[center][h3]Before departure[/h3][/center]

To be on one's own certainly had some advances: Aside from gathering enough food, water and other supplies for a prolonged journey, there really was barely anything Kostya had to take care of. There was no estate that needed to be locked and no worries about a door possibly not being strong enough. No relatives that kept trying knocking one off course although one had already explained it to them a zillion times. No person that could spread rumours in one's absence - simply because noone was even aware of one's name. Noone that could [i]really[/i] miss you and noone you could really miss. However what did slow him down was the circumstance that he had to borrow pretty much everything, always assuming a tacit agreement on an indefinite time until restitution. He was convinced that the most people he took it from wouldn't really miss anything as he preferred selecting the wealthier ones, if possible.

One last sleep on the streets behind the outer wall and he would've seen Arx the last time for long, probably forever. He certainly wouldn't feel the need for it.


[center][h3]Departure[/h3][/center]
Kostya's mood was on the ascending slope. To be able to see the growing distance between him and this hole-in-the-wall infested with aristocratic scoundrels whilst not yet being able to see all the dangers ahead of them did boost his morale. He felt free to have a look around and to inspect the other guys he was now travelling with. As far as he could tell by his almost nonexistant experience, there were two warriors around him. The red-haired woman apparently could count herself among the battle-tested ones as well, though she was another type. The last one... well he pretty much identified himself as he started talking so profoundly about weapons, craftmanship and how to do and not to do things.

Kostya didn't intervene as there appeared to be a slight dispute unfolding between Maria and Albin. Neither was he able to clearly hear every word, nor was he eager to be sucked into trouble. What the huge and moderately overweight man did however was carefully pulling the arrow out of the tree's bark. It would've been such a waste of precious resources... If that lady did want it back, she would have to come and ask. He wasn't the butler for other people's abundance. Not anymore.

He glanced at Meretrix, trying to find out what he could be thinking right at this moment.