She glared at him playfully, before rolling over to face the other way dramatically. "How fragile this relationship would be. Broken by snoring."
He frowned before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him, showering her in kisses on her cheek.
She reached back, running her fingers through his hair. "It's hard to be grumpy when you're this cute."
He laughed lightly, turning his head to kiss her cheek. * * * Jaz would be scouting a few days later. He had Rory with him to gather supplies deep within the forest, about seven miles away from the city.
She was following behind him, checking plants they came across to see if they were any use. Jaz acted as a sort of bodyguard, helping her when he could.
Aisling was somewhere else in the area, still in the process of training Jaz. She returned to their group, moving through the foliage, her face severe and critical as she approached them. "Found anything?" she asked quietly, raising one eyebrow.
He frowned slightly, looking down at his back. "Some berries," he replied, looking back up at her. As she had trained him she would learn he wasn't a man of many words to those he wasn't as familiar with.
She nodded thoughtfully, coming over to them and pulling off her hood, craning her head back thoughtfully. "There is a difference between gatherers and scouts," she said after a moment, looking at them again. "Rory acts more in a gatherer type role. Emerson wants you to be trained as a scout. Do you know what the difference is and how the relationship between the two positions is symbiotic?"
She considered this answer for a moment, pursing her lips. As a teacher, she was surprisingly patient, but spoke in an interesting fashion, explaining things in very simple language as if tutoring an elementary school student. It wasn't condescending, but more seemed like this was how she was most comfortable teaching. "Almost. Scouts aren't traditionally bodyguards, exactly, but their role is still primarily safety-oriented. Scouts are the precursors to any resource gathering. We go out, find a viable source, do an investigation of the area, identify possible threats, and clear the scene if possible. We want to establish that the location is safe before we send people who aren't necessarily trained to defend themselves." She looked over at Rory. "Not to insinuate that you couldn't protect yourself, Rory, but it isn't in your job description."
Rory shrugged slightly, seeming fine with this. Jaz sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I'm not right for a scout. It's not what I'm used to."
"I'm not sure that's true," she said smoothly, glancing over her shoulder idly as she considered the trees with a frown. "You've been doing well in training. When I was training Ellis, he originally wanted to be a medic but..." She paused and for a moment, she looked reminiscent of a red fox entering a clearing with hunters nearby. Her eyes darted along the trees quickly and her brow furrowed as she pulled out her gun slowly. "Rory, get behind Jaz, please. Quickly. Jaz, back up."
There was a silence from the forest ahead of them. Jaz wouldn't have heard or seen anything, but Aisling seemed convinced, holding her gun. "I know you're there," she said sharply into the darkness, her voice low and calm. "Come out where I can see you and I won't shoot. I'll give you to the count of three." The forest didn't reply and she lifted her gun, taking careful aim. "One." There was another pause. Aisling loaded the bullet into the chamber and aimed into the woods, seemingly pointing the gun at a bush. "Two." After a silence, there was a small rustling. A silhouette stood, shrouded in the gloom before moving towards them, their hands raised. Aisling stepped back as they came into the light. An old man stood in front of them, his expression impossible to read, his blue eyes narrowed. Both Rory and Jaz would feel a shiver of recognition pass through them as they watched.
Aisling frowned, raising one eyebrow quizzically. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" The man frowned almost disapprovingly at her. He may have once been handsome, but age and stress had worn away at him, leaving his hair silver and dark circles around his eyes. "I heard you talking," he replied, his voice as smooth as velvet. "You have an alert eye, but you shouldn't be talking in unexplored territory. It only draws unnecessary attention." She didn't respond, but Rory and Jaz would be able to tell that she was obviously not happy with his analysis. "Who are you?" she asked again. He tilted his head, eyeing her. "My name is Paul," he replied after a moment. "The people you were talking about earlier... what did you say their names were?" Aisling pursed her lips, not taking her eyes off of him. "That's not information I am at liberty to disclose," she replied quietly and he nodded with understanding. "Fine, fine. May I ask what clan you are affiliated with?" Aisling hesitated for a moment before lowering her gun ever so slightly. "The Empire," she replied slowly. "We're affiliated with the Empire." Paul's eyes widened and he stared at her for a moment, at a loss for words. "The Empire?" he asked after a moment. "That's... that's your clan?"
He looked at Jaz before looking back at Aisling. "I... I need to come with you back to your Clan," he said, sounding ragged. "Please." Aisling shook her head. "That can't happen," she replied. "If you'd like to make negotiations, we can arrange that, but you're still unidentified." "Fine, fine, fine," he said, waving at her irritably. "Fine. Can I meet with your leaders back here?" "The Northern edge of the forest would be better," she replied, frowning. "Tomorrow at the same time. I'll see if they're available." "Yes. Yes, that will work. Okay. Thank you." Aisling frowned but jerked her head at Jaz and Rory. "Head back to the car. I'll cover us from behind."
