Jacob stopped as Hawke did and waited behind as the other guards shuffled on past him, looking at him with that strange look they so often did. He shrugged at them and turned his gaze, focussing on the lithe young woman in front of him, looking at her as a woman as opposed to walking reputation for the first time. As she spoke he admired her lithe form, looking her up and down for a moment, before making eye contact with her, staring into her eyes.<br/><br/>Nodding with agreement at her words on the Qunari, he took on a perplexed look as she leaned in closer to him and voiced the question he knew she must have been thinking. His inquisitiveness and excitement had gotten the better of him, and he had likely put his foot in it. A heavy silence fell between the pair for those few seconds as he considered his reply. Best be honest, he thought sombrely, scratching his chin with his free right hand whilst his left remained firmly gripping the hilt of his sword.<br/><br/>"I, uh....well, to be frank with you, this was never the job I thought I would end up doing. Growing up my mother used to tell me tales of all the places in the world she had seen, and encouraged me to always ask questions and never simply accept what others tell you. After the Blight, though I guess all things get put on hold, no? I fled with my father and sister to Kirkwall, and through circumstances found myself joining the Guard. I know we all have to make do after being thrust from our homes, but its hard accepting that the dreams you had are likely not going to happen. I just can't let them go, not yet, so I end up constantly thinking of what might have been, and that draws the ire of your friend. I guess I am asking so many questions because you seem to be living a similar life to the one I want...I'll uh, I'll stop if you don't like it."<br/><br/>Jacob nodded almost imperceptibly to himself satisfied that his tongue hadn't become tied and he had been coherent. The wind along the coast seemed to be picking up, whistling in his ear, and his already dirty boots being battered with dust picked up. It seemed a storm might be coming in, he mused to himself, and the last thing anyone wanted was to be caught out on the exposed coast when it hit. He wondered whether he should speak up about it, and see if they should turn back towards the city, but worried that saying so would make him look like a coward. One thing was for certain, though, he did not fancy wandering lost around Tal Vashoth and Bandit infested coast roads nearly blind in the middle of a storm.<br/><br/>