[Center][color=598527]Gerard Voss[/color][/center]

	Well, simply going along with it like it wasn't sarcasm at all wasn't any fun, Gerard mused, not at all. Though he continued to wear a neutral expression now that this knight was going on about exotic tastes, he was a tad irritated at the fact that his progress through the swamp had been interrupted by a man seeking to likely indebt someone over offering transit via horseback. Though the man's composure was commendable, he had to admit. [color=598527]"Yes, well, stumbling into them at night is a tad less pleasant. Cleaning the gunk off one's boots is a tedious affair, at best."[/color]

	Gerard had returned any weapons being held to their holsters, since this man seemed to intend no obvious ill will. Considering he had not ridden him down, fully armed and attacking, one could have simply gone with him being some knight returning from duties abroad or the like. Given the politics and infighting of his home, however, Gerard was slow to trust anyone who was graced with such quality of equipment. Though he reiterated his offer, Gerard had a temptation to simply turn and continue his pace through the swamp like he had been already, though the explanation did give him pause. Did not expect a debt in return? What sort of madness was that? Perhaps he had grown far too used to the interactions of his home and surrounding lands, but offering aid for the sake of being helpful was rare, and he at least adopted a more pleasant tone as he responded.

	[color=598527]"You've not spent much time in Saker Keep, then. Any hand offered is sure to conceal a knife, at best, up the sleeve, and gods knows what behind their back. Your horse looks burdened enough with a knight with full arms and armor, though if you insist on helping, I will follow the path you make through the swamp instead. That would vastly increase the pace of my progress towards fairer grounds."[/color] It was an olive branch of sorts, as far as the magitech inventor was concerned, given his initial assumption of the man having offered his aid for little more reason than to create a debt between the two of them. Of course, it also helped considering he could, if things proved to be dangerous or suspicious, also simply vanish from the path and resume the route he was going to take originally.

[@AtomicNut]