[i]What an insufferable old twit![/i] Hours upon hours into the journey, Adele was still glaring at Djonn's back and cursing both him and Thorpe for their paltry travelling arrangements. [i]You'll be happy we won't be using dingy inns,' he says! We'd much rather you fight over a single room for our amusement, as everyone else will be sleeping in barns and stables like animals. The nerve! Are they going to be serving meals in the mangers, too?[/i]

The heat of her broiling temper was such that most of the men had taken care to avoid her as much as possible. How the back of Djonn's shirt hadn't caught fire from her burning gaze was a wonder indeed. Most impressive of all, however, was the strength and duration of her righteous indignance--not once did her feet falter nor her pace slow on the long road. Her long legs were brisk, her gaze determined; were she to die then and there, she would undoubtedly become a peerless banshee destined to haunt Djonn for the remainder of his life and long after.

Even when they had been forced to stop, Adele's features showed neither fear nor concern. She just stood there at the obi wagon's side, cracking her knuckles as she dared the shadows beneath the trees to come out and play target practice. It was rather disappointing that they never did.

So it was that Adele finally showed a kink in her anger when she found herself soaking her feet while the company took a break. Her dusty boots lay at her side along with a pair of long stockings--anyone was free to stare at her legs when she stripped them off: well, they could if they wanted to die. Otherwise, she seemed content, wetting her handkerchief in the stream and using a dab of honeysuckle oil to refresh her sweaty arms, neck, and face.

It was only then that she began to appreciate her natural surroundings. Other than the nearby chatter, the woods were quiet. There was plenty of shade to keep the worst of the sun off, and the slight breeze rustling through the trees was soothing. That, of course, was all the more reason to keep her cannon close. Even while paddling her feet in cold meadow water, the weapon remained on her lap.

Two minutes into her little break, she tired of the freezing water and pulled her feet out. The grass, by comparison, felt heavenly running through her toes, so she simply carried her boots and stockings by her side as she went to grab a snack from her trunk.

That was when [i]she[/i] approached. In a flash, Adele's bad mood returned. Her eyes narrowed as the woman started to speak, and by the time she was finished, Adele's hands were clenched and trembling at her sides.

"You've got some nerve." Adele stepped closer to the woman, green eyes flat as an icy plain. "First you treat us like animals, then you parade around in that gaudy carriage, and now you bastards have been withholding information imperative to your own safety? Do you have a death wish or do pushovers like you enjoy wearing targets on your backs?"