Borderlands of Rhynland

Ludwig glanced down at the smaller man patting his armor. "I would be glad to show you around. However, if we're going to go on any missions, I think a little training with that sword might be a good idea. I would rather it be exciting, perhaps fun than a comedy of errors. Or worse yet, a tragedy."

He managed a bit of a smile, or at least a smirk, partly at the young man's naiveté, and partly at his enthusiasm. (Mostly, amused by his ignorance of real missions, if he were truthful.) "But you are enthusiastic, and that's always a start, not to mention, you have been smart enough to hire me."

He began setting up the other man's things at his campsite. "Matthew, do you need help hauling any of your things?"

Truthfully, Matthew had never gone on any sort of mission either. But although he thought it would be a great opportunity, he knew well enough to realize that in the real world, adventures did not always end well. Even still, he couldn’t help but feel excited at the idea. Though nowhere near as excited as Feliciano, who was practically beaming and the feeling was contagious. An mission of any sort would at the very least give him a short-term goal where he would be otherwise directionless.

“Actually, I never got a chance to put down anything so I’ve been carrying my belongings all this time,” Matthew said. Speaking of which, the strain on his back was beginning to be a bit of a nuisance and he had half a mind to throw off everything he was carrying right then and there. Instead, he placed the items he had picked up from Feliciano's campsite hid the resulting sigh of relief as well as he could.

"So Ludwig, what sort of mission do you have in mind?" He'd be up for anything, really, but it was always nice to know these things.

"I'm not entirely sure what exactly. If we visit one of the nearby villages, we might hear word of an artifact that has great meaning to a religious group or a monster that has been plaguing a nearby area. I've done this on occasion to find work for myself, so you are never entirely sure what you will be doing until you ask around. But there is the possibility that we could find something just by talking to the people."

He looked at Feliciano's belongings, then at those on Matthew's back. "Do you need help with your pack or setting up camp here?"

Feliciano had the impression that Ludwig was slightly teasing him, but he didn't mind.
He slowed down his pace a bit, skimming over the hilt of his sword with his fingertips. The warrior was right, of course, he absolutely needed to learn how to use that weapon, but every time he had tried, it had turned out to be a failure.
"If you can teach me, I would like to try." he said willingly.

Again, he dropped his backpack and started searching for a blanket inside it; the forest was cold and wet in the night.
Half-listening to what the others were saying, he pricked up his ears at the word "monsters".
"What kind of monsters live there?" he asked, trying not to sound alarmed.

“No, I’ve got it, but thank you,” Matthew said, finally getting the chance to remove the bag off of his back. It was quite bulky, but only because he thought it’d be easier to carry everything in one container. Yet this turned out to be a stupid idea and with many things crammed together, some things often got damaged. Speaking of damage, as Matthew removed items from his bag, he noticed that one of the strings on his lute had snapped off. Apparently trying to cushion the usually hardy instrument wasn’t enough. Sighing, he fumbled through his bag for a spare string.

The question Feliciano asked was the same one Matthew was thinking, and his face grew pale. He was shocked, not because of dangers to come, but out of a realization that he could have been caught completely off guard. If he’d have know there were monsters anywhere nearby he probably wouldn’t have taken his own sweet time while wandering throughout this area alone.

"Well, to some, the very people who live in Rhynland could be considered monsters," Ludwig said simply, looking back at the two men. "They're not human, though they can choose to appear as such." It was strange to talk about his own people this way, about himself, really, but he preferred not to start off saying that he was a monster. "They're griffins, but if they choose, they can take human form. And the Rhynland is usually peaceful because most know how strong its people are. But that doesn't mean that a sorcerer couldn't accidentally create something, or intentionally create something, that would cause havoc to the surrounding area. There was one, outside of Rhynland, actually, but not too far who fancied himself a necromancer. Undead hoards. But easily defeated because their master hadn't really known what he was doing when he created them." He chuckled a bit at the memory. "A small push sent them clattering to the ground. And their master feared pain so much that he surrendered without a fight once his 'army' was destroyed."

Ludwig looked to his tent, large enough to accommodate him in his true form, so more than large enough for the three if they so chose. "I don't know what provisions you have for sleeping, but the tent is big enough for us all, if we need it."

His eyes widened at the mention of all the people of that land being possible monsters. He wished he had paid more attention to his lessons, back home, instead of sleeping or scribbling on his books.
Caught by the story Ludwig was telling, he noticed his smile and the confident tone of his voice: the warrior really seemed to like battles and adventures, he thought. His self-confidence had a reassuring power over the scared Feliciano, so he nodded firmly at Ludwig's suggestion.
It had been a long time since he had sleep with someone else (his brother, precisely) and the latest nights had made him feel lonelier than ever.
In addition, he had never been able to assemble his own tent properly, so it would have been nice to sleep in something that didn't constantly threaten to crash over him.

"That sounds like a nice idea!" he answered, turning to Matthew to see if the other was of the same opinion. At that point, he noticed the instrument Matthew had taken from his pack.
"Wah, this is a lute! - he said, clapping his hands with excitement, suddenly forgetful of the whole story of the monsters - Are you a musician too?"

Although it comforted Matthew to know that there was someone in the group who was knowledgeable of those things, it made him uneasy at the same time. He disregarded these thoughts; passing off his worries and suspicions as irrational thinking. Matthew had considered becoming a necromancer some time before his leaving and as he heard the tale Ludwig told, he was thankful he gave up after lacking the magical skill.

He looked at Ludwig’s tent and found that it was indeed large enough. After all, it was better than nothing, which was all that Matthew would have had after he forgot his tent in one of the towns he had traveled to.

Still tense over the talk of monsters and necromancy, Feliciano’s sudden exclamation startled him and he almost dropped the instrument while restringing it. “Oh,” he laughed off his ridiculous behavior, “Yes, I guess I am.” He strummed at the strings to test the sound, wincing at the out of tune chord it produced. He would have to fix that as well then. “But I still have a long way to go before I can say I’m a good one.” He had played the lute for fun for years and couldn't bear to leave it behind. And after playing in parts of a few villages, he found that he could actually make a profession out of his favorite hobby if he wished to do so.

Ludwig took off his armor, confident these were the only two people who had been nearby. He set those outside of the tent and turned back at his two companions. "It's been a long time since I traveled with any bards, or musicians at least. My cousin Roderich would be jealous. He has been a... connoisseur of music, so to speak."

He pulled back the flap of his tent and knelt down to begin shifting his own blankets to the side. He had to admit that he was grateful there had been no negative reaction from the two men at the mention of the griffins. It would have seriously lessened his desire to work with them, to say the least. "It may be a bit tight with the three of us, but we will fit."

He climbed into the tent and settled down for the night. Not nearly as interested in music as his new companions, he opted to get to sleep and be well-rested for the next day. If he was going to be the only warrior in the group, he would likely be acting as body guard for both of them.

"We have to play together then!" Feliciano replied, clapping his hands again.
He went closer to Matthew to look at his instrument, caressing gently its strings. "Mandolin and lute go along well together, we'll enjoy it a lot for sure."

Feliciano was definitely glad to see that he wasn't the only musician there. He loved music and there wasn't anything better than finding a fellow musician to play with: monsters left aside, this journey had begun seeming promising, eventually.
"Let's practice together, tomorrow∼" he said, half yawning.

He was still a little bit hungry, but the weariness was beginning to overwhelm him; so he wrapped himself up in his blanket, and followed the warrior in the tent. He nestled up to him, with a sigh of relief and approval.
"Thanks for sharing your tent with us." he said with a sleepy smile.

Matthew agreed, it would be nice to play together. He hadn’t had someone to play a duet with in a while, so finding another musician had been lucky. He was almost positive he had never played with a person on the mandolin but it was a lovely instrument, so he looked forward to it. Still, he wouldn’t protest the idea of playing the next day and he yawned as well, even though it was more likely the yawning domino effect than exhaustion.

He took the wool blanket he had tried in vain to protect his lute with and entered the tent. As much as he was happy to have someone like Feliciano around, he was glad he had stumbled upon Ludwig as well, no matter how reserved the man acted. He was about to thank the man when he discovered he was more tired than he thought and fell fast asleep before he could say a word.

As the smaller of his two companions nestled against him, Ludwig couldn't fight the blush that came to his cheeks. He silently cursed this form for making his embarrassment so apparent. "It's no problem. Really. It seems sill for you to freeze when there's room."

He watched as Matthew entered last and quickly fell asleep. "You should get some rest like Matthew," Ludwig said to Feliciano. "It will be a busy day tomorrow."

He tried his best to settle to sleep with the presence of the other man beside him. He was not used to sharing sleeping quarters, let alone a small tent. "Good night," he said quietly as he closed his eyes.

Feliciano really didn't need the warrior's advice: a moment after he had spoken, his eyes closed on their own.

The cosy inside of the tent was warm, the strange and scary whispers of the forest had been left behind, and the ground itself, underneath him, wasn't so tough and uncomfortable as it had seemed in the previous nights.
He didn't even manage to wish good night in return, that he had already fallen asleep.

Morning came early for Ludwig, as it always had, but he found himself awkwardly trying to wake and go about his morning routine without disturbing the other two. He preferred to do a quick wash of his face, perhaps bathing a bit in the stream. He had experienced some of the most unusual dreams, for him at least, that he was absolutely certain were due to the close proximity of his tent mates, particularly Feliciano. He shuffled and sidestepped his two companions as he got out of the tent and headed to the stream with a spare set of clothes. Already, warm breezes were blowing and would quickly dry his clothes if he took the opportunity. He was still debating on that.

He washed himself off as best he could in the stream, letting his clothes sit not far from where he bathed. In either of his forms, he liked to be clean, and the opportunities to bathe could sometimes be few and far between.

Although he would have preferred to stay in his current lethargic state longer, after a while Matthew decided to get up. He stretched and looked around, noticing Ludwig’s absence. With a yawn, he got up and made his way out of the tent soundlessly; a real feat for someone still half asleep. Matthew always took a while to adjust after sleeping, so much that it took several minutes before he could think properly. He stood outside the tent, looking at the things around him such as the tent, the sky, the campfire he had tried to make a distance away, a white bear, a—

He shouted and did a double take, but by the time he looked back, nothing was there. That hadn't been the first time he had spotted the elusive creature and was convinced that it was a figment of imagination. More awake now, Matthew hoped his exclamation hadn’t bothered the others. If his mind had to play tricks on him, he would prefer if it happened during more convenient times.

Ludwig had just finished his bath and was now half-dressed as he heard someone cry out near the camp. He quickly grabbed his shirt and other belongings as well as a dagger he kept with him at all times (he cursed himself for leaving his mace with the other two) and ran to the camp. He could see Matthew, looking like he was trying to recover from a start, but other than that, he didn't see anything else. It didn't take long for him to reach the camp, though he knew in his true form he would have been there by now. As it was, he reached the camp, looking for signs of intruders or something that would have startled the musician.

"Matthew?" he asked, dagger out and looking around the area. "What happened?" He hadn't been gone that long. He couldn't have been. "Is something wrong with Feliciano?" He didn't see the smaller man as he approached the campground.

“No, nothing happened and I’m sorry if I disrupted you,” he hesitated, “Well, something did happen, I saw something, but it’s a only a mind bear and…” he trailed off, “Never mind, I overreacted, sorry.” As his thoughts stopped making sense, the words that escaped his mouth followed suit. Matthew hoped his jumbled explanation didn't make him sound too crazy, but for all he knew, he could be. From the moment he stepped outside the boundaries of his home, no matter where he went, he eventually spotted the same thing. He never told anyone about it in fear of finding out that the bear was a bad omen or something to that extent. Whatever it was, he figured that ignorance was bliss.

At least now Matthew was sure that Ludwig was serious about his job as a bodyguard by his quick reaction to his shouting. Though he hoped the man wasn't too mad at him for raising alarm so easily just as he hoped Feliciano wouldn't be if he had woken him up.

Feliciano was still deeply asleep, peacefully lost in a dream that involved a lot of food and was set in the majestic halls of his palace.
The strong flavor of the red wine he was lazily sipping was still impressed on his lips, when he was suddenly awaken by a scream.

Eyes wide open, he realized that he was alone in the tent: no sign of either Ludwig or Matthew, there were only their blankets left.
Was there an enemy outside? Did they run away leaving him alone behind? Had they been defeated or killed by the enemy or the... was there a monster somewhere?!?!
He immediately hid himself under the blanket, eyes shut, sheltering his head between his arms: maybe the monster wouldn't find him, if he pretended not to exist. So he laid trembling under the cover, plugging his hears and waiting, trying not to sob too loudly.

"A... mind bear?" Ludwig asked slowly, eyebrow raised. "I can't say that I have ever heard that term before. You mean you saw something that was only in your head?"

Well, this would be interesting. He was going to be traveling with a lunatic. But, as Matthew appeared to be a lunatic that he could take down easily, he would let it pass. For now.

The blond had to admit he was surprised that Feliciano hadn't awoken from the scream, and he glanced in the tent just to make sure that Matthew's "mind bear" (read: Matthew) hadn't done something to the smaller man. He saw a figure shivering under the blanket and he reached a hand in to tap at Feliciano's leg, assuming it was him. "Feliciano, are you okay?" he asked, glancing back at Matthew to ensure that nothing else about his state of mind had changed since Ludwig arrived at the campsite.

Although he was concerned for Feliciano, Matthew didn’t dare enter the tent or go anywhere near him after the look Ludwig gave him. It was a look of suspicion, like someone looks at a madman. He had almost called out ‘I’m not crazy’ to his own defense, but that would have been a stupid move for nobody said anything about insanity, at least out loud. Instead, he apologized again, which was worse, in a way. Saying Matthew would prefer to be known as sane would be an understatement and he thought quickly for a reasonable explanation. Maybe magic, there were a lot of magicians who lived in his—oh. Oh.

It just occurred to him that many people who practiced magic in the Woodland Relm often had magical companions only they could see. And now that Matthew thought of it, a few people who didn’t practice magic often talked to something he couldn’t see; when they thought no one was around, of course. Which meant that he was normal, at least by his homeland's standards. Matthew would have to tell them after Feliciano calmed down. But for now, he just wanted to crawl into a hole and die of guilt and embarrassment, also angry at himself for just making sense of the whole ordeal now when he had months of being on his own to think about it.

As he felt something touching his leg, Feliciano started with a scream. He was almost about to cry - trapped in the tent, he had nowhere to run, and monsters wouldn't probably be moved if he started begging for mercy - when he heard Ludwig's firm voice coming from somewhere over him.
He slowly emerged from the blanket, still shivering, looking at the warrior as he was seeing a ghost.

"D-did the monster go away...? Did..did it hurt you?" he asked, he voice trembling.

"No monster," Ludwig said. "Matthew thought he saw something and it gave him a start. So he screamed. You didn't see anything, did you?"

Ludwig thought he'd better at least check before believing it was all in Matthew's head and questioning the man's sanity.

He cursed internally the human form for the goosebumps forming over his bare chest and arms. Before he did any questioning of Matthew, he'd want to be fully dressed at least.

Matthew silently wondered if there was any way to explain it without sounding batty. “I think I know what it is though. And if I’m right then that means that you won’t be able to…see it.” Halfway through, his voice got quieter the more he was unsure of what he was saying. That surely wasn’t the sort of explanation he was looking for. “What I mean to say is that it’s something that happens to people where I come from but since I only started seeing things after I left home, I’m not used to it. I don’t think it’s anything to fret over, but I’m really sorry if I alarmed you.” He remained outside of the tent but tried to give them his most sincere look.

Ludwig glanced back at Matthew. "What do you mean that some from your area only see these things? Does this happen often? And why?"

He stayed where he was, waiting for Feliciano to calm down. He knew without a doubt that the young man in the tent would need training to become a little less of a coward. If this was how he reacted believing that Ludwig and Matthew were facing a monster, he hated to imagine what might happen if it became the truth.

As for Matthew, he wanted explanation for the strange behavior. And even then, he couldn't say that he'd believe him 100 percent. But he might have a bit of an idea what was going on in the man's head should he ever turn against them, or feel more comfortable that he wouldn't turn against them at all.

Feliciano let out a sigh of relief.
"No, no, I didn't see anything." he confirmed.
The young man stretched a bit and laid back on his bed to relax, his head slightly raised to look at Ludwig.
Why was his expression so serious and dark? There was no monster, everything was good again.
This, at least, in his personal view: as long as the danger wasn't real (as there was no monster, that is), Feliciano was happy.

"It happens often to me too - he said looking at Matthew through the tent's entrance with an encouraging smile - to see things that I believe are dangerous, while they aren't, in reality."
He wasn't referring to any magical creature, of course, but Matthew seemed still worried about what just happened, so he thought he could show him his understanding.