The laugh confirmed Garnier;s suspicions that she though him a fool. He was about to respond with a quick jest back whe he saw her go head first over the horse, in an instant he was back on Firebrand and at he waters edge. Scrambling quickly to her, he offered knelt down on one knee. He did not miss the beauty of her face ringed in wet hair. Nor, unfortunately, did he miss how her wet clothes seemed to hug her curves. His felt the heast as his face visibly reddened and hoped she thought it part of the injury he had sustained. He put one hand gently on her back and the other he took her hand and helped her up and out of the stream. The sunlight glinting off the water on her skin and clothes also did nothing to assuage the nagging thought that had been in his head the entire time that she looked very much like an angel.<br/><br/>"Are you alright, Joan. That looked like a pretty nasty spill. At least you had the water to cushion your fall."<br/><br/>Standing this close to her, watching her graceful yet purposeful movements, he noticed a grace about her that he had not seen before. Why was he suddenly thinking these things. He had to get a grip on himself! he couldn't...no....He wouldn't allow himself to feel like this. She was his friend. and he valued that friendship with a loyalty that defied reason. He couldn't jeopardize that.<br/><br/>Garnier Jumped back on his horse before he was tempted anymore. It wasn't much further till they would need to go off the trail. That was going to be the tricky part. As soon as they left the trail, the scouts would notify the Gilded Serpents. The last thing Garnier needed was to be blinded by his emotions when they entered the bandit territory. After riding a little more he signaled to Joan that they were leaving the trail. as they wandered through the forest he pointed out different look out positions. They were well hidden, but to the trained eye who knew what to look for they could be spotted with a little effort. Things were about to get interesting.