[center][h3][color=DDA0DD]Sasuke Stormwind[/color][/h3][/center]

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Snow castigated the sellsword who remained on edge and on the ready the entire time. Snow sighed. [b][color=lightblue]"Life must be given a chance... Snow Sparrow. Away with your weapon."[/color][/b]

Sasuke at least acknowledged the monk's grudging response. For as much as he didn't like the monk, at the very least he had to respect the man's spirit. [color=DDA0DD][b]"I'm Sasuke. Good to see you're not in the mood to fight, either."[/b][/color] True to his word, Sasuke dropped his fighting stance and took his hand off his sword hilt. He also took his free hand off his tomahawk, which was strapped to the other side of his belt.

Before Sasuke could think or even speak another word, the fancy-dressed man suddenly yelled out: [COLOR=FF8C00][B]"You there! Tepet!"[/B][/COLOR] Sasuke caught the nuances behind the man's tone and manner of address. He was clearly not a commoner. [COLOR=FF8C00][B]"As it seems you've history with one of our merry group of misfits, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for now. ... that said, I doubt I am alone in thinking I want to know exactly what happened there."[/B][/COLOR]

Sasuke looked closely at the man, and made out the crest of House Mnemon on the other man's outfit. Between the livery and his tone, this left no doubt he was a partrician somehow connected to that House. [i]Nice! This means a better chance for support from the next town.[/i]

Having gotten Sasuke's undivided attention, the other man made a proposal. [COLOR=FF8C00][B]"For the time being, we are headed upriver to the nearest town in order get some rest and properly supply ourselves before deciding what we do next. Tag along with us. On the way, you can explain everything. If we all like what we hear, then you can stick with us if you see fit. If we don't like what we hear, then that's as far as we go together. Seems fair to me. What say you?"[/B][/COLOR] As he asked the final question, Fergus extended a hand to the Tepet man while keeping his other hand planted firmly on the pommel of his weapon.

Sasuke was rusty on noble etiquette and all that, but he still patched his words together well enough. As a show of faith, he visibly moved his hands away from his weapons, walked up, and shook the other man's hand. [color=DDA0DD][b]"I am Sasuke, Lord of House Stormwind, under the umbrella of House Tepet. Not like that that title does us any good right now, though."[/b][/color]

With that bit of etiquette aside, he was more than happy to take up his counterpart's offer, although it was tinged with obvious suspicion. Sasuke almost winced when the other man pointed directly at his neck wound, which served as a very potent proof that he had his ass literally handed to him not even a day ago. 

[color=DDA0DD][b]"I'm headed to Lord's Crossing. I've got some assets there from the old days. I'll tell you everything I know, but we have to exchange stories on the road. I had to fight that Abyssal less than a day ago, so she could already be on the move."[/b][/color] It was clear that Sasuke genuinely hated that mark with almost every fiber of his being. [i]At least I'm alive, unlike all those poor bastards back there.[/i]

[color=DDA0DD][b]"Before we continue running for our lives, what's your name? I don't think I ever got it over all this mess."[/b][/color]