My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts
The squirrel grumbled, noisily. He knew that it would likely do nothing to deter the Akalak, who was currently acting as his personal chauffeur any way, but he still voiced his complaint for about the ninth time in the past ten chimes. It got the same response, too. "You're going, and that's final." The massive, lumbering Akalak had to pause in his talk in order to muscle his way between a small tangle of civilians currently blocking one of the exits to the narrow corridors in a little conversation. They didn't seem to enjoy it, but they parted nonetheless when they saw the shining platemail and sigil marked on its chest.
"What's the point, any way? It's stupid. I can just go with you!" Yet another throng, and this time the Akalak made a loud grumbling noise in almost a perfect mimic of the squirrel as he unceremoniously shoved through them and broke up the little grouping. Perhaps it wasn't the best time to annoy the man, but the squirrel was intent on trying any way. Why he had to go out and be teamed up with another knight was utterly beyond him.
"Your problem, squire Archailist, is that you think far too highly of yourself, and everyone else knows it as well." The Akalak didn't even spare a glance to the squirrel as he began his rant, but Arch had been through these talks more times than he could count, and he'd become so used to the usual derogatory tone that by this point, it incited a strange sleepiness in his nexus. "One day, and that day isn't that far away by now, I can tell, you'll be a knight. You'll be taking orders from a Sergeant, and you'll have to work as part of a team, and you'll have to learn to co-operate. You don't know how to do any of those things."
"And that's where you're wrong, because I DO know how to do those things!" Ser Iros opened his mouth to stop the squirrel then and there, but Arch didn't stop, even then, and cut him off before he could get the first word. "I've done plenty of things with others over the past season, I helped with the Swan, I brought down that group of bandits, and--" Finally, he was stopped, but not by the Akalak's voice. It came in the form of a thick, metal-plated arm lightly cuffing him around the head, nearly knocking him straight off his perch atop the knights shoulder.
"I'm well aware of those things that I have been told by other people," the knight grumbled, "and a few little deeds here and there do not match the expectations of myself, nor the knights, and so you will continue until your efforts have been deemed satisfactory. If you want to voice a complaint, you will kindly do so by keeping your mouth shut, otherwise I or your supplementary patron will happily do so for you." Speaking of said 'supplement', the squirrel still had no idea who it was. He was beginning to doubt if the Akalak knew who this person was himself, and whether his plan actually consisted of simply marching up to the front gates of the city and picking off the first knight that walked by to drop him onto.
Unfortunately, the latter seemed more like something the man would do. It wasn't like anyone was going to specifically ask for a squirrel for the evening, for whatever patrol or other suitable busywork he'd be set. He wouldn't have long to wait and see, one way or another - they were nearing the open levels of the Nettle District, and the gates were just barely visible over the numerous heads of civilians or knights bobbing in a merry little sea. The frost was creeping up the inner walls, and a very thin layer of snow blanketed the few buildings that stood with their own roof, instead of under the all-encompassing hood of the castle itself.
The sky looked much worse - darkened and a mixture of grey and black, ready to explode at any moment. All in all, possibly one of the worst days for a patrol, let alone one with a complete stranger.
