It was looking to be a beautiful night.

There hadn't been a single cloud in the sky that day. It made for a blisteringly hot morning while the sun was overhead, but most days were like that. Still, as the day wore on and evening settled upon the city, the sky remained a cloudless canvas and soon enough the first twinkles of stars could be seen on the horizon. It was nice.

Asante was settled low on one of the cliff outcrops that bordered the entrance to the cavern city of Sando. The rocks jutting out above cast a cooling shadow over the area. Even though the sun was near gone, the heat wouldn't dissipate for a short while yet. The young man didn't mind the heat so much, but he still kept to the shade when possible. In fact, Asante had been in this exact shaded spot for most of the day. Earlier, after much poking and prodding of the Guildmaster, he'd been able to discover that some Runners would be assigned to take cargo that day: a large shipment that needed a schooner to haul. Well, wasn't that just the lucky break he'd been waiting for?

Though Asante had been living with the Sunrunners for a long time now, he'd yet to be officially endorsed by the guild. Until now, of course. He'd asked to be assigned to the mission and to his surprise he actually was.

"There won't be a better teacher to get firsthand experience from," the man had said, "first official mission, huh? Good luck, son."

The master's words had spread several feelings through Asante's body at the time, excitement being the primary one. He'd let a boyish grin grow on his face until the Guildmaster playfully laughed at him - then he'd run off to pack. He had the canvas bag he'd stuffed all his supplies into with him when he came out to the cliffs, and there he'd simply waited. The young Runner - yes, he was an actual Runner now after all this time - knew the group wouldn't be assembled for a few hours, but he was more than content to watch over the city's entrance while he waited. He could see the stables from his spot, a little distance away, and when it was time he'd go to meet them.

When he spotted two people that looked just a little more important than the usual guild member approach the stables, Asante figured that time was now.

He easily hopped down from his spot on the rocks, his bag slung over his back. He lingered just a moment longer in the shadow of Sando's entrance before he pulled a scarf over the top of his head and made his way toward the stables. The sun was low enough and his skin was dark enough that he wouldn't burn, but when the cold came he'd rather have the headwrap on now than struggle with it later. As he walked, the hard stone turning to loose sand, he tried to think what other Runners might have been assigned to the mission. There were plenty of people in the guild he'd come to like that he thought he might enjoy working with. Of course, there were an equal amount he would love to push off the edge of a cliff.

Might as well try to look on the bright side, he thought to himself, First official job and everything.

As Asante came up to the stables, his eyes sliding over the various transports - living and constructed alike - he walked directly over to the veteran Runner. He didn't know Hawke personally, but he did know he'd be one of the ones heading this mission.

"Evening," he greeted coolly, raising a hand. He'd known ahead of time about the job so he wasn't at all surprised to see that not many more had gathered.

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^{H e a l t h ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ 100%
E f f e c t s : None
W i t h : Everyone
N o t e s : None}

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As the rays of the sun began to falter and gave up their relentless assault on the desert's denizes, the sky was slowly beginning to turn orange, just like the pair of eyes staring up at it from the makeshift shelter amongst the rocky crevasse. The small cape wrapped around Karissa's neck flapped gently in the wind, it's red tail happily dancing in the gusts of air that passed by her. Her cool gaze followed the sun on it's slow descent towards the horizon, her lips curling into a barely visible smile. She always loved sunsets. Each time was like watching a new art piece unfold: small details like the cliffs surrounding her current hideout or the lone clouds that traveled across the sky made each and every occasion special to her. She could never quite pinpoint what exactly drew her so much to the sunsets of this otherwise barrel world, but she found them too beautiful to pass up. It has been years since the last time she didn't sit down in a quiet place to observe the sun set, and she didn't plan on ever taking a break from it again.

But just as the blazing ring in the sky descended to bring an end to the day, so was her time in this settlement drawing to an end. Her lifestyle was one of constant change, an ever shifting weave of events that changed from day to day like the dunes in the endless desert. Like the shifting sands around her, she too slipped out of sight at a moment's notice only to reappear in a settlement after weeks of nobody hearing from her. Of course there weren't many who she would consider close to herself, but she still couldn't help and make acquaintances wherever she showed up. Over the years this had led to wide array of assorted people who held Karissa dearly for seemingly no apparent reason.

Perhaps it was this perceived obligation to keep in touch with them that forced the young girl to never stay in one place. And today she would embark yet again, letting the winds of fate carry her wherever they wished. She watched the sun on it's ever descending path towards the great beyond for a few more minutes before she grabbed her few belonging and set out towards the city below to look for her next ride.

17 minutes later

The trip down to the underground city was uneventful to say the least, bar the usual glances she received wherever she went. Keeping away from the bigger roads Karissa headed over to the local guild's office to ask for directions to find guild's team she was meant to accompany out of Sando. It wouldn't be her first time riding with the Sunriders, having already accompanied them on several runs before. Usually there are plenty of people able and willing to throw themselves at the dangerous world outside to escape the bleak environments of the underground cities, and therefore getting onto barges on schooners wasn't always easy.

But luckily for her, talented mages were always in demand across the wastes, especially if they showed abilities like hers that could make the life of any trade run significantly easier. Moving the sleds along on a windless stretch of land or protecting it from the blunt of a sandstorm was a small price to pay for seeing the world and getting protected by some of the best mercenaries out there.

Of course, the runs don't always go smoothly and mages aren't always welcome, but those wounds have long since been removed by healers. It was the scars left in her mind that were much harder to get rid of however...

Nevertheless, yesterday she managed to secure this job for herself and after making her way to the office she quickly received directions to meet her new "boss" and ride. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she thought about that word. She was hardly a proper Sunrunner and she had little intentions of joining them, even if their lifestyle of constant travel was appealing. She was just not the kind of girl to follow orders in an environment where she couldn't properly exercise her own will.

But even with all of these facts ruining her opinion of the Sunrunners, she hardly had a choice in this matter. She's been in Sando for nearly a week now and she was itching for a change of scenery. Yet the past few days of searching for a caravan have yielded no results, except for this one job. By this point she was getting desperate enough that a mercenary contract to some god forsaken excavation site seemed more inviting than staying in a city that made her feel increasingly anxious. The closed walls of the caverns could never hold a bird like her...

Several minutes of daydreaming later the girl eventually managed to stumble into the stables, almost purely on accident. She wasn't necessarily looking to get there just yet, preferring to inspect the other participants first after a particular run-in a few years back.

But as her gaze skimmed across the stables in question, she knew from experience that this was going to be the place. All manners of animals were gathered in the pens of the large compound and sleds of various sizes and roles decorated the outside of the building, their bundled up sails laying in neat piles besides them, ready to be assembled on a moment's notice, may the need arise. Reins for various animals of burden were also piled up besides the building, clearly indicating that this place was of some importance.

For several minutes, Karissa simply examined the place, her eyes hanging on the group of two gathered in front of the place. The stillness of the air around them and the stiffness of their bodies were reminiscent of people in waiting. Soon enough her hunch was confirmed when a third man approached the other two, seemingly greeting them. Moreover she recognized the boy as one of the young Sunrunners that she has seen around the town a few times. Or at least that's what she thought he was.

A wave of relief washed over her, happy to see someone closer to her age finally show up. She was always worried that any group she'd travel with would be full of "veterans" who looked down on her just because of her age. At least now she knew who to turn to if she grew tired of the aforementioned people. With this sliver of hope in her mind she quickly pushed her worried to the back of her mind and stepped out from the shadows to head over to the small group.

"Sekham, friends." Karissa uttered with a certain cold expression in her tone that was always present when she was dealing with mercenaries or Sunrunners, her hand making a sweeping motion in front of her face as form of tribal greeting. After a brief moment of intense glaring a small smile crept across her face and she relaxed her otherwise tense stature, taking a long second to relax with a deep breath. "I was told you were the Sunrunners looking for a mage on the trip to... Ruk, that's it. Did the sands bring me to the right stable?"

---

A horse was truly a rare sight in these days. Indeed save a few wretches working mines where the sun and other elements couldn't get to them they were all but extinct. But Bobby was special and the sight of him was likely far more responsible for people knowing about August. Truth was, that somewhat irked August as much as he tried to repress the injured pride. "That bloke with a horse" is after all not a very grand designation. Still the days when he even noticed that were long gone with the very last bit of youthful innocence of the Knight. Cloak trailing behind him this consideration lasted about half a second for August, the sight of Sando in the distance relaxing the warrior. As it was close enough for him to see individual people he slowed down to a trot and eventually to a walking speed. He had been to the city many times before looking for work or respite but this was one of the few times he had come here in his infant career as a Sunrunner. An interesting call, that. He wasn’t really sure if it was for the best. It was certainly steadier work, and far less often would he have to turn aside qualms about whatever his task was. Of course the pay wouldn’t be as good, but it would be far more reliable and there would no doubt be “perks of the job”, so to speak. At last as the stables were in sight he dismounted, leading his horse over to rest and feed. Once inside he saw a group of strangers which didn’t take particularly long to be identified as his colleagues. “Hmmmm.” he grunted, rasped and respectfully. The man accompanied the noise with a half-bow, before leading his horse into the depths of the building to be taken care of. He made sure to make a mental note of all the people he would be travelling with in his head, before once more half-bowing and exiting the scene.

Ahh, the city. With all its sights and smells and sounds, life was pathetic in this desert era but it could still be in a strange way beautiful — this was particularly notable after one was weary of seeing the desert over and over again ad infinitum. A child tugged with its greasy fingers on his cloak and with a sigh he flicked the youngling a coin before moving on. Careful not to get his helmet’s horns caught on anything, August made his way to the Tavern where supposedly the Dwarf fellow would be. The little folk were rather interesting in the eyes of the Paladin. Hard working spirit contrasted with greed, ingenuity contrasted with drunkenness, so on and so forth. They were paragons of both sin and virtue much like humans, but they had a greater peak and trough in these it seemed. Very curious indeed. The Paladin thought similar thoughts largely to distract himself from what he saw around him. Poverty and the likes didn’t particularly trouble him and there wasn’t much here anyway, the city was far from the poorest of the land. But there were all sorts of disgusting things offered on the streets, and he didn’t want their mere existence to sour his day. It was perhaps rather ironic then, that August headed for a tavern. But he was thirsty and hungry and so he’d rather go there as a meeting place than a stable where one would… inhale dust? Truly seemed an awful meeting place to him.

Stepping into the tavern he momentarily scanned its denizens. Many were scum of the sort that rather recently he’d be paid to fight for or with. As always many were simply there for the sense of danger that gave them a childish thrill. With his gleaming full plate it was no surprise that his lone gaze was soon returned by many, but he ignored them as he went to the counter. The place was shorter than expected, by the name and demographics being obviously marketed to Dwarves if not quite to them exclusively. His guess was confirmed when a winged horn tapped a chandelier. Sitting down, he ordered a little ale and whatever fried or roasted dish the place would be famous for. At last he took his helmet off, smoothing down his hair as he set it down in front of himself on the table. While the inverse was probably also true, to a man most Dwarves looked the same. Short and bearded, the colour of hair, skin and eyes along with a few other personally selected cosmetic differences were the only things to go off of. While in theory this was much to go off of, it was not in practice particularly when there were double digits of Dwarves present. Still, eventually August believed he was able to pick out the one he believed to be his desired stunty. With his helmet under his armpit and his nourishments in his hands he went to sit beside the Sunrunner. Too busy eating to formally introduce himself, August began only with a professional nod. After his third or fourth swallow he wiped down his hands still in gauntlets and extended one for Torvin to shake. “Hello. My name is Augustus Olav Tahlen. But you may call me August. I am pleased to meet you.” Very little inflection was used, and having said that he returned to eating for some time regardless of how long it took Torvin to respond, the man seemingly in a mental world of his own. Returning to the here and now, he stopped eating and studied Torvin momentarily. “I recognize that tattoo, Master Dwarf. Tell me why it is crossed out. I would have believed it to be a badge of honour, even if one is no longer in the ranks of the force. I sense that there may be an interesting story to tell before we begin this job, if it is not too much to ask of you.” His interest was quite sincere. Dwarves were a prideful lot from his experience, so to so readily try erase something from history without doing it in such a way none could learn of it (admittedly, with a tattoo this is somewhat harder) was atypical. Then again, August knew one wasn’t likely to find the typical in the Sun Runners. This Dwarf for example seemed more sly, more underhanded, more devious, more… slippery than the many of his kinfolk that August previously met. Torvin was a leader amongst the Sunrunners, and if he was a leader then he could only wonder what sort of strangers he’d meet in the guild. Of course the fellows he saw at the stables weren’t your average joe, but they didn’t seem very extraordinary either. Time would tell, the man supposed.

---

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Iyana didn't like hanging around crowds. Even when their gaze was diverted elsewhere, there was always this sort of... focus on the odd ones out. She was definitely an outsider, no matter where she went–the fey cities, the human towns, the dwarven settlements. It made her hands shake– and shaky hands spelt death for any warrior.

So, she was once again in the stables. Stables were nice. Animals didn't judge you as much as people did. They just lived to work, eating when they were given food, moving when they needed to move. They had simple but purposeful lives. Iyana envied them for that. All the lifespan in the world wouldn't do her any good if she didn't know what to do with herself.

The job as a Sunrunner was nice, sure, but she really hadn't found anything particularly enjoyable about it yet. She'd been in Sando for over a month, brought by words on the wind of easy money, and found that, yes, there was money to be found. Easy was another question. The combat wasn't difficult, but everything else about the job was. Keeping up with her training while on a job was annoyingly frustrating– not to mention how she needed to interact with people, keep track of goods and payments, and even protect more than one person at a time. She preferred to have someone point at a goober and say, "go get 'em," not focus on three shipments of cargo and two bumbling merchants.

Animals were much easier to deal with than people. They obeyed orders and didn't try and talk to you while you had the watch. That alone put them about three places higher on the hierarchy of beings inside her head.

Iyana had been in the stables for the better part of an afternoon, simply sitting and waiting for a supposed mission group to arrive. The stablemasters of the local branch of the guild had long given up on driving her away. At first, they'd objected, but in the end they'd decided a single fey sitting between the stalls in the darkness harmed nobody. As a result, every time she finished a mission, the fey swordswoman would bunker down in a dark corner of the building and immerse herself in the smells and sounds of the stable.

That paradise never lasted, though. Sooner or later she'd need to buy food or do her business or even go on another mission.

And now she was restarting the cycle. She unwrapped herself from her blankets, stuffed them in her pack, and joined the small group– that is, if standing about three feet away and awkwardly fidgeting constituted as "joining" the group.

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^{H e a l t h ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ 100%
E f f e c t s : None
W i t h : Karissa, Asante, Hawke, Skahn
N o t e s : None}

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It took some time before the ragtag band finally assembled by the stables, and with every new member arriving Karissa felt more and more uncomfortable. She was hoping that the three she had seen when she arrived would be it, maybe with one extra. Since then two more have arrived, and needless to say she quickly joined the ranks of Iyana in standing a few feet away from the others and silently observing. But unlike the dark skinned fey, she wasn't as nervous as much as she was agitated. More people always meant more trouble. More people who asked questions that she didn't like to answer. More people who she could accidentally become friendly with.

She quickly shook her head and clasped her palms against her cheeks to get herself out of the negative mood, a little huff escaping her mouth as she turned to Hawke while crossing her arms and subconsciously taking up a pose from which she could easily spring to action. Such was the nature of those always on the run, she supposed. "Indeed." Karissa hummed, nodding a bit as she held out one of her hands and puckered her lips, blowing some air onto it. The next moment a strong gust erupted from her fingertips, seemingly a continuation of her own action, sending some sand flying around in colorful swirls around the apparent leader of the Sunrunners. "The name's Karissa, runner. And please... don't ask about my magic. Just tell me if we're stuck or headed into a storm." She exclaimed, her tone halfway between that of dismissal and a quiet begging.

It was hard to decide what exactly was the more dominant feeling of the two, but she quickly put an end to speculation as she turned her head to the side and pocketed her hands. Her eyes wandered off to the side, inspecting the Boga who were in the pends nearby. Slowly she walked over to one of them, reaching out with her hand to pet the sides of the lizard, making sure to pet it under it's feathery gills. "This isn't my first time running, but I tend to keep away from your kind." She explained quietly with hint of disgust in her voice, not really caring if Hawke was listening anymore or not, being far too enthralled by petting the lizard. "But I'll cover your backs, you can count on that. Ke'sha patom, just like back in the tribe." After the first sentence her voice trailed off, only murmuring the last part as she slowly pulled away from the lizard and turned back to the others her piercing gaze quietly drilling a hole into Hawke. She had no reason to trust his kind, but she would have to live with that fact while she traveled with the group.

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@LordOfTheNight

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“Ironfist. A good name. Archetypical but bold. Fitting.” Amidst the masticating and drinking August paused for half a second, raising an eyebrow as the word “disgraced” came to play. But as the dwarf went on there was context and while not wholly mollified, the urge to spit left the Knight. While he knew the Engineers as venerable warriors and tinkerers he didn’t know too much about their ethics and it could well be that an ostracization by them is in truth a testament to one’s character. Or it could be that Torvin was simply a greedy bastard of course. Either or was possible. Though it somewhat irked August he might once more have to sacrifice his morals if he was working alongside a weasel - a thing he joined the Sunrunners to avoid - he had trained himself such that he more or less didn’t care about this one instance. He snapped out of his dozens of trains of thought some seconds after Torvin asked his questions with his eyes swerving towards him from the meal.

“Aye. This will be my first true assignment in the guild. Mine is the way of faith and the sword. I will cleave through all in my… and the Guild’s path.” As if to demonstrate he placed his bag on the table and loosened the string holding it shut. First things to emerge to the light were a bone with something brown on it and half of a humanoid’s ear — both had words carved into them. This didn’t at all seem to ruin the Knight’s appetite as he went right back to eating. August frowned slightly when the Dwarf announced that it was time to get to the job. He shoved as much as he could in his mouth and then downed it with his drink before tying the rest in a cloth for later while leaving the smallest piece he had for the establishment in thanks given the meal was more than satisfactory. He stood up and after ramming his helmet back on his head he followed the Dwarf feeling somewhat awkward given he was letting Torvin lead; when your legs are so much longer one has to shuffle to let a Dwarf be at the front.

Ironfist asked August about his armour, and for some dozen seconds he said nowt. “No.” he said, and as far as he was concerned that was that.

They walked for some time, eventually getting back to the stables. By now a much larger group had assembled, a crew far more motley than it already was between the people he had previously seen. He gave each of them a quick look from the pitch black interior of his helmet, before returning to his usual thousand mile stare. The Paladin was about to ask about the quest they would be undertaking, but the bug-man came first with the speech of its kind that in his many years still felt odd to Augustus. Regardless, the important question was asked and so the man simply stood motionless waiting for a response.

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I can ride a boga!

Iyana jumped internally at the chance to ride one. She'd done it often before coming to Sando, but afterwards the jobs she'd taken had all been ride-along ones. It was annoying, having to stay right near your employer. Bogas were so nice. So elegant, so visceral, and so beautiful.

She looked at the others in group. One of the other women was a mage, and seemed a bit hostile to close contact. Iyana could relate. Staying in good relations with others was so difficult. Much easier to just be alone.

The Zitan in the group seemed okay, but they seemed a bit too... insectoid for Iyana's liking. She would prefer to stay far away. Those hand movements were just too creepy. And that voice was outright terrifying!

Asante was nice. Iyana didn't know him well, but she'd seen him around the area multiple times.

And, well, the knight was an oddity. Enchanted armor, probably. Iyana could make out a haze of magic around the plate. She wasn't too skilled at identifying artifacts, so she could've just been wrong.

She opened her mouth to volunteer for the boga riding, but only a squeak came out. Luckily, she was wearing a neckerchief, and nobody seemed to notice the sound through the fabric. Plus, she realized, Hawke had only asked for volunteers for the schooner, not the Boga. She stayed stock-still and tried not to sweat too much.

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^{H e a l t h ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ 100%
E f f e c t s : None
W i t h : Karissa, Asante, Hawke, Skahn, Torvin, August
N o t e s : None}

Ah, Hawke had called him eager. Did he seem eager? It was true that Asante was very much looking forward to this job and taking on more responsibilities with the guild, but he wasn’t looking to betray his carefully crafted “shell,” the serious disposition he liked to put forward, regardless if most older Runners could already see through it easily.

"I heard," he confirmed with the other man with a nod, and despite himself Asante could barely fight the small smile growing on his face. Okay, he was a little eager.

His expression instantly changed back to neutral with the arrival of two - wait, three others. Two women, one human and one fae, as well as… That skavver. Really? It was hard to believe the guildmaster would assign the Zitan to this job, but who was he to question it. Asante had to grasp of hand language at all so he took to staring at the Zitan while Hawke handled the questions. Even as the woman, Karissa apparently, made some very suspect remarks Asante did little more than look at the people gathered. Look intensely. Glared at them, even. The young man crossed his arms and clamped his mouth shut tight should he let anything rude slip out. Didn’t want to make a mess of his first mission, after all. His displeasure was very clear on his face as he took stock of the group himself.

First, Hawke and Torvin - who’d just arrived with an armored man in tow. Asante completely trusted the veteran Runners, no issues there. The paladin he’d seen around a few times, never spoken to him but the man seemed capable. Next, Iyana. She was… confusing, but competent. Skahn, the Zitan, had been more or less actively avoided since Asante had first seen it - or, them - in the middle of his thoughts Asante scratched the back of his head and let out a single, hot puff of breath.

"I’ll ride alongside if it’s all the same," Asante said, choosing Team Boga. He did quite like the animals and he felt… not afraid of Skahn, who’d already been placed in the schooner, but... well, he didn’t really know how to process how he felt. Although Asante had steered clear of the Zitan as much as possible, he’d also kept an eye on them. They were nice, totally unlike the skavvers he was used to.

Lastly, the mage Karissa. She seemed to be close in age to him, and skilled with magic. Though despite her claim that she’d support them, she seemed to have some kind of issue with the Sunrunners at large, so could that claim really be trusted?

Asante thought on all of this as he went to move further into the stables, but he stopped short and thought it might be wise to introduce himself first.

"My name is Asante, by the way. Sunrunner," he punctuated the word with an intentional meeting of Karissa’s eyes before he moved on, feigning politeness, "looking forward to working with you all."

With that out of the way Asante picked out a shorter Boga with a brilliant purple mane of feathers. He gave the creature’s neck a quick and affectionate caress then began to saddle it up.

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^{H e a l t h ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ 100%
E f f e c t s : None
W i t h : Everyone
N o t e s : None}

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Karissa's eyes examined each member of the team as the leader of the operation began to tell them what exactly their plan was. Needless to say, it didn't take long until the part about splitting the team came up, and Karissa would let out a short, high pitched squeak as she found herself almost stepping forward without fully listening to what Hawke was saying. In her brain, it seemed like 2+2 that after mentioning the bogas he would ask who wanted to volunteer as a rider, but it seemed the veteran Sunrunner thought otherwise and instead asked for the people to ride the schooner. She quickly pulled her leg back, kicking up some dirt on the way as she awkwardly fell against the nearest wall, trying her damned best to pretend like she was just changing her stance and not messing up the simple task of listening to a question. Of course, this meant that her feet now were around 3 feet away from the wall, meaning she was leaning against them in a rather... unique way. Whew, what a save. Slick moves Karissa. She thought to herself, clearing her throat after her squeak and turning to the side, pulling up the fabric around her neck higher to hide an embarrassed blush.

She was certain that she had managed to sneak under the radar of the others with the whole act she put up when she arrived. That is, until now. No matter how defensive she got over past scars and tried to pretend to be tough, even small mistakes like this could completely ruin the image she was trying to create of herself.

Thankfully it seemed like she wasn't the only one who was having trouble understanding this turn of events. She felt the same kind of anxiety come from Iyana, and she wasn't surprised in the slightest when Asante straight up ignored the proposal and declared that he would be riding with the other two. That's a relief, maybe nobody noticed and she could volunteer later.

Wait a second... She hummed, her eyes quickly darting over to the other two people in the group who had not chosen where they would be riding. Well, apart from her, that is. One was an armored man, whose face was obscured behind some armor plates that sent little shivers down Karissa's back. Whatever that material was, it was filled with latent magical potential. Still, that wasn't what she was most worried in. Given the clunky nature of the plate armor she doubted that the man would riding a Boga. Which meant one thing...

The other girl in the team was now her rival! Only one of them could ride a Boga! And who knew how many more of these beasts they had left in the pens available for the mission! It was now a duel of the wits between her and the only other girl in the group, a battle to the death to decide who shall ride victoriously on the back of a Boga into the sunset! Yes, go on Karissa! You will not be relegated to schooner duty!

...At least, that's how it went down in her head. Clutching her fingers into a fist for a moment she took a step forth, almost losing her balance for a moment as she exited the disastrous pose she took up when she attempted to hide her earlier blunder. "Um..." She bit her lips as she raised her right hand in front of herself. "I-I know how to ride!" She exclaimed, perhaps a little too loud as a result of the intense battle royale she thought would be happening. "Used to ride across the dunes with my tribe. I've plenty of experience." She exclaimed, her orange eyes holding their gaze on Hawke for a few moments before she turned her head to face Iyana, her lips silently spelling out a sorry.

---

Skahn's large head bobbed up and down in an ecstatic fashion. Skahn was delighted at The Hawk's answer. The fact that they did not have to ride the Boga, frightening a prospect as that was, made the excitement of the mission much more enjoyable. The Hawk then turned to the Dwarf and began to speak in private, motioning for the rest of the group to mingle amongst themselves for a moment.

Skahn turned and looked for other Runner's to speak to, but noticed that the majority were either keeping their distance, or otherwise engaged. Skahn understood. Zitan were generally not trusted in 'civilized' culture. It was sad, but Skahn was sure that in time they would make acquaintances, for now though it may be best to give the others space. Skahn lumbered over a little to the side. They were further away from the Boga and had given the others more room to move.

So, as The Hawk turned again and began to speak, Skahn stood about two feet to the left of where they had been before. The Hawk mentioned that Skahn was to join the Schooner and Skahn's head once again bobbed in delight. Skahn had seen Schooners before, both riding the sands and crashed in the desert, full of things to gather and bring home to The Hive. Skahn was excited to ride in one for the first time, and very much hoped they did not end up like the later of Schooners they Skahn had seen. Skahn made to move to The Torvin's sides and upon closer inspection Skahn noticed that the Dwarf had a gear carved into it's flesh.

Skahn knew that it was a custom for soft-skins to do this with things that were important to them, though why they chose to scar themselves was beyond Skahn's own knowledge. Skahn paid it close attention for a moment, and made a note to speak to The Torvin about it later, before The Hawk made mention that others were welcome to join the Schooner. Skahn heard a few people make moves and then stop. Skahn hoped they had not dissuaded other Runners from joining the Schooner, it would be for the best that only the most skilled riders were on the Boga.

After the first few scuffles of half-hearted movement a soft-skin introduced themselves as The Asante and made claim to a position on a Boga. Soon after The Karissa also laid claim to a position on the Boga. Skahn's head tilted to the side in curiosity. Had the Hawk not asked for those who wanted to ride the Schooner? Was there any reason to mention who wished to ride the boga? Though they were essentially the same thing Skahn wondered if the difference mattered.

Putting questions of Soft-skin behavior aside, Skahn leaned to Torvin and began to sign.

"Skahn gives greeting to The Torvin. Do you know hand sign? I ask only to see how cumbersome this journey may be for Skahn Verbally."

---

---

Hawke, and all the others who paid August a gaze wouldn’t get the chance to see him return it but they would certainly feel it. A deep, ceaseless stare to the depths of one’s soul. Regardless, beyond dissuading prying eyes the Knight knew that there were actual, serious things being discussed. The two main options provided were to either be aboard a schooner, or to be riding one of the boga as a sort of vanguard. There was an exchange between the more experienced Sunrunners and the zitan was volunt-told that it would be on the schooner. It. Really he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of zitans as things, rather than people. If one used the plural “we” or spoke of themselves in the third person then really it is their own fault if they weren’t considered a person.

Well, he couldn’t argue with the logic of putting the creature on the schooner. Likewise, a dwarf seemed far better to stay on the defence and rearguard especially with his background in the engineers. The remark as they discussed the situation further humoured the stern warrior. August truly hadn’t dealt with many zitan in amicable situations before, and honestly hadn’t known one to be able to actually properly speak with any sign language beyond a gesture identical to the human wave of a fist. This one being literate was an exception, and both Hawke and Torvin spoke in a way that highlighted that. Turning his head to some noise which it seemed was the beginning of Asante speaking, an eyebrow was raised in the depths of the Paladin’s helmet as he spoke. Well, that was a plus one to the count of people who were going to be mounted rather than going on the schooner. Between the boy and the stuttering of the lassies the group certainly seemed to be lacking in experience. Of course, the dwarf and the fae were likely several times his age. But that didn’t necessarily mean they could compensate for the… kids. Then again, one shouldn’t be quick to judge a book by its cover a part of Augustus reasoned. After all, he wasn’t too different at their age and it wasn’t long before he was a Knight rather than just pretending to be one. However it also had to be said that the period of “it wasn’t long” was long enough that hundreds of youths like him were weeded out in the way that leaves you twelve feet under so long as you were marginally less lucky than he.

Looking side to side Agust gave a shrug that was the international sign of “why the fuck not”, before raising a palm in a combination of hailing and salute. “I may ride along on my horse, if we shan’t have to scale any walls.” The Knight stated, his words echoing within his helmet and yet not losing any volume or depth. Walking over he stroked the creature’s barded mane, the noise of the beast giving the slightest hint of a smile upon the human’s face. “But if we must, then I may ride the schooner. But I must ask a corollary question: when do we leave? When must we arrive?”

---

Skahn listened intently as the group continued to ask questions. A week to Ruk, and then to Crescent Moon Canyon. They would need to make good time if they wished to arrive on time. As concerns about supplies were raised Skahn considered their own supplies. They had no food, water, or tears but they did have trade able scrap metal and tiny machines. Skahn hoped it would be enough to trade for in Ruk.

The others began to disperse and Skahn was addressed by The Torvin. Skahn tilted their head as The Torvin spoke. Shiny. Skahn had never heard the word used on this manner before, but it seemed to be intended as a question. Perhaps it was a colloquialism where The Torvin was from, and if that was the case Skahn was delighted that The Torvin had shared it with them. Skahn would have to try it out some time.

Skahn nodded to The Torvin and set off after them. Skahn had eaten and drank today. They should be fine until they arrived at Ruk, where Skahn could trade for tears and meat. Skahn let their mandibles click and hiss as they let out a barely comprehensible,
"Shhhhiny"
Skahn echoed their response to match The Torvin's question, and hopefully used the phrase correctly. Skahn gave a close approximation of a 'thumbs up' to The Torvin as well, hoping it would help bridge the gap, as it were and make it clear that Skahn was saying 'yes'.

As Skahn began to follow The Torvin they remembered that The Torvin had a gear scar and Skahn was curious. Skahn hurried to keep pace with The Torvin and slowly began to sign, as The Torvin had asked them not to go to quickly, lest they go misunderstood,
"The Torvin has a gear on their arm. Skahn would like to ask questions about it, if it would not angry The Torvin..."
Skahn thought for a moment and then added,
"If it would angry The Torvin, Skahn apologizes for asking."

---

From where Asante was a bit deeper in the stable, he could hear Hawke and Torvin's instructions well even while he diligently continued gearing up his chosen boga. He found himself nodding along to their words, even if neither of them could probably see him from where they addressed the others outside. So they'd be leaving tonight, and they needed to make tracks.

"Aye," Asante sounded off once the veterans were done speaking, letting them know he got all the info. Honestly it wouldn't take the young man more than a few minutes to gather his supplies considering... well, he already had them. He'd been so genuinely excited to get going on his first job that he packed early and took his bag along with him while he waited out on the rocks. Man's really got me pinned already, he sighed to himself, thinking again to Hawke's words about being eager.

Once the others filtered out and away from the area to prepare, Asante peeked his head out of the stable to make sure the coast was really clear. Content at seeing none of the group around (or at least not noticing them), he walked back to his steed and flung her stable door open with a flourish. The boga blinked and walked out, fully decked out in a saddle with Asante's bag secured to it. She looked over to her near future handler and he leaned close to bury his face in the thick feathered mane and let out what could only be described as a half-screech half-groan. To the animal's credit, she didn't seem spooked at all.

"...Okay," the Runner said, voice still muffled, "just needed to get that out of my system." He pulled away from the boga and gave it a grateful pat on it's cheek. The reptile seemed almost pleased.

Asante led the creature out into the open air and continued to speak to it in hushed tones. Words about his thoughts on the mission, and the people in it. Opinions both positive and negative. Speaking to the animals was something Asante had picked up early on during his stay in Sando, though it wasn't something he'd like to be seen doing. "You'd have to be strange to talk to a boga for this long," he said to his feathered companion, and she flicked her tongue out in reply. It made Asante smile.

Eventually once the other riders gathered their things together, they'd be back to choose steeds for themselves. Hawke, of course, Asante trusted to pick a valiant boga. Not that any of the animals in Sando's stables were unsuitable per se, but... he'd gotten to know most of the boga there already. He liked looking after them, sometimes helping around the stable for free. Some of them could be a bit unruly. Those strange women... do they know what they're doing? Asante looked to his own boga of choice as if she could answer him somehow. She only flicked her tail. After a few seconds of intense staring contest between boga and handler, as if they'd had some telepathic communication, Asante swiftly turned around and headed back into the stable. The young man dug around in the storage area and produced a parchment and charcoal. Though his hand was unpracticed, Asante focused hard on scribbling out a few notes to attached them to the pen doors of various boga.



This one is fast but has a temper. This one needs a lot of food or it will not run. This one not good with strangers. And so on for a couple of the harder to handle animals. His scrawl might be a bit hard to read, but he hoped it would be fine enough for the others when it came time. Or, maybe they had their own boga already penned there? The sudden thought made Asante feel foolish and he grit his teeth, quickly tossing the rest of the parchment back into the storage and leaving the stable for the second time that day.

"Come," he commanded the purple maned boga as he passed it, heading toward the city's gates. The boga followed obediently. Together they passed time people watching until the rest of the Runners gathered again.

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