So far as she let on, Katherine didn't have anything more to offer than Alexi in terms of what was going on.

But that was... okay.

Her hand on his shoulder, the gentle pats that he might have considered patronizing some point in the past, were comforting instead. Her rather candid speech and stream of crude language was refreshing... almost humorous. For her frustration to set his ears to burning, he really had been cloistered away for far too long.

That thought helped calm him once more, allowed the scribe to listen to Katherine's words and think them over. They might not make it to Avantshire by his deadline, no matter what they did? Arriving late would injure his professional reputation, probably sacrifice the payment he had been offered, and undo a lot of hard work spent over the past few years. It'd make his dreams of travel that much harder to accomplish as well... but it [i]was[/i] better than not succeeding at all. The consequences of that were... harsher.

The consequences of death were harsher still, and while Alexi [i]did[/i] have something to fall back on if things really fell through... he... he didn't [i]want[/i] to give up.

Selfish, maybe, but noticing the subtle twitch of Katherine's lip as she finished her options helped him notice something of his own. He had set out for a reason, more than simply completing this commission. Even though it was seeming harder and harder to accomplish, he [i]wanted[/i] to keep travelling. How long had it been since he had been able to want something -just for himself- and been able to follow that desire? 

"I... could be a little late." He spoke finally, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand and hoping the flame in his ears wasn't as visible as it felt. "Complications can be understood, they'll be consequences, but small ones. It's certainly better than failing the commission... or dying."

He didn't manage a chuckle to accompany those words, bravado seemed a bit out of his reach, it seemed.

"But I'd... I'd rather not turn back. We made a contract, and you certainly haven't failed it in any way. If you can lead us through the trails and paths of these woods, let's try that. 'Safer' is sounding better and better by the moment."

He didn't manage a chuckle to accompany that either. It seemed 'quips' needed to sound less like heartfelt confessions before they became amusing.