Ariel rolled her eyes at Stephan's words, beginning to inspect her other blade. It wasn't the first time she had run into a prick like him, and it was, depressingly, unlikely to be the last. In truth, she wanted nothing more but to send one of the throwing knives attached to her legs flying towards him, but she had seen the way he moved, and had deduced that her knife would likely not reach its target. Besides, even if it did, he'd just be more weight to carry back to Honimora, and she doubted either Olivia or Jing would be pleased about the incident. So, for now at least, she'd just have to put up with him. 
	
	Hearing his knife ears comment, she shook her head in disbelief. Not only was he an ass, he was racist to boot. [color=f26522]"This is stupid."[/color] She muttered, fantasizing for a moment about shoving both her tanto's down the man's throat. Seemingly appeased by the cheery image, a calm smile appeared on her face as she unbuckled the daggers from her waist and laid down, resting her head against the trunk of a nearby tree. It felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees as soon as she entered the shade of the leaves, and she almost yawned. This was the most relaxed she had felt in weeks, after all the intense training she took upon herself to meet the physical requirements of the Company, as well as the long trek it had taken them to reach the oasis. While she had been in prime shape from her time with Nicholson, endurance had not been a strong point for her. After all, there was no need to run throughout the whole length of Golden Shores when there was plenty of hiding places, tucked away from the guards and angry shop keepers. Or in the case of the four years afterwards, it didn't take much endurance to chase after the children of the noblemen and women she had found temporary employment with as servant.
	
	At the thought of her late mentor and protector, the smile disappeared. [color=f26522]"Are you proud of me yet, Nicholson? I got out of the city..."[/color] she asked quietly, looking out over the glimmering waters of the pond. A faint smile reappeared on her face as she shook her head. [color=f26522]"No, you were never easy to please. And I haven't even accomplished anything yet..."[/color]