Valic & Lachlan

Day One: Missive for the Magistrate

The bright morning sun was just cresting the hilltops on the distant horizon when the three of them started the trek. Now it is just three fingers high and already Garrick is proving to be an annoyance neither Valic nor Lachlan is sure they can bear. He still talks of proving himself and is far too excitable. Everytime they stop to eat he polishes his armor and it catches the sun's light and reflects it perfectly, mostly into his companion's eyes.

After hours of irritation, Lachlan decides to scout ahead so that, in case of a goblin attack, they can't be ambushed. As she walks away, she can feel the hatred emanating from Valic. His incredulous stare is nearly burning holes into her back. She steps off the path and slinks into the brush, keeping about ten paces ahead of them. She's almost solely gone on solitary missions to gather information.

It plays to her strengths. And she likes that.

She feels an unease about this journey, but tries not to let it show. If either of her companions has noticed, they haven't shown it, but she gets an odd sense from Valic as well. 
Maybe he feels it too? 
She doesn't get anything about Garrick, but who could? He seems like your run of the mill idiot. Even if he were in danger, he probably wouldn't realize it. She looks back occasionally to make sure they are keeping up and attempts to corner what plagues her. However, the more she tries the more lost and odd she feels. If she didn't have to do this to stay employed, she would leave now. That, she knows for sure. A small sound from her left snatches her attention away from her inner monologue and she searches the area. Seeing nothing, she assumes it is just normal woodland sounds. A squirrel or some other small creature and dismisses it. She hears a sharp whistle and looks back. Valic and Garrick have stopped and seem to be sitting down to have a small meal. She lithely steps out of the brush and walks over to them, dropping into a cross-legged sit. She pulls out some dried salted meat and her water skin and tilts her head back, taking and drink. When her view comes back down, Valic is staring daggers at her.

What an ass!

Valic glares at Lachlan who's sitting across from him. She takes a drink from her water skin and her eyes fall on him when she finishes. Their gazes meet and she raises an eyebrow quizzically. He glances furtively at Garrick then back to her. She seems to understand and smiles slightly.

I hate this woman. I don't think I have ever said that. Leaving me with this moron is unforgivable!

Since Lachlan had abandoned them, Garrick spoke only to Valic.

At great length.

About absolutely nothing.

He wants to make her stay with him now. To go through what he had to, but he's no good at scouting. He would just have to suck it up and endure another round of the idiot's incessant ramblings. After the meal, he cools off a bit. He thinks about what he would do if their roles were reversed. He would leave her in the lurch in less than a second. He couldn't hate her. That was ridiculous. He couldn't hate any woman, really. 
Or any man. 
Anything. 
How far did his depravity go? He feels a tingle in his nether regions.
What was I mad about again? 
He shakes the fantasies forming from his head. This weird feeling he's been having is making his head swim. He snaps back from his odd reverie and stands up.

"Alright, let's go." He says. Lachlan smiles.

"I'm going to scout ahead again." The anger returns, but abates quickly. He nods at her.

"Oh! I have a story about before I joined Helgrym that you'll love!" Garrick shouts. Lachlan let's out a snort that she tries to stifle and looks back at him almost apologetically. Valic grumbles out his frustration and they trudge on.

The rest of the day is unexpectedly uneventful given the recent attacks on the trade routes. Lachlan hears a few noises in her searches, but never sees anything threatening. Valic hears too much and wishes it would stop. And Garrick seems to be having the best time among the three, blissfully unaware of the malice and murder on Valic's mind. As dusk approaches and the sun falls behind the trees, they decide to make camp for the night. Lachlan finds clearing a ways off the path and informs the others. They set up tents and discuss watches for the night. When it gets almost too dark to see, they start a fire. The two are very uneasy letting Garrick take a watch by himself, but it wouldn't do well to be fatigued for the remainder of their trip. Valic and Garrick settle in their respective tents and, after a while of restless tossing and turning, drift off to sleep.