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Cesare

Still happily eating the stew, he again pauses to answer Eleni.

"Yes I like snow. It makes the world look fresh and clean."

He grins.

"And I am not lost in that I do know where I am. It is just a name they give us when we are not a current part of the Rhoni people. And you should know that adventures are usually best once they are over, assuming that you've survived of course. During the adventure, you spend a lot of time waiting around being bored, tired, wet, cold, sore from sleeping on hard ground, hungry, thirsty and not very clean. Then often having to work really hard for a time, often feeling scared. Then sometimes there is an intense period where you are really scared, your life is on the line and you really really wish you were anywhere rather than where you are, maybe even in a lovely place like this?"

He raises his eyebrows.

"There are always at least two sides to everything. And that is also true for who you are. You might be one thing to one person, another thing to another. I don't think any of us have finished our journeys, met enough people so that we can see one of our selves reflected by them or learned enough that we know who we are. I don't."

And now the stew is calling him again. Eat when you can.. always a good motto for a travelling adventurer who does not always know when or where their next meal will be.

Lyric, feeling everything


Everyone seemed to know the answer. It was as if the stuff of whiteness was common understanding. And maybe it was, in all places except this small hidden, remote villages that did not like outsiders and liked change even less. Lyric felt a little sheepish. Of course, it was important she learn things she didn't know. But not knowing all that she didn't know was hardly a means to avoid the attention of the overly inquisitive, such as Eleni.

"Sinnoman sprinkled on 'Tajhakalaht'," she repeated as she was looking into her recently refilled cup. "Mmm... Yes, I should must needs to try that." Yes, a different topic. That is good.

But topics never stayed changed, did they?

"I don't know if I like it, Dama," Lyric said softly. "I know I do not like Ice. But I love the sun and when things are warm and dry. But most of all, I think I like Rain. Sometimes when there is rain and sun together, but I mostly love the coolness of the air as a storm approaches and the dark clouds roil. The first few raindrops that signal a downpour. I like the crispness of the air just after a rain, and I like when the storm is passing and the sun's warmth returns with Her light. But even at night, when you are not certain how big a storm might be, and you feel those drops upon your skin and your skin prickles at the sensation. Where your whole body is overcome by a shudder of this sensation that you couldn't stop even if you wanted to but why would you?"

Her eyes were closed, imagining the experience, remembering it. Her breathing was a little more ragged, less even and controlled.

"Then there is the serenity of standing in a glade, after you strip away all of your clothes, the rain falling, sometimes soft and gentle, sometime hard and driving, maybe coming in waves of intensity with the fullness of the storm upon you, your body responding in that perfect rhythm, feeling as though you can embrace each and ever drop, all drops at once, rivulets cascading along the lines and curves, dripping again freedom from fingers and arms, to be replaced with another drop and all the drops that followed to renew that sensation, to begin the next moment of of sensation, again and again, each and every sensation, over and over, crashing upon you, into you...."

And then she stopped. silent, but incomplete. The moment she described, vividly from experience, or possibly the one it alluded to was never achieved. With a deep inhale, her eyes closed, and her head dropped in a penitent manner with the realization of her indelicate words. She exhaled in a slow sigh and her shoulders fell. "Forgive me," she offered contritely. "I meant no disrespect. I... I... Maybe I am missing my home more than I imagined."

She cast a glance about her, head down still.

Watching Cesare eat with such fervor earlier when there were those moments when he was not asking or answering might actually have been the best course of action. It was enough to make one believe the young Rhoni man doubted he might ever see another meal beyond what was in front of him, or maybe that it had been to long to remember his last. Whatever the reason, she admired the alacrity and enthusiasm to which he dedicated himself to this task. Instead she had given voice to thoughts in her head and heart. Yes, she should have filled the spaces with something other than her own reckless meanderings.

"I am sorry."

If only she had kept to the thoughts and feelings of her experience with the 'Tajhakalaht' and not thought about the Sinnoman as well. Not that either of those were the first step into her remembrances of Rain.

Cesare

"No need to be sorry Lyric. We are what we are.. and I like you the way you are."

He grins at her, hoping to put her more at ease, give her some support as he forgets sometimes how little she knows. She takes things so much to heart and maybe as she experiences the world around her, maybe that will lessen.. but he hopes not too much.

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]
and
Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

She had requested a mug of hot spiced cider when the serving girl came around to fill her mug of tshokolat. Now Daxia listened to Eleni chatting away as she warmed her hands and inhaled the crisp scent of apples and spices.

She had never been as loquacious as the younger Allaine sister, although she had certainly learned how to hold her own with the girl. And the ability to convey information and the context for it had come in handy after her little band of misfits ceded leadership of the group to her. Still, it was nice to leave the talking to someone else for a change. Daxia briefly contemplated asking Eleni to share all her words with Morning Star — it might actually change his mind about his assertion that his companion was the most talkative Dayalan.

The Knight could quite readily admit that the youngest Khorall asked some of the most interesting questions — and she wasn’t enigmatic about it, either. Granted, she had the potential to use her torrent of words to obscure a message just as readily as her older sister did. Dazi’s collection of painted Doublebluff tiles from Kisa was better than a book’s worth of ramblings letters in Eleni’s neat hand — for Daxia. Perhaps Eleni would find that her Knight, whenever she presented herself and went out into the world at Eleni’s behest, would appreciate the letters as much as Daxia did her tiles. That is, they would be just as precious and just as infuriatingly vague.

Daxia smiled to herself as Eleni’s attention skipped around the table.

Keiko stared at the young khorall for a moment.

“I think what you do not understand about the Rhoni, Dama Eleni, is that wandering is our home. Most of us have our Caravans. Some of us walk or ride alone for a while. Would you ask a fish how it feels about being in water or a bird how it feels about the air?” She grinned at the redhead. “Knowing folks for a few days before moving on makes it exciting and interesting to meet new people at the next stop. And returning to a place we’ve visited before allows us to fully appreciate the passage of time and the movement of the waves.”

She chuckled as she shrugged her shoulders. “Plus, it’s harder for people to take offense to our presence if we don’t stay long. And... well, each Family has a set of stops along the roads they travel that they visit each year or each season, depending on the Family and the road. I am most familiar with the Kh’Lhy’Ra Road. Sometimes we would travel as far south as Tor-an-Dal, a few times we traveled all the way to Brementown. Every few years, we’d travel to Darkdown Vale for the Elders Council.”

When Eleni brought up her frequent complaint about the world’s perception that she was cute, Daxia set her mug down. It was a good thing, too, for she had to pat Kisa on the back when she sputtered and coughed.

“You never told her that I called you ‘cute’? Kisa! Now, that’s not fair.” Daxia giggled at the pretty red color on Kisa’s cheeks before turning to Eleni.

“Eleni, when was the last time I called you cute? I’ll tell you... no need to think back that far. It was right before the first time you complained about it in my presence. You were, what? Twelve? Thirteen?” The priestess shook her head and smiled at the still-awkward teen. “I suspect, at this point, people might be doing that out of habit. I don’t think they’ve failed to notice what’s obvious here: that you’re growing into a very attractive young woman. I can’t honestly say that you’re going to be more beautiful than your sister in another year or two. I’m biased. But other people are going to say it.

“But Eleni, dear, the way you scrunch up your nose when you peer at things is, well, just a little bit adorable.”

Keiko eeped softly when Tomomi poke her side.

“Yes, I know,” she whispered to her Forever Friend before studying Eleni closely.

“Dama? Would I be guessing correctly that things farther away than your outstretched fingers look fuzzy? Pardon my inquisitiveness, but Tomomi has reminded me that you look so very much like our friend Renyard before he manages to get his spectacles settled properly on his nose in the morning. Perhaps... well, perhaps you just need a good pair of spectacles. Like the ones Renyard has.”

She looked at Tomomi, who nodded, before smiling at Eleni.

“They make him look quite distinguished and learned. And I can imagine that someone might giggle — not I, of course — at the expression on his face when he can’t see much beyond the nose on his muzzle. He is a Fox person, you know.”

Daxia looked at the Rhoni lass and her Mouse friend for a moment before turning to Kisa.

“That would explain so much,” she murmured. “Also, why would that be an explanation that would readily come to mind, eh? I’ve never seen such a wonder.”

She looked at Eleni and shook her head. “Well, needing spectacles would explain why you couldn’t hit the castle walls with your snowballs. But you excelled at making unicorns, so you’re better at some things than your sister. And me.” Then Dazi grinned at the youngster. “Your ruff in his first snow... I still laugh when I remember him jumping into a drift of snow and looking so confused by it! He couldn’t climb out by himself, remember? And as soon as we pulled him out, he jumped right back in again to snap at the naughty snow! Oh, that was a fun afternoon!”

Keiko gave Eleni a puzzled look when she began talking about who she was, who she was meant to be, and the complexities of feeling lost in her own musings. Tomomi’s whispered comment brought it all into focus, however.

“So it would seem. And...” She smiled at Tomomi. “I think perhaps everyone would benefit from having a Forever Friend.”

Turning her attention to Eleni again, she sighed softly as Cesare spoke. Nodding to the young Allaine when he finished, she said matter-of-factly, “Cesare speaks of an eternal truth: all things exist in balance with their opposite. Well, perhaps not always in balance, for otherwise we wouldn’t have strife and war and petty disagreements. And your life’s journey could be seen as chains, I suppose. But you could also view it as simply a journey. You don’t know where you’ll wind up until you get there. Sometimes, interesting things will happen. Very often, life will simply be lived in the moments between small things — sipping tshokolat, brushing your hair, choosing a tunic, falling asleep at the end of the day... you with a ruff at your feet, me with my Forever Friend’s whiskers tickling my face.”

“Hoi!” Daxia exclaimed. “You sound like Father Canna and Brother Lew! I can’t decide if it’s better to be followed by fighters or philosophers. I jest. Since I’m trying not to get into any fights, I’ll choose to travel with philosophers.”

Keiko glanced at Lyric with a knowing smile. “Those who seek knowledge can also be adept at fighting, Lady Daxia. Lyric showed her skill and bravery in the mines, though my role was less martial. I assure you, however, that my elders taught me well to defend myself.”

Daxia stared at the Rhoni for a moment before looking around the table.

“Wonderful.” Then she glanced at Kisa, then Eleni, before turning her attention to Nadya. “I hope there is a standing order that mischief is to remain outside the Vale, Dama. It tends to follow me around, you see. Cesare can certainly attest to this, for he was present for all of it before going off to find his own.”

She grinned and winked at him.

Cesare

He chuckles. Despite all the danger and strife, he would not have missed being there for anything, even if it had cost him his life and he had come close to that once or twice. Probably much closer if Bekkah had not been there. He looks over and smiles briefly in her direction, thinking that these sisters are very different from each other but have enough in common to bond them together. Then he looks back at Daxia.

"Well I have often thought that I might be a trouble magnet in a small way but I am sure that you are a much bigger one."

The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Snowgate Keep
Ramesday, the Eleventh Day of Tiger

Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Eleni, Kisa, Nadya, Tomomi, Starrider Guards, and various servants

"It may be an eternal truth."

Eleni Allaine shared her reply with Cesare and Keiko, letting both fall beneath her gaze.

"I can understand that. I can agree with that. But in return, I ask you this: How can you know? How can you truly value safe and warm if you've never known anything else? There are days I wish I could dress up in commoner clothes, dye my hair and spend a week trying to live like the folks I must now rule over."

From her place at the hall's formal end, Nadya suddenly became attentive, as if the regent were not entirely pleased with the direction the conversation was going. Eleni, of course, was utterly oblivious to her mentor's darkening expression.

"How can I know what their lives are like if I've only walked the path of a Noble?"

Her expression fell.

"But that would never work, would it? Of course, it wouldn't. First, if I were to vanish for a week, the Vale would turn itself inside out looking for me. Not that it would take that long. Older Sister here would just set her mind to it, and I'd be found before dawn.

"But it still leaves the question of only knowing warm and safe and nothing else."

The young khorall just shook her head, gnawed a bit on her lower lip, shook out her hair and then let the flow of the conversation take her elsewhere. She did, however, keep her attention on Keiko.

"Wandering as one's home. That's a wonderful thought.

"Are the Rhoni like snails, then, only faster?"

Nadya blinked. Kisa choked back a chuckle. The servant who was keeping Eleni's hot tshokolat full flushed and facepalmed. And for Eleni, her the question was sweetly and completely innocent.

Her head tilted, then, as Keiko continued.

"Spectacles? What are these spectacle things? And you say the Councillor has them? And, and, and they might be able to make me see like when I was a little girl again? Do you know how they work? Are they a made thing or are they magic or are they both? And you are right! He even wears the same kind of cloak your fine lady friend here does, doesn't he? But he's a Fox? Like Miss Tomomi is a Mouse? Does that mean there are more of them too? Are there wolves and horses and slinks and ruffs and bears and maybe even fish?

"Kisa, when is the Councillor due back?"

Tomomi was caught a bit off guard, looking around for a long set of heartbeats before she realized that the fine lady friend Eleni had mentioned was her. Kisa just looked to Dazi, shared a knowing smile, and then replied.

"There are wolves. A Pack of them.

"And we are bound by an Alliance; there is a formal bond between the Pack of Home and Dawnview Vale."

Eleni clapped her hands and sat up a bit straighter.

"Oh my, you have been busy, dear sister! And that sounds wonderful! And a bit dangerous. When will we see a member of this Pack? You will introduce me, won't you?"

Coincidentally, Eleni then turned to address Lyric's words, after, of course, listening intently to what she said and the vividness of her description.

"Rain is very nice. Thunderstorms are less so, but rain is very nice. Rain is really soft and gentle, isn't it?"

For the moment she actually fell silent. Her head tilted one way then the other. She then rubbed her chin, very contemplatively. Her nose wrinkled and twitched back and forth a little bit. That silence, that deep thinking, that studious expression, once it was set, brought forth an unexpected and very determined response. Nadya suddenly sat straight up, leveled her gaze at her young charge and ended that line of conversation in but a single declaration.

"Do not, I repeat, do not even consider it, youngling!"

Then it was Eleni's turn to look up, blink twice, and then suddenly open her mouth in an unvoiced 'oh,' her cheeks suddenly pinking. Her servant, in his turn, almost dropped his carafe of hot tshokolat. He did bobble it, finally desperately catching it and then decided that, as necessitated by decorum, to hastily duck his head and turn away. Eleni decided to take Daxia's previous advice and to chew her food carefully and focus, a bit awkwardly, on her meal. Especially after the Dayalan's previous words about cuteness and beauty.

Kisa, however, simply relaxed at her sister's blushing discomfort, enjoying the brief period of silence. It gave her time to think. Having considered her sister's previous words, the heiress looked across the table at Bekkah. She studied the priestess before speaking.

"Sometimes silence speaks louder than any words said aloud, aye? And while she may not think she is dangerous, Eleni truly is. She is correct about your relationship with loneliness, isn't she, Lady Bekkah? Loneliness is your constant companion, almost comfortable. For me, it is similar; not a welcome companion but an oddly valued one. He reminds me just how much I care for Daxia."

By then their meal was almost over. Eleni finally perked back up when Daxia questioned Nadya. The older woman stayed silent, not answering the question; it was not her place. It was a question that was best answered by the Khorall of Snowgate Keep.

"That is exactly the role of Snowgate Keep. That is the one responsibility I carry that my Sister and Aunts do not."

Eleni's words were so much quieter than her usual, bright, unbound manner of speech.

"We are the gatekeepers of Dawnview Vale. Not the Castle, not Glacier, not even the Temple, no matter how loudly Captain Karina protests otherwise.

"We choose.

"Anyone who passes through these gates and into our home has the implicit blessing of Snowgate Keep and thus the Family Allaine.

"When there's a mistake, the responsibility does not fall on the Castle, Glacier or the Temple.

"It falls on me."

She then offers the group a small smile.

"You pass my muster."

Her smile grew a little bit more as she continued.

"But only on conditions.

"Verchovai Daxia, keep my sister happy.

"Lady Bekkah, remember that no god or goddess truly wants blind dedication.

"Mistress Tomomi, when others look at you oddly, remember that you have our blessing and protection within the vale. We like having you here.

"Mistress Lyric, remember to smile. The world isn't as dark as you seem to have been taught. If you look closely, you'll discover that most of us actually have good hearts.

"Master Cesare, remember that not all folks have a life as bountiful as a Khorall's. I shall be vexed if you return weighing three stone more having eaten my people out of house and home.

"Mistress Keiko.. never wander aimlessly."

After their meal, they were shown their rooms. Kisa and Daxia, of course, were brought to the Family suite, in the highest, central tower. Snowgate Keep, of course, had guest rooms for visiting dignitaries and Family friends. Those who had never been in an Allaine keep before were confronted with the reality of another Allaine myth: that the Vale had a touch of decadence to it. There was a bit of truth to that rumor. The rooms were fine, the beds soft and luxuriously comfortable, and while everything had a severe practicality of design, the materials used were among the finest on the mainland. But it also made a modicum of sense: the Vale was the home of silk, and the fine woods came from its forests. What was rare elsewhere was common here.

Breakfast was served at the castle great hall, at Eleni's farmhouse style table.

Kisa would chuckle when everyone else had arrived except for Eleni.

"I don't have to read the patterns. I suspect her servants are still trying to get my sister out of her bed."

Sitting down she looked at her companions.

"So.

"Do we tarry a bit here? I admit I wouldn't mind visiting with my sister for a day or two. But I would not force her ramblings on you if not wished. Daxia and I have spent years building up a certain level of immunity. It might drive you to the brink of insanity.

"Or do we immediately head out, towards the Castle and the Jambles?"

Cesare

He is still amused by the conversational threads that are being woven around the table and comments in his usual honestly direct fashion.

"Yes I guess we are like fast snails. Snails don't wander aimlessly, they follow a pattern and within a boundary only they can sense. Maybe we are like that too? It is an interesting thought. As to spending time amongst your people. I think you should. It is often the only way to see life from another prospective."

He holds up a hand to forestall any outburst from others around the table.

"But surely the best way to do it would be with permission, with those here knowing and agreeing exactly where you were in a household where they could be trusted to keep you and your identity safe. It is a big ask but could be done I think."

Then he grins.

"And I will try to curb my appetite. It is a habit to eat what one can when it is available especially when the food is this good. But fear not about my weight, my meals are often not that frequent and I do work hard."

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]
and
Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Keiko regarded Eleni with an almost unnerving intensity at her comment about snails. She took notice of Lady Kisa’s reaction, of course, and that of Eleni’s personal servant. Perhaps they thought it wasn’t an appropriate question?

“It’s much like that, Dama,” she said seriously. “Cesare has grasped basics quite well. The Caravans are faster than snails, yes... on a larger scale, of course. But certainly... a Caravan might be thought of as a group of snails.”

She tilted her head as she looked at Cesare. “Although the matter of boundaries...” Her smiled flickered for a moment. “Well, they tend to be imposed on us by others and determined by the geography of the world.” Then she shrugged. “I have not personally heard of any Caravan, Family or individual that visited the Archipelago. There are some very old stories that do more than hint at such a thing.”

Then the young woman grinned and gave her attention to Eleni once more. “I must remember that and share it with my family when I see them again. My brother, especially, would find the comparison to snails quite amusing.”

Dazi’s expression as she looked at Eleni was one of sad comprehension, although she smiled at Cesare’s response.

“You see why the Rhoni are so well-regarded, don’t you? Cesare has a good head on his shoulders.

“Eleni, no one can truly know the life someone else leads. I know how hard it is to carry bucket after bucket up a hill to fill the temple’s cistern and how much I hate being the cause of someone else’s death — no matter how much they might deserve it. I don’t know how hard it is for a farmer to work the fields all day, for a goodwife to tend to her children and her home, or even how hard it is for my dear sister to travel the length and breadth of the land bringing her Lady’s mercy to everyone she meets.”

She glanced at Bekkah and pursed her lips.

“And don’t you tell me that your Lady gives you all the joy you need in life, because I’ve seen you making cow-eyes at Master Finn and have seen you staring wistfully at the horizon while you play with the pendant he gifted you.”

Then, with the utmost maturity, Daxia stuck her tongue out at her older sister before turning once again to Eleni.

“Without leaving the Vale and abandoning your responsibilities, the very best thing you can do is listen to what people say. Why shouldn’t you walk among your people and hear what they have to say? Of course, don’t just disappear. I think you already know how everyone would react if you did that, so there’s no need to prove it.

“But to travel to the edge of Snowgate’s lands, with Nadya’s blessing, with a bodyguard [i]you[/b] trust — from Captain down to well-trained initiate?” Daxia glanced over at Nadya again and spoke to both her and Eleni. “It’s a lesson that could deliver great rewards. And it’s something that would not leave the majority of people involved white-haired from fear-induced anxiety about her safety.”

She turned her attention again to Kisa. “After all, Eleni already understands people better than you did when you set out for Midsummers Council. She doesn’t need to travel to the western shores of the mainland as you did.” Then Dazi turned and winked at Eleni. “Yes, I know... you want to do that. I can’t honestly say it’s an idea you should dismiss out of hand. But I don’t think you need it as much as your sister did.

“Follow your Mother’s example, Eleni. Take lessons from Dominic, for he seems to have mastered the art of dealing with people.” Daxia smiled. “Just remember which Goddess you serve, and he’ll have fewer opportunities to lead you onto a path of mischievousness. And since he’s married now, even Dama Nadya couldn’t object to a visit from the young scamp.”

Eleni, of course, had continued her questioning of the Rhoni like an avalanche crashing down the mountainside.

“I’m not sure exactly how spectacles work, m’lady,” Keiko admitted. “But they are something made by, well, someone and not magic at all as far as I could tell. That would be an excellent spell, wouldn’t it? But no, they are made from a particular type of glass that I had never seen before. When he would take them off to clean then, it seems like... like you could be looking through very clear, very deep water. Fish look different when they’re at the bottom of a river than they do flopping around on the bank, da?

“And yes, he is a Fox. Mister Horse helped in the mines. Hinata — he’s a Cat — traveled with us from Home to Bordertown. I heard that he took up with the Jvrillians. I think he will be good at protecting people. Well, given the right motivation, of course. He’s a Cat, after all, and loves sunbeams more than anything else. Except perhaps burned fish. That’s really just cooked fish, it need not be burned for him to like it, though the skins usually do get burned when cooked over a campfire.”

Then the Rhoni turned to Tomomi and whispered, “Did you know that Broke made an allianced with the Allaine? I wonder if that means all of the persons of Home are allies of Allaine.”

Overhearing Keiko’s comment to Tomomi, Dazi leaned toward Kisa and murmured, “Did we forget to mention our conversation with Broke in Talensan’s Village?”

Both eyebrows rose as she stared at Eleni after her peculiar comment about conditions.

“Eleni, dear... you realize that Bekkah and I are daughters of Dawnview, yes? I’m fairly certain we passed muster when our mother gave birth to us.”

Then Daxia smiled brightly.

“But, of course, Dama... I will do everything in my power to ensure your sister is happy because I’m happy when she’s happy. And doesn’t everyone need happiness in their life?

“Since you’ve decided to make decrees today, I’d like to propose one. Speaking as the Knight of Dawnview Castle — an outrageous moniker your dear sister dropped on my head — I shall insist that you follow your own advice. Let others bring you happiness. If others look at you oddly, know that the people of the Vale appreciate you and everything you do — even when they don’t know how to express that.”

Keiko’s brows had drawn together in confusion at Dama Eleni’s ‘condition’ for acceptance in the Vale,

“But... Dama Eleni... if I am wandering and learning new things, meeting new people... how could my wanderings be anything other than purposeful?” She glanced at Cesare from the corner of her eyes. “It is usually the Lost Rhoni who wander aimlessly, and I believe Cesare is much less lost then he might have been when he met Lady Daxia.”

Then she chuckled as she recalled their journey from Bordertown to Dawnview Vale.

“She does have an uncanny knack for giving purpose to a journey.”

For this, Keiko found herself on the receiving end of the Starlord’s intense scrutiny.

“I believe she means that as a compliment,” Daxia remarked to Kisa.

Lyric, of wuffs and smiles

Lyric blushed a little darker when Cesare said aloud that he liked her just the way she was. Did that mean with all her eccentricities? Did that include her occasional absentmindedness and whimsical distractability? What about when she became serious and spoke about heavier things, or when she accepted burdens for things that would see the fate of others decided by the choices she made? But she blushed and looked down at her mug. His words were a kindness to her all the same.

She was a Minstrel and she told tales of other people. So when Keiko defended their ability to be both philosophers and fighters in response to Daxia drawing distinctions in traveling companions.

"I am just a Minstrel, neither Philosopher nor Warrior were I to have my own say in the matter." But Lyric knew and accepted that seldom was there ever a choice offered when Fate and Destiny intervened to reveal a journey before a person so touched by their attention. She had done what had to be done, because she was capable of doing it. There were others in those mines whose courage far exceeded their abilities and means. Those were the stories that needed to be told. Not hers. But again, Keiko's words were kindness. They were simple and direct and not meant to bolster deeds nor did it minimize the losses and the sorrow that came with that.

Conversation turned again around the table and there was talk of an Alliance between Home and Dawnview Vale and Eleni was intrigued by the idea of Wolves made people. The Pack. She wanted to meet a member of the Pack. Was that so? Was that what she wanted? Or was it that she wanted to really meet a Wuff, since all Wuffs were part of the Pack but not all pack members were Wuffs. Lyric believed it to be the latter, since they came to this point in the conversation by way of wolves in the first place. Besides, what was there to say? It would open up matters to discussion. Eleni had so many questions and when she wanted to know something she was relentless. How is that that Lyric came to be a part of the Pack? Hmm... Again, this wasn't her story to tell because it wasn't the most important thing to understand about what was happening their in that room where Wuff and Dwarf met.

"It can be, Dama Eleni," Lyric replied when Eleni turned her overly enthusiastic statements about rain back around as a means to pry further. Eleni had the Gift of finding important things in the words of Others. Lyric had the Gift of recognizing when someone was capable of doing that. "Soft and Gentle, that is. But it can also be harsh and indifferent. Unyielding even. Unforgiving as well. But soft and gentle are the things I would want to share most with others were it mine to share."

She tipped her head a little left, then right, in consideration of her next spoken thought. "But to be honest, I like the thunderstorms myself. There is magnificent beauty in the power of a storm. There is danger and the thrill of excitement that comes with it. All that is 'soft and gentle' combined with fierceness and suddenness that pushes the winds to drive the rain when it must and to relax in peace when it can. The lightning that dances across the sky and snapping it's reach to the land to prove that it has the strength and determination to touch every part of the land and sea, to reach out and make the connection, to let itself be known as well."

"But now I have allowed myself to speak beyond my chosen portfolio as a Minstrel and pretend I am a Philosopher. I seem to have muddled my earlier contention."

When Eleni set forth her conditions for admittance to the Valley for which this Keep stood as guard, Lyric waited her for her requirement to be proscribed. It was easy enough to do, harder to hold when she still had so much raging in her mind and heart. And so Lyric smiled for Eleni, genuine and honest.

In any single moment, if one were to focus on it with enough resolve, one could slow the world down and find shelter from all the other moments that weighed a heart so heavy.

"Your words are wisdom Dama Eleni. You are perceptive. Less the world though and more the wanderer, then the wisdom rings of truth to my heart."

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

There were few places as well suited for a Dayalan’s morning prayers than the Dawnview Temple — Snowgate Keep was one of them. Daxia’s smile was brighter than usual. It was good to be home.

She laughed at Kisa’s oh so accurate description of her sister’s morning.

“And that would be the most obvious thing your sister and a certain white-haired Lady of Attera have in common. I tended to find Romana’s dislike of mornings rather amusing... well, most of the time, anyway. And that was thanks to my knowledge of Eleni’s similarly late start.”

She filled her plate with a variety of hearty breakfast fare, including small, short loaves of bread made with the tart cranberries grown near Sapphire Lake. She looked around the table at her traveling companions.

“Kisa’s right. Eleni can drive a person to madness — or at least to distraction — if you’re not used to her.” She shrugged. “I’m happy to spend a day or two here, seeing what she’s been up to, visiting folks, and the like. I’m less anxious to get Kisa safely home now that we’re in the Vale.”

Dazi paused for a sip of kavass before continuing. “No matter what you decide, we should be polite and enjoy the bounty Khorall Eleni’s staff has provided and stick around long enough to thank her.”

As she set down the glass, she grinned at Cesare.

“So... it appears that Keiko has set your mind at ease about your family. You seem much less worried now.” She chuckled. “I haven’t noticed a single time that you gazed at Bekkah and me wistfully. I know better than to ask a Rhoni about Rhoni affairs... so I’ll just as about Cesare, my friend.

“Have you found peace in what you’ve learned?”

Cesare

He is eating lightly this morning, mostly because he ate quite a bit last night and also because he promised Eleni he would not eat her out of supplies even though he suspects she has a lot. So a couple of small pastries and a drink, it is enough.

He looks up as Daxia talks and then focuses on the question she asked of him as he is not entirely sure of the answer himself.

"Maybe not peace so much, acceptance is maybe a better word. I do feel now though that I can choose my own direction.. a good feeling."

He grins back.

"And I like Eleni, she's.. refreshing."

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Dazi nodded. “Sometimes acceptance can be a form of peace, too. But you know you’ve always been able to choose your own direction, right?” she asked as she spread fresh butter on a thick slice of bread. “I’m really glad you decided to take up with my merry little band of misfits, though.”

Then she laughed. “By the stars, do you remember how clueless we were back in Cragside? Barris wasn’t wrong when he chided us and called us a bunch of fishwives.” The Starlord smiled as she shook her head. “It’s hard to say who’s grown the most since that day, but I have to think it might be Camelia. She’s really come into her own.”

She glanced at Kisa beside her before giving Cesare another smile. “Duty to my liege ensured that I not turn tail and run back home. All of you made the journey from Cragside to the sea a lot more interesting than it ever could have been alone.”

Dazi finished drizzling honey over the bread, then tilted her head in contemplation.

“Going about the business of...” She cleared her throat. “...saving the world is much nicer in the company of similarly minded folks that you also happen to like. Maybe that was one of the lessons Mikal was supposed to learn. Well, I can’t fault him for not having come to that realization right off. It took me until getting back to Bordertown and seeing you and Bekkah again that I realized how important it is.”

She bit into the bread, closing her eyes as she chewed, enjoying the flavors. Every inn and farm seemed to have a slightly different type of honey, which made perfect sense. Dawnview honey — no matter in which part of the Vale the honeybees gathered their nectar — was always going to be her favorite honey.

Cesare

"Initially though I was trying to fulfil a promise I made to my mother. I just had no idea where to start so any direction was as good as another. I could have fallen in with pig farmers instead.."

He winks at her.

"But I too am glad my feet found all of you first.And yes, Cragside was a big learning curve for us all. Is Cami around then? You have obviously seen her. And yes, we did have some.. fun along the way didn't we.."

Lyric

The Minstrel watched the people and listened to the conversation at the table of the morning's repast. Finally she offered a few words, mostly for Kisa's benefit. She ate sparingly. Sinnoman and honey on everything. Honey was very nice... but sticky... and a little messy. Okay, the minstrel was a lot messy. But she seemed happy. But 'Tajhakalaht'... That was such a hard word. The sounds of the words were both different and familiar to her, but it was like the letters of the word were in all the wrong places for her. Anyway, 'Tajhakalaht' made everything just perfect... more perfect... or, perfecter... whatever.

"I am new to this wandering life. And new to this..." Lyric glanced sidelong at Daxia with a smile, "...merry band of misfits." The back to Kisa. "I have no other place to be and I am grateful to go wherever it is we will go, so long as I have someone to go with. So if you wish to stay and visit with your sister, then I believe that is something we should do. But if we were to travel on, then I am happy for that as well. But I would hope we would all be in agreement so that we stay together. It does seem that there is a larger purpose and a greater plan working to that end. We should not fight it... but instead, enjoy the peaceful moments of friends and family. You all are both of those to me. I am sure that hard times are ahead. Is that not what misfits and heroes do, get found by misadventure and troubles? Saving the world does seem like a task that falls into both categories and I am eager to see misfits become heroes... "

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

“Weren’t you herding goats when we met?” Dazi chuckled. “I could have imagined you taking up with some pig farmers then. Not now. You’ve learned to ride and even have your own horse! Let’s just hope your luck holds, and whenever this wave of yours finds the shore, you manage to land right side up.”

She winked in return.

“Oh, you must have missed Cami when you got to the Dragonstooth,” she said before taking another sip of her kavass. “She’s doing very well, married to Garrick — and isn’t that interesting, nin? An Imperial married to a commoner! Of course, they bound their lives and fortunes together before she learned what Kay had done in Talantal. They both seem very happy.”

She took a quick glance at Keiko before smiling at Cesare. “If your kinswoman’s eyes hadn’t reminded her so much of her mother, I suspect she’d have stayed longer to chat.”

Watching, taking note of everything and everyone around her had become second nature for the Dayalan. Maybe it wasn’t necessary to remain as vigilant in Snowgate Keep as she had been in Talantal Castle. Habits honed to a razor’s edge over the course of the past year were hard to set aside.

There was something about this minstrel that cried out to the Priestess that she was every bit an alien has Romana had been — at first. Daxia had come to know her as a deeply inquisitive young woman with a unique perspective on nearly everything. Lyric’s delight in the simple pleasures of life mirrored Romana’s in so many ways. This young woman at the table, however, was not an Eastern Princess experiencing the bounty of the High Tarn for the first time. Yet... and yet, it seemed as though Lyric was experiencing the world for the first time.

Lyric was a puzzle.

Daxia liked puzzles.

She looked at Kisa and smiled when Lyric spoke. “This is what happens when the Rhoni follow you around, and in this case, I’ll include people who act like Rhoni.”

She turned to Lyric for a moment. “Are you sure you’re not a Rhoni, Mistress Lyric? Perhaps,” she added, looking at Keiko, “she’s one of your kin who has been lost even more successfully than Cesare!”

The Rhoni lass blinked, started to say something, but then merely closed her mouth and shook her head.

Dazi shrugged as her gaze turned to Bekkah. “And, of course, the person who tries to imitate the mountain hawks as they float on the winds.”

She giggled as she looked at Kisa again. “Sometimes we’re not misfits, my liege. Sometimes, I am just Dazi, and they are my Delightful Ducklings following along in my wake.

“Hoi! It’s best that we stay at Snowgate, don’t you think? I’m in a silly mood today, and who better to share it with than Eleni, da?”

Lyric

The Minstrel lowered the cup revealing a burgeoning smile of mischief.

"I am sure that I am not."

"And I also believe that this duckling has only been in your wake since Bordertown..."

She shifted her eyes to Cesare to continue, "There was a woman there named Camelia, Cami... and she looked quite like another woman there, Captain Koromov. Quite a striking resemblance, too much so for coincidence, if such a thing even exists, but their personalities were decidedly different. I say this, Cesare, because, as I remember, you were very much still in your cups that evening we met her at the Inn, and maybe still there the next morning when the ill-tempered Captain made a dramatic entry."

Her eyes shifted back to Daxia, "Where did I leave off... Oh yes, ducklings. Though my time in the company of these friends is short in comparison to others, I have heard a great deal about you already. You have made an indelible mark upon hearts and minds. It would be easy to see why people follow in your wake. In fact, I could sing the song I heard and learned at the Dragonstooth Inn..."

Lyric looked around the table, "Does anyone want to hear it?"

But returned her attention to Daxia and winked. Lyric was no stranger to silly moods despite the cold weather creating evidence to the contrary of late.

Cesare

"Oh I'm always up for a song.."

He grins evilly at Daxia, having heard her protest against it. Then he turns back to Lyric.

"You are probably right. I honestly don't remember much of that first night, well the latter part of it certainly."

He grins.

"But I do remember the ale being really good."

Then he looks back over to Daxia.

"You have a good memory. Yes, I was herding goats, helping bring them to market which is where my job ended. And I had always wanted to ride. I really thought that the chance of my owning a horse was pretty remote. And now Storm and I have each other. Life is pretty good on the whole."

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

“Oh, no, no! Now there you are mistaken, dear minstrel!” Daxia replied with a laugh. “The Ducklings became such somewhere around Brementown — surely by the time we rescued a fair princess — when we realized we were no longer arguing like fishwives and had begun working toward a common goal.”

She paused and tapped her chin with one finger. “I believe our first goal was merely to get as far away from the Dark Mark and the Velikki as possible. And then, well, then we needed to see Romana to safety.”

Then she shook the finger and Lyric and Cesare. “I see what you’re doing here. You’d like to have some fun at the Dayalan’s expense, da?” Her eyes sparkled like the deepest waters of Sapphire Lake. “Well, fair play to you. But if you’re going to sing that song, perhaps it would be best to wait for Dama Eleni to arrive. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it immensely.”

Glancing as Kisa with a mischievous look in her own eyes, she laid the back of one hand against her forehead.

“Oh, woe unto me, I’m so beset with torments,” she said, looking not the least bit tormented. “Oh, save me, Dama Kisa! You’re my only hope!”

She couldn’t maintain the overly ridiculous pose for another heartbeat before bursting out laughing again.

“Dandelion was a bit ill-tempered that morning, wasn’t she? Well, for anyone who knows her, it made perfect sense. Dominic really should have known better than to send her a letter.

“And I think we can thank Kassia for my memory,” she said to Cesare. “Whatever skill I naturally possessed was honed to the sharpest possible point by the woman.”

Then she glanced at the Keep guards standing near the doorway before murmuring to Kisa, “I’m so looking forward to meeting with High Priestess Karina,” she said sarcastically. “It’s beyond imagining that she doesn’t understand the truths I learned outside the Vale, the ones even Kassia barely hinted at. You don’t think your Aunt is willfully ignorant, do you?”

The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Snowgate Keep
Ramesday, the Eleventh Day of Tiger

Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Eleni, Kisa, Nadya, Tomomi, Starrider Guards, and various servants

Before sleep...

"Maybe I need a Knight too!"

That was Eleni's conclusion, after listening to the small debate about visiting folks and learning how the folks of the Vale might actually live and think and feel. Her brow, however, wrinkled as he set her elbows on the table and dropped her chin into her hands.

"But who? I mean, of course, I could ask Aunt Karina for one of the brute squad, but then everyone would see the overprotective Dayalan, and that would skew any conversation right into the keepdom of this-is-not-what-I-really-think-but-this-is-what-I-think-you-want-to-hear."

She frowned a bit, only smiling again when her drink was refilled. Like magic, that was — the magic of an overly-observant servant. Her eyes lit up, and she leaned back, and then as the conversations meandered to another subject her eyes actually went wide as saucers.

"Dommi's married?

"Again?

"Wait.

"Do you mean married, married? Not just some political machination between Khoralls, for alliances and other nefarious matters? But married, married, like someone finally chased him down, tied him up and dragged him in front of some poor her luck-has-finally-run-out priestess with kissing and dancing and really and truly married, married?

"Well.

"There goes one of Mother's Great Plans right out the sluicegate! She's going to turn absolutely purple!

"Not that that's a bad thing. I mean, her Great Plan actually worked all too well. If one of us were to marry Dominic, well, that, well, that'd be like marrying your older, delinquent brother. I mean, of course, we dearly love him, but there's only one word for that!

"Ewww!"

Her head tilted.

"She must be a woman of infinite patience."

A little later her head tilted.

"Glass. Water. Fish. Spectacles. Nadya, can we put out a missive asking for The Councilor?"

As the young Khorall spoke her servant stepped forward, setting a piece of chalk on the table. Without even thinking Eleni picked it up and started to make notes on the smooth wooden surface. Behind Eleni, Nadya shook her head, let out a long sigh and softly chided the servant.

"Anatoli, you are not supposed to be encouraging her."

As she scribbled, Tomomi turned to whisper back to Keiko.

"The Pack made an Alliance? The Pack? The Pack is the Pack. The only ones who truly understand the Pack are other members of the Pack! Wuff-Wuff is particularly hard to understand sometimes! Except for Soft, she's really easy and nice and takes time to explain everything. Broke, Lady, and Renyard may look out for us all but are supposed to make all decisions together, after talking to us, because Home is Home and Home is all of us.

"Except every now and then Broke just does things, and then Lady looks at her, she looks back, and then Lady bops her on the nose.

"Then Broke looks cross-eyed and we all laugh at her and then there's usually a mousing. That's because, well, we all trust Broke."

The little mouse's head tilted.

"I could go find out?"

The conversations eventually wound to their conclusions as the group was escorted to their rooms. As Eleni took her leave, she folded her hands behind her, tucked coquettishly at the small of her back. Her step was light, and she sashayed playfully as she sing-songed her way out.

"... Lady Bekkah's got a boyfriend, a boyfriend, a boyfriend ..."


At breakfast... Hasday, the Twelfth Day of Tiger

Kisa paused between nibbles of her own cranberry pasty. The Heiress was quiet for a long moment before she spoke.

"The Twelfth Day of Tiger shall now be our Day of Silent Knight Reflection. No songs. Fine. No songs about a certain person and what happened at Bordertown. Other songs, they are allowed. Khorall's decree."

She nibbled on her breakfast once more before whispering. Her words were soft as she explained her formal declaration.

"True, this is an abuse of my power.

"But anything for my Knight."

The elder Allaine was then interrupted by the younger Allaine.

"By the Goddess' black and silver hair ribbons, Kisa. Proclamations? Already? You haven't even been home a full day. And it's far, far, far too early in the morning for even your proclamations."

Eleni stumbled into the room, wearing a simple tunic and surcoat. It had no finery, no lace or even a hemmed border; it was, most definitely, a noble person's informal wear. Which, obviously, did not fit well with either her servant or Nadya, who were following in a rush. One had, at the least, a fine cloak under his arm, for cover and warmth against the cool mountain morning. The other, the older of the two, stepped into the room, crossed her arms, and then just sighed. It was too late. By then Eleni had reached the table, sat down on her sister's other side - the side not claimed by her sister's knight - stealing a piece of cheese to nibble on. Both she and her sister were nibblers, it seemed.

"I still haven't forgiven you for Eleni-Can-Only-Say-Five-Words Day."

She took a breath in and then let it out and then almost choked on her breakfast.

"Wait. Refreshing? I'm refreshing? Refreshing and cute?

"Wonderful."

With a dramatic flop, Eleni crossed her arms on the table and dropped her head upon them, resigning herself to being the least impressive of the Allaines.

"Why me?" Eleni whispered to the table.

Then she fell silent. And stayed silent. She was silent for a little while. Then for a little while more. And then for even more time. Nadya's brow finally quirked, and she nodded to Eleni's manservant. He blinked and looked back at the Khorall's mentor, with a definite 'who me' look on his face. Nadya nodded. He blinked again and shook his head. Nadya crossed her arms. He gave her a pleading look. She just became even more stern. So he swallowed and took a step forward. Head turned askance he reached out as far as he could, folding his fingers into a little fist. Nadya's gaze intensified, a sure but silent order of 'Yes, do it. Do it now.' Eleni's servant swallowed and lifted his hand a little bit. Just a little. And then lightly rapped his liege on the top of her head.

"I'M AWAKE!"

Eleni's head snapped up, as she desperately tried to shake her obvious sleepiness away.

"I... I... I... was just ress... thinking... thinking with my eyes closed!"

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]
and
Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

...time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future...

And sometimes it doesn’t.

“Who indeed?” Daxia asked. “Why not ask Kisa? Really. How did she decide I ought to be the Knight of Dawnview Castle? Was it friendship? Was it because I killed an Avatar with the help of my Unicorn companion? What it because I ferreted out the Montague plots, past and present, and helped to facilitate the alliance with Korie?” She shrugged. “Or did she spend an entire day setting up her tiles to watch them drop? You should talk with her about it.”

She smiled and winked at Eleni, then lowered her voice. “Or... perhaps your sister did something impulsive, eh?”

There was no other possible response to Eleni’s reaction to the news of Dominic’s marriage than laughter.

“Yes. Married — as in well and truly caught. I performed the ceremony myself. All of us...” She gestured around the table. “...were there. Lady Emerald captured his heart, and he captured hers right back.

“She’s a priestess of Lady Krystra. Da, she is patient.”

After another sip of tshokolat, Dazi sighed. “Your Mother will make new plans, I have no doubt about that. This grand plan of hers, while politically astute, failed to take into consideration something that you and I, Eleni, would have seen in a heartbeat — that Dom Dominie is charming and likable and managed to insinuate himself into the hearts of two sisters who see him as a brother. That’s certainly not the best way to get an heir, now is it? Of course not.”

She giggled. “Yes. ‘Ewww’ is exactly the right way to look at it. Not politically, but with the heart. Not all marriages are made with love in mind. But none should be made with ‘ewww’ as the foremost thought in either the bride’s or the groom’s mind.”

Then she grinned at the youngest Allaine. “Oh, yes, I’m a fine one to talk — a servant of Dayala who has no need to worry about such things. Still, if some incredibly silly person tried to marry off my sister for political gain, I’d have to be quite cross about it all.”

She stole a glance at said sister before her grin to Eleni turned mischievous.

“Despite Bekkah’s calm and cheerful persona, she does have her moments of extraordinary stubbornness that rival anything you or I could contemplate. Why, just the thought of such an arrangement makes we wonder which method of rebellion she’d choose. I suspect the one that would lead to the least amount of conflict would be just wandering off across the High Tarn and winding up at a certain Smith’s home.”

This time, Dazi snickered. “And when the High Priestess of Talantal discovered Bekkah had married herself to this handsome and smart and kind man, there would be all manner of political consternation. And Bekkah would not care one tiny bit!”

Her expression turned mournful as she continued to gaze at Eleni. “Alas, such choices are not available to women — young or old — who serve the people of the Vale. Sometimes this whole notion of politics is stupid, and don’t try to lecture me, Kisa. I’m worried about your happiness, too.”

Daxia leaned back in her chair and looked from one sister to the other.

“We all serve Dayala and the people of Dawnview Vale in our different ways. There are roles we must fulfill, each of us. We might not like everything we must do, we might mourn the things we’ll never be allowed to do, but in the end? In the end, we do what we must because the people of Dawnview trust us to what we can.

“Ja?”

Keiko had listened to the conversation with interest, discovering firsthand that the lives of Nobles were just as controlled by ritual and family expectations as that of the Rhoni. It was something to contemplate, to add to the Lore she had already gathered. When Tomomi spoke, she blinked and brought her attention back to the people around the table.

“Perhaps Lady has bopped Broke on the nose for making an alliance? You could go ask, that is true. But should we not trust the word of the Allaine? Or...” She glanced over at Friend Lyric. “...Lyric might know. Didn’t Broke and One Fang make her part of the Pack?”

She smiled at Tomomi. “Of course, if you want a perfectly good reason to visit Home for a while, that does seem to be, well, a perfectly good one.” Keiko hugged her Forever Friend. “I know you will always find me again, at least if I don’t disappear somewhere you’ve never been, and I don’t plan on doing that.”

Lyric

(still on the evening before)

...on the difference between the Pack and Wuffs

The Minstrel had stated that Eleni's perceptions were keen, just off the mark a little. The Darkness was not from without, but rather from within.

Eleni had previously spoke of the Pack, and a desire to meet a member of the Pack. Lyric understood that what Eleni really wanted to meet was a Wuff. And so, she didn't volunteer her status as a member of the pack. What would be the point? To anyone who learned of the Pack in the first place, Wuffs were the obvious center of the revelation. That was as it should be. Lyric was honored by the inclusion and she understood the bond that had been created and the reasoning. Yes, she believed that her actions saved lives and she didn't second guess the Pack's decision. But the Minstrel knew and the Pack knew that she did not have the common origin and life experience that forged them into a Pack.

But Tomomi circled back around to the topic with a quiet commentary to Keiko about how Broke might have acted alone on behalf of all of Home with regard to diplomatic outreach and quite possibly entanglement.

And then Keiko made it clear that Lyric was a member of the Pack. Lyric lowered her eyes. Eleni would have so many questions now... some could prove uncomfortable... and some could revisit her grief and her failures. Kadri was gone. Not all the Wuffs made it out of the Forge Room. She had almost lost One-Fang.

"Yes, they did. After we returned to Home. One Fang made the proposal and the rest of the Pack agreed. So I became a part of the Pack."

The Minstrel shrugged though, "But I don't know anything about an alliance."

Cesare

He grins as Eleni gets her head rapped. Refreshing and cute.. a good description.

There is lots of light banter around the table, all in good humour. He feels very at ease despite the loftiness of his surroundings, but then he has never been one for formality and has the potentially heretical belief that all men are equal, regardless of status. Although he tries to be polite, he finds it hard to be deferential.

Happy to listen to the chatter, he decides that one more pastry is not excessive and another drink would be welcome too, so he helps himself to both. He does keep his eye on the others too, aware that Lyric is a little uncomfortable talking about the pack and although he feels she shouldn't be as it is part of who she is now, he does know that like him she has some sad memories of that time too.

Kisa and Eleni

How does one choose a Knight? Kisa Allaine answered that in a single word, quietly spoken over the last of her evening's drink. She also offered a genuine and secret little smile. It was a simple word, yet, like the quiet scholar, not at all simple or easy.

"Trust."

That got a silent reply as the sisters looked at each other, and Eleni wrinkled her nose. Her head tilted a bit as if she were considering those who she shared such a quality. Which, upon conclusion, was completed with an emphatic shake of her head, short red hair dashing back and forth. Thus it was much better for her to follow another thread of conversation for a bit.

"It just seems so fairy-tale and unbelievable. A Priestess of Krysta, of all things. And married and all. I really want to meet this Miss Emerald. I'd send him a missive, but I keep telling him "Smallest Village on the Mainland" is a very poor description. How can one send a messenger to a place like that? The messenger would blink and ride right past without knowing. It's like he is trying to avoid people.

"However, as for Miss Bekkah ..."

The youngest of the Allain noblewomen leveled a very considering look upon the Imperial Princess.

"As for Lady Bekkah, I could always arrange something."

As Eleni contemplated her rights as a Noble over those who were born in her lands, Tomomi turned back to Keiko.

"Oh. Not that it would take very long; to go and ask that is. I could ask Lady and be back before dessert. I could even bring her a mug of this hot tshokolat. Unless she's asleep. She doesn't like being disturbed when she is asleep. But if she is I could always ask Soft."

Luckily for Bekkah the oddness of the words between Mouse and Rhoni most certainly had caught her attention. Until, of course, Lyric spoke up and the Minstrel's words were overheard.

"You are a member of this Pack?"

And then it became even worse.

"Oh my! How did that happen? A minstrel in a Pack of Wolves? Are all the wolves like this Broke or are they all different? One Fang — that is a wonderful name for a wolf. And he chose you? And the others said yes? That is most curious. Why do you think so? I mean you were there and all! There must have been some reason, something that set you apart from all the other minstrels, to become that trusted. It can't be just because you are a minstrel or any minstrel could become one, but you speak of it as if it is something so extraordinary.

"And I wager it is!"

She was obviously just as interested in Lyric as the rest of her pack.

"That must have been a unique adventure. One can always sing about heroes and brave deeds, that is true, and perhaps that figured into it. But to then become welcomed into such a thing as a Pack.

"Isn't that the difference between a song worth hearing and a song worth remembering?"

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]
and
Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Daxia gave Eleni an inscrutable look and said, quietly, “Eleni.” Rather than chiding or recrimination, the Priestess’ voice held a touch of sadness.

“Let her be, Eleni. Shouldn’t one of us have the freedom to choose her path?” Even her smile seemed melancholy for a moment.

She didn’t regret the direction her life had taken or the myriad ways the tiles could fall in her role of Dayala’s Priestess or Kisa’s Knight. She had never really had a choice — at least, not once Kassia took her in hand. She could barely remember Mama and Papa, and she no longer had any way to imagine how things might have been different if they hadn’t died. She hadn’t bothered with “what if” since just after Bekkah left for her training at Lilia’s Castle.

“Please.”

Dazi backed up to one of Eleni’s previous statements.

“His keep is on the edge of the Korie lands, hard against the Dirkwood.”

“It’s called Waveriders Watch,” Keiko interrupted. “A few farmers and their families... a miller and his wife... and three guards.” She smiled and glanced at Tomomi before addressing the young Khorall. “They’re good people, even Thomas, who doesn’t believe he belongs there. They trade with the Forest Folk, and Missus Miller tries to pretend she’s severe, but she’s as kind as everyone else. They...”

She paused, looked around the table, and then shrugged. “The Young Master does what you wish to do, Dama. He sees the people he watches over as people who make a difference, even if it’s only in a tiny corner of the mainland. The Forest Folk? They are very good at protecting themselves... Broke and the Pack are their Guardians. But the Young Master would do anything in his power to protect them, too, I think.

“Because he cares, you see.” Then she grinned at Eleni. “His little village is at one end of the northern Rhoni Road. The folks in the Big Village ought to know how to find it easily enough.”

Daxia nodded. “That’s must be Talesan’s Village. See, Eleni? Not too difficult if you have all the pieces to the puzzle, da?”

Keiko’s attention was caught again by Tomomi.

“I would be content to believe the Allaine about the alliance, but it does seem to be an unusual thing from what you have said, my friend. Perhaps...” She peeked at Eleni through a wave of hair that fell across her face. “Perhaps you could also ask about Renyard, and if a message might be passed to him that he would be quite welcome in Dawnview Vale.”

She brushed the hair back behind her shoulder, making the bold red blaze more prominent as she finger-combed the locks.

“Even knowing that a message has been passed along to Home for Renyard might be a kindness sufficient to repay the Dama’s hospitality at her Keep.”

Lyric, in focus

"Wuffs," came the Minstrels reply, as though that word alone were the only thing that needed to be said. Lyric lowered her mug, inhaled and exhaled through her mouth. It sounded more like acceptance with a hint of resignation. The tale would be told sooner rather than later but she wasn't comfortable in the role of both teller and participant. Sure, it was partly her tale and she always wanted to hear stories from as close to the original source as she could. But she was a teller of tales and it felt self-serving to be a Minstrel hoping to be a bard who told her own tales.

"They prefer to be called Wuffs," she added after a moment. Her voice was even, paced, matching a rhythm and a tempo she had set in her head and heart.

"Once, they were wolves. But the dark and terrible Dwarven Flesh Smiths of Faast Keep, hidden in the ancient remnant of the Great Forest called Heartwood, now known as Dirkwood, tore them apart then remade them, and tore them apart again, over and over, forging them into something... different."

"Deep below the ground, under a lake, in a terrible place of pain and suffering, at the very farthest depths of this fetid and evil Bankorpool Demesnes of their own creation these Dwarves created their slaves. Less than slaves, they were simply tools to them, forged like any other tool of wood and metal, used and discarded without regard or concern for the spark of life each contained. Soulless at this point, but not without heart and feeling. Such is the origin for all those who now dwell within the solace and safety of Home, but this isn't a tale about all of them, though please understand that the fate of all of them is what drives at the heart of this story."

"You wanted to know how an outsider could become a part of the Fearsome and formidable Pack? I don't know the exact answer to that. I am not a Wuff. Though in my youth I ran with wolves, but that only has meaning if you consider that it influenced my way of thinking. I was a lonely child, few others in my village were my age. My friends were the creatures of the forest. They were not Wuffs and this friendship was a concept in my own head, but it taught me a lot about finding peace within myself and that I was not better than any other creature and the world was not mine to do with as I pleased. I don't know why I mention that except that you probably need to understand it to grasp at the meaning of what I tell you next."

"I went back for them...."

Her voice trailed off as a small surge of emotion threatened her composure as a bard. This was why a bard should not be the teller of their own tales. She seemed held there, motionless, still, too quiet and then finally she blinked again and forced a thin smile.

"It was a terrible place with terrible and cruel people serving their own darkest and basest needs. They created slaves to serve them in any capacity their will and whim desired. Used them up, tossed them aside and then made more." Her voice had an edge of temper about it. "These Dwarves and their Imperial Overlords were evil, twisted by their own dark hearts and the pervasive darkness of an ancient curse that hung over the forest itself. Have no pity for them, for they had none for others."

"This tale is about Wuffs... and me." Another pause.

"Another tale with a broader focus would tell of a Priestess of Attera who called upon her Goddess to grant souls to the Forest Folk of Home and those still enslaved in and dark fortress beneath the water. What a great glory that was, the power of a great Goddess becoming manifest in the world because a single Priestess sought to right a grave injustice and a manifest evil. This story I am telling is how I became part of the Pack. I told you I don't know Why Wuffs do what Wuffs do. I can only tell you what happened."

"How could we not help these newly ensouled people. They had kin still trapped, enslaved. Those who had found a way to escape had fought so very hard to help others, but for every 'tool' they stole from the Evil Prince and his Dwarves, two more were made or so it seemed. The Wuffs led raid after raid, daring forays, into the heart of darkness. The Mice and the Rats and Raccoons, Horses and Deer, and so many others used their talents as were forged into them... against the Dwarves, and the other minions of the Dark Prince. The Wuffs led the raids and fought their way in and then others would come and help and all of them would try to escape. But there was only so much they could ever hope to accomplish. But they were undaunted by the odds against them, because if they could only rescue one slave, then it was worth it, even the losses they might incur. Because that new rescued slave could feel freedom for the first time ever in their life. Those who had felt the warmth of the sun or slept a night without fear and pain would sacrifice everything to grant that moment, that experience to as many or a few as they could rescue."

"Consider this, what if the odds could be changed? What if the cycle could be broken? What if there was a way to rescue them all, or as many as could be rescued, at one time, and stop the Dwarves from making more slaves? What if the blight of the Dark Prince of the Bankorpool Empire could be broken and defeated forever? What if..."

"But the more immediate question was How? The Dark Prince's Keep was built to withstand a fearsome assault. His dwarves were masters of engineering and their magic with the earth and stone gave them a powerful advantage in devising the layers of defenses beyond just the nature of the construction itself. Time and arrogance on their part had narrowed their vision. They had constructed their upside down fortress, driving deep into the earth itself, to make it impossible for anyone they thought might have a chance of opposing them if they even discovered them within the dangerous forest. They knew the forest was not an ally of theirs, but they had found a way to survive it. Any who might challenge them would have to learn these things in a hard and painful way as they must have done. No force would ever reach them with enough strength to break their fortifications."

"But they never believed that the very 'tools' they created and invested with magic would be their undoing. They simply could not conceive that their creations would ever rebel, but they did. They never conceived that their creations would find the strength and courage to survive They did. The Dwarves and the Dark Prince never conceived their creations would unite, but they did. They never conceived that a Priestess of Attera would hear of their plight, journey to see their situation, and then seek a blessing and a boon that moved a Goddess to harness a power that approached the edge of the moment of creation itself, when the True Spark of Life came into existence between Order and Chaos... But she did."

"And maybe a small part of it involved a foolish girl who noticed the flaw in their designs and recognized their arrogance. A plan was created, complicated beyond measure, relying on timing and skill, and no small amount of luck. Everything had to work exactly as planned or bad things would happen. This was a fool's errand and the odds were terribly slim. That foolish girl was a little arrogant herself..."

Lyric stopped as the emotion came again. "...a lot arrogant."

"It was the only plan she could think of, to use their arrogance against them, to use their designs against them. So many moving parts that would have to work without co-ordination from a central place that it might well have been doomed from the start. The girl with the plan refused to accept failure. The lives of so many people whom she had never met weighed too heavily upon her now. How could anyone not be moved by the need and hope and desperation of those who desired a chance to help others like them see the sun for the very first time? How could anyone not recognize the moment when their courage exceeded their chance of survival, and then not be moved to do whatever was necessary to help. Those the heroes committed themselves to a quest that would probably see many die in the hope that many more would be saved."

"Maybe it was the outright foolishness of this plan, disguised as daring audacity, that gave it even the slimmest chance of success. The Dwarves and the Dark prince and his Imperials monsters certainly didn't expect it. And the raid in many raids was launched."

"This is the part of the story where I can only tell you what I know. The plan was the plan and everyone had their part to play. Mine and... and..."

"...and Kadri's was to run with the Wuffs. As fast and as hard as possible, straight down... down and down... clearing a path, making our enemies chase us to the bottom. The Wuffs knew the way and if anyone became separated, then DOWN was the path, ever down. Into the Pit of Evil itself, where the worst of the crimes were being committed and where those most in need would be found. Other heroes had to stand face to face against the Dark Prince, summon courage and delay this evil from realizing that they were not at the leading edge of the battle. Hold them long enough while the true battle slipped past them. There were others that had to slip into the lair of the prince himself and effect a rescue of a young princess whose creation was intended for the most cruel purposes that I will not describe here. And the most important of all tasks, one that required infinite patience and teamwork. This was a task that all other efforts hinged upon. It was the task that set the final timing in motion. It was the task that would exploit the flaw in the design of the keep and bring their biggest defense in upon them. If any of these moving parts failed then all would be lost."

"Down we went... But no plan is complete without the understanding that everything changes once the enemy is met. We were separated. Most of the Pack, from One Fang, Kadri, and myself and set upon by these fearsome feral creatures forged to be less a person and more a tool, vicious creatures with teeth and claws and speed. I was wounded, badly enough. One Fang saved my life, but he sacrificed himself to keep me alive and I found the strength to end the creature. Just one... Kadri faced another and she had to run, to draw it off. We couldn't face another like it.... One Fang, in that moment of sacrifice that gave me a chance to kill the creature was tumbled into the darkness with the creature falling after him. And I was alone. Bleeding. I did not know where I was, but I knew that I had to go Down."

"Kadri was on the run as I believed was in her nature, to let her foes give chase and let the predators believe they chased prey. I had to accept that she would remember that she needed to keep going down. So I went down, but I broke the rules. I had to find One Fang. I did. he was at the threshold of life and death..."

He said this to me and I remember it clearly, 'It was like after the longest Storm Season hunt, caught in the winter rain, when its so cold it is hard to breath and all you could think about was going to sleep. Then I heard music. It didn’t seem like it was the time for sleeping any more.”

Down we went, chasing after the Pack, knowing that they would do everything to achieve the mission. The hardest part was coming. And the moving parts of the plan would not wait for us. Soon, the wheels would turn and gates would open and water would come rushing in, down and down and down."

"There are parts of this tale that I must skip over, for those are not the parts of the story is not what you asked for. I have told you some parts beyond what was closest to the story at request because you need to hear them to understand what I tell you next."

"There was a terrible evil at the heart of the Dark Prince's realm. The nature and truth of Dark Steel. So much evil in those lowest levels. So much pain and suffering. it hurt just to witness it. But for those who lived it and endured it, and died in it, and were cast aside as worthless in it... my words can not describe it any better than what you might see in my eyes right now. Or look to the eyes of Tomomi and see it firsthand."

"We were reunited with the Wuffs, but the Dwarves and those terrible feral creatures were coming, driven into rage and madness by those who held their leashes, they were coming. We knew this, we pulled them all the way down to the lowest levels so that we could race up again with those we came to save. Bring the enemy down to us, to open our path back up again. Timing was everything and we were behind schedule."

She paused, knowing that she owned the room. Her timing and delivery was precise and emotional. Perhaps too emotional since she was a part of the story itself and maybe too close to tell it any other way. But now she was coming to final moments where fate and destiny collided and heroes were revealed around the Minstrel that day.

"Should I continue?"

She smiled though she could feel it was part of the performance as other emotions held stronger sway over Lyric right now.

"The Wuffs realized that more time had to be carved out because the rescue efforts were slowed by the scope of horror that none of us could truly be prepared for. These were real lives we were saving, with real souls, and the secret of Dark Steel affected lives as well. So much pain and suffering. But fear was driving up against hopelessness. That foolish and arrogant girl was beginning to realize that she was... foolish and arrogant. Lives were about to be lost because these poor people didn't understand freedom and didn't know what hope even meant let alone struggle and fight for it. So the Wuffs moved back to create a line of defense to slow the Dwarves. The foolish and arrogant girl knew they would sacrifice themselves to give her plan a few extra moments. She watched them fall back into the the room where they had all been created, to face a foe that would rip them apart, and she knew they would die for the need of a few extra moments. They didn't argue or bicker among themselves. They knew this was what they had been meant to do from the very moment they had first felt the sun and slept a night in freedom. So the foolish and arrogant girl shed a tear and her heart began to break, but the Plan was the Plan. She spoke aloud of hope and peace and freedom to those scared and broken people and found a way to spark courage where she thought none existed. Her friends took up those words and spoke them as well, one on one. And then a spark of hope became a fire, and upwards they climbed, level after level as though they would take hold of this idea of freedom and realize it for themselves or die trying."

Lyric was starting to have a hard time speaking her own words now.

"But she could hear the battle behind her. The Wuffs and the Dwarves were met. The Plan dictated that Lyric follow the group up and see that through. That was the whole purpose of this foolish and arrogant plan. But the girl couldn't follow her Plan. She told a friend to take her place at the rear and get everyone to safety. Her friend must have known the girl was going to do something else foolish and arrogant. Because there was a moment of understanding between them."

"The Girl raced back into the forge room... And... she evened the odds. The Wuffs could rally and turn the fight... and the Wuffs would win this hopeless battle. All the girl had to do was break the One Rule put upon her when she was made Banished. It was never a choice..."

"I told you I don't know why they made me a member of the Pack. You would have to ask them. I tried to tell you how it happened. I think I heard it said afterwards, 'You came back for us.' Maybe that means something to Wuffs."

Lyric closed her eyes and bowed her head. The tears were impossible to hide and had been as much a part of the telling as the words now for some many minutes. But it was told. It was honest. It was real.