Rook felt momentarily annoyed that Brock simply declared he was sticking around with them. But she couldn't help but smile just a little at his observation that they attracted excitement and adventure.
Excitement and adventure. Aside from the obvious desire to locate the rumored treasure, there was that. She was a few years older than Kaiden, but had known him since they were both children, and they had remained good friends. She thought back to their childhood and their 'adventures' which usually consisted of slaying imaginary monsters and hunting for new places to explore, once getting so lost that they did not find their way back home for two whole days! Her mother had been convinced they were both dead and they were forbidden from exploring together for months after that.
So when the map had come into her possession, Kaiden was naturally the person she thought immediately to include. It had not been difficult to convince him to go on this venture and they'd spent the last few weeks conspiring and making preparations.
And so she was not anxious to allow others to intrude on their quest. When Brock stepped away to meet the newcomer, Rook took the opportunity to glance down at what Kaiden had pressed into her hand and she looked curiously at the parchment with the gold stamp and some strange markings. Once all the commotion had died down, she would have a closer look. For now, she shoved the parchment into the pocket inside her leather vest along with the map and then turned to get a better look at the fellow covered in bandages.
"Not bandits," she said, keeping a healthy distance away for fear the bandages might mean the man was a leper. "Just travelers. But what of you?" Her eyes landed momentarily on the sword, then searched the surrounding forest again. Something about the man's relaxed demeanor struck her as suspicious. Did he have companions hidden? She glanced in the direction where Kaiden had disappeared into the brush, hoping that he would kill his quarry quickly and they could be on their way. Her eyes then caught a small bit of purple... a figure lurking behind the huge oak tree nearby.
Her heart lunged into her throat as she thought her suspicions confirmed and she took an involuntary step backwards. "Kaiden? We.. ah... should be going..."