Wood You Like to Leaf? [c]

Pax had to admit it. He was actually kind of disappointed that they hadn't seen a lick of combat on an E rank quest. He had been really looking forward to testing out his own mettle, and possibly getting to see what Saint was capable of. He snickered a bit, "Not too hard, eh? I beg to differ. Mountains tend to be pretty solid."

Pax's ears perked up as soon as Saint stopped. He'd heard it, too. He was trying to figure out exactly which direction it was coming from and what it could be when Saint went sprinting off into the woods. He paused for only a moment and sighed. Technically, he could've just kept walking back to town without feeling bad about anything. But, curiosity won out over his broken moral compass and he went bolting after Saint.

He caught up quickly enough. She hadn't gotten very far before he had chased after her. He pulled his sword out of its sheath as he chased after her, fully prepared for any kind of combat they'd run into. He had a feeling in the pits of his stomach that he'd regret choosing to follow after Saint. Or maybe he was just hungry.

A voice was screaming in his head, telling him to stop following this crazy female and go get something to eat. Go sleep. He could feel his eye twitch. How long had they been running now? About five minutes? He sighed, and was just about to turn around when he realised Saint had come to a full stop. He had been running too fast and not paying attention. He instinctively took in a sharp breath, and did his best to jump out of the way. His effort was met with a spin and a trip, forcing his face to arc in a beautiful angle. Straight towards the ground. He sat there for a moment, contemplating how easy it would be to just enjoy his dirt nap.

"Oh sure," he groaned from the dirt, turning his face towards Saint before pushing himself off the ground, "run for an hour towards something that could or could not be a trap. I'm sure it'll be just dandy."

He sighed and shook his head. Dirt in his mouth had made him grumpy. He was halfway done standing up when he decided to plop down in a cross-legged position. He closed his eyes, almost as if he were napping or meditating, "Sorry. But yeah, let's take this quest."

He gave Saint a curious look, "You are going to pay attention to the NPC so you know what we're doing, right?"

He could feel the back of his neck go cold, hairs raising up as if they were trying to escape that gaze that was so suddenly locked upon him. Every fiber of his being was suddenly locked in place, his ears going red with what he could only guess was embarrassment, his cheeks turning a pale white as the blood fell away from them. It was as if his body understood entirely what his mind and his mouth could have possibly just done to him.

I have a point, though. He wanted to blurt out, but his tongue was held firmly between his teeth. Looking at Saint at that moment reminded him of when his mother had caught him feeding his sister spicy curry. He turned his head to the ground, eyes going blank as he struggled to think of something to say. His throat could only manage to tie itself in a knot and he was choking on it. He nodded weakly as Saint continued on about what the NPC needed. Blood was pumping in his ears. Why am I so scared?

He saw Saint turned to him and a thousand words were flying through his mind. He started to stand up slowly, until he was eye level with the woman. He averted his eyes from Saint and felt some of the blood slowly creep back into his face. Of all the words he had flying in his head, only two could leave his mouth in a tight voice, "Yes, ma'am."

Pax hadn't seen this side of Saint. He was equal parts terrified and impressed. It wasn't until this moment that he considered just how well she must lead her guild. With a shaky sigh, he pushed himself off the ground and sheathed his sword. He gave her a slightly broken smile when she threw her thumb in the air at him. This woman was something he hadn't counted on being in this game.

"Yeah, let's go," he reluctantly said as she began walking. He wasn't excited in the least. He looked up at the trees and wondered just how long it would be until this woman tried to have him killed. He shook his head. She wouldn't kill him. She'd have him locked up in a dungeon somewhere with rats slowly chewing on his body.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine," was his response to her question. Something clicked inside him, though. He started thinking about how this was more like a challenge. How far could he go before he stepped on a social landmine and blew himself up? He smiled a little bit more, "I'm great, actually."

The only thing he could think of was how this social game was like that good old game 'Minesweeper'. Except without the numbers.