[b][center]Scipio - Chapter 1: To Drink from the Fountain[/center][/b]

"Oh, and who is [i]his[/i] man exactly?" Though he said it calmly, Scipio's heart raced. He had been searching for two weeks without any luck. No one had seemed to know when Kyarian had gone to. Now all of a sudden this girl appeared and claimed to know the one thing he himself hadn't even though to ask: the identity of who Kyarian had been pursuing. It seemed too opportune to be coincidence. But then again, Scipio had always been cautious around those who tried to be helpful.

"Man, woman. Not sure, I only know that one peculiar individual after another has passed through here. I can't imagine it's a coincidence on so quiet a Sphere," she said, her voice muffled underneath the painted wooden mask. "I've been following you around, actually. This Kyarian guy, he arrived later than the one he was looking for. The one [i]I[/i] was looking for. We team up. We kill two birds with one stone. Yea?" She veered around Scipio's question, albeit slightly. She was clearly hiding the quarry's identity, but was freely explaining there was at least a target.

It couldn't have been anything but related to Kyarian's own quest, however. That much was for sure. The Drider wasn't an easily distracted man, and if he hadn't yet found the assassins, then he was surely still on the same path.

With unwavering silver eyes, Scipio stared down at the masked girl. "Tell me where Kyarian went, and then [i]maybe[/i] I'll let you follow."

The girl crossed her arms and let her head droop to the side, her cheeks turned up to Scipio, disgruntled. She sighed quickly, but gave in, "Well if your Kyarian guy has any wits about him, he'd have followed his target to Bulwark. Urborg specifically. That's what I got out of the people here. Seems no one really cared bout' your spidery friend, and more about my target. Paid attention to him, lucky for me," she paused and quieted herself, "and for you." Unfolding her arms, she extended a hand to shake for Scipio, reaching upwards to meet his own height.

"I'm Edith, you?"

Scipio reached out and took the girl's hand. "I am Scipio," tendrils of white spread from his hand to encase her arm, trapping her from moving away. "And you said that you didn't know the gender of Kyarian's prey, but just now you said 'him' with no hesitation. Do you wish to tell me why?" Scipio listened inside the girl's body, to her subtle hearbeat. If she lied to him again, he would hear it there.

Initially surprised by spider-man's sudden interrogative tactics, Edith soon relaxed and returned to her original, sassy state. Looking up into Scipio's eyes, she replied cooly, a hint of contempt riddled in her voice.

"Male is the default gender where I come from. You think I slipped up?" Scipio felt her truth, and it seemed at the time that she really did just simply refer to the target as male for simplicities-sake. She waited for Scipio to either wrap her up for dinner, or to let her go, still maintaining her eyeless gaze upon him.

She was either an incredibly skilled lier, or she was telling the truth. She looked to small to have been formally trained in the arts of deception, and even if she had it was unlikely he would have sensed nothing from her hearbeat, so Scipio decided that she must be telling the truth. "No. I apologize." He raised one hand to his collar and bowed his head slightly, the white web falling away. "It was wrong of me to assume. Where I come from we have different words for many differnt types of people. To be reduced to a mere two, it is odd. Again, I apologize for my actions."

Edith retracted her hand, rubbing it tenderly as if coated in something strange. "Right," she grumbled, turning slightly away, "So then, I don't suppose you have an airship?" she questioned, her partially chuckling breath indicating what seemed like embarassment. "I got on this boring place by the grace of another Sphere's... [i]generosity[/i]."

"Airship? No, I do not have one. I'm sure I can manage to get us passage on one that is departing from here though." Great, he was travelling with a criminal. It wouldn't be the first time. Scipio wondered how she would react if he pulled a gold coin from his pocket right then. The last criminal companion had jumped him for it. Then again, this one was much smaller, so the 'jumping' wouldn't be nearly as effective.

"At least tell me your prinny clothing is a reflection of your wealth," Edith sighed, looking him up and down, "and that you can pay for the trip." Edith reached into the pockets of her hoodie and pulled out emptiness and lint, stressing her utter lack of funds. "You don't look like a commoner anyways. Who are you, really?"

"Scipio," he said flatly. His clothing did make him stand out, but he had stopped trying to blend in on the Spheres he visited a while ago. Even when he had the look right, he didn't act or speak like a local. As soon as he opened his mouth the facade was broken. Besides, Scipio liked how he dressed. "And don't worry about the cost," he added. "I'm sure I have enough to get us wherever it is we need to be."

"Wonderful. I have a feeling your coin will get us farther than the airship too," Edith said cheerfully, seeming as if she was declaring the man would take on the responsibility of catering to everything she needed. "And yet..." she had begun to turn away, but looked over her shoulder to Scipio, "your spider stuff might prove more useful in the end, where we're headed." Edith moved on and beckoned for Scipio to follow.

"Ships to Urborg aren't particularly common, so I suppose we'll have to wait around for a bit. You got a place to stay?"

If Scipio had been any other man he would have been annoyed that this girl had just declared him her personal bank. But he was more curious about what the Edith meant by his 'spider stuff'. Had she seen him fight before, seen another Drider, or simply heard stories? He would have liked to know how much he could still keep a secret, but that was hard when he didn't know how much she already knew. No point in speculating about it.

"Yes, I'm staying with a farmer just outside of town, by the name of Durn. He's given me a room to use while I'm staying on this Sphere. I doubt he would have any objection to one more guest, especially one who takes up so little space." Okay, maybe he was a tiny bit annoyed at her.