notoquesnada:

Audrey jumped when the horse made a noise. She didn’t really like animals, they were too big and they couldn’t be controlled like her engines or machines. She frowned slightly, taking a step back, looking up at the young man again. 

He didn’t look as startled by her at least. She smiled a bit sheepishly, “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Can you tell me where I am?” She asked hopefully, reaching up subconsciously to feel the crystal around her neck. She was obviously somewhere far from where she was supposed to be, but maybe she could figure out how to get back if she knew where she was. 

She smirked a bit, raising an eyebrow as he looked nervous. “Am I keeping you something?” Audrey teased, falling into something familiar to off put the rest that wasn’t as she put a fist on her hip. 

“Uh - well, kind of,” admitted Ping, leaning down towards Audrey; his hushed voice was as penitent as his facial expression.  The young recruit bit his lip, torn between duty and the exhaustion in his limbs, mind and heart.  At best, Ping could catch up soon and be yelled at by Captain Shang; at worst, he’d be punished in front of the whole company, and in a way that would make them just hate Ping more.  But he was sixteen, and sore, and had never done anything like this before.  On Khan’s back, it was all he could do not to dig his heels in and gallop home.  All that restrained him was the vague hope that being killed for desertion - executed dishonorably, before he ever saw a battlefield - was worse than whatever punishment Captain Shang could devise for him lagging behind…right?

Ping took a deep breath.  "But I - it’s okay.  I’d like to help,“ he told the girl.  A small, fatalistic smile stole over Ping’s face.  He had accepted that he might get into trouble, and that was that.  Now, all he could do was make good use of the time before that trouble happened.  The teenager sat up straighter and looked around, though of course he knew where they were.  "You’re near Dàzhú, in northeast Sichuān?”  He wasn’t sure why it came out sounding like a question.  "Not really near anywhere big.  If you’re headed for the capital, it’s to the east, further north.“