Peer and Katz} Duo father-finding foresty adventures!

Setting: a slight clearing in the woods, with a little camp set up. It’s early-ish morning, and the sky is clear, with a crisp edge to the weather.

Intro:

The makeshift camp stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the forest – the fire pit was lit and burning brightly, and there was a reasonably well-build shelter between two trees to one side, with a few items littering the rest of the free ground. There was a newly-filled water skin, a cutthroat razor and a pack filled with food. However, the resident of the little camp was somewhat absent. The sound of clinking chain mail could be heard a few feet away from the camp, but other than that there was no indication that Jackdaww was even there.

He was dressed in a mail shirt (which was several sizes too large for him, but stamped with the royal crest) and some rather scruffy, three-quarter-length trousers, held up with a sword belt. With a fluid movement he drew the sword, letting the ruby set into its handle glitter in the light of the morning, before closing his eyes to train.

It was a habit he couldn’t break – he had wanted to be a knight, and one of the palace guards all his life. Now, so many leagues away from the castle itself, all he had left of that dream were the chain mail shirt and his daily training routine. He moved with the grace of a dancer, and executed each movement precisely; showing years of meticulous sword work, and smiled to himself. He was generally quite a clumsy man, but somehow when he got hold of a blade his usual flaws melted away.

He heard the fire spit, and sheathed the sword quickly, with a loud, metallic scraping noise, before rushing to tend it. He was under the impression that the woods were empty, and was therefore not worried about making noise. Anyone nearby could have heard his every movement, which could have been dangerous for all involved if they meant harm.

Dmitri DID hear the fire, the training, the clangs - all of the noises that indicated he was near to somebody else. The smoke rising into the sky from the fireplace was a good flag to a person as well.

The lad looked a bit scruffy, his borrowed coat hanging a bit too large on him, and his traveler's clothes were obviously traveler's clothes, but they WERE in good repair. He had his own sword hanging off his own hip as well, but he looked like he was a far shot from a fighter.

In any case, he approached the camp from behind. Who was that, tending the fire? A soldier? Dmitri definitely didn't want to surprise him or sneak up on anybody... if it was up to Dmitri, he'd probably avoid the camp, but after having traveled for a day without any real direction and with his rations low, he was hungry for company, food, and validation that he was going in an actual direction instead of circles.

So, to avoid startling the man and having him think that somebody was sneaking up on his encampment, Dmitri was purposefully loud, and cleared his throat to catch the fighter's attention.

Oh, well the fighter seemed friendly enough, and polite. That was encouraging. He offered a smile back to the man and intruded himself upon the campsite. "Hopefully you can. I hate to be a bother, but actually, I..." He rubbed the back of his neck with some embarrassment. "I was looking for somebody, but I was forced off the path by some bandits, and now I'm just lost," he admitted.

He exhaled with a mix of exasperation and frustration, and linked his fingers behind his head, telling himself that his luck might change. "I see that you're a fighter. I'm sure that you have much better things to do... train and the likes... I'm just having some great difficulty getting anywhere at this point, and someone who knew their way around would help a lot. I could pay you of course... not that, uhm, I think that you're a common mercenary, and again, I'm sure you're very busy... but I think that someone I know is in danger, and I need to find them and I haven't made any headway," he spilled out. "A tall man, slender... looks a lot like me, actually, but thirty five. I don't suppose you've seen him?" He asked hopefully. "That's who I'm looking for, a man named Alex Aster."

"Oh, how rude of me!" Dmitri said, looking shocked. "I didn't introduce myself. My apologies, Jackdaww. I am Dmitri Aster." He gave a very formal, polite bow. "Can I help you pack, or help at all in exchange for your help?" He asked hopefully.

He paused as the description was given. He rubbed his chin and looked up, taking the time to go through his memory to see if he saw somebody similar to that description. "Well.. maybe a few... But I'd have to better know what their face looked like. There are some many middle-aged men who fit that description, I'm afraid. One was the Bar-tender I spoke to a few days ago... I seem to remember a few more, but none of them stood out or seemed significant. I'm sure if you've checked taverns, though, you'd have seen the same fellows I saw, and if that wasn't them..." He shrugged apologetically.

And then he started to help unpitch the tents and stuff, being helpful before the permission was given. "Did you already have a destination you were going to? I wouldn't want to impose a detour on you."

"Oh, yes, he's my father, actually," Dmitri explained. "I have some funds to help with our journey right now, but what I have now is all that I CAN get my hands on, until I find him. Because he's gone, our estate has been temporarily seized."

He pulled out a worn out map and edged closer to his new comrade to show him. He gestured to some areas nearby. "I've checked these areas already. I really didn't have a specific direction since he could be anywhere. Honestly, he doesn't travel, that I know of. There isn't any place that I can think he'd have gone specifically, nor does he have any enemies that I knew of. He was a part of the Defenders' Faction, but I haven't heard of any other members of the faction disappearing suddenly, so if he was attacked, it must have been a personal thing... I THINK. Unless he had more information about the defenders than he let on and maybe he was an intelligence gatherer or something... I really don't know." Dmitri sighed again with exasperation and put his hand on his forehead. "I just ... I don't know. I just don't know. That's all. He's been missing for about six months now."

"I can't fathom a guess as to how far he traveled," Dmitri admitted. He examined the map a bit more, his brows furrowed, but nodded in agreement. "I guess it depends chiefly on whether I think he left willingly or unwillingly. I would LIKE to think it was.... Well, I don't know," He said. "To assume he left of his own volition... meant that he had something more important to do that he didn't trust me with. That's not the most pleasant of ideas to dwell on. But, if he was taken... he could be dead. That, too, is not.... not ideal." He swallowed nervously. "But east seems like a likely route either way, because I haven't checked there yet. It's *possible* that a more dangerous area is also likely, one where perhaps other factions are."

He nodded in response to leaving the rest behind. "I have enough to purchase some food and supplies on the way, and I'll be happy to provide for both of us with what I do have."

And with that, he did start along the path with Jackdaww, tucking the map away once again. He'd take it out when they came across a solid road or a fork in a road.

"Father... Yes, I suppose you could say we were fortunate. Another thing that could imply that he was taken. Without him there to defend his estate, it could be easier for another wealthy man to claim, so there is motivation to have him gone around my town, too, but I didn't suspect our neighbors were the sort. With that being said, though, people are corrupt everywhere, so I won't dismiss the possibility. I got no luck when searching around town, though, so even if they got rid of him, he's either buried or exported to elsewhere."

Dmitri exhaled and tried to calm down at his request. "It IS hard," He acknowledged. "It's... not something that I'm used to, but it's harder to sit and wait to hear word from him from someone else while sitting in comfort. Not that I have much comfort to sit in right now, but..." He cracked the meagerest of smiles. "I'd rather be out hoofing it with some difficulty than not know if there's been any progress made on attempts to find him," he said. "And with all the political tension building... it just feels like time is running out, you know?" He said. He rubbed the back of his neck again and sighed when he realized that his thoughts were just going everywhere and his train of speech wasn't making much sense. "I'll try to relax," He finally said. "Finding someone who's willing to help is already progress, so... thank you."