"I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. Time to play up the part of being a teenage leader - even though he was much older than he appeared to be. "I have a lot of people I need to protect, and it's not the type of information I can give out freely. I usually use an alias when traveling to other places, but I told Lasan my name earlier because I thought he was from another world."
She eyed him. She sensed there was something he wasn't saying, but she let it go. For now. Pushing him now wasn't likely to work anyway.
"Everyone here has joined the ranks of those you need to help protect," she pointed out, "Secrets and lies are not advisable under the circumstances."
She knew she was a hypocrite, at least on the secrets front, but she had no reason to go spilling her family secrets simply because she was in proximity of these people in a dangerous situation. They had something of an idea of her skills and how she'd acquired them, that was enough.
"I think the circumstances are different here," he countered, "but I plan on caring for them just as much as I do for the other members of the resistance. There's just some things that have to stay secret to prevent Notch from learning more about me."
He paused, then hurriedly added, "And the other resistors."
She stared at him a moment longer, "Is there anything else you have failed to mention that would change the group's perspective of you?" she asked, her final question if she could help it.
"...Actually, there is something," he admitted. He took a deep breath - this was a serious reveal, even if it wasn't the reveal she was probably digging for. "My skill with swords isn't as good as it is with other weapons. I can make do with what I currently have, but swords are a relatively new weapon for me."
She blinked. She made a point not to maintain expectations in situations like these, but this had caught her off guard. This wasn't the kind of lie she was used to.
"What kinds of weapons are you better with?" she couldn't help the confusion that seeped into her voice. Why would someone lie like that? In this situation, at least, it didn't make sense.
Queenie was known for making such lies, but for her, it was a matter of advantage. If the enemy thought they got ahold of her training records and saw a note stating that she had inferior skill with ranged weapons as opposed to close combat, she was likely to be attacked at a distance, where she was at her strongest.
But Ryder had no reason to believe that these people were his enemies, or he didn't when he initially made his lie. Now, he might see Briar or Nubes as threats, but then he wouldn't have. So why the dishonesty?
"Bow and arrows, lance, mace, crossbow, ax, pickax, whip, knife..." He trailed off, looking Briar right in the eye. "As long as it's a weapon, I can probably use it."
Briar frowned. She took out her knife and offered it to him handle first so the blade pointed toward her. It was far more trusting an act than she was used to.
"If you had been honest," she said, maintaining eye contact, "I could have provided you with a better weapon."
She didn't know if he was going to take it, but she did know she would be glad to be rid of it. She never liked using the knife, it was too close, too personal. Coming home covered in someone else's blood was always the result of her using this particular weapon, and she never found that enjoyable.
He felt like he was being scolded by Eva as Briar looked into his eyes. There was that same reprimanding, the same "you did wrong, Ryder" attitude that usually made him smile in retrospect - there was something entertaining about getting scolded by someone far younger than you.
"Thanks," he said, taking the knife she offered him.
She was careful not to show her relief when the thing was out of her hands. She nodded in acknowledgment but refrained from saying 'you're welcome'. People tended to take those words far too literally far too often, and she didn't want him expecting further favors.
Oh, it looked like Ryder and Briar had figured things out; Lasan patted the ground next to him, inviting them to sit down by the fire.
"Hopefully we can wait here for a little while?" Lasan said. "I'd, rather not see whatever it was again."
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse a persona che mai tornasse al mondo, questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse. Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero, senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.
Briar hesitantly took his invitation, finding she was much colder than she'd previously believed as soon as she felt the heat of the fire. She drew her knees into her chest, an unwise move if she were to be attacked, but she ignored that fact for now. If anyone here wanted her dead she suspected she would know by now. Her fathers tests were never allowed to run for this long, and everyone had about as much reason as they were going to get -short of actually seeing her kill- to see her as a threat.
"I believe staying here is our only decent option at the moment," she said, resting her chin on her knees and closing her eyes to enjoy just a moment of rest. She knew it wouldn't last long.
Lasan shrugged. "I only got a glimpse of it," he said. "And it just looked like some kind of blob to me. I want to say it was something sentient, because it looked vaguely like a human?"
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse a persona che mai tornasse al mondo, questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse. Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero, senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.
Briar kept tuned into the conversation, contemplating what the creature could be along with -presumably- the rest of the group.
There was always the possibility that it was nothing. Just an illusion caused by the snow. No. Never assume you aren't in danger.
Briar put her knees down, positioning herself so she could get up in a flash if need be, and surveyed the others. Her eyes landed on the hatch.
"How would you estimate its size?" she asked. Specific questions weren't going to get them anywhere from the sound of things. Estimates could give them an idea of the potential threat, "Compared to a member of a group," she added, gesturing to all of them. She didn't want his initial estimate to be too confusing for everyone to comprehend.
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