"Hallo there," I said, nimbly switching direction to match pace beside her. "Are you okay?"
She looked at me with a bit of anxiety. "I'm... no. I don't know."
"What is wrong, Syrana?"
"Oh... It's Fletcher. I just came from seeing him."
"I should have guessed. Do you want to talk about it?"
She seemed to be thinking deeply for a moment. "Yes. Yes, I guess I do."
"Let's take a walk then," I said, motioning down the hall.
She nodded, falling into step beside me. "My sister," she begins slowly, "was privy to some information about Fletcher, which she shared with me since I was staying with the group."
"Hmm. Maybe this was what she said to you as she left?"
"Yes." She thought about it for a moment. "Fletcher is not the hick that he appears to be. That comes through, sometimes... But what I have to ask myself... is he also not the killer that he appears to be? The way he handles himself, I fear that he's like a rabid dog that might some day need to be put down. Is that really him?"
I folded my hands back into the sides of my cloak. "He has advocated positions in the past that I haven't agreed with, but went along with purely for the sake of keeping our party cohesive. Should he choose to press the current one -- that we not continue to Amber -- I fear that I will either be on my way alone, or there will come a reckoning, to use his terms."
She wrapped her arms around herself as we continued to walk. "Maybe that would be for the best, the splitting of this group." She paused. "I would come with you."
I smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. However, I have a feeling that that much would not be necessary. I believe Shen, Cecily, and Harrison feel similar to me. It didn't seem that we'd all make it down here when we argued on the beach now, did it?"
I stopped and put a hand on her shoulder. "I think if anything was to happen, he'd go off on his own."
She nodded slowly. "The conversation made me feel bad. Like I was underestimating him. But I don't think I am."
"Your sister's position demands that all her senses be continuously aware of dangers. Combined with her looking out for you, it's only normal that she would have impressed upon you the danger of underestimating him. I'm not your nanny, and I think you're well to the point of better that you would not even have to listen to me anymore." I smiled softly. "You're a bright young woman, Syrana. I trust your judgement."
She darted me a strange look. "There you go again."
I shook my head. "There I go again?"
"Even when you're encouraging me to be an adult, you're telling me how young I am."
I laughed. "Syrana, *everyone's* young to me."
"Oh, yes. Of course. It's not like my father wasn't almost three hundred years old when I was born. Or that Gerda is probably older than you. And then there's King Benedict. Let's see... he's several thousand years old. So, naturally, when I talk to an *ancient* such as yourself, I just feel this immeasurable gulf between us. You must be, oh, twice as old as Benedict..."
My smile fell a bit. "Let me amend that then -- I seem old to everyone else. I didn't... don't mean to make things difficult for you when we talk, Syrana. In all honesty, talking to you... makes me feel young again. Even if in reality I am only but a fraction of Lord Benedict's age."
"It only makes things difficult for me because I don't want you to be old." She sighed.
Could she be...? "Why not?"
She looked like she was having a hard time coming up with the words. "Because I wouldn't want to think of you that way."
I chuckled. "Well, try to think of it this way -- I have about 2,952 more years to go before I approach where Benedict is now." Sobering, I continued, "And I'll try not to ruminate on my own mortality as much."
She looked relieved. "Good. That should help."
I nodded. "I guess I never really thought of it that way. We're just babes in the woods compared to this great family we're a part of." I absentmindedly cracked my knuckles, then turned to her again. "Thanks for being patient with me."
She smiled softly. "Any time."
I smiled in return. "Well then, considering we haven't eaten since the ill-fated banquet, would you like to accompany me on a search for dinner?"
She agreed, and we were on our way.
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