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......If that bar was a pantry, and the guys were two knight-apprentices, maybe. There was no punchline.

Horace had spent the first day in relative solitude, making maps of the corridors of the castle, listening in to other's conversations - things were he could learn. This was, of course, how he'd learned about the harrowing quests they could take on as a part of their training, And, rather than thrust himself into some social situation he'd undoubtedly screw up (and how did he know he'd screw up...), Horace had decided to go provision himself and set out alone. He had not expected someone else to have the same idea.

He blinked. "Ah, hello. Since..." He shifted his bag of food about. "Since it appears like you might be setting out on a quest as well, would you like to go together? I'm Horace." He grinned and outstretched his hand. This wasn't so hard after all.

He wasted no time in saddling his horse - the lovely golden-maned stallion was named Shoebox, for some reason.

Thomas saddled up his horse. It was, ironically, named Beehive, but he did not know that this was to be ironic yet.

He let out a gasp, "She landed on his bul---" He began to say, until he realizing that Horace was under attack by bee's. Thomas's horse reared up, startled by all of the noise and panic that followed, and began to move slowly backwards as he attempted to soothe it, leaning forward to pat it on the neck and talk quietly too it.

Still it backed up, until one hoof slipped at the edge of a steep precipice. Letting out a startled sound as he was jolted nearly from his saddle in the horses than sudden panic to get back on solid ground, several food items were loosed from his bag, falling over the cliffs edge.

After his horse had sidled off into the horizon (and Tommy's slip), Horace and Tommy entered the forest. He kept one hand on the hilt of an anelace, searching the leaves for threats. Something seemed utterly spooky about the too-tall trees that lined the path. His booted foot hit something solid and Horace stumbled, catching himself with one hand on a box.

"D'you think this food is... edible?"

The forest path wound round and round and led into a mountain. "This is just like in a knightly story..." He lit a torch (Horace was always, always prepared), and stepped in. Rusted armor shone dully under a coating of dust, skeletons of adventurers past. Horace rather thought that is Shoebox were still here, he would've bolted. He was a skittish horse, even if Horace was quite fond of him.

But, unbeknownst to Horace, his bag now had a hole.

Nobody had told Horace there would be snakes. Something about them made a fondness warm in his chest and he blinked it away. How curious. Of course, they were poisonous and dangerous to Tommy, but they were also likely scared.

And then Horace heckied everything up.

Horace had gone and hecked it all up, but Tommy did not seem at all upset, even if it did mean they'd had to journey all the way back to the castle to restock up on supplies. By the time they got back, he was famished, and also in need of a little bit of medical attention (damn snake bites!).

Soon, however, they were ready to go again, Thomas mounting his horse and smiling as if nothing at all had gone wrong the first time they had made this journey together.

"Ready?" He asked, rather cheerfully.

He found that the more he got to know Horace, the more he liked him. Their personalities seemed to mesh well, which may have been precisely why they were both pledged to the same great knight.

Awaiting to hear the other man's response to his question, he nodded and grinned in response. "No, I suppose neither of us do." It should have been a depressing thought, but Thomas did not like to dwell on things that were sad, and instead, chose to look forward at what lay ahead.

Once they were both ready, he spurred his horse to life, and their journey began anew. They seemed to be making their way along quite well, which Thomas was grateful for, and he even said as much, which may have been a mistake.

Clearly, he had jinxed them, as a loud growling came from a nearby brush, and a large, bristling, grey wolf, clearly starving and looking for a meal, came bounding out towards him, teeth flashing.

Thomas's face fell, his eyes widening, and soon he was attempting to fend off the creature, who was going for his legs, while he kicked Beehive into a gallop, while also swinging at the vicious beast with his crossbow, in no position to load it with a bolt.

Eventually, the wolf gave up, and Thomas let out a loud sigh, slumping in his saddle.

"Remind me to never open my big mouth again."

Attacked by a wolf jfc -10 hp for me