Kunzite stood on Prince Endymion's other side as the small group critically surveyed the map on the surface in front of them. He took note of the landscape detailed upon the map and reached his own preliminary conclusions on what would be the most suited route for their group to take. The always-prepared-boy-scout also had two alternate routes prepared, if they should need to deviate from their course for any unforeseen reason. 

But, of course, none of these preparations mattered as soon as the storekeeper told the boys that a specific area was not safe. Naturally, the others would wish to confront the danger and throw good sense to the wind. Kunzite stifled a disapproving sigh, and then thanked the storekeeper for his information and the warning of danger. He stepped away from the counter to attend to the few, small items he had purchased for his own personal use, but this only took a few minutes of his time. 

"I suppose you have already selected an," he paused for a moment as the storekeeper walked away to tend to another matter. "Optimal route?" Kunzite queried, making it plainly obvious in his tone that he knew their definition of 'optimal' differed.

Nephrite listened as Endymion took care of business, but ultimately stayed out of the way. Nephrite didn't have much interest in such things. The matter of supplies and whatnot were better handled by the likes of Endymion or Kunzite. Nephrite had been in charge of preparations only once before.

He personally liked the idea of living off the land and going into some adventure with nothing but the clothes on his back and his sword on his hip. It had a certain heroic devil-may-care air about it.

The others had not agreed.

Hearing the shopkeeper give his recommendation, Nephrite couldn't help but to perk up and give his opinion on the matter.

"Rumors?" he repeated as he took a step closer to his brothers. Nephrite peered down at the map from over Endymion's shoulder, and gave a confident laugh. "Looks perfectly fine to me."

He paused for a moment, pulling away from looking at the map, and grinned. "Why choose safety, when we can choose excitement?" Another pause, as he tried to come up with a better argument he felt his brothers would appreciate more. "Besides, who knows how many people we might be able to help in such dangerous territory?"

His expression and tone of voice attempted to sound innocent, but he wasn't certain he achieved quite the effect he desired.

Kunzite had barely left them before Endymion's mind was made up. As Nephrite peered over his shoulder and laughed, he was already analyzing the situation, their place in the play, and their options: They had to see what was behind the rumors and alleviate the situation if it was within their power to do so - they had a responsibility to their people, and even if they didn't, they should help because they could help. If it were bandits or corruption they could solve the problem much faster than the locals, especially if whatever message the people had sent for help had only been sent recently. Studying the paths available to them, the Prince traced out the pathways leading west; if they headed due east, they could learn more about the problem before stumbling into it. The more information they had, the better off they would be in the end. His hand strayed to the sword on his belt as Kunzite returned and took no time in catching his exact frame of mind, despite the elephantine sigh he all but heard in his confidant's tone.

Nephrite's words, light and playful and of excitement, drew little response from Endymion as he memorized the name of the nearest town due west, but as his tone changed slightly towards their responsibility, the flirtation with danger evident on his brother's tongue, Endymion fed into the other's confidence even as he took solace in it, returning a daring grin and shrugging his shoulders minutely, "We can't just walk away now that we've heard of their plight, can we?"

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Indeed, his definition of 'optimal' differed from the other men in his group. Kunzite stifled a sigh of mild annoyance, but mentally reassured himself they were fully capable of defending themselves, each other, and the populace. The likelihood of their adventure resulting in outright disaster was minimal, at least based upon his current information. Given their station, they did have a degree of responsibility toward validating the truth of the storekeeper's statement and rectifying the situation. 

"No, we cannot," Kunzite said to Endymion. "We should verify the veracity of the storekeeper's information and act appropriately to ensure the populace's safety." Kunzite finished his final adjustments of his belongings, and then reminded them of their appointment. "Although, we should keep the time it will take to get to our final destination in our minds." This route had the potential to become a detour, but he was not too worried, yet, about becoming late. It was just best to give proper consideration to their responsibilities.

And then, he looked out toward their group of adventurers. "Are we ready to depart?"

Nephrite returned Endymion's grin, pleased. "Of course not." he replied. There were a thousand reasons why he would forever give his life for this man, but their shared love of adventure certain was high on that list.

Kunzite was back now, bringing the conversation on course for the practical and the dull -- as always. The man was never any fun. Surely even he felt the thrilling call of adventure from time to time. Nephrite glance at Kunzite, taking in the eternally calm expression. Well... perhaps?

Still Nephrite couldn't help but to feel a little bit of awe in the pale-haired man. His own mind could never work in a similar way. A bit of admiration was a sensation Nephrite didn't necessarily like, but there it was all the same.

In response to Kunzite's question, Nephrite turned towards where he last saw their two missing brothers and cupped his hands around his mouth to give it more projection before yelling, "Oy! Jadeite and Fancy Pants! It's time to go!".

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