Mezdon received a perplexed and even wary stare from the two Stormbringers as he seated himself alongside them.  Never really designed to accommodate people, the cover seemed a little crowded.  This did not discourage him as he poured himself a drink before continuing.  His words clattered off Alistair’s armor, not unlike the rain, and they evoked a sneer from Emmitt.  “Huh, a philosopher,” he snorted.  For certain, Mezdon replied to an unasked question, and his answer bore little relevance.  If the spiky-haired stranger had been eavesdropping on them and saw nothing wrong with interrupting a quiet moment, why would he try and change the topic?  A severe case of the lonelies seemed probable.  “We know ourselves plenty.  We fight for what we care about.  Don’t ya think demons do the same?  If humanity loses, it ain’t because they don’t know themselves.  It’d be because they’re weak, or don’t care enough.”  He crossed his arms.  Outside of the crude shelter, the rain picked up slightly.

Taking his cue, Alistair said, “S’right.  We know who we are and why we fight.  Doesn’t have to be a profound truth.  They hurt us, we hurt them.  Just like you said.”  He reached up to adjust his helmet, wincing audibly as he did so.  Gingerly, he rested his head in his hands and looked out at the rain.  Some time passed before Emmitt reached out and punched Alistair lightly on the shoulder.  “Ey.  I was thinkin’.  It’s been a couple of weeks, right?  Ya said you’d have to leave again.  I oughta go with ya this time.  Get a breath of fresh air away from the louts.  Stormbringers’ll be in this town for a day or two, livin’ like lords off the spoils of that demon hunt, then we move on like always.”

With a shrug, Alistair replied, ignoring Mezdon’s presence, “I guess.  Nobody’s ever come with me before.  It’s a dangerous and bleak trip.  I might as well tell you now: it’s Veiron I visit.  Or what’s left of it anyways.  There’s something there I need to see.”

If anything, Emmitt appeared unfazed, however much common sense dictated he should be terrified.  “We all die sometime.  Why d’you think I’m part of this suicide squad anyhow?  Haven’t seen my family in years, don’t have a home, don’t have any money or anyone but what’s in the Stormbringers.  Veiron sounds like an adventure.”  He grinned darkly.  “I been there once, while ago, before it all went to hell.  Might be nice to see it again.”

Alistair shook his head.  “It really, really won’t.”  

Emmitt received this with a shrug.  “Whatever.  When we leavin’?”

Alistair’s gaze returned to the rainfall.  By now, the dirt roads of the town were a muddy marsh, fit for neither foot nor wagon.  “Soon as the ground doesn’t suck.”  He seemed weary and resigned.  His comment ended the discussion, and Emmitt laid his head back on a potato sack.