Caden
He’s not expecting company here, though he’s not in the habit of expecting company anywhere. Solitude is a familiar friend, and the Climb’s hostile environment had perhaps lulled him into a sense of security, familiarity. A mistake. He’s taken well off his guard by a voice, gruff and demanding, making him startle hard and grip his pickaxe reflexively as if it were a more defensive weapon as his head whips up.
It’s…a woman.
Mentally slapping himself for how stupid that sounds even in his own head, Caden relaxes his grip and awkwardly runs a hand over his face and hair to try and remove some of the sweat and look a little more presentable as he stands.
“Um, Caden. Sorry.” Apologizing is reflexive because he isn’t exactly sure what he’s done wrong, but he gets the feeling he has. “Dygra’s celebration requires rubies or obsidian so uh. I was just trying to go off the beaten path…?” His tone lilts upward when it shouldn’t, making him seem more hesitant when he’s really just out of place. Grimacing, the young man gestures to his bloodied knee. “It was a great idea clearly.” Given how put together she looks, the dangers of the landscape either don’t intimidate her out of familiarity, or she’s painfully (enviously) sure-footed.
It’s…a woman.
Mentally slapping himself for how stupid that sounds even in his own head, Caden relaxes his grip and awkwardly runs a hand over his face and hair to try and remove some of the sweat and look a little more presentable as he stands.
“Um, Caden. Sorry.” Apologizing is reflexive because he isn’t exactly sure what he’s done wrong, but he gets the feeling he has. “Dygra’s celebration requires rubies or obsidian so uh. I was just trying to go off the beaten path…?” His tone lilts upward when it shouldn’t, making him seem more hesitant when he’s really just out of place. Grimacing, the young man gestures to his bloodied knee. “It was a great idea clearly.” Given how put together she looks, the dangers of the landscape either don’t intimidate her out of familiarity, or she’s painfully (enviously) sure-footed.
If he's home, I've got a message for the man above
Getting out is not enough if nobody else can come
Getting out is not enough if nobody else can come
