Borderlands of Rhynland

Uncomfortably, Matthew shifted his weight from one foot to the other and began fidgeting with his hands. He wasn’t used to being put on the spot and asked these types of questions. But he did smile at Feliciano, who seemed to be understanding and not nearly as suspicious as Ludwig. In fact, in any other situation, Matthew would be concerned of how the young man’s emotions quickly changed and that he didn’t look worried at all. Ludwig was a different story, but he figured he owed the man an explanation if they were to be traveling together.

“Where I grew up, people gifted with magic or in rare cases even just exposed to magic for years start to see creatures like, I don’t know, green rabbits with wings or something like that,” he answered, “Not everyone believes them, but even some who can’t see them know they’re there and know that they’re mostly harmless. As for why, I’m not quite sure. Honestly, it seems like a very impractical ability, but I’m not a wizard or a magician or anything so I wouldn’t know. I don’t even know why the bear I’m seeing keeps running from me.” If Ludwig asked any more in-depth questions, Matthew doubted he would know the answer. He was most likely one of those rare cases, anyway, since he certainly was not gifted with magic.

Ludwig looked at Feliciano, knowing he certainly was going to be in for an interesting trip with these two. However, he felt he was, at least, relatively safe with them both. "It's morning, Feliciano, you might as well get up and we can get something for breakfast." He climbed out of the tent and went to get his tunic on. He pulled it on over his head and began strapping on his armor with the routine of someone who did this every day.

"So they are a sort of magical familiar, instead of an actual animal," Ludwig said. He had seen stranger things with magic. "So, do you have any magical ability yourself? Or is it just from years of exposure in your world?"

He assumed he could give the other man the benefit of the doubt for now as he buckled on his breast plate. In this form, he felt almost naked without his armor, and he made a habit of putting it on first thing each morning.

Feliciano rolled slowly from one side to another. On his face he could sense the cold air of the morning coming from outside, and he didn't feel like leaving the warm comfort of his blanket at all. But Ludwig had luckily mentioned breakfast, and as soon as the meaning of the word found his way to his mind and braincells, Feliciano realized he was terribly hungry.
He finally got up, found a new shirt in his pack and put quickly his tunic on, then he eventually stepped out of the tent.

He had been listening to Matthew's explanation; he had already heard about wizards who used magical or real animals as servants or who were simply friends with them, but not everyone who was gifted with magic did, at least in his kingdom.

"It would be nice if you two could become friends. - he said referring to the bear - You should try to approach it somehow... food is always a good way to attract animals." he suggested.

He was rummaging again in his pack, until he finally found a small bundle containing a couple of slices of something that looked like a tough fruits pie.
"Do you guys want some? I should also have some nougat left, somewhere..." he said, quickly putting one of the slices in his mouth and beginning again this search.

Matthew laughed, a little embarrassed, but it was nothing compared to how he felt earlier, “That’s a good way to describe it, actually. And what I can see is most likely from exposure. I’ve learned small spells here and there, but I lacked the patience for it. I don’t think I’d have had much talent anyway.” It was true, Matthew couldn’t think of something he gave up on faster than sorcery.

He thought about Feliciano’s suggestion and agreed that it would be nice to at least be able to approach the creature. However, he doubted that it would come to him if he held out food since things were never that simple. Still, he knew the other man wanted to be helpful. “I think I’ll give that a try, maybe it’ll work,” Matthew said smiling. He turned down the offering of food, though, it would be rude to take any when he was almost certain he had some of his own.

"I would not mind a piece, if you would like to partake in some of the cured ham and dried fruit that I have." He pulled some things from his pack. "If we all pool the food we have, we might get a bit more variety in our meals."

He set the food on the leather pouch he carried them each in. "And we could test out your fighting ability with a bit of hunting sometime. It couldn't hurt to have some extra food, either." He wanted to see these two in action, outside of an actual battle where his own life might be in danger. A deer couldn't do any harm, and even a wild hog would be easily defeated if it did cause any trouble. Ludwig could handle one in his current form, and most certainly in his true form.

"But I believe you wanted to head to town today, though, so once we have eaten, we can head out."

Feliciano nodded (unable to say "thank you" because he was still chewing his bite), offering the bundle to Ludwig.

"This sounds like a perfect plan." he answered after a while "Going to see the town sounds much funnier than hunting." he admitted cheerfully, even if he didn't have the faintest idea of which town was the one Ludwig was talking about.
He was happy at the idea of being surrounded by other people again. A part from farms and small villages, he hadn't seen another big town worthy the name since he had left home; the solitude of the forest had itself begun to be unbearable, so he was eager for a change.

"Is it far from here?" he asked.

Though he owned a map, and though he did have a sort of plan in the beginning of his journey, he also forgot it, as soon as he understood that even with the map his sense of direction had been hopelessly defeated by the maze of the forest.

Matthew nodded, agreeing with Ludwig on both sharing the food and hunting. He had only had to do the latter once when his supplies got low and it would be a nice way to know if his success was a freak accident or if he actually was able to wield a knife as a weapon. Trying again would be a good indicator.

Then again, he wasn’t that eager to hurt something and besides, he could afford to visit a town. He was surprised the loaf of bread in his bag resisted from becoming stale since he had gotten it the day he had left the most recent town he had visited.

“I didn’t know there was a town around here,” Matthew said, mildly surprised. He decided make it a priority to get a map at the next opportunity. Though he didn’t have a destination, it was nice to know where he was going instead of traveling into unknown lands.

"We aren't likely to get to the town before midday tomorrow if we keep on the road for some time. The nearest one is Rothenburg, and it should have a nice mix of shops for supplies and whatnot. Likely even some jobs should we need to get some spending money."

He began eating some of his cured ham. He thought he noted that neither man seemed too enthusiastic at the idea of hunting. Really, what did they expect was going to happen should they go on a mission or have to face something like a dragon. They were bound to have to fight and kill something. It may not have been an ideal way of life, but it was how the world worked, if a person wanted to make a name for himself, which was what Ludwig was seeking.

It certainly couldn't hurt his standing if he wanted to seek a crown in Rhynland.

"So a day and a half of walking, I think we will be there. And we should have the option of places to stay, food to eat and supplies to buy." And Ludwig would be forced to interact with others, something he'd never done very well. It was hard enough with these two men. It got worse yet when someone was actually trying to flirt with him, as Ludwig was generally oblivious and, as a rule, not interested. Griffins mated for life, and he wasn't seeking being tied down to a partner forever so young in his life.

"Seems a nice place." Feliciano said simply, too busy eating to saying anything more.
He had hoped the town would have been closer, but one day and a half wasn't that bad, and anyway he was enjoying his new fellow travelers' company.
The three of them strolling around the streets of this pretty town... what were three young men supposed to do in situations alike?

"Are the girls pretty here?"

In his kingdom, the mission for the three of them would have been to conquer some pretty ladies' hearts, and possibly not just the hearts.
Well, not that he really did that kind of things. He loved flirting with girls, of course, playing and singing for them - they were just so cute, and anyway this was something that every young man in his place used to do... but unlike many others, he never went much further.
So far, at least; one never knows what a journey in faraway places can have in store for him.

A day and a half sounded pretty good to Matthew, as did the promise of supplies. And he was more eager to go back to a town than he showed. Although he’d like to think that he could survive apart from civilization, and he could to some extent, eventually he missed the feeling of community. He didn’t even have to belong to it, but somehow blending into a crowd was comforting for him at times. Out by himself or in a small group, the feeling of being singled out was unsettling. Even though he would never wish harm on innocent people, being in large groups gave Matthew the feeling that if something bad happened to someone, it was less likely to be him.

This aside, he hadn’t even thought of meeting pretty girls in town. Feliciano’s question caught him off guard to the extent that he almost choked on the bit of food he was eating. Matthew laughed quietly to himself, not because of Feliciano’s question but of what not thinking a similar question said about him. Back home it was a rare occurrence for anyone of either gender to take notice of him in a setting with many other people and even then it was purely platonic, at least on his end. Matthew knew himself too well; anything further would just leave him a tongue-tied and flustered mess.

"Perhaps," Ludwig said. "I've never been one to really notice the girls, pretty or otherwise." He continued eating his dried fruit. "I'm sure there's likely something that would interest you if you went there." He popped the rest of the dried fruit in his mouth and began clearing out and dismantling the tent. He then started pulling out the stakes easily by hand, despite how far he'd driven them into the ground.

"But there will definitely be different people to interact with," Ludwig said. "Just be careful should your pretty lady be a griffin, Feliciano. Though some of the species claim it's possible for meaningless sex, a number still believe in mating for life. As a matter of fact, there are some who find themselves unintentionally mated and unable to find another even though they try."

He recalled the memory of a soldier he'd known who had ended up mated, for life it seemed, to a prostitute he'd tried to get some relief from while on the road. In the end, surprisingly enough, he became very happy with her.

He swallowed the rest of his breakfast in silence. Somehow, he thought he sensed some kind of threat in Ludwig's voice.
Feliciano had totally forgot the part regarding the natives being griffins; he used to forget about things that scared him in general, as long as the danger wasn't an actual and immediate one, and furthermore, it was not that the idea of being mated with a lady griffin upset him so much... though, well, it was a bit scary indeed, but he knew some human wives who could surely compete with female griffins as far as scariness was concerned.

He glanced at both his companions, wondering if he had said something wrong: Matthew was still silent (even if he seemed to be smiling), while Ludwig, after his comment, was packing his things efficiently as always.
Feliciano followed his example, gathering his belongings and fastening the laces of his pack.

"Ve, got it, sir. I'll make sure to remain next to you all the time, then, so that griffin girls won't eat me." he said, only half kidding.

Matthew fought hard to suppress his laughter at Feliciano’s statement as to not offend either of them. He wasn’t completely sure that the shorter man was joking but was almost positive that Ludwig took the threats of griffins seriously (although it seemed to be his default opinion to everything).

With all the talk of griffins, Matthew had no doubt that Ludwig was an expert or at least extremely knowledgeable on the subject. He had only heard of them before vaguely but the armored man seemed to be able to describe them in great detail. “Are you able to…eh?!“ he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed how effortlessly Ludwig had plucked the deeply driven in stakes out of the ground. Matthew was about to ask Ludwig if he could identify a griffin in disguise, but suddenly had the sick feeling of being way in over his head.

Instead, he made sure everything in his bag was secure before hoisting it onto his back.

Ludwig glanced at Feliciano. "I'm sorry for giving you the impression they are monsters of sorts," he said. "Just... it's better to be aware of them than not if you're hoping to find a pretty girl in town. It wouldn't be fair to you or the young woman not to know ahead of time." He tried not to take offense to Felicano's words about griffins eating him. After all, he was the one who portrayed them that way, but he couldn't entirely help it if the was somewhat protective of his people. Not only was he the same race, but he could one day be their leader.

He glanced back at Matthew. "Can you what? You mean... can you..." Despite himself, the idea that he felt Matthew was suggesting if you could actually have sex with them made Ludwig's cheeks turn pink. "If they're in human form, it wouldn't be any different, so I'm told. I... wouldn't know."

Now, he cursed himself because, whether the other two knew it or not, he'd just admitted his own virginity. Frustrated with himself, he yanked out the final peg and put it in his sack. "Either way, you won't be in danger from them. Just treat them with respect and you'll get it in return." He began packing up the tent, folding it up.

Feliciano was about to apologize for his last statement (Ludwig's answer had been a bit sharp this time), but he stared half fascinated at the warrior blushing.
Somehow, he felt that the discussion had taken the wrong turn, and he regretted a bit having raised the subject in the first place. He looked at how the stake was pulled out from the ground, and felt even more sorry.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to slight any of them for sure. And I didn't mean that they are going to eat me in the literal meaning, I think, that is... well..." he wasn't completely sure that Matthew was trying to ask what Ludwig had understood to be asked about, but the whole situation was kind of awkward now, and even if he found it amusing, he didn't want the warrior to be mad at them.
"Anyway, let's say that we won't approach any girl as a rule, just to avoid the problem. Tough it's going to be tough, eheh." he chuckled, mostly to show that he was joking to lighten the atmosphere, and partly because he felt embarrassed in the first place.

"It's not... not that," Ludwig said. He put the folded tent into his bag as well. "I... am sorry for giving you the wrong impression." He looked up at Feliciano. "I realized that I had, last night, lumped the people of this country in with the monsters we might well be fighting. Not to mention warn you of some of the beliefs." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't trying to prevent you from having such a good time."

He sighed. "Look, I don't do social interaction well with..." He couldn't say humans, not only because it would make the two more suspicious of him, but also because it wasn't true. He didn't interact with even his own kind very well. "... others. So, just forgive me if I fail from time to time."

Matthew honestly had no idea what Ludwig was trying to say in the answer to his half-question. But he could tell by the way he blushed and by his vague response that Ludwig probably assumed he meant something sexual. Matthew’s face reddened but he stayed silent, debating with in his head whether to clarify his question or to drop it all together. He stayed like this for a while and was half-listening to both man’s apologies. Matthew had almost apologized himself, but hesitated when he couldn’t think of anything to apologize for. Well, besides his question earlier, but he finally had decided to pretend he never asked it.

For some reason it seemed funny to Matthew that Ludwig thought he was the one bad at social interaction. So far today, Matthew had given mixed messages twice and had given the same person the impression that he was both insane and a pervert. “Don’t worry,” he responded to Ludwig’s last apology, “It happens to everyone.” Matthew realized dismally that for an awkward person like himself, this was one of the most awkward days of his life and it was only morning.

Ludwig packed up his things, tent,whatnot. He had managed with these two, as he'd never done with clients before, to completely embarrass himself. This was why it was just better to not say anything. People reacted better to a warrior if he was the strong silent type. Why on earth had he even opened his mouth?

He saw a bit more of the cured ham and dried fruit. "If either of you don't want any more of these, I'll pack them up as well."

He just wanted, at this point, to be on the road. Maybe he'd learn to shut the hell up.

Again, he stared at Ludwig, somehow surprised by his sudden confession.
He seemed both embarrassed and angry and Feliciano couldn't help but feeling sorry for it.
Had he known that the situation would have turned this strange, he would have thought better of speaking, even if he really still felt like he hadn't said anything dramatically wrong.
But Feliciano had never been good at predicting other people' reactions, and, anyway, most of the times his mouth moved even without him realizing it... maybe, if there was one who wasn't capable of human relations there, it could well turn out to be him.
Anyway, now he had to try to make up for his mistake, whatever it was.

He stood up with his pack on his back, and hurried up next to Ludwig, taking a handful of the remaining dried fruit in sign of appreciation of his offer.

"It's all right, we don't mind, do we, Matthew?" he said with an encouraging smile, patting the taller man on his shoulder - well, his armor - as he was trying to comfort him, and glancing at the other blonde searching for confirmation.

Ludwig looked down at the smaller man, gratefl he was being so nice. Ludwig wasn't really used to that. Being teased, having Gilbert want to go out for a good time, that wasn't unusual, but this man who hardly knew him was being very kind. In return, he gave a small smile back at him. "Thank you, Feliciano."

He looked around the campsite. "Are we forgetting anything?" He looked at the ashes of their campfire and piled some dirt atop it so that it wouldn't later catch fire to something else. He tried to be careful of those kinds of things whenever possible.

By Ludwig’s expression, Matthew could tell that he wasn’t the only one having an off day. He pushed his own humiliation aside and managed a smile when Feliciano looked back at him with a question. “That’s right,” he agreed, “We don’t mind at all.”

Matthew eyed the campsite carefully but couldn’t think of anything could have possibly forgotten once Ludwig had the campfire under control. “No, I think that’s just about everything,” he affirmed, “So are we all ready to leave now?” Matthew tried to hide the eagerness and excitement in his voice but failed for the most part.

Feliciano smiled brightly in response to both Ludwig and Matthew's answers.
He looked at the site, but there wasn't anything left, and the warrior had already taken care of everything that needed to be done.

"Ve, I'm ready!" he nodded, hopping lightly from foot to foot. "Lead us, Ludwig!"

Without making any special effort, Ludwig's serious exterior cracked a little as a smile came to his face without him trying to force it to be there. He had to admit that he liked these two. Had a warrior or fortune seeker seen his behavior, they would have likely done away with his services. These two actually seemed to care, or make an effort to let it seem that way, that Ludwig had been embarrassed and was feeling a bit awkward.

"The town is directly east of here," Ludwig said. He didn't even need to look at a map, as he'd headed west after a quick stop in the town only a few days before. "You both seem happy to get to some form of civilization." He wasn't entirely sure why he was making small talk as he walked through the plains, but he found that he was.

Matthew almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Was Ludwig actually smiling? He knew it was foolish of himself to have assumed that the other blonde was completely serious all the time, but he didn’t expect Ludwig to be open enough with them to smile. Matthew would have told him that he liked it better when he smiled but refrained; it was better to not risk embarrassing him again.

Although he was feeling a little better about himself now he still cursed inwardly when Ludwig told them that the town was to the east. Matthew had been completely off, which was why it had taken him so long to go from the previous town to the one he was headed towards.

“I’ve been meaning to get to any town for quite some time now, but I kept getting sidetracked,” Matthew answered. If ‘sidetracked’ meant wandering in circles and trying in every cardinal direction except east, then it was completely true. “There are some things that I need to get.” Like a sense of direction, he thought to himself.

Feliciano quickened his step, as the sound of Ludwig's voice made him noticed he was being slowly left behind by the other two. Their legs were much longer than his, that was sure.

"I really wanted to reach one because I didn't like being all alone in the forest. It seems that I can't really use the map they gave me, it's so confusing!" the smile on the warrior's face encouraged him to talk freely - the awkward moments of before and his resolution of being more careful about what he said had already faded away from his mind.
"But I don't mind it now, because I've met you and now we're surely going to have a good time in the town!" he declared, looking cheerfully at the clear sky above them.