In the distance a lone figure is walking towards Rhodric. He thinks this is a bit strange, no one walks the waste alone, well not unless the sun had baked their brains. Then he remembers he is walking alone in the waste and amends that thought, no one walks the waste alone, not unless Aludra is chasing them.

The figure draws near and Rhodric seems to recognize him, and a name flashes in his brain and he blurts it out. "SK?!?" He cries. "What are you doing here? And what are you doing wearing cadin'sor?"

The man just shakes his head "I am not SK." he replies. "I am Aielman Bob."

Rhodric tilts his head and looks at SK askance and scratches his head. "Bob,huh?" Rhodric laughs and pushes SK. "C'mon SK! Quit foolin' around. This is Rhodric, of the Newbie Sept of the Dokken Aiel."

Bob just stares at Rhodric and says "I am not SK, I am Aielman Bob of Flirty Sept of the Sexy Aiel." He gyrates his hips for emphasis.

Rhodric rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say, SK." Then with a look from bob he says. "Eerrr, I mean Bob." Bob nods his head and Rhodric begins to speak again. "Do you want to travel with me, S, eerrr, Bob? I'll share my water and gara meat with you. I think I have some osquoi, or some of my special drink, made it myself, just some fermented goats milk. It is great, plug your nose and you almost don't even taste it."

Bob shivers and makes retching noises and eventually chokes out "No, I think I'll stick with the water." After gaining control of his retching he adds. "Rhodric, you are a strange, twisted young man. Of course I will travel with you. You just keep the fermented goats milk to yourself."

Rhodric shrugs. "Well that just means more goats milk for me." Rhodric rubs his tummy happily and then sighs. "I must warn you, S, err, Bob, Aludra is after me, and she said something about introducing me to some fire sticks. Will she ever leave me alone?" He sighs again. "The strange thing is, I kind of like her torture. Does that make me sick?"

Bob shrugs and says. "What ever turns your cookie, Rhodric." Then Bob asks "By the way, Rhodric, if you like it, why are you running away from Aludra?"

Suddenly Rhodric gets a blank look on his face. "Who is Aludra? What are you talking about?"

Bob just laughs, "Shall we move on? We wouldn't want what's her name catching us now would we?" Laughing some more he turns to walk away.

Rhodric runs and catches up with Bob. "Hey S, eerr, Bob, you're my sidekick, you should be following me. I want to go this way." He points in the same direction Bob is walking.

Bob nods and hides a smile. "Whatever you say, fearless leader." Laughter starts escaping in spurts, then Bob finally erupts in laughter.

"What are you laughing at, Bob? It better not be me! If you are I'll, I'll I'll...." Rhodric pauses to think. "Well I don't know, but whatever it is, it will be horrible." Rhodric punctuates his statement with some fake maniacal laughter, which makes him look crazier and S, eerr, Bob just laughs harder.

When Bob brings his laughter under control he just simply says. "I am not laughing at you, I am laughing with you. Lead the way, uumm, sir!"

Rhodric jumps up and down, rubbing his hands together. "You mean I get to lead? For real? All right!!" Starts walking off into the waste in the opposite direction he pointed out. "Follow me, I know the way!"

A few days later both men are crawling in the waste obviously lacking water.

Bob remembers a comment of Rhodric's and repeats it sarcasticly. "Follow me, I know the way." Then he begins to mutter. "I could be at home, chasing a wise one. But no, I am out here wandering the waste,following someone with no sense of direction. I will probably die of thirst or be BBQed by Aludra. The 2nd doesn't sound so bad, but dehydration is a pain." He eyes Rhodric murderously.

Offended Rhodric says flatly, "I never heard you suggest any change of course, so don't blame me, o'silent one. When I was standing at the cactus debating on which way to go? What did you say? Hmmmmmm? You said lets go right. So I went left, you knew I would go the opposite way. Thanks a lot Mr. Man, SK, Bob, whoever you are!!!" Rhodric goes back to crawling, ignoring Bob.

"Whatever, boyo." Bob states. "Not my fault you have the leadership skills of a donkey, you know Rhodric, a JACKASS."

Rhodric snorts and continues to ignore Bob. Until he sees a female in the distance. Rhodric yells "LOOk!! A woman!! She's mine!! 1st dibs!"Then he amends the statement. "That is as long as Aludra won't find out."

Amys walks up to the two of them. "Howdy!" She throws Rhodric and Bob some water bottles. "Stupid men, wandering the waste with no water, and going in a direction which leads to nothing. What were you thinking?" Amys puts her hands on her hips and taps a foot waiting for an answer.

Rhodric coughs "Well, ummm, we were taken upon by 20 raiding Shadio, I killed all but 2, Bob killed one and he was grievously wounded, but the last ran off with all our water and supplies."

Bob stares at Rhodric "More like you caught our gear on fire playing with a magnifying glass, and you tried to put it out with the osquoi and the fermented goats milk swill, which made the fire worse, then you got this bright idea to dump the water on it." Bob thins for a second. "By the way, what did you save from the fire? Nothing that I can remember."

Rhodric just sputters, "How was I to know that the fermented goats milk would flare up like that??" Then he yells defensively. "If you wouldn't have wandered off to find a bush none of that would have happened!!"

Bob gasps in outrage "MY fault? My fault?? Who is the one who thought it was funny to put Ex-lax in my cocoa??? HMMMMMM??"

Amys yells. "Enough!! I've heard enough from you two bozos. Take all my water, I don't care, just as long as you shut up. Head that way." She points off into the distance. "There you will find water and shade. Don't ask me where I'm going or try to follow me, I don't want you there." As Amys leaves she smacks them both and glares at them as she walks off into the distance.

To be continued.....
 
 By Shadowkiller