Marcus was not so sure about all of this as he had hoped, now that they were starting out. He had his cloak, same as TamLin had hers. He was thankful that TamLin had her leather armor, though Marcus was now missing pieces of his after grabbing Blazil. Even though he had the larger vest, he still felt more vulnerable. And Blazil was a question herself. He knew TamLin’s strengths and weaknesses and how well she could defense or fight. He knew nothing of Blazil. She had the fire, but how well could she fight with it? And what sort of trouble came with her? There were too many mysteries.<br/><br/>He was drawn out of his thoughts as Blazil asked him about the bags. He blinked at her for a moment before handing her the lighter of the two he carried. “If you would like to,” he added. Instantly he was glad to have that bit of extra weight off of him. It would make moving quicker and quieter. Not that he or TamLin made much noise while traveling through the forest, just in sight of the stream.  Silence on foot was one of the gifts of their race.<br/><br/>“If there is anything we should know about traveling with you and the dangers it might hold, it would be best to express the possibilities now,” Marcus said after a moment, hoping to draw some information out of her. Anything that might hint of what sort of power she had and how she could protect herself.<br/><br/>TamLin walked along, practically humming to herself. She was obviously pleased to be along on this journey. Even as she looked and acted carefree, her eyes remained alert to the forest around them.<br/><br/>~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~<br/><br/>“So you are saying we should go east,” Aria replied, a mischievous grin on her lips. “North may very well be the better option. There will be fewer people there. The climate might be refreshing for you. More importantly, there are more influential people up there who owe me boons than in the east.” She used the logic, and tried not to smile at the thought of cuddling close to Phoenix. She wasn’t sure exactly if there was something about him that she found highly attractive, or if her time alone had bothered her more than she imagined. She wanted to believe it was just a backlash from loneliness, but a part of her was not at all convinced.