#exjleo

Joe is a bard. He enjoys being one, too! There's a certain joy to bringing stories to life, spreading them from place to place so others can enjoy them. His sister and him have done it since they were young, two tiny children standing on a makeshift stage.

Being a bard, though, comes with some difficulties. Joe refuses to raise his blade against somebody that has attacked him first. It's only right; every living creature has a story to tell and he dislikes putting a premature end to it. This is where his two partners come in.

He met Cleo early in his adventures, and they've stuck with him since. They still grumble the same amount about Joe putting himself in danger, but Joe catches the soft gleam in her eyes. Cleo respects him. She respects that Joe holds his morals. She just also thinks it's a good job she doesn't.

Whilst Ex was... A less reluctant tag along. He was due to be sentenced for mostly petty crimes, but his brother had been worried about him. Joe heard the story and decided Ex could come along with him and Cleo! It's always nice to have new company, and hopefully the adventure will do him good. So, they left the next morning with a new grumpy companion.

Cleo cannot believe how quickly Joe won him over. He seems to be good at that. Ex looks at the guy like he hung the stars. He's not a completely reformed character - Cleo occasionally gives him a glare that Joe doesn't see before something valuable goes missing from a market stand. But his slight of hand and ability to disappear in a crowd often comes in handy.