Fresh air filled his senses, bringing Matteo a curious sense of discomfort. The wind ruffling his hair should have been invigorating, but all he could think about was how uncomfortable it would be to get caught out in the rain. The unwashed stink of his own clothes and body seemed all the more foul by comparison. [i]Maybe the rain would do me some good after all,[/i] the youth thought as he trudged along, tall grass tickling the backs of his legs, and then his elbows, and then his chin.

He forced a smile instead of a grimace as the toad was finally spotted. Perhaps he could talk his way out of this, work out some kind of compromise without appearing utterly incompetent. [b]“Certainly, Muu and I are quite… fleet,”[/b] he said, tone pleasant, [b]“But If I may, we could discuss--”[/b] It seemed there was to be no discussion. The Thief’s words faded as Ettamri wheeled and trotted off without another word. Peeved, Matteo looked at Muu, irritation briefly passing across his face before he gave the bladedancer another bland smile.

[b]“I suppose we have our… orders, then. Maybe you should stay closer to Sunfa-- er, the priest, since you’ve got the sword.”[/b] Resigned, Matteo gave a slight shrug and nodded at Gwyn.

The youth ducked down, letting the grasses part around him as he moved forward towards the red-striped beast. He didn’t bother drawing his dagger, not yet-- if anything, the encounter with the goblins had shown him that he’d just drop it if he wasn’t already fully committed to using it. He hadn’t been told to stab the toad, just to get its attention. He’d just focus on dodging it for now. [i]Maybe it’s just placebo, but the priest’s blessing makes me feel a little less tired.[/i] Irrationally, he felt a little stab of jealousy towards Ash for having earned a seat on the horse so soon.

Creeping forward, making as little sound as possible while still moving fairly quickly, Matteo paused, muscles tensing as he nerved himself up. From his place crouching in the tall grass, for the moment he couldn’t see the strange-looking amphibian, nor the warhorse supposedly circling around it. [i]All right. Here we go.[/i]

The Thief burst out of the grass, charging the toad as fast as he could before peeling off like a game of chicken. The bright blue robes he was wearing under his breastplate seemed ostentatiously colorful in the gray weather, and would probably draw its attention. He put one hand on his dagger as he whirled to face it again, hoping he hadn’t just made a beginner's mistake.