*shadow Ninja*

As Kitsume left the room, Red turned to Leo and gave a content sigh.
"Well damn, that was a busy day. We should probably turn in for the night. We're both tired and we've got a long day ahead of us, so a good night's sleep would probably do us a world of good."
He wore a broad grin as he stared at Leo in silence for a while. What he said was reasonable enough, and going to bed was probably the sensible, responsible thing to do at that moment.

Which obviously means that it didn't happen.

Suddenly, Red burst out laughing then signaled to the barkeep.
"Two more ales over here! I'm about to propose a toast."
The barkeep raised an eyebrow as he fetched the drinks.
"It's getting a little late, but...sure, okay. What to?"
Red waited until he had his drink in hand to respond.
"To new traveling companions, and the beginning of a grand adventure!"
He shrugged.
"I mean...said friends have already turned in for the night, but that's fine. They're with us in spirit! Or something. Probably."
With his mug raised high, he called out.
"Hear hear! To new friends and new horizons!"
And the chugging began, which Red assumed that Leo would be joining in on.

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The next morning, Alkelda and Ranulf met up and spoke in private before going to meet with Falicita. Alkelda spoke first.
"You know what you need to do, right? Just make sure that Narumi meets up with her escort, then they'll take her back to the emperor. Simple as that."
To Alkelda's surprise, Ranulf was uncharacteristically quiet, stroking his chin and seemingly lost in thought. She waited a moment before pressing the issue.
"Is...something on your mind?"
"Huh? Oh, uh...it's probably nothing."
Alkelda narrowed her eyes.
"If it was nothing, you'd be your usual...talkative self."
Ranulf chuckled.
"Alright, alright, you win. It's just...I've got a bad feeling about this. We know that the enemy's out there, and they could make a move at any time. I don't know if the emperor's escort is going to be enough. They don't know what could be waiting for them."
He clicked his tongue.
"I think I should go with them. Past the Nagasaki border, at least. Once they're a little closer to the capital, they should be safe, but something could happen between there and Nagasaki, so I think it'd be smart to keep an eye on them until then."

Alkelda fell dead silent, a clear look of surprise on her face. This bothered Ranulf a little, who furrowed his brow as he spoke up.
"What? What's with that look?"
Alkelda shook her head quickly, coming back to her senses.
"I'm sorry, it's just...that's very insightful and well thought-out on your part. I just wasn't expecting that level of foresight from you."
Ranulf grew more annoyed, his eye twitching slightly.
"Come on, don't act like it's THAT surprising!"
"It's just...we don't really agree on a whole lot, but I actually completely agree with you here. It's kind of amazing."
"Yeah, it's wonderful. I thought I'd be more happy about us actually agreeing on something but here I am just waiting for you to wipe that shocked look off your face."
Alkelda nodded, her expression taking a turn for the serious.
"You're absolutely right. You are a very capable warrior personally chosen by his majesty for this important task, and I should not have underestimated you. You have my most sincere apology."
Now it was Ranulf's turn to stare in shocked silence, his cheeks turning ever so slightly red. After taking a moment to compose himself, he managed to stammer out a reply.
"Well, um...a-apology accepted. I'm glad we've come to an understanding."
He turned towards Falicita's office, purposefully avoiding Alkelda's gaze.
"We should...go. Yeah. Don't wanna keep Falicita waiting, right?"
Ranulf took a few steps forward and knocked on the door, clearly wanting to get on to their scheduled morning meeting.

 

Leo raised a glass In celebration of the newly acquired traveling companions, though his face was as stone cold as ever, his excitement was intoxicating. Though you’d never be able to tell. After downing the ale he turned to face red, he stared at him and said nothing before turning away and then turning back again.

“Red, I say we take on another group of requests from villagers! It is about time we make some money what do you say? We can even wake up Katsume, and the new recruits, I’m sure they’d be eager to join us in whatever contracts we can get into tonight!” Though not entirely drunk he was starting to remember the adventure he had last night. Good old alcohol memory.

Pausing for a moment, he got rather somber and serious. “Red, about the amnesiac, what if my fears are correct, what if he is being hunted down? We will be fighting a battle that isn’t ours, though I am a shield who should protect the weak, I fear I choose not to battle for others but for myself. My time in the west still haunts me, And I am ever grateful to be here with all of you. But the truth is. The only reason I still raise my weapons is because you still fight, I’ll not let you go into battle alone, but all the more you are capable. There is no need for me to assist you.” He looked away to motion the barkeep for more alcohol, it was going to be a long night for the both of them.

“I guess I am just trying to say, I don’t understand why I am fighting, or why I will fight for these other people, I make large promises, but it’s because I don’t think they’ll ever be possible, so they’ll never expect us to be able to help. Of course we are going to try, but what can we achieve?”

the barkeep brought out another round.

“Cheers! To the new permanent scar on my brow. Given to me by a lovely lady, After we’re done drinking we should cut their sleep short and begin our journey!”

 

Red sat quietly and listened as Leo bared his soul, speaking openly about the reservations he had about their mysterious companion. When the next round of ale arrived, Leo seemed to be in a better mood, but Red wasn't going to let the topic go that easily. He smiled and obliged Leo with a clinking of their glasses and a hearty "Cheers!" to go with it, but after taking his first drink, his face sank into a more serious look.
"Well...I couldn't tell you why you should fight, that's something every warrior needs to decide on their own. But I can tell you why I fight, if that's any help."
After a quick swig of ale, he continued.
"There's no doubt about it. Part of it is because fighting...well, it's just part of who I am. The same goes for a lot of the White Lions. Why do the sun and stars shine? Why do the birds sing in the morning? What makes the wolf howl at the moon? It's part of what they are. It's in their nature. I think the same goes for a lot of us."

Leaning back in his seat, he took a second to collect his thoughts.
"But there's more to it than that. I fight because not everyone can. I fight because I can't stand the kind of person who can do something and chooses to do nothing. I fight because I feel like I can make the world a little bit better by doing it. I fight because the gods smile on us when we protect the weak and the innocent. I fight because..."
He took a second, making sure to get the quote exactly right.
"...The halls of eternity echo with the last battle cries of the resolute. Their fire lights the torches which guide our path to eternal glory."
There was a brief flash of a proud smile in his visage.
"That's what our last king once told us. I wonder what he thinks of us while he's watching from the heavens."

After finishing his drink, Red heartily slapped his mug back on the table and stood up.
"Well, I'm ready to start that journey if you are. Let's kick some ass!"

 

Leo never really told Red much about his past, the more he thought about what he just dropped on him the more he realized that. Though they were both ready to move on. He didn’t move an inch, Red was willing to talk, so he figured it would be nice to take this opportunity.

“When I was a soldier, before disbanding and making my way over here, the white lions home, the leader that took me in said I didn’t need to fight, I just needed to earn my keep. I did, I still do. I make sure that the food stalls are never empty. I hunt.” He paused for a moment to stay on track.

“But, fighting, a person. A living being, unless I choose too. I dread, I feel the weight of the lives I’ve taken for an unjust cause, the reason you seldom see me draw my sword is because I don’t want to kill to be betrayed by my home again, my general had me go on a capture mission. However it was disguised as a small scale skirmish, one of the best warriors on the opposing side was the target. They wanted to capture him, and make him fight for us, which sounds like a good idea, but I promise you. He killed for fun, not honor, not glory. Just pure enjoyment. I aided men for a murderous psychopath, which is a worse outcome than any burden I bear for the lives I have taken.”

Leo motioned for another drink. This time his cheerful demeanor was more somber, he has been trying to find himself for a while, And hopefully it will all make sense soon.

“We can get them now if you want, I’m sure they’ll be happy with their 1 hour of sleep we gave them. While we’re deep in the tankards.”

 

Hearing Leo's story, Red motioned for another drink as well, mulling over what had been said as he leaned on the table.
"Damn, sounds like you've had a rough go of it. I don't think I can help you much there, I've never felt that way. Let's see..."
He took a sip of his drink.
"...I think I was 15 when it happened. The first time I killed a man. Things were rough when the White Lion clan moved here. This whole forest used to be a den of thieves, assassins, smugglers, slavers, and any other kind of criminal whoreson you can think of. You wouldn't know it from how strong the clan is and how safe the lands are now, but back then, everybody wondered how long we'd last...and we all slept with one eye open."

His expression turned to stone as he stared blankly at his drink.
"A bandit came into our home. Pulled a knife on my mother and sister. I was the closest one to my father's sword and I was trained well enough to use it. I grabbed it, my body moved on its own, and..."
He made a chopping motion.
"Damn near took his head off when I cut into his neck with everything I had. He made this horrible choking sound, tried to grab at the sword while it was still in him, then he just kind of...slumped down, bleeding all over the place. As you can imagine, I didn't get much sleep that night."

Another drink, then he looked Leo straight in the eyes.
"But you know what? If I could relive that moment, I'd just do the same thing over again. I don't regret killing if it means I'm protecting people who can't protect themselves. Sometimes it's just that simple."
With one last gulp, he set his mug down.
"Incidentally, the next day, I decided I was going to become a mercenary instead of a merchant like my father. The only thing I regret about that is the fact that I don't make as much gold as him. Well then, shall we?"

 

As Falicita rounded the corner, Alkelda and Ranulf were both surprised at her somewhat unkempt appearance, especially her hair. Ranulf merely raised a curious eyebrow, but Alkelda had to cover her mouth and stifle a laugh. She quickly recovered, but not before Ranulf noticed her initial reaction, and he wasn't about to let this slide. For just a brief moment, he flashed a grin full of mischievous intent before turning back to Falicita, bowing to greet her.
"Not to worry, Lady Falicita. You only missed it by a hair."
Alkelda's face flushed as she delivered a quick elbow jab to Ranulf's abdomen who let out a pained "guh" in response, though he still looked quite pleased with himself. She then cleared her throat and bowed in greeting as well.
"Good morning, Lady Falicita. I hope you slept well last night."

Ranulf was the first to speak up as he gave a quick nod.
"Getting right to the point, huh? I can appreciate that. Personally, I've never been one to split hairs."
Another elbow jab from an embarrassed Alkelda followed this comment, along with another wry smile from Ranulf.
"Anyway, as I was about to say before I was rudely interrupted, Alkelda and I were discussing that last night and I think that it'd be for the best if the convoy had a little extra security."
"I am inclined to agree. While I do not doubt that your warriors are very capable, there may be something much more dangerous out there than common thieves and highwaymen."
"That's where I come in. I'd like to escort Narumi out beyond the Nagasaki's borders to make sure she gets closer to Imperial-controlled land safely."
"The lands under the Emperor's direct control are extremely secure, and besides that, even the Alliance would not risk operating in Imperial territory. It would alert the Emperor to their existence immediately and it would almost certainly be seen as an act of war."
"But they might be ballsy enough to try something in another clan's territory or on neutral ground, in other words, on the road to the Emperor's lands. That's why I want to go with Narumi and make sure she gets far enough out that nobody will be able to pull anything on the way back to her home. It shouldn't take too long, just a few days there and back if we're all going by horseback, and I think it'll put all of our minds at ease."
"I believe it is a sound decision, but of course the final say is yours, as we are under your command for as long as we are here."
"You can count on me to get it done. I'll make sure they don't harm a hair on her head."
Alkelda, turning a bright shade of red as she desperately stifled another laugh, gave a light but swift throat chop to Ranulf out of sheer anger and embarrassment. Ranulf, through his coughing fit, managed to choke out a quiet "worth it" as Alkelda growled in frustration.