Abel frowned as Steven spoke behind him, his brow furrowing with frustration. He wasn't one to lose his cool so easily, however-- especially not in front of the ladies. He barely heard the boy's request over the pounding that had started in his head. Once they were both out of earshot and far enough away that the group could not see them, Abel abruptly stopped. He turned sharply to face Steven-- taking a step forward to stop him from continuing, unintimidated by Steven's size.

"[color=bisque]Who do you think you're calling an idiot, kid?[/color]" Abel asked, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. His voice was low and his demeanor suddenly changed from pleasant to quite angry. He spoke quickly but his voice was smooth as always. 

"[color=bisque]Perhaps it will come as a shock to you when I say [i]I've been here before[/i]? Since you know everything, right?[/color]"

He turned slightly to face the path ahead, "[color=bisque]I'm not here to make enemies, human. But if you're going to start asking for a buddy every time you gotta take a piss, don't expect me to treat you like an adult. We aren't your babysitters. Eventually you'll have to learn how to walk into big scary villages on your own.[/color]" 

Had Abel ever been to this town? Hell if he knew. He'd been traveling all around Idumea ever since he was a child. He could only remember the names of so many small villages like this one. Even when traveling with his father, however, he never begged for an escort when he wanted to explore. He grasped the bridge of his nose and stifled a sigh. He couldn't possibly expect this farm boy to understand why a peaceful looking village like this might not be a threat to a 17 year old giant. 

He knew he was being unfair to the kid. This was probably the first time he'd traveled anywhere past 'the next town over'. Abel was certainly nervous the first time he'd been to a new village (although he was a mere 6 years old at the time). Even so, the King had chosen him for an important position. There must have been a good reason why and he couldn't let himself forget that Steven was probably very capable-- at least as a fighter. Mostly, however, it frustrated Abel that the "idiot" comment had gotten under his skin so easily. It wasn't even a direct insult and he was already taking his frustration out on this teenager like some sort of... well... idiot. 

Abel had been called much worse many times before. Why was this any different? He figured it must be because this had been one of the first interactions the group had had in several days. It wasn't enough that Steven wanted to move on rather than take a much needed break and help some kid with some dumb, menial task. [i]Now[/i] he was calling him names in front of the entire group. He grit his teeth. This stupid human was no different than the brainless dwarves back home. Eventually his insults will start to run out, so he'll start talking with his fists instead. 

As he neared the end of his last sentence, he noticed Elisha further down the path-- but still out of earshot. He wanted the argument to end there, but knew Steven would want to reply-- even if Elisha heard. He had a strong feeling that, judging by their previous interaction, this kid was extremely oblivious when it came to impressing women-- or most likely anyone for that matter. He figured he would be doing both himself [i]and[/i] Steven a favor if he summoned, what he called, his 'conversation ender'. Better not let this escalate....

"[color=bisque]By the GODS! What's that?[/color]" Abel shouted suddenly-- staggering backwards and pointing past Steven. He pointed not at Elisha, but at the horizon. The shadow of a small, grey-white chinchilla briefly flickered across Steven's face just before it's small, furry body landed squarely and harmlessly on his nose. 

"FUUU~!" the tiny mammal cried before suddenly disappearing in a puff of (slightly glittery) grey smoke. By the time Steven would have been able to see Abel, he would notice the halfling was already trudging several yards away at a very brisk pace. The wind suddenly picked up then, whipping his heavy tan [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/2e/61/28/2e612822bc47ff6f4c370570307dfa43.jpg]traveling cloak[/url] to one side and conveniently obscuring Steven's vision further.

"[color=bisque]Perhaps [i]she'll[/i] make a better baby sitter,[/color]" Abel muttered as Pavel appeared on his shoulder. Abel had shamefully lost his temper and was in too sour a mood to be around anyone for a good hour or so. He would have to seek out that shoemaker later. In the meantime-- he needed to know where the nearest pub was. His mind was in dire need of some unwinding and he figured that if the town drunkard was indeed the most dangerous thing in Avveel, the pub would be the last place Steven would dare venture.