"Alexi?"
Safely secluded behind doors of strong oak, a pale-skinned man hummed softly too himself. Dark hair hung down to obscure his face, defying the purpose of the crimson rope that tied it back at the base of his neck. Constantly shifting in his seat, one might catch a glimpse of the stubble on his cheeks and chin, matching the rings under brown eyes in the telltale sign of all work and no sleep.
"Alexi? Alexi!?"
The rythmic scratching of the quill accompanied by rustling parchment added melody to the man's humming lips. He toiled over a pair of works, illuminated by the sun glowing through his open window. Ink stained fingers moved, dragging the quill across the most recent page of one with sweeping, deliberate strokes, pausing only when he found need to regard the words of the other again. A task of translating, of copying over the original document into something it's owners could read. Even with such a short document as this, even for one who understood both languages as well as he, such work took time.
But he neared the end now, the final words set to be completed before the sun could sink to touch the cities heights. He resisted the urge to quicken his hand, drove away the notion that haste would be for the best. Translated documents were weak enough without the possibility of mistakes, and it wasn't as if he had to be somewher-
"Ale- Are you still in here? ALEXI!"
"What! What is it?" 'Alexi' jumped out of his seat at the sudden blows that struck his door, narrowly avoiding ruining his entire work. Stalking across the sparse trappings of his room, the work-weary scholar wrenched his door open with a tired scowl.
"You are, by his grace Alexi, what are you doing?"
"Work." Alexi stood tall over the well-dressed man before him, the bright colors and fashionable taste signifying a mix of wealth and favor. In contrast, Alexi wore his leggings loose and undyed, high quality wool stained by scattered spots of ink. His tunic was wrinkled and vest resting unbuttoned, it's craftsmanship all-but hidden thanks to his work. "I'm close to finishing this translation, Charles, what is it you need?"
"You to remember the rest of your work." The shorter, well-dressed Charles had matched Alexi's scowl wrinkle for winkle all the while. "If you are to make it to Avantshire in a timely manner, you need to be leaving soon. And IF you are to be leaving soon, you need an escort, or should the good Lord risk his work and money vanishing into the countryside?"
"I'm aware of the logistics, Charles, It is not-"
"It IS. Because the business day is drawing closer and closer to an end." The comment drawing little more than blank looks from Alexi, Charles' stern demeanor broke with a sight. "As a friend I should mention that if you do not head to the mercenary guilds soon, there will be no one to listen to your request. Do I need to also remind you what that would mean?"
"No, no. I think I get the idea." Alexi turned back to his desk, eyeing the unfinished translation for but a moment before giving way. Head shaking, he dried the ink and began storing both documents securely within his waiting pack. So long as the translation was complete before he reached Avantshire, there would be no problem. No that writing on the road was the best way to finish a document, but it seemed the only option left to him now.
"Alright Charles, take care of the room." Donning cloak and hefting pack, 'Alexi' Alexander Dumont turned back to his friend with a bittersweet smile. "With luck, I might manage to return, someday."
~-~-~-~-~-~-~
"Yes, Avantshire is the first stop.... Four, as many as six... Ah yes, I understand."
"Yes yes, leaving as soon as I can... Shouldn't be long over a year, but I am willing to pay a two-year contract and to- I see... No, thank you. Good day..."
Alexi's scowl had returned with all the grace and charm of a wild dog. The sun was cresting over the western sky, shadows growing long within the square he now paced throughout. A place of bustling commerce six days of the week, it was now the waning hours of business, where the good deals of the day had long been eaten up.
A fact Alexi was discovering all over again, as his conversations within the square always seemed to come back to the same answers. 'Sorry, but we don't know of anyone heading that way'. 'I'm afraid we don't have anyone available for such a task right now'. 'Terribly sorry, but I'm afraid most of the mercenaries in the area have already been hired'.
It was... discouraging. Nerve-fraying. Disgruntling and various similar words. But tedious and trying as it was, the facts remained that he still needed to get to the town, alive.
...Well, his documents needed to get to the town. Anything more than that was a bonus... a considerable bonus if the Lord found his efforts worthwhile, but a bonus nonetheless.
So with those warming and uplifting thoughts in mind, Alexi set about pacing the square once more, asking if anyone happened to know of a mercenary willing to escort a paying scholar to Avantshire and beyond.