Alexa is the very picture of the awestruck tourist. See her point, eyes wide, at everything? How she gawks at the ordinary, wonders over the mundane, admires shopkeep's wares as if they were produced by kings and princes?

Damn. Damn! There's no possible way she could have predicted it, but she still should have known! Should have been prepared for this! Should have realized that of course there'd be thugs eager to take advantage of new arrivals! 

On the one hand, they have the advantage of unpredictability. They're newcomers, with no set pattern or destination. If they start sprinting right now, there'd be no way the thugs trailing them could know which way they're going.

But that goes both ways. They don't know the lay of the land, which roads go where. There could be an ambush or a funnel or something around the corner, and there'd be know way to know the corner was even there.

"Skotos."

And now she's here, with no support, and a starry-eyed Hermetic looking at her like she's about to pull a miracle out of her ass. Does everyone know who she was? Did-- No, Ramses wouldn't have talked about it to someone else, not after being so helpful and accommodating and instantly accepting. 

[i]Damn![/i]

"Skotos, I need you to listen very closely. Good job not looking at them, but we [i]are[/i] in trouble. We need witnesses in a hurry--people who will give them pause, keep them from jumping us.

"But if we cannot find that, you [i]need[/i] to run. I will hold them off as best I can, but I cannot do that for long, and it will be for nothing if they capture you too. Get to the ship. Find M--er, Redana. Tell her to call me to her side. She will know what to do. Nod if you understand."