Xander felt rather foolish following after Sundrop. Really, how many people trust a ball of light for directions? //Ok, well, probably more than I'd like to think about, so I'm just going to shut my brain up now.// He cleared his throat. "So, where are we going?"

Sundrop paused, wavering slightly. It spun around in dizzying little circles, then bobbed gently toward the right.

Shrugging, Xander followed after it. //Besides, at least I'll have some light this way. These woods are pretty dark. Kinda spooky too. And...*shit*! What was that!// He jumped at the loud rustling behind him. "Sundrop? Hey buddy, wait up!" He quickly scurried after the twinkling light.

"I'm getting a little tired here, buddy. Think we can stop for a bit?" Xander yawned loudly.

Sundrop whisked behind him, nudging his back.

"Geez, pushy little bugger, aren't you? Fine, fine, but we better find a place to rest soon. I'm about ready to drop." Stumbling a bit as he was prodded through some light underbrush, Xander halted, gaping at the large building. //Wow. Looks like one of those medieval castle thingies. With the walls and moat and stuff. Well, except no moat.//

He frowned as he noticed a dark blob slowly sliding down the outside of the large wall. It reached the ground, detached itself, and with a quick movement, removed what was obviously a rope of some sort and wrapped it up neatly. Xander crept closer. He didn't realize he'd gotten quite so close until the figure spun around to sprint away and instead ran into him, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Reflexively, Xander struggled, managing to knock his elbow into the other person's ribs, which resulted in a very manly exclamation of pain as his attacker rolled away.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" The man stood, slightly bent over and clutching his chest.

Xander got up nervously, brushing himself off. "Sorry man, you kind of startled me there."

That got him a haughty sniff. "Well, you shouldn't be sneaking up on people in the dark. It could get you into a lot of trouble."

Snorting in amusement, Xander crossed his arms. "Yeah? Well, looked to me like you were doing a little sneaking yourself." He nodded toward the rope that now lay coiled on the ground.

"Erm. Yes. See, I was just...um, testing the place for vulnerabilities, making note of any areas that need improvement." The man bent and retrieved his rope, affixing it somewhere on his person.

"Uh-huh. So...you were casing the joint? You some kind of thief or something?"

The man straightened, insulted. "Some kind of--? I'll have you know, I am the *king* of thieves." He made a flourished, well-practiced bow. "Autolycus, at your service."

"King, huh? So what'd you steal?"

"I didn't steal anything. As I said, I was merely...how did you put it? Casing the joint?"

Xander nodded. "Cool." They stared at each other in silence.

Autolycus pointed over his shoulder. "Well, I'm just going to...head on off now."

"Oh. Right." Xander watched as he turned away. A sharp prick on his arm caused him to look down, where he saw Sundrop sparking in warning. "What?!" he hissed softly.

Sundrop made an abortive move after Autolycus, then raced back to send another spark into Xander's arm. "You want me to go after him?"

Sundrop flared brightly for a second, giving Xander the impression that he was being treated to a 'duh' look.

"Sheesh, ok, ok." He trotted to catch up with the man, muttering under his breathy about pushy, know-it-all glowballs. "Hey, Auto, hold up," he panted, finally catching up to him.

The man turned back. "Yes?"

"Well, you know, I was just wondering if I could, sorta, hang with you for a while. It's, uh, kinda dark and creepy out here, you know?"

"Oh." Autolycus shrugged. "Suit yourself, kid." He turned and began walking again.

'I'm *not* a kid!" Xander muttered, but followed anyway. It wasn't exactly the easiest thing keeping up with the swift-moving man, and Xander was soon panting. "Hey, A-Auto?" He halted, bending over and gasping for air.

"What's up?" Autolycus frowned, turning back to help Xander stand upright. "You ok?"

"Kind...tired here. Plan on stopping anytime soon?"

"Oh. Sure." He looked around the dim forest. "Come on, looks like there's a clearing over there." He led Xander to the indicated spot, and watched as he dropped down gratefully.

Moaning, Xander sprawled back on the soft grass. He lay motionless as he watched Autolycus clear a spot for his bed.

The thief examined his temporary travelling companion. The young man's long, muscular limbs spread out in the moonlight, his bronze skin glowing softly. Autolycus stifled a groan, shifting uncomfortably.

Xander watched him squirm, smiling knowingly. He sat up. "I'm Xander," he introduced himself. "Where am I?"

Autolycus blinked. "Well, you're in a clearing. In the woods."

"Yeah, figured that out, thanks. I men, *where*? Like, what state?"

"State?" He frowned. "Well, you're in Greece, if that helps."

"Greece? Like, on the other side of the ocean, that Greece?"

"Um..."

"Woah. No way. This is totally not cool." He cursed quietly, glaring at the tiny flicker of light that was bobbing nearby. "Look, can you tell me where the nearest airport is?"

"Air-port?"

"Yeah, you know, so I can catch a flight home."

"Flight?" Autolycus thought for a moment. "Well, I know some of the gods can fly. If you feel like asking them."

"Gods?" Xander blanched. "Oh, that really doesn't sound good. Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

"Um, who's Toto?"

Xander groaned. "Never mind," he said with a sigh. "I am not gonna think about this now. I'm gonna sleep." He glanced consideringly at Autolycus. "Maybe get laid." With a grin, he crawled over next to the other man. "So," he said huskily, "here we are, in the dark, all alone. What do you think we should do?"

Autolycus froze at the blatant come-on, then relaxed. "Oh, I'm sure I can come up with something," he purred, reaching out to stroke his hand down Xander's arm.

*****
TBC...