure first. You would be funding the travel, for the most part. Are you willing to do so?” His tone was purely business. His body language, now that Adiran was back, was more relaxed and he did not fidget has he had been.