Closed Your Place or Mine? (Thane)

[Zhol]

|.17th Autumn, 514

"Petch," Zhol hissed under his breath as he wove through the warrens, an arm bracing the bag of healing supplies slung over his shoulder, to stop it slamming against his leg as he jogged to keep up with the Dek who'd been sent to retrieve him. His comprehension of the situation was sketchy at best, because the Dek's command of Common seemed to be about as abysmal as Zhol's command of Nari; between the two though, they'd managed to establish three critically important words: horse, mines, accident.

With no clue of the specifics of what had happened, and with the Dek lacking the comprehension to explain in any language, Zhol had grabbed everything he could think of: disinfectant salves for wounds, splints and bandages for fractures, vials of painkillers and other alchemicals that he recognised more by the shape of the letters than actual comprehension of the word; he'd even, with a heavy heart and much hesitance, grabbed his sword in case the situation was so severe that the animal needed to be put out of it's misery. He was beginning to regret all of those split second decisions now, as the Dek's relentless pace tested the upper limits of his stamina. He was barely keeping up, and that was a terrifying prospect; without the Dek to lead him to his destination - and hopefully back - he could very easily find himself lost and trapped in these warrens for an eternity.

He contemplated the possibilities, trying to recall which of the stables' workhorses would be down in the mines today. The stables frequently provided the miners with horses and carts to help haul the metals and minerals from the mountain's depths, up through the warrens to the galleries, where forges, smiths, metalworkers, and jewellers converted cartloads of rubble into some of the finest craftwork Zhol had ever laid his eyes on. Growing up in the moving city of Endrykas, Zhol had never really seen craftsmanship and industry; certainly not on the scale of Wind Reach. It was a talent and an understanding that he lacked, and one he regarded with a sense of awe.

The tunnels noticeably changed as they approached the Katshika Mines, the passageways carved by reimancy giving way to ones that had clearly been worked by tools. He couldn't help noticing the ominous darkness of parts of the stone as well, clear signs of the flooding that plagued these tunnels when it rained; even someone as unfamiliar with Wind Reach as he knew that venturing into the mines during a rainstorm was an act of suicide.

The Dek led him down a slope that was slightly more precarious than was comfortable, and across to where a cluster of miners and others had gathered. Zhol saw the problem immediately: a cart of ore overturned, the axle missing a wheel; the mountain pony that had been pulling it, lying on it's side with the Inarta giving it a wide birth. A stab of anger formed in Zhol's chest; they'd just left her where she had fallen, not even detached her from the harness. No wonder she wasn't standing; did they expect her to right the cart for them, as well as herself?

His eyes swept the crowd, and settled on one man whose hair was darker than the others. A faint glimmer of hope sparked in Zhol; perhaps another outsider such as himself, who might not look with such disdain upon any creature that didn't have wings. "You," he commanded, aiming a finger in the man's direction, making no apology for the Common words that he spoke. He gestured to the ropes, straps, and buckles that still held the pony trapped against the cart. "Help me get this harness off."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

"Alright, I assume we're finished here" Thane declared as he blotted his forehead from the sprinkle of sweat running across. He then raised a monitored stare towards the finished product and nodded an affirmative response for further confirmation. All was ready for the transport of minerals which were essentially needed for the week's production. Thane conceded the work was effectively done and thus giving his Chiet associates the necessary praises they deserved. After executing check-ups for the carriage, the Chiets delivered their validation to Thane's concern and went to aid the transport along the sloping passageway.

One of the Chiets humbly volunteered to start pushing the rear side of the carriage while the rest, including Thane, held the shafts to lighten the weight for the horse. Once the Chiet delivered a moderately strong push, the cart inched a slow movement and made the horse snort in agreement. Slowly, the carriage moved from the rocky terrain. The momentum was incredibly slow but Thane was satisfied enough to have the carriage moving. "Seems like this will take a while" Thane said, chuckling for a bit before he went back to support the shaft. The two Chiets haven't conversed anything casual other than nods and affirmative responses. They were springing with noise earlier when they held shovels but now, it seemed as if they were slightly worn-out.

The carriage had a very slow progress. It was heavier than what the crew had expected and the horse stopped for frequent intervals which made it much more difficult for them to handle. Each of them took turns on pushing the rear side. Thane already had his, which remained to the other one who haven't yet executed a turn. It was tiring, and with the atmosphere of the mines making it almost impossible to grasp for a resting breath. Thane had to pursue the others to continue on otherwise, they wouldn't have any progress at all. But he even couldn't imagine aiding the shaft and taking another turn on the rear for next following minutes. Then after re-examining the carriage, Thane found out that it was quite overloaded and didn't have enough capacity to contain the gathered minerals.

Thane threw in a glance at the Chiet who was having quite a difficult time on exerting strength. His push was ineffective and didn't contribute for the carriage's momentum but Thane's concern drew to the risks of the carriage. Perhaps he would assume that the two Chiets neglected about overloading but then again, he wouldn't put the blame on them as he himself wanted a great amount of minerals to widen the production. His concern gave an addition to his current problems but the best method he could think of on dealing the situation was to have it finished as soon as possible. Thane stayed silent then proceeded on aiding the cart's shaft.

After several minutes, Thane noticed the distance they've covered along the passageway and sadly, he wasn't satisfied by it. Although it was already a few meters from the mine's depths, the crew still had a long road to traverse. Which means, more turns on pushing the rear and a much longer time to help the horse bear the carriage's weight. The horse halted slowly, neighing for a subtle rest. Thane and the two Chiets were relieved it stopped and also took the time for themselves to rest. They released themselves from supporting the carriage and left it while they sat soundly on the rocky ground. Thane took a deep, relaxed breath as he felt the ground then turned to the two Chiets. Thane smiled without saying a word, then turned away as he brushed his hair which was greased with excessive sweat.

Oddly, the horse whined with a perceptibly startled expression. The sound of it alone raised an alarm on the three while they were taking their stop for a rest. Suddenly, they saw the carriage declining from the steep passageway. It was a slow slanting movement at the start. One of the Chiets stood up to take a push from the rear in order to elevate the carriage back up. Thane followed afterwards but before he could even stand, the carriage gradually descended, gaining speed along it's wake. The two Chiets came sprinting to grab hold. The poor horse was pulled by the harness, crying wildly as it continued descending. Its legs kicked violently in a hope to regain balance but the carriage was just too heavy. Soon, there was a loud creak behind the cart's mechanisms. Some parts found in the rear collapsed from the weight which then caused the screws to uncoil wildly. One of the Chiets who sprinted towards the cart managed to keep up in time but little did he know, the cart was almost unstoppable from sheer strength. As the Chiet reached towards it, he immediately went for the rear and started exerting as much strength to push it back up. The momentum was just too much, eventually giving no compensation for the Chiet's effort. Instead, he descended along with the cart as his feet brushed violently along the ground. As the carriage continued on descending, the Chiet came across a large rock which blocked the path. He was inches away from it and its sight alone was grievous to take a glimpse at but the Chiet couldn't afford losing the work they had put on for hours and so he started pushing the cart with the use of all his strength. Miraculously, the cart stopped but it was uncertain if ever the strength exerted was enough to withstand its weight. Thane and the other Chiet were on their way and within a few seconds, they might altogether bring the cart back up. However, the horse was completely riddled in fear. Its startled cries gave a stream of worries to the Chiet pushing the cart. Suddenly, the horse bellowed a loud cry then lifted its hind legs and kicked the air mightily. Another creak was heard from the cart and the shaft supporting the carriage came breaking apart. The Chiet lost his strength as the cart rapidly regained its downward momentum, descending from the elevated path. The Chiet was helpless and so was the horse. Thane and the other Chiet couldn't keep up in time as they ran and watched their crew member being pushed down by the cart.

As the cart neared the large rock, the Chiet brutally landed on its rough surface with his back the first part to hit. Then the cart followed him down, crushing him by the rock like a sandwich. "Petch!!!" Thane cursed loudly, realizing he wasn't able to do anything. For a moment he watched the cart overturn as it finally landed on even ground, unraveling the gruesome sight of their hardwork being wasted and then the horse lying sideways. Afterwards, both Thane and the other Chiet rushed quickly to aid their injured companion. Thane was then terrified to see both eyes widely open as he terribly assumed death took its toll. However, he declined the possibilities and looked for a way, or even a method that might hopefully get the Chiet back on his feet. Thane pressed his hand cautiously against the Chiet's chest, knowing that he might give some progress. Thane knew he was never the most knowledgeable when it comes to first aid but he was heavily denying the presence of death and continued on. A few seconds passed and there was still no progress not even a flick of movement from the injured Chiet. Thane started to act desperate with each of his actions rendering excessive worry.

"Don't die on me like this! this is not what I've asked for!" Thane cried, his voice was utterly pathetic. He sat back, closing his eyes. His breathing was becoming weary. After a minute, he concluded the worst. The other Chiet examined the horse and with relief, it was still alive, though the minerals were all scattered and some of them were shattered from the strong impact. Thane stared firmly at the other Chiet, still looking rueful. "What should I do now?" he asked sorrowfully. The Chiet said nothing but shook his head delicately. His eyes were also striking a look similar to Thane's but it was obvious that there was nothing they could both do. Thane didn't know how he'll return back. He remained sitting, sinking himself in deep thoughts of grief.

________________

After several minutes, Thane remained sitting before a dead body. He looked like a child, clueless to do something. The other one of his companion went to pull the dead from the rubble, then proceeded to close the widely-opened eyes. Several minutes after the disaster, there were two people who showed up from the distant corridors. Thane was too occupied on what previously happened than knowing help has finally arrived. However, it wasn't actually certain if it was help or not.

Surprisingly, the two individuals haven't noticed the dead body lying on the ground but instead, had their attentions shifted down to the horse.

"You,"A voice uttered in the common language. Thane didn't even bother turning his sights to the sound of it. "Help me get this harness off." Suddenly, it angered Thane to the point where he presumed the man of being quite ignorant. But violent actions wouldn't be the best case to solve something sinister.

"There's a dead man over here, wouldn't that be of greater importance?" Thane replied with the same common language, his voice etched with grim. He then decided to turn towards the person who spoke, slowly getting up on his feet.

[Zhol]

|.

Dead man.

Zhol hadn't even noticed; not for lack of observation or caring, but merely because the crowd of people had made it possible to see anything but the most superficial details. The bottom fell out of his stomach, and his heart sank at the notion; he didn't want to imagine what fate had befallen him, but given the circumstances it was far too easy to. He could sense more than a little guilt in the way the man spoke to him; a sense of responsibility perhaps; blame aimed at oneself. Zhol could empathise, and part of him urged for consolation to be offered; but now was not the time.

"Dead man," he conceded, "But if we don't get this harness off, we'll have a dead horse as well."

Zhol's eyes softened a little in sympathy, but armour as thick as steel had clamped around his chest, his emotions and natural inclination to ease the suffering of others rattling and raging inside it furiously. He kept his voice cool and factual, trying his utmost to keep an objective head on his shoulders.

He glanced away, gaze settling on the Dek who had accompanied him. With a gesture he indicated one of the leather buckles, and began to unfasten it. The Dek seemed to get the message, crossing to the far side and beginning to emulate the process on the horse's other bindings. Zhol's eyes climbed back to the standing Inartan as he worked.

"Don't compound his loss by wasting another life while you mourn."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

"Don't compound his loss by wasting another life while you mourn."

The flow of comprehension towards the message wasn't quickly followed. Thane, even containing a decent measure of intellect, has a mediocre way of perceiving the common language. He wasn't sure how to proceed with a response but there was a sliver of understanding which smeared all the way through his thoughts, realizing that the message conveyed was somewhat, a kindred link to what he shouldn't be doing towards what he faced. He opened his eyes, in a way where he understood how things unraveled but there was a strong guilt within him that stabbed him like a hundred knives, preventing him from opening his heart to acceptance. It was the second time of Thane's life where he witnessed death before his eyes and having to take a glimpse of it again turned his stomach.

Still, Thane remained standing, he aimlessly watched the man assist the horse from the rubble that was caused. His eyes were blank and were nearly fading, it's as if he was about to be disconnected from the world. His breathing became abnormally infrequent and his eyelids started to slowly tremble from sheer consciousness. He was about to lose himself as his body limped from the sudden weakness. Then there was a hand reached out to his shoulder. Thane felt as if he was bathed by hope, telling himself to stop being such a clueless child. He turned his head slowly to whom ever did it, his muscles somehow felt stiff, making it difficult for him to even have a glance from behind. It was then his remaining companion, his Chiet associate.

Thane hoped he would've said something by now now, in the midst of time spent being utterly silent. Unfortunately, the Chiet only gave him a slow and firm nod in hopes to comfort him. Thane sighed within his mind but he sincerely read the expression the Chiet had and knew he was being injected by courage.

"Thank you" Thane pleasantly said in Nari.

Thane wiped the last remains of his grief and went over to the man, slowly pacing after gesturing the Chiet to follow his steps. He then examined the wreckage and the disappointment flooding on the ground, where all of their hard work had gone to waste. Thane's eyes caught the sight of the detached parts of the carriage, most of them were seen broken and have no further use of attaching again. "These parts are.... Thane immediately cut himself off as he realized he was speaking in Nari which he assumed the man may not understand.

"I mean, shafts are broken, wheels are out of the axles and I think the horse might panic anytime if we remove the harness" Thane paused, browsing through the scattered parts again. "If we're moving the horse out, what about this wreckage?" Thane pointed out what's left of their carriage and unintentionally to the unfriendly sight of the dead body.

[Zhol]

|.

Zhol offered a small smile, more grateful for the assistance than anything else. "You let me worry about panicking horses," he assured, his attention shifting back to the fallen pony, a reassuring sweep of his hand running the length of her neck. He could see, and feel how heavily she was breathing; but as yet he had no idea how much of it was fear, how much was pain, and how much was simply the pressure and weight of the harness. "That's why I'm here."

He considered the man's question more carefully however; given the way the cart had precariously halted, he wasn't sure how much the horse's weight was contributing to the wreckage staying where it was. If they detached her, the cart could slide even deeper into the mines; but by the same token, if they didn't the poor girl would be lying here with the obscene weight of the overloaded wagon trying to drag her backwards and crush her lungs. Do you people even understand that a horse can only pull so much?

That question answered itself instantly. Of course not, his subconscious griped. It doesn't have feathers They don't have a petching clue.

Zhol sighed. "If we get her free," he explained and assured, "I can get her back to the stables, and fetch another horse or two to help shift the wreckage." Definitely two; though the frustration Zhol felt currently made him wonder if he shouldn't help at all, and merely leave the Inarta to clean up their own mess. This wasn't an accident, this was idiocy. They'd filled the cart too deep and too greedily, thrown caution and safety to the wind, and this was what had happened. This was their comeuppance. A man was dead, and while his caste was probably too low for anyone but those close to him to mourn, they had no one and nothing to blame but themselves.

Zhol followed Thane's gaze towards the waiting carnage. "Can you get any of your friends over there to help lift this?" he asked, patting the draw bar that was weighing upon the horse. "The sooner we get her free, the sooner we can focus on everything else."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

Thane found the man's excess use of the common language rather awkward. His mind began to mush some skepticism out whether or not the person was Inarta but assuming he has superior knowledge about certain attributes and characteristics, Thane concluded that he wasn't. None of it mattered anyway, Thane's mind reeled to what deemed to be of greater significance. His grasp towards the man's words sharpened, trying his best to understand and remember all of what he had said.

"If we get her free, I can get her back to the stables, and fetch another horse or two to help shift the wreckage." Thane nodded in agreement but as he analyzed the words properly, rewinding some of them back in his head, he noticed something about what the man said which felt slightly unreasonable.

Fetch another horse while he leaves us here waiting? His awareness clasped, starting to wonder how much trust he could lay towards a person whom he just met. Maybe the man was more concerned of the horse than the caused casualty, and while Thane continued on observing the man's actions watchfully, he already accorded his belief to his assumption.

Thane's eyes veered to his Chiet companion, focusing towards the look on his eyes to see if he caught what the man had said. With a short gesture and a single nod, the Chiet stepped away from the dead body. He marched all the way to where the horse was, crouching as he brushed his hands along the horse's crest delicately. The Chiet then hurled his glance towards the man.

"You understand much about horses do you?" He finally spoke, though he did it with the use of Nari.

"He said, are you fond of horses?" Thane translated but his voice sounded slightly unwelcoming. "I've also noticed that and I do assume that you're an outsider. Am I right?" Thane paused, slowly gaining closure as he moved over step by step towards their scene. "So how are we supposed to trust you? Do you have any idea how much time it would take for you to bring back another horse?" Thane exclaimed. He tried to be as pleasant as possible but the casualty still affected him. His problem with trust seemed to be taking over.

[Zhol]

|.

"What?" Zhol grunted, as they asked him if he was an outsider. "The hair and the not speaking Nari didn't give it away?"

He sighed, a mix of disappointment and frustration at the apparent insatiable impatience that these two had. It was short-sighted impatience that had landed them in this mess; it was the same impatience that had already claimed one life today; and here they were trying to dig themselves out of it with more of the exact same. You didn't dig yourself out of holes, you use your head and climb out. All digging ever did was make the hole deeper, or bury you under a collapsing wall of dirt.

"I'm from Endrykas," he responded, a slight edge in his words as he continued fumbling with the last few steps. The pony shifted, sensing the faint glimmering hope of freedom; Zhol placated her with a hand on the shoulder. Struggling would only make things worse at this point. "So yes, I'm fond of horses. I'm also the person from the Skyhigh Stables that your little Dek runner came to get; so maybe you should trust me because you sent for me to come and do this."

He sighed, the question of how long they would have to wait grating on his last few nerves. His eyes scanned the crowd again, picking out a Chiet who was trying to watch from a distance without being noticed. "You," Zhol called. "Do you understand Common?" The Chiet nodded, but remained silent. At least, Zhol hoped he was a Chiet; were he a Dek, there might be a very real possibility that his silence was muteness and not nerves.

"Go to the stables; find a girl named Kami. Red hair, yay big -" he gestured, deciding not to dwell on how useless a distinguishing feature hair colour was amongst the Inarta. "Just ask for her. Tell her where I am, what has happened, and ask her to bring two mules. Bucky, and -" He winced, his memory failing him. "- the one named after the bird. If she knows I sent you, she'll know what you mean."

The Chiet looked confused, startled, terrified, elated, and determined all at the same time; with a frantic flurry of nods, he darted off down the tunnels, quickly disappearing from view.

"There," Zhol said with a tight smile, turning his attention back to Thane. "You won't even have to wait at all. Happy now?"

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

Thane watched the Chiet leave in a quick scuttle, scrutinizing the path he followed and hoped he won't lose directions in the scattered maze of the warrens. He then eyed the man intently as the Chiet vanished from sight. A Drykas? he thought, simply brushing in for some notable features which Thane had known from the stories of the noble horse clans. There was a quick look on his expression which immediately told himself that his eye color was slightly the same with the man's although he didn't actually cared much for it after realizing.

"You aren't quite sure of what you're doing, right?" Thane said, taking a few steps towards him but kept his distance away. "That Chiet might end up being lost and I have enough experience with them to prove that I could be right." For a moment, Thane felt he was entailing with arrogance but it was the truth. He did have several experiences with Chiets and some of them weren't executing job properly either from their ignorance alone or lack of awareness. However, as Thane tried to douse himself in patience, he eventually found that all of it didn't matter. His sorrow felt towards his dead companion was starting to drift away but every few seconds, it would come back and Thane had to force his impatience on dropping by.

He was still worried though and as time passed minute by minute, Thane's mind trembled in guilt. Somehow, fearful of what possibilities might happen if ever the people closest to his dead companion found out about the gruesome incident, and he was the one to blame for his irrational responsibility. Just by thinking all of it made Thane sank into grief-thicken thoughts again.

"Just forget what I said." Thane stated, with each of his words slightly softening in tone. His eyes gently veered down at the ground with his expression suddenly shifting in a blank state.

"If you don't want seeing or hearing an irresponsible mess like me being emotional, you don't have to. We'll just pretend nothing happened here and remain silent until that Chiet hopefully comes back with a horse." Thane sat back on the coarse, rocky ground of the mines. He sighed gently but the sound of it felt like a hundred mourns cascading. His eyes looked back at the dead body, he wanted to go towards it but he just can't.

[Zhol]

|.

Zhol sighed; less to express his frustration, and more to release it from his system. He turned to face Thane; a hand found it's way to the man's shoulder, a look persisting until Thane's eyes rose and returned it.

"An accident happened, and you feel responsible," Zhol said slowly, hoping his advice would sound constructive, and not like a preaching lecture. "That's why they call it 'responsibility'." He hesitated for a moment, wondering if those two words words and concept were as linguistically linked in Nari as they were in Common. He certainly hoped so. "Responsibility feels great when it goes well; that doesn't prepare you how terrible it will feel when something goes wrong. You feel guilty, and you should; not because you're irresponsible, but because you're a human being with feelings and a soul. A death is a tragedy, and rightly or wrongly every single person in this room feels it."

His brow furrowed. "Me? Right now I'm wondering if I, and we at the stables, should have spent more time training the miners in how to use a cart horse properly; or if we had sent an Avanthalian this morning instead of a mountain pony. I wonder if this could have been averted if you had all known how much is too much strain for one horse to shift." He studied Thane's expression, trying to read the thoughts that must have been going through his head. "If you're going to have responsibility, and authority, you're going to feel guilty when something that goes wrong. That's part of what being an Avora, is all about, right? That prestige and those perks come with a price attached."

His eyes glanced towards the tunnel where the runner had disappeared. "And don't be so quick to think little of our Chiet friend just because of his caste. I know you're taught to believe that it's the be-all and end-all, but it isn't nearly as simple as that. There are Chiet who risk and do far more to benefit for this city than you or I; and just as Avora can make mistakes as much as anyone else, the Chiet are just as capable of exceeding expectations, if you give them a chance."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

Thane didn't quite catch what the man was trying point out but instead, he tried to educe the things which he understood clearly. He still remained sitting on the ground, refusing to face the one who was talking. Mournful thoughts persisted on dawdling around his mind, keeping away his attempts of moving forward.

"Responsibility." From all of the things that infiltrated his mind, Thane found an ounce of courage to talk firmly. His way to deliver a speech, however, was still dejected. "I'm not the right person whom you can throw your lectures at, outsider." After what he said, Thane went back to batter in an unwelcoming tone.

Thane's posture gave a defining outlook of a child and although he didn't want to be recognized as such, he still somehow managed to look like one. It's what Thane does very often whenever a terrible incident occurs and he believes as if he is the one responsible for it. The current one however, was a very different case. Although not entirely new to that certain experience, it was disturbing, to say the least and Thane, as claiming his own responsibility for the cause, wanted nothing more but to get away from the situation. But was there actually a possibility for him to do it? The question alone meant the end for Thane. So much for aiming to be a respected person. As far as he knew, once people start to take their suspicion, Thane would probably be noted by some as an imprudent individual. Of course, it wouldn't eventually matter to him in any prospect but the one who would most likely be targeted by those particular insults would be the one who raised him. Thane didn't want anyone else to be involved just for his sake, most especially his beloved mother.

As much as he disliked those from happening, Thane left himself without a choice but to confront the people closest to the dead Chiet. At least, it was better than running away and keeping all the guilt to himself.

Thane finally stood, catching himself on top of his feet as he turned to face the man. He walked a distance to come within the horse's reach. Once he was a few hands away from the man and also from the horse he graciously caressed, he coughed involuntarily, strongly uncertain of how it originated. "You sure do talk a lot for someone who is fond of horses. I suppose you can talk like them?" Thane said mockingly, but wasn't intentionally throwing insults. He then remembered hearing something about Chiets coming out from the man's words.

"And just to let you know that I am not belittling that Chiet. I'm just wary of the things that might happen if he ever lose his tracks. Like for instance, that dead body which will start to smell anytime soon." Despite feeling uneasy everytime Thane held a mention of it, he somehow gave a quick gesture just to make his statement clear. However, whenever Thane acquired glimpses of the dead body, his thoughts began to tremble once again, but he tried his best to fight it and by chance, succeeded for the time being.

Silence followed by the next few ticks. Thane began to feel awkward being around."I don't know who you are, exactly but..." He paused, awkwardly raising his brow. "...do you mind telling me your name? Y'know, if ever worse comes to worst and that Chiet doesn't come back, I'll be the one who'll fetch those horses." For a moment, Thane immediately crawled back at the things he just said, thinking if he could actually afford on doing it.