"You don't sound very confident in that assessment." He pointed out, loosely crossing his arms over his chest.
"You don't sound very confident in that assessment." He pointed out, loosely crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, I am. I mean, as confident as I can be. All things considered. There might be other things, like bears or wolves. Altair doesn't generally have bears or wolves, but if Nightriders are showing up, then why not, you know? There'll definitely be deer, though. And goats. But nothing else."
"And you just need my help to get over the gate." He clarified, raising an eyebrow a bit. That sounded like what should have been the least of her worries.
"Yes, exactly. Will you help me?" she asked. "It's hard enough without a broken arm..."
"Right." He looked pointedly at her arm. "This doesn't seem like a good idea."
Oh, it most definitely wasn't, because it wasn't even really an idea; it was an instinct. Somehow, she knew that he would be even more reluctant if she admitted this out loud. "Then that makes it easier for you, doesn't it? You get whatever information you want, and all you have to do is drop me on the other side of the gate and leave me to my bad ideas."
He narrowed his eyes slightly in thought, aware that their time was ticking down fast. If she was the Sangrian traitor's contact, this strange behavior would make sense-- both willingly turning to a Sangrian for help and the inexplicable sneaking about against seemingly all logic. It was a lead worth following, he thought. Either it led them to their goal, or perhaps another discovery of considerable valuable to be leveraged against this wretched country and its ruling clan.
"Alright. When?"
Roo's expression stayed placid, but her eyes brightened enormously, betraying her relief. "Actually... right now, if you can. I'm ready to go."
His features betrayed his surprise at the response. "Well, I suppose I don't exactly have anything better to do."
"They do have you on tight leashes," she agreed with a small grimace, turning around to examine the room. "Can you help me with one more thing, please? Do you see that chain over there?"
There was a small chain made of what looked to be silver sitting on a vanity right across from them. Hanging off of the chain was a sachet, small enough that it couldn't be carrying anything significant.