Never one to turn down free information, Sabriel paused at the edge of the clearing, one hand resting gently against the nearest tree trunk. Her head turned slightly as though listening for signs of danger, but her posture was relaxed. She stepped with the confidence of one who knew the forest and the leisure of one who had all the time in the world to explore it. Her shoulders were free of tension, her hands loose, her face turned away towards the line of trees. Even so, she kept her weight balanced evenly between her feet and her attention broad, careful to listen for any sound which might indicate he was following.

Where Sabriel was calm, Mordowrgi was her opposite. He kept his attention fixed on the man and his small black panda, golden-yellow eyes seeming to burn a hole right through them. He stood, striped tail twitching slowly from side to side, rounded ears pointed forward.

A slight, invisible smile twitched at the corner of Sabriel’s mouth as she listened. The young man’s mannerisms transported her momentarily back to the academy, where odorous, hyper-masculine knuckleheads had used similar barbed language in an attempt to crush an independent woman beneath their boots. Little of what he said was worth taking seriously. For a start, Sabriel was neither cute nor a kid; she was about the same age as him, if appearance was anything to go by. For a second, she’d pulled out her pistol once, pointed it unwaveringly, and sheathed it while this prick still had his out. What kind of moron sneeringly derided that a person ‘keeps waving around’ a weapon she’d put away, apparently forgetting that his own was still clutched between his fingers?

There were a few useful bits of information thrown into the general derision, though. Sabriel filed it carefully away.

“Thanks for the info, pet.” She gave him a mock salute, still facing the treeline, and continued through it. Only once she’d vanished behind the shrubbery did Mordowrgri give a low growl and turn to pad after her, tail still twitching.

Out of sight, Sabriel let her smirk fill her face and shook her head slightly. Either her cowboy friend was playing a little game of reverse psychology of his own, or he was under the sad delusion that she needed him more than he needed her. Let him come after her and work for his salary, if he was desperate enough for it.