James... James of the Blackened Moor...

The name seemed very familiar, though Alexi couldn't place anything more than that. Too many names jumped out at him from the documents he wrote and re-wrote, too many introductions and named acquaintances from meetings he had or recorded. If a man or woman of notoriety had some connection to the city, he likely had heard or read the name at least once. 

Remembering anything more about those names, however, was a difficult task. So he simply nodded at the name, not trying to pretend he knew more, lips parting in a wry grin as she commented on her cheek.

"Some things always seem to chase you, don't they?" He chuckled lightly along with the words, the woods seeming a little lighter in the wake of their conversation. Something about company allowed him to say those words calmly, to start to relax within the unfamiliar territory through which they traveled, to look forward to the journey, not just the destination. 

Had he really been shut away for so long, to forget what company was like? 

"Though, work like that helps as a mercenary, doesn't it?" Talking about his earlier travel -even in brief- reminded him of everything that had happened then. All the missteps, all the times spent wishing he knew this, or had paid attention to that. Only a single trip had taught him how prepared he would need to be in the future- even if he wasn't going to travel alone. It was why he had all-but memorized the maps of the area, why he had spent far too much time going over every little detail for this trip, ensuring he didn't overlook a single thing in his preparations.

And... it was why he nearly missed the most important fact: an escort. 

But that little realization aside, Katherine had to travel far more than Alexi ever would... and by herself, no less. Sure, mercenaries used jobs to travel from place to place more often than not, but surely they traveled by themselves as well, looking for more jobs when none presented themselves locally. For her to be so comfortable on the road, she had to know how to survive outside the walls of a city or fences of a town. Survival that meant more than just combat prowess... though the latter probably helped.

"Maybe not needlework, but your works asks for far more than swordplay, doesn't it? Especially if you work alone?"