Kasrjin tilted his head, his brow creased with consternation. Judging by the curious expression on the female's face, his offer was not very well-received, though the Xaela had no way of knowing if it was because of the nature of the trade itself or because of how he had clumsily worded it. The corner of his lip curled in some frustration. Situations like this were to be expected, of course, given the nature of foreign lands, but having to spar with hidden meanings and obtuse customs like some dithering Aljai was not something the warrior found preferable.
At the female's query, the Au Ra shook his head. He maintained eye contact with her with a stony countenance, gazing at her curiously. More odd questions, and a word he was unfamiliar with, though from the sounds Kasrjin could attempt to infer its meaning. The first syllable of the word sounded like "house", a place of residence, but what the "age" meant was anyone's guess. Was she asking for his hospitality? Unless she were blind, she should be able to see that he was travelling on his own and thus would have no dwelling to speak of, not unless she mistakenly believed that he resided in this wood. And if she refused to give him the information he needed, why would Kasrjin ever consider making her a house guest, anyway?
"No," the Xaela said, shaking his head once more. "I will not take you as a...host-age. I only require direction, or guidance, to my destination." It was possible that she would simply draw him into more of those masked warriors, but getting into a fight had more predictable results than simply continuing to wander aimlessly. Kasrjin judged the risk to be worth it.
Would it be worth it attempting to bargain with services again? Perhaps. "I will fight in return. Should you wish," he offered again a bit more awkwardly. It was impossible to tell if this would actually work or not, but it didn't particularly matter. At the very least, Kasrjin knew where the road was now, so finding his way north from there should be a matter of relative simplicity.
So he hoped.
"I do not wish to cause trouble," he added in an attempt at earnestness. "But it is important that I reach snow and mountains." As an attempt at a show of good faith, he relaxed his grip on the sword such that only one hand gripped it, the other falling to his side. Simple directions would be sufficient, but a guide would be better...assuming he wasn't being guided into hostile action, anyway.
At the female's query, the Au Ra shook his head. He maintained eye contact with her with a stony countenance, gazing at her curiously. More odd questions, and a word he was unfamiliar with, though from the sounds Kasrjin could attempt to infer its meaning. The first syllable of the word sounded like "house", a place of residence, but what the "age" meant was anyone's guess. Was she asking for his hospitality? Unless she were blind, she should be able to see that he was travelling on his own and thus would have no dwelling to speak of, not unless she mistakenly believed that he resided in this wood. And if she refused to give him the information he needed, why would Kasrjin ever consider making her a house guest, anyway?
"No," the Xaela said, shaking his head once more. "I will not take you as a...host-age. I only require direction, or guidance, to my destination." It was possible that she would simply draw him into more of those masked warriors, but getting into a fight had more predictable results than simply continuing to wander aimlessly. Kasrjin judged the risk to be worth it.
Would it be worth it attempting to bargain with services again? Perhaps. "I will fight in return. Should you wish," he offered again a bit more awkwardly. It was impossible to tell if this would actually work or not, but it didn't particularly matter. At the very least, Kasrjin knew where the road was now, so finding his way north from there should be a matter of relative simplicity.
So he hoped.
"I do not wish to cause trouble," he added in an attempt at earnestness. "But it is important that I reach snow and mountains." As an attempt at a show of good faith, he relaxed his grip on the sword such that only one hand gripped it, the other falling to his side. Simple directions would be sufficient, but a guide would be better...assuming he wasn't being guided into hostile action, anyway.
