A Caravan to Ein Arris

[Kafkonia]

"Good." He nods to the goblin. "Farvaro, we are trusting you with this." Without another word, he leaves the wagon.

Farvaro approaches and looks the group over. "Yes yes, yes. You will do. You will do." He doffs his hat and fidgets with it as he paces up and down. "Cannot complain. We will leave after lunch. Do not eat too much. The sun will sense it. Yes yes."

 

[PhoenixAsh]

Malinda smiles patiently as the goblin looks her over. Even casual observation would seem to indicate that Farvaro is nervous, which only makes her more nervous. Her gaze dart between her companions, silently hoping that one or more of them might better fit the 'bodyguard' role ably, should the need arise, than herself.

She neither voices nor expresses her concerns as she answers Farvaro in his native tongue, however:

Goblin:[sblock]"No worries! Light lunch, then we leave."[/sblock]
Thus dismissed, she eats a dainty lunch - mostly dried fruits and nuts, though she drinks a great deal of water before they set out. Eating quickly, she goes to check on her things and makes certain they are properly packed on whatever conveyance Halmaro has arranged.

Finally, she plops down on a sand dune to await their departure. Shading her eyes, she looks up at the blaring desert sky. With a sigh she murmurs, "An honor that leads into danger and deprivation is a dubious privledge."

 

[fenixdown]

Kibek finishes his lunch and sips at his water, and his mind turns to the trip ahead. He wonders if Halmaro is expecting trouble to send out scouts, and if so from what. Bandits maybe? An unfriendly group in the town ahead? Wild animals? He shudders to think of running into the kind of animal that could survive in a hostile environment like this.

Then again, from what little Kibek knows, Halmaro does seem level-headed enough, and it would make sense if he were especially cautious with a large caravan like this one. Well, whatever the case, the Mother's will be done, and no use worrying about it.

He realizes he's been daydreaming longer than he should have, and he quickly heads off to join up with Farvaro.

 

[Kafkonia]

Farvaro is waiting on his camel -- a sight made strange by his obvious discomfort with the animal -- when the party returns. "Done, yes? We have no time for wasting." Without another word he spurs his animal. And again. Eventually it starts to lope off, seemingly of its own volition rather than from any instruction from the goblin.

Farvaro doesn't speak for the first hour or so of travel, save to mutter Goblin curses at the camel as it occasionally wanders off to the side and he tries valiantly to regain control over the beast. As the caravan fades into the distance, though, he becomes more talkative.

"You are new to the desert, yes? Farvaro can see. Farvaro is old hand at the sun. Knows desert well, yes? Even animals. Do you see this lizard?" He gestures to a small lizard, roughly the size of his hand, sunning itself on a rock nearby. "When Farvaro and miserable beast approach, it will flee! Do you not believe me? We will wager then! A silver piece each seems fair, yes?"

 

[fenixdown]

Kibek laughs, trying to imagine anything fleeing in terror from a goblin on a camel. "I'll take you up on that. The desert may know you, but even the desert can't be above having a bit of fun at someone else's expense. Just watch, that lizard will be the paragon of iron will, and you'll be known from here on as the man who can't even scare small animals."

 

[PhoenixAsh]

Malinda smiles, "You are correct, good Farvaro, I am new to the desert. I'll agree to your wager, though I do not often gamble on subjects I know nothing about. A silver piece seems a fair price to see your mastery of the sands. Besides, the lizard looks too relaxed to mind much of any creatures approach, in my estimation."

 

[stonegod]

Damien smiles, more of an ironic smirk than anything else. "A small creature will run away from a larger one when it approaches? That is not a bet, that is charity, friend Goblin. If you want my silver, it would require a more chancing game of sport, not such a sure thing."

 

[Kafkonia]

"Only two of you wish to wager with Farvaro? A shame! A shame, yes? Well, let us see." He plucks two silver pieces from his belt pouch and turns them over in his hand as the troupe move forward. As the camels approach the lizard, it turns its head slowly to regard them, but makes no further motion, even once they have passed it by.

"The desert plays a trick on me!" Farvaro exclaims."An embarassment, yes? As my scaly friend said!"

 

[PhoenixAsh]

Malinda laughs softly and looks to Damien, "It would seem the desert defies expectation, for I was certain you would be in the right and we would lose our silver! It would seem this heat saps even the will to run or hide from potential predators."

Her laughter fades to a smile, then fades away as her expression turns thoughtful, "Farvaro, it should have run away, should it not? Does that mean it is used to people coming by?"

She looks around warily, somewhat uncomfortable with the line of thought she is exploring.

OOC:[sblock]Spot +2, looking for any signs of people, or people having passed through the area.[/sblock]

 

[Kafkonia]

"That is a good point, yes?" He ponders. "But there are many things in the desert other than people! If it were a danger, this lizard would not have been here to taunt me so -- for he would have been eaten, yes?"

[SBLOCK=Malinda]Malinda doesn't note anything out of the ordinary. (Spot Check of 2+2 = 4.)[/SBLOCK]