Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Unless, of course, there's an ambush." Leszya interjected. Her eyes darted from side to side instinctually, the kohl lining them enabling her to look a little deeper into the recesses of the trees without the edge of the sun hindering her.

"Then again, there are as many types of safe as there are types of skill." She half-smiled at Evacy, allowing a corner of her mouth to raise.

" As long as you have a load that's easy to drop when mobility's necessary and doesn't hinder your vision, you'll be fine. It's why I don't carry anything that may raise above my shoulders."

Her head moved slowly from her left to her right.

" But has been dull terrain so far, and we go cautiously. I'm relatively unconcerned for the moment." The attentive listening and the hand resting lightly on the knife at her hip said otherwise, but they were rather second nature to Leszya.

"There's more than fishmen roaming these parts." Leszya said quietly. "A hostile, hungry or overconfident group may descend at any time, especially if we indicate through actions or speech any kind of vulnerability. Though it's preferable to conserve energy and resources for the real fight, you must always be ready."

"Not if they're anything like you, they wouldn't." said Leszya. "You seem very accustomed to walking around like you own the lands you walk on, Pix. But there are many, many men like that, I've had the displeasure of meeting a great amount of them. Stop wherever you like, I'll need to survey somewhere around here anyways."

She laughed. "Clever! Very clever. Please, don't think I'm insulting your intelligence." she paused " You see, you and I have very different experiences. People may see you and conclude it's wise to keep away, to keep to themselves. You've been leading bands of warriors and marauders. Myself, I travel alone. And unfortunately for me, I travel as a female. Many men believe that these criteria are sufficient to give them an advantage over me, which is not true.

"Men attack at the indication of perceived weakness, trick themselves through ego, believe themselves stronger than they are. Those of us who cannot fight well, those of us who are of ill health, they may be enough to lure the greedy. Why take a chance? It will do us no benefit, though I do not begrudge sending a rogue to his fate." Her smile spread slowly, predatorily. " What I have learned from the life I have led is that It is more intelligent to overestimate a threat than underestimate it."

She grinned. " Some of us have a loyal troupe of bandits to rely on, some of us have paranoia." she reached into a side pouch of her pack and took out the apple, cutting it in half and re-wrapping a section. She cleaned the blade, wiping it on her shorts and re sheathing it before looking up at him.

" You claim I have so much to learn, Pix, but everyone does. I learned I was mortal long ago, learned I can bleed and shudder and scream and die. I choose to conduct myself as a creature who can. I hope that you never need experience a similar encounter with the face of mortality, and I mean that." She took a bite of the apple, pausing to swallow before she continued. " I find it refreshing to meet someone with such infallible...." Ego. she thought.

" Confidence."

"Oh just say it." Evacy said, knowing full well that she shouldn't intervene. "He's got an ego the size of a mountain. Probably just as strong too." She also knew that Pix, and probably Leszya as well, could murder her in her sleep. Not that it mattered too much. No home to go back to, unless she was forced into that god awful underground community. No one waiting for her either. Nothing to lose, nothing to gain.
"Anyways, I'd ruther we trained afore we continue on." She smiled. "Or at least me. I'm not like Leszya here - if you don't mind me saying. I can't fend myself from ..." Evacy waved her right hand, thinking of what to say. Wild animals? Malicious people? She could defend herself from obnoxious men and ill intent. "Harm, I guess you could say. 'Sides, there's isn't much I can do with just these." She said, indicating to the darts that appeared in her left hand. "Any suggestions?"

Andrea stretched a bit before walking over to the cart, reaching in and pulling out one of the padded weapons. She blinked and tilted her head a little as she examined the crudly covered axe she happened to pull out, thinking about how sore everyone would be afterward. After all, they were still made of iron, which meant that they would still hurt like hell when you hit someone. Well, this should be interesting.. Andrea thought before giving the padded axe a test swing, wondering if she could handle a weapon like this. Her experience was limited to swords and daggers, and even then she still wasn't nearly as skilled as some of the others.