First of all I would like to express my thanks to 'TS and Double-T Forever Strong' for reviewing! This is my first story on which makes you the very first person to comment on it and it just makes me so grateful!

CH6
= ?: Introduce yourself
I think you know its a little too early for that.

= Rose: Go shopping
The morning after Dave left with the nameless boy, I set out to buy some necessary supplies. On my way out the door Roxy stopped me.
"Dun *dont forget to buy sim-some *hic* cloth!"
"Roxy why are you drinking so early in the morning?"
"Ta celebrate gurl! The prince's bert *burt *birthday is coming soon!"
"That's not for another month. Don't use that as an excuse to drink." I exit the inn and go about the village. I can't help but wonder how Dave is doing with his new friend right now. He seemed to have taken rather quickly to the boy, but that may be because of the state he was in. The Strider boys have always had a soft spot for those in need. Roxy has even told me stories of how Bro Strider would go all over the kingdom aiding people in a way. She also told me of how he died. He had traveled all the way to the neighboring kingdom after the princess had been taken over by an illness that only our kingdom had medicine for. While crossing the border he had ran into a family that was being assaulted by a group of bandits. After that he head straight to the castle not bothering with his own injuries. He managed to get to the princess in the nick of time. He died from them.
"We're looking for a boy." I hear someone say. I look ahead and see two women standing in front of a group of people. They're covered had to toe in clothing. I go up the closest vendor, which happened to be one for jewelry, and pretend to be interested as I continue to eavesdrop on their conversation. "We lost our friend while we were traveling. His horse went a little insane and before we knew it he had disappeared from our sight. We found his horse, but we couldn't find him. Do you happen to know if anyone with black hair and blue eyes came around here. He was also wearing wearing blue clothes and a pair of glasses." The description of the person they were looking for soundly oddly similar to the boy that Dave found. Could these people really be his friends? But then why was he wearing pajamas when he was riding his horse? And how did the horse become so aggravated in the first place? I am so tempted to ask these questions, but their next comment stops me in my tracks. "He may also be a bit roughed up along his arms and legs."
I thought he had received those injuries from the horse ride. But if they lost sight of him so quikly how do they know about them. Unless he had them before-
"Excuse me miss." My thoughts are cut of by the second person who is suddenly standing right behind me. I turn around to look at her hoping that she didn't find out I was eavesdropping.
"Yes?"
"We're looking for a boy." She gives me the exact same bit of dialogue that her partner had been previously giving the other group. It was as if she were acting out a scene from a play. As if she were reading it straight out of a script.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I recall meeting anyone like that." Honesty aside, I am not going to tell this stranger anything about the boy until I am sure that they're telling me the truth. I am not about to place Dave in any danger.
"Okay. Thank you for your time." she says. "By the way, I think..." she reaches behind me and bring a pair of earrings up to my face "these suite you." She props the earrings into my hands as she turns to pay for them. She walks back to her friend that is already quite a ways away. Once she reaches her she turns around for a moment to wink at me. I open my hand up to see a pair of purple skull earrings. Maybe I judged them too quickly...?

I head back to the Inn about an hour later. I enter it to see the exact same people there. The one that been conversing with me before was now speaking to lodgers in the back. I noticed the other one going up to Roxy. I slowly and silently crept around the room to get closer to them. I did my best as to not be spotted by either of them. by the time I got close enough to hear what they were saying I hear Roxy speak.
"I thanc *think I know who *hic* you are talking about."
The woman let out a sigh of relief. Which in of itself is not suspicious since if you were to have lost your friend and then found them relief would be the most logical feeling to have. Then she straightened herself up and began questioning Roxy. "Are you sure it was him? In what condition was he in when he camehere? Did he act or say anything in particular? Is he here right now? Is he lodging here at the moment?" There was a slight tone of victory in her words and as she spoke her eyes strayed. She was observing everything; from the rest of the people there to every entry/exit.
"Whoa thare gurl *hic* hee he's not even here anymore." Roxy takes a swig of her drink as she finishes her statement. Then the face of the woman morphs into one of frustration.
"Do you know where he went?" Her voice took on a tone of victory as she catches the attention of her partner and signals her over.
"Yah but..." Roxy utters out the two words and I can tell by her hesitation that doesn't want them to know. Maybe she also feels that there is something wrong with the situation. "...do you two *hic* have someone special?" Or maybe she is just weary of any competition for Dirk Strider's attention.
"Excuse me?" says the long haired one and by the look of how wide her eyes are she is shocked by the sudden question.
"Are you hitting on us?" says the short haired one.
"Nuu. Its just that the boi is with a friend of my-mine soo I wanta know if *hic* either of you will try to make a move on im."
The long-haired one slaps her right hand over her face. I actually feel bad for her in a way.
"Look" The other chimes in "Unless your friend is an extremely beautiful lady I promise to not do anything."
"He isn't!" Roxy exclaims content with her response, but focuses on the other awaiting for her to also respond.
"I promise to not come onto the guy if you tell us where to find our friend." She says the words with a grim look on her face.
Roxy is about to tell them when I decide to make myself known. I just can't help but feel that something is off with the situation. Maybe I am overthinking it...but its better to be safe than sorry right?
"Hello. Are you two going to be lodging here?" I smile as I stand next to them. The long-haired one points her brown eyes at me and I can tell that my intrusion only serves to frustrate her more though she's doing a swell job of hiding it. The other one's green eyes light up at the sight of me instead.
"No-" The long-haired one begins, but is abruptly cut off by the other who in a hushed voice tells her that it wouldn't hurt to stay one day. Then she says something much more quietly that I can't pick up, but then the long-haired one gives in with a huff.
"Maybe for just a day." She smiles a bit shyly to me. Then her attention is grabbed by the other. Roxy who had been quiet for awhile nudges me. She look point at me then at the short-haired one as she starts wiggling her eyebrows at me. I feel my face go a little warm, but I reprimand Roxy for drinking instead of the gesture. Reprimanding the gesture would only spur her on.
This whole business with the mystery boy only got more complicated.

= ?: The early bird catches the worm?
You make a sound point. But from where to begin.

I woke up early three days ago and hastily took a bath and dressed myself for the day. I ate my breakfast in a hurry. What can I say, I was exited. It was a special day after all. No it wasn't an anniversary or my birthday. I just got to see someone I haven't seen in a while today. Or at least that is what was suppose to happen. He never showed up. Later that day I received a message via my messenger hawk, Pistol. It was a SOS. From that very same friend. I felt my blood run cold as I read the note. He and his family were in danger. It was hastily written which leads me to believe that he wrote it while he was doing something else. Without so much as a beat I wrote my own message. I packed my things in a hurry and left without so much as a word to anyone. That is if you don't count the note I left behind for my sister to read. I took a horse and a plain carriage and head out into the night.

P.S. I had a bit of a problem with my Laptop as I typed this chapter up. I seriously almost gave up on finishing it today after the second time the page went down. But as you can see I managed!