It's Complicated!

Hand in hand, the pair made some distance. The boy kept looking around, ears twitching now and then. He was frowning heavily, eyes darting about wildly, but unwilling to speak at this time. He could sense danger, but what was the source?

The youth was starting to, finally, have some regrets. A small complaint escaped his lips, drawing a sharp glance from his companion. "D-did I make a mistake?" His words were barely more than a whisper, but he was shushed all the same.

Whatever, they had to move now, there would be time for regrets in the future. For right then and there... Wait, why were they running?

Glancing at his companion, the youth felt like it might be a mistake to doubt his new companion right then and there. There would be a time and a place for that conversation.

Besides, it was likely that whomever was following them wasn't the missing companions since his current associate was intent on helping him rejoin that lot.

It was... odd. He was hearing odd noises that he normally didn't notice. Birds and insects, sure, though the footsteps here and there in the distance that his brain told him couldn't be as close as they seemed, but his ears told him were practically on top of them were new.

Come to that, he'd never spoken to a tree before... Was it heightened senses due to the magic from before? Was this something new? Maybe this was just due to the sudden adrenaline rush. After all, it did go from safe inside a tree, not something the youth got to say often, to literally on the run.

In the distance ahead of them, the sound of a girl calling for him spurred his movements to faster heights. They seemed to be leaving their pursuit, if they were pursuing, behind.

All the same, the youth made good progress. Better than before, if anything, although that might simply have been having the elf maiden as his guide. And that was where his mind was as they ran directly into an annoyed looking Sunny whom was about to call out yet again.

Before she could say anything, Ian covered that meter or so remaining between them, covering her mouth with his hand. "Sh... someone's after us. Probably those people from before. The elf saved me, ok?"

He waited for her to nod before reluctantly letting her go and taking a step back. "No time to rest, let's move!"

Putting action to words, the boy took the hand of the girl and half dragged her along a few steps before she recovered enough to move on her own. The dwarves slowly began to gather around as they fled, protecting the youth and, for now, not asking questions.

Somehow, Ian felt it was going to be a long night. Well, that was yet another problem for the Ian of the Future, right then and there escape was more important.

They made some distance. Throughout the next few hours, the entire party had reformed and added an elf member, but camping too early would be a mistake.

Ian really wanted to travel through the night but... that might not end well. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it wasn't his decision to make. Our hero wasn't exactly the party leader.

Actually, if he remembered the script, he was supposed to be the poor defenseless idiot being rescued. Whatever should he do?

"I wonder if you all see me like a princess..." He went a few steps further before realizing that literally everyone, including the elf, was staring at him. He had the grace to blush, lifting his head and sniffing disdainfully. "I am not some helpless child! Please take me home..."

Gloriously ignoring the looks and scattered laughter, he started walking once more in the same direction they had been travelling. It wasn't long, however, before his friendly neighborhood elf started guiding him in a slightly different direction.

He looked askance at her, to which she made a shushing motion. The boy frowned, but shrugged. When they stopped for the night he'd ask more questions. Probably. If he remembered.

For whatever reason, however, he felt like the older woman amongst them was the only person giving our hero credit for having a brain. Odd, that...

Whatever, he mouthed though didn't quite say aloud. He was just a bit fed up with the attitude but... Well, he had the rest of his life to prove himself. Nodding to himself, he allowed himself to be led around practically by the hand.

They were alternating their pace, going from a jog to a walk and a jog again. There's only so much time one can spend afraid before they begin to go numb from it, however, and the adrenaline was wearing off.

They doubled back twice and took quite a journey upstream. The boy didn't know the reason for this, nor did he ask at the time, merely following along with the events around him.

At last they left the stream, following a game trail before, finally, they came to rest in a ruined building out in the middle of nowhere.

Our hero kind of just collapsed, completely out of breath and looking just as much like an idiot as they'd believed him to be. He couldn't speak for their Ian, but this version didn't think he was a slouch when it came to the wilds and yet...

Camp was set up around him while he, basically, was trusted to sit there and guard the luggage. As the dwarves set about getting things done, Sunny came to stand before our courageous hero.

"Well? Want to explain the deal with that older woman you've picked up? Is there something you'd like to tell me, Ian dearest?"

"No, not really," he said, seeming to relax as though he'd been dreading that moment.

"Let me guess," she said sweetly, an innocent smile on her face, "You thought you had a choice about answering me, didn't you, darling?"

"Of course not," he replied gamely, "I did answer, right?"

"Ian... You remember when we were kids... and you were lying to me... do you remember the consequences of your actions?"

No... no he did not remember, but this didn't sound good.

"Do you really want to suffer that humiliation in front of your new lady-friend and all these dwarven men?"

He didn't know a thing, but this sounded bad!

"Well? Care to change your answer, dear?"

"S-Sunny... Listen, I'd like to alter my answer if I might? There's no cause for... threats."

"Good boy," she said, patronizing him and even patting his head, a vicious look to her eyes despite the apparent sweetness of her voice. Then, that voice changed completely as she added, coldly, "Now talk!"

"Yes, master," the boy said timidly, dropping to his knees and groveling. "So I was picking mint for tea when I glanced around and none of you were nearby, so I went in the direction I thought you were.

That's when I met the 'elf', though I know little about her.

So, she tried to guide me to 'my companions' only she'd assumed I was with those humans, so..."

Our hero went on to spin a glorious tale of his own innocence while more or less recalling the course of events. Well, there were some important details left out, the elf magic for instance, though the idea of the 'MRE' was exciting for some reason.

"I'd love to see more about these artifacts you speak of, was there anything else you'd like to mention."

Glancing up at the elf, "Is there anything else I should tell my dear Sunny?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I wonder," the youth said, tapping his chin. "Last chance miss Sass?"

"I won't let that slide, you know? But I feel like you covered everything?"

"What about our relationship as it stands now?"

Sunny jumped into the fray, "What do you mean by 'our relationship'?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"We have the kind of relationship where she doesn't mind pushing me up against a tree and stealing kisses," he said, eyes alive with mischief.

"Kisses, you say," a dangerous sounding feminine voice asked.

"And then she pushed me down too... that kind of relationship, I guess?"

"Y-you asked me to take responsibility!"

"There's no way I can be married now though, right?"

"You're exaggerating..."

"Am I?"

Before the elf could reply, however, a very serious looking Sunny grabbed Ian's ear, then the elf girl's ear, and she asked in a quiet, deadly voice, "Is there anything /else/ you two might be hiding from me?"

Chilled, our hero glanced at the elf, then answered in unison with that worthy, "No... No I'm absolutely certain that's everything important."

"Really? How about the name of the woman you allowed to push you down after she stole your first kiss from me, hmm? Want to share?"

"A gentleman should never introduce another woman to his beloved," the boy said, sweating bullets. "C-care to take this one?"

"Ah, y-yes. We're so c-close already, why n-not j-just call me Ellea?"

"Ellea... if you get too close to /my/ man before daddy dearest approves our marriage I swear I'm going to..." she trailed off, leaving the rest to the imagination.