Gravel made the most interesting crunching sound when you walked on it, really. How had he never noticed it before? Really, Danny had only been walking down this same road for the last, oh, two days?!
Crunch. Crunch. ... ... Crunch. ... Crunch.
The walk to the Capital was officially a bore. When he set out, he'd imagined it to be a wild adventure filled with angry soldiers, frantic townspeople to save, and wild animals. So far, though, he'd seen nothing but gravel, grass, and more grass. Dead grass.
Grumbling, Danny kicked a small rock on the side of the barely paved road and watched it scatter off into the thin weeds peeking up from the scorched ground. With the sun as overbearing as it was, he was glad it was nigh impossible for him to get hot. That was really the only perk of this whole trip. He's brought two water bottles with him, and had only gotten through half of the first one. Normal people would be salivating with heatstroke by now.
He grinned and kicked another rock.
The Capital. It seemed like such a mysterious, fantastic place to a backwater street-rat that had barely ever left his hometown. He'd never really had a reason to leave before now, and Lancer practically had a conniption every time he set foot outside the house.
An uncomfortable twisting of guilt pervaded Danny's gut at the thought of Lancer. The man worried about him constantly, and he really, really, really hoped the old man hadn't died from a heart attack when he'd found the letter Danny had left. It was terrible of him to do this to the man who'd pulled him off the streets. But... he wouldn't turn back. Not when he had to be nearing the Capital. Probably sometime tomorrow he'd even be at it's gates.
Danny felt his chest swell with a rush of excitement, and a spring returned to his tired legs. He'd walk until night fell, and set up camp somewhere hidden off the road. Between Lancer's stories and his firsthand experiences, he wasn't stupid enough to open himself up to a midnight visit from a group of friendly bandits.
Maybe he'd even get lucky enough to pass by some kind of food vendor, his stomach complained.
Yawning, Danny rubbed his stomach. Yeah, that would be nice.
A thin grey plume of smoke crawling just above the orange horizon caught his attention. He almost forgot to keep walking, and slowed for just a few moments. What was smoke doing all the way out here? Was he closer to the Capital than he'd thought, and was seeing the first chimney puff? The thought excited him, but he knew that it was impossible. There's no way he'd crossed that much ground.
As he continued to walk, more of the road before him rolled into view. After a few minutes, he could even make out a small tent by the side of the road. The top was... open?... and allowing smoke to pour out. His stomach growled. Maybe the tent's occupant was cooking.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Danny almost hop-skipped his way over to the tent. As he got closer, he was able to make out a blackened silhouette within. So it was occupied. Danny shook his head. Even if it hadn't been occupied he wouldn't have taken the idiot's supplies. No way.
Coming to a stop in front of the zipped up front flap, he pulled one of his gloved hands from his jacket to give the fabric an awkward knock. He watched the silhouette - turn towards him? he couldn't quite tell - before making some more movements. Danny sighed. It was no use, he had no idea what the person inside was doing. He was sure he'd be just fine, but if they picked a fight - he really didn't want to deal with that.
You never really knew what people were going to do.
"Hey there! My name's Danny! I'm on my way to the Capital, and if you're cooking something in there can I come in? I'll pay for the food if you have enough to share!" Danny chuckled.
There was no response from the tent for a while. Sighing, Danny turned to continue walking. "Well, I guess that's that! It was, uh, nice meeting you. I'll just... be off, then!" He called.
He'd almost taken another step forward when he heard the zipper behind him work it's way open. Smothering his smile with a wooly hand, Danny spun around. "Or not!" He chirped.
The person poking their head out of the tent's front door was definitely male. The man sported a well-kept looking head of long grey and white streaked hair pulled back with a red tie. His eyes were blue, and hard like rocks. It matched the rest of his face. He was all angles and weary lines. He had a firm jaw that was dusted with the beginnings of a grey beard.
Danny raised an eyebrow. This certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting from a traveler on the road. He knew he must have looked like a dirty monkey compared to this man, and snorted.
The man stared at him for a few moments before his head popped back into the tent. Danny waited a few moments, and the zipper lowered further.
"Come in." The man's voice was curt, but smooth. Danny grinned, and stepped tentatively into the opening.
There was quite a bit set up inside, and Danny wondered how long it had taken to put it all up. An hour, at least. In the center of the large tent was the man, leaning back away from a fire. A spit with some kind of meat was crossed over the top, cooking. It gave off a delicious smell.
The man was dressed nicely as well. He wore a pristine white tunic, with a red cord tying the neck. His pants also looked to be made from a finer material, and he wore a few glimmering rings. Danny almost sighed. This guy was begging to get robbed.
"So? What do I call you, o savior?" Danny asked while shoving his loose hands back into his pockets.
The man regarded him silently for a bit before answering. "You may call me Vlad."
When the man didn't seem to have anything else to say, Danny wandered over to the fire, and squatted down a little ways away from it. "What are you so close to the fire for? It's hot as hell outside anyways."
"The heat does not bother me." Vlad smirked, some kind of joke dancing in his words that Danny wasn't privy to.
Smiling, Danny fell backwards onto his butt and leaned back casually. He eyed the meat over the fire. "So... how much do you want for some food? If you're cool with that, obviously."
"Don't bother. It's my treat, as thanks for the company." Vlad waved his hand dismissively.
Danny twitched. Well, he wasn't one to refuse a gift horse. Even if the horse was a complete idiot.
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