Day 3 | Night | Safely Aboard

[Laila Bridger]

She blinked at him, cocked her head to the side, managed a bit of a grin.

"Listen, that kinda thing's for Hadrian t'talk me into..."

She closed her eyes again.

"But I 'ppreciate the sentiment. The real one, I mean. I've... no place has been home in three damn years."

[Bernard Martikova]

"Yes, yes, I know. I wouldn't be a good brother, though, if I didn't spend a few moments to encourage the thought while sticking my nose where it doesn't belong at the same time." Bern grinned and pressed on. "He's a idiot, after all, and may need that extra knock on the head to think of it." Looking down as he adjusted her and himself, he kept his grin on his face. "Just know I'm going to now sweeten that potential offer by promising to tell just the most embarrassing childhood stories about him so you can see his embarrassed and angry face."

[Laila Bridger]

"I'm all ears."

A sigh.

"And no one's left to tell my embarrassing stories, so I'm impervious... Bern? You're a good brother. Wanna tell you that."

[Bernard Martikova]

Bern pulled her up closer to him to readjust to the weight and smiled at the compliment. "Well, I wouldn't know how to be anything else to him, Laila." The tent was finally coming close, but he slowed down a bit to chat a little bit longer. "Now, I can't do any spoilers for those stories, need that incentive, after all...but, if you feel like getting a quick rise out of him, mention to him about the time he was 12 and wanted to become a beekeeper." He laughed, keeping a grip on her as to not lose it as he bellowed out. "Oh lord, that'll make him nervous to think that you know about it. Should be fun to tease him when he's up and conscious."

He kept that grin wide. "...Not to mention just a tiny bit of revenge for not listening to my orders."

[Laila Bridger]

"Your orders, hell, if he'd gotten himself killed I'd murder him."

She would have been a sobbing, hysterical wreck, of course, but it wouldn't do to belabor the point.

"Beekeeper. I'll save that one."

She'd trade him one of her own. Maybe the one about laundry day when she was fifteen. And then her mind drifted a bit.

"Bern... you seem to like me well enough. What's... how's the rest of the family... uh..."

How would they take to some offworld mercenary with a foul mouth, no family connections, and absolutely no useful peacetime skills trying to join them?