Welcome to Gaia! ::

The small creature tilts it's head to one side, almost in a blank stare of sorts as it eyed the jerky within Tomlin's grasp. The ferret slowly trotted up to the tip's of his fingers, taking in the smell of the delicious meat. She had not eaten in a few days, making her much more willing to approach the offering without killing it herself.

"Doook, chirp!" She yelped with glee as she made a hop at the jerky, taking the time to at least pretend she *might* have captured it to satisfy her ferrety pride. After making a few more hops and sashays, chuckling all the while, she took the piece of jerky into her mouth and began to scoot backwards with it.

The ignomy of being spoken of in the third person as a trophy object by someone who she wouldn't have dared to vouch for as being any more respectable than the rogues he'd dispatched snapped Merro out of her uncharacteristic hesitancy, furrowing her brow and putting a flush on her face.

"We were," she responded in a decided tone, skipping past any introduction on their own part at first. And then after a moment of thought, she grudgingly came to the conclusion that a bit more of graciousness was required on her part. The man had sort of rescued her.

"I thank you for your aid, Mister Tomlin," she said in a more normal tone, though there was still a hint of thorniness from the "prize". She began to introduce herself with a false name, but trailed off as Tomlin's attention was drawn perforce another way. She eyed the dusty young woman and then gave a small gasp upon catching sight of the ferret, having seen no such creatures during the few outings and off-grounds dinners and balls she had been allowed to attend. Merro wondered with some trepidation how many other strangers the Saints would see fit to throw in her path this day.

The girl addressed a question to Letalus, which nettled Merro right back into Noble mode. As her father's daughter, bedraggled and barefoot though she was, all inquiries ought to have been made of her. The fact that Leana could have had no way of knowing who any of the small group was did not factor. Logic was not Merro's strong suit.

"Because they were lawless brigands, seeking to thieve and murder as all such criminals do," she replied. "Why else should innocent travelers such as we come under attack?" Innocent travelers such as Merro, who was wearing pearl drop earrings and a matched triple-drop necklace over a fine silk shirt covered with a cheap, bloodstained tunic several sizes too large for her. No, nothing strange about her appearance at all.

Feeling wary of such a number of strange strangers, Merro suddenly turned and loped over lightly to Letalus, still feeling an overabundance of energy thanks to the sword.

"We should go," she said in a low voice, and then added uncertainly, "shouldn't we?" She was younger, shorter, weaker, and less experienced than Letalus, and technically she was his captive. She did not have quite enough self left to sustain even a false attitude of command over her enigmatic companion for very long. Besides, she was jittery. And still wide-eyed. If Letalus was given to wild flights of imagination, he might think Merro was high.

ooc: Quick! Someone stop my anti-social character from breaking the party up! T__T

Letalus took his eyes away from the newcomers and gazed down at Merro, head tilted, face as expressive as an orange. She had seemed to confident and sure before the battle and now she was just as he assumed she'd always been before meeting her: vulnerable and obviously shaken. Again, he was struck by a perverse notion to soothe and protect her. Despite this, the only comfort her could voice was a monotone order,

"We're going to the next town over. There's an inn there." He felt himself smile slightly, condescendingly. "And perhaps you can buy yourself some more...suitable clothing."

Letalus blinked. She was upset about that? Killing was a simple, ancient act that was a much a part of the world as the trees and the air. It was the very reason he was created. He glanced at their surroundings, the carnage he somehow forgotten he'd done, the strangers cooing over the little creature with eyes far too intelligent and back to Merro's wide eyes.

He shifted and stepped closer, putting himself between Merro and the open field of blood and bodies. "They would have done much worse to you," he said quietly, refraining from calling her by her title should the others hear them. "You were...you handled yourself well enough. Why are you upset?"

This girl was so confusing.

And now she seemed angry at him. He didn't understand it, but at least her apparent annoyance was more like her. Letalus could handle her prickly personality. It was when she gazed up at him so imploringly with huge blue eyes that he was inordinately uneasy. He cleared his throat and turned away, the heavy dark brown fabric of his cloak brushing against the grass.

"Your assistance was timely," he intoned, nodding slightly to Tomlin. This was, apparently, his way of expressing gratitude. He arched a brow down at the red-headed girl, assessing her with flat eyes before bowing stiffly.

"We'll be on our way now."

ooc: As a suggestion, someone could be very intrigued with Merro's sword or hear the alluring clink of gold coins from Letalus. *ninja*

He smirked, letting the ferret take a chunk of the meat from his hand before standing back up to his full height.

"Aye... the path ye seek to take, though, is riddled with similar lots to them.." he said towards Letalus, having smirked at the woman as she addressed him as she did. It wasn't often that women talked like they wanted to slap him... and didn't.

"Be that as it may, your free to travel as you wish.. but I may not be that far behind. After all, your in my neck of the woods.." he said, bumping slightly into Letalus as he walked into some bushes and then further into the dense forest.

"You may do some good from that horse.." he said, his voice now trailing through the foliage.
ooc: Should we roll, or can I just take the purse of gold? 8D

Distracted by Merro as he was, Letalus' instincts were silent as Tomlin absconded a fat purse of gold from inside of his cloak. He could sense something off about the man, but so could a blind monkey. Letalus narrowed his eyes, listening to the sounds the woodsman made as he made his exit.

Spend it.. or hold it for safe keeping...

Plagued by his unfortunate friend Conscience, Tomlin decides it best to play things out for a bit. Perhaps he can earn a bit of gold and share some plunder with of these individuals, rather than a small purse in the short-term.

He decides to instead scout the area ahead of them.. taking care as not to be seen by any of them. He takes toward the shadow of the forest treeline, easily swinging up a set of branches and into the tops of several trees.

It seemed, from what he could tell, that the coast was mostly clear towards the next town. About a seven to twelve mile hike, which under most circumstances isn't that bad.

...and they had the horse.