[Sanikas Gate] A reluctant student (Flicker)

[Taln]

Taln was there to learn and by the Gods he was gonna learn--enemy or no! The chair creaked a little under his weight as he sat down, but the food on the table had his solid attention. He glanced swiftly at Rista's expression and saw it go from pissed to flat in a breath. He repeated the words with the associated food, but it somehow felt...wrong, off. It didn't sound like when Val first taught him at all. The tone had too much edge with almost no sibilants. Was she doing this to ruin it for him? To take away his only chance of bettering himself?! The dek had always picked up languages quickly, almost as easy as breathing and it made him more angry with each word she spit out as hardly recognizable Tawna. He needed to learn this desperately and wanted it even more than the table piled with highly coveted food. Rista looked positively nauseous combined with what must be anger staining her cheeks red. Well too bad--she'd just have to suck it up and deal with his repulsive presence because he was -not- going to give up on this. No matter how bitchy she got. Terrific. She just wanted to kill him for existing and that yasi was the only thing standing between him and a better future. He clenched his large hands in frustration and just glared at her. Val had said no caste problems so he at least felt more emboldened to speak his mind--and release a bit of pent up anger. After the third badly butchered example of a word, the copper haired man threw down the bread, slammed a large fist down on the table hard and replied angrily. "I don't know Tawna that well, but from what I've heard -without- your lack of so called help is that it sounds like chewing with your mouth full--that's why there's food. You keep biting off the words like an angry snapping turtle! You may rightfully hate me, and you may not give a shyke about learning this, but I do! This is my future, my everything, literally my life at stake here, held in your uncaring hands. If I don't learn these languages, I could get beaten death in less than a moon. You've got a future learning with Kovac--this is -my- apprenticeship finally! You stole my dignity, and killed my trust, but gods damn it, don't take my future. Teach me right or don't teach me at all!" His furious emerald gaze locked on her black eyes, unwavering and fierce in his barely repressed urgency. He didn't know what the gatekeeper was about with having the yasi girl teaching him instead, but if Rista didn't actually start helping him, he'd have to demand it of Val. Learning languages was his lifeline to a better way, to be treated human, to help more, to no longer risk death at every interaction--a final surcease from the aching worry that plagued him. Just surviving each day was getting harder and he desperately, urgently needed to know as many languages and words as he could. A shelf life for a dek usually wasn't past twenty five years old and Taln knew his time was running out. Taln swore softly in Tawna at Rista, "Chopre he randi." If Rista chose to screw this up, he'd have to demand that Val takeover then. It wouldn't be easy to speak assertively to an elder, but he would if he must. The girl just wanted him gone and he understood, but he -must- learn because he didn't have much time left. He yearned to trust her, to be friends with her, but if she was going to hold him back from the one thing he wanted, he would push her out of the way--just as he expected her to do when he'd staged their 'fight.' She'd done as she should, and now he would do as he should, if forced to. Secret : *note* Chopre he randi, A curse said to someone who is being stubborn; literally "you live within stone walls"

[Flicker]

Allowing the kids to resume the lesson, the oblivious Val situated himself back on the couch and carefully attended to some figuring on a small square of parchment. It was no happenstance that when Taln had hesitantly approached him, having heard of his willingness to teach anyone, he’d started the lad off with Tawna. He had been nearing impatience with Rista’s stubborn disobedience and knew that eventually the lass, whether she came willingly, as she had, or not, she would need someone to practice with. Just because he would teach anyone didn’t mean he couldn’t use the lower caste for his own ends. Just the fact that Rista was attempting to recall the words, though several of the pronunciations were off, and some words Val suspected were just accented versions of Nari, would help the yasi in her studies. Taln, well, Taln would learn what the words weren’t. Busily scrawling out neat rows, the gatekeeper winced at a particularly rough guess on the young lady’s part. It was no excuse, however, for the drudge to take offense and display such idiotic insubordination. Jaw clenching, the elder rose, exhibiting none of the limitations of age, and strode toward the table. It was only a matter of four steps, so he loomed over the furious dek in a matter of seconds, all the power of his youth once more rejuvenated and summoned in his ire. Blue eyes skimmed over the yasi, taking in her reaction before forestalling any movement or rejoinder on her part with an upheld palm. Returning his gaze to the upstart, his voice cracked with reprimand and there was not a hint of the kindly old man left. “You be grateful for the meal on your plate, Dek. Forget not from whence you come and in what company you reside. You test my patience with your cavalier manner and you’ll learn Tawna with Rista or you’ll learn it not at all. If you find yourself unable to provide Rista the service she needs then your presence here is no longer necessary; you can leave your meal and find something more to your liking.” Val stared in terse displeasure at the boy for long minutes, wrinkled features taut under the strum of anger. How dare the drudge speak so with no greater reason than a lack of skill from his teacher? Clearly Rista was just as uncomfortable with her neophyte grasp of the language, with the way she was alternatively withdrawn and irritated. Apparently satisfied without resorting to violence, the ex-endal turned to Rista and handed over the scrap of parchment. “If his immanency had been able to exert patience, I was in the process providing you with a guide,” he sneered, directing the lass to look at the script. The neat blocky letters had the phonetic spellings of all the words they’d reviewed this evening with a corresponding definition. Following the brief list were several phrases commonly used in greetings, along with a few sentences about weather, well being, eagles, fishing, and archery. It had been formulated with the intention of Rista being able to have use of them (even should she not say them out loud to whoever she spoke with) several times a day. Just keeping her referencing or thinking about them was necessary for quick uptake. “What have you to say?” he asked, eyes alternating scrutinizingly between the pair.

[Rista]

The palms slamming into the table came so unsuspecting that the girl flinched from the sudden sound and flung her head up to stare at the man on the opposite side of the table, expression slipping from annoyance to surprise and back again for his way of cutting her off when she was trying to speak. She opened her mouth to ask what this was about, but as the words of the man reached her ears it felt as if the tongue froze in the throat. Her mouth clapped shut, lips pressed into a thin line of discontent as she listened to the angry ramblings; one hand clasping hard around the.. the serving spoon? while the other rested on the table, both so tightly tensed that the knuckles whitened.

How dared he? The more Taln spoke, the more furious did the question in her mind become, and it didn't take long before the face of the girl was a mask of poorly held back anger, the dark eyes looking like boiling pits of tar. So be it that Val had decided that this person was supposed to be treated like a peer, but this wasn't something she would tolerate from anyone. The injustice in his statements made the yasi see red. How was she supposed to teach him 'right' when she barely knew how to teach at all, not to mention speak the language itself? Didn't he know that this was her first lesson whatsoever, that she had never heard anything being spoken in the tongue of the desert-dwellers aside from the words the gatekeeper had bugged her with when he decided that it was time for her to start learning? How was her lack of ability to pick up things quickly a deliberate attempt to spoil his future?

The mentioning of their previous bout hurt within her and made the girl recoil as if the dek had reached out and slapped her in the face. Internal pain added to the anger, guilt over the knowledge that he was at least partly correct battled with the fact that he was the one who had started it all. If it wasn't for Taln, there wouldn't have been any rumors, no need to deal with the other yasi, and she would never have been teased to the point where she snapped. He had brought it upon himself. That was at least what she was trying to tell herself. The fact that a person that could have been a friend was accusing her of trying to indirectly kill him was more dire; it was what made the girl finally open her mouth, prepared to let all her anger and pain spill out into the air...

The hand of the gatekeeper stopped her. Rista blinked and looked up at the old man, biting her tongue to make sure she wouldn't say anything when she recognized the signs of his anger; she had seen it once before, and wasn't very impressed over how Taln had caused his mood to change. Shrinking back a little on her seat, Rista almost held her breath as she listened to the scolding that followed, in several places flinching at the snap of the Elder's words. Partly it was of surprise. Was that the reason for Taln's appearance in the room? For her to have someone to practice with, could that really be it? It was stunning, the old man must have given this a lot more thought than Rista could imagine, if he took the time to arrange something like this. Why? Suddenly the explanation from before was beginning to seem inadequate; that had been more a declaration of what his intentions weren't in teaching her. Was it that much of a hassle to explain it, or was it that he didn't want to let her know too much?

The focus of the girl shifted almost completely to the former Endal, and her gaze got something thoughtful as she remembered the conversation they'd had not very long ago. Was there something else lying behind all this, and what, if so? The girl hoped she wasn't being pulled into anything without knowing what it was. So far she had been left mostly to her own devices, been free to decide for herself what she wanted to do and when and often even how. If this were to change... But perhaps she was just reading too much into things. Rista lifted a hand and received the paper, looking at it as directed while she listened to the old mans words. The phonetics did help her a bit, and while it still was sometimes hard to decipher how the word was supposed to be pronounced, she would have good help from it. If she were to continue this, that is. Gaze returning for a moment to the man at the question, she soon brought the attention over to the dinner table. Many of the bowls were more than half empty by now, and some of the dishes were growing cold, loosing in both flavor and scent; the latter something the girl was rather grateful for. She was way too full...

"Thank you for the guide, Elder" she said quietly, wondering slightly where her anger had gone away to. Did she have something left to say at all? She mostly just felt tired now, the head spinning from all the new knowledge that had been pressed into it. He really must be hating her, to say such things.. "I say.. That this will be a great help" she gestured with the hand that held the paper. "I don't mind continuing, trying to do my best in my first lesson, if only this person is willing to do the same." A hint of fire was pressed into the clarification and thrown at the copper-haired drudge with a pair of hard eyes. There were so many more thing she wished to say to him, but this wasn't the time or the place. In fact, Rista wondered if there ever would be a time and place fit enough for the things she wished to talk about.

"Perhaps an apology would be in place, however. The man has no ground for his accusations, and I won't stand for being addressed in that kind of tone.. Certainly not from a 'peer'." Something within her felt that she was being too meek and it compelled her to keep speaking. Stubbornness settled over the face of the girl, and while her words were given to the elder, her eyes rested on the face of her supposed-to-be friend... She almost hoped that he would object and try to insist on being right.

[Taln]

Taln seemed to shrink several inches, hunching over and fully expecting a final beating. All color drained from his face and he knew of a certainty that Val had the right, if not the duty to kill the Dek for his insolence, as did Rista. His quick temper died under the knowledge that this could very well be his last living conversation. His gaze flicked to the quick movement of Rista grabbing a wooden serving spoon, ready for violence. The terrified drudge cast his eyes down so far they looked closed. All the years of frustration had welled up inside him as this little girl who took her education for granted purposely held it back from him. It was no longer a matter of learning, but rather, would they either kill him brutally or merely beat him senseless? The man tried to conjure up the fiery rage that swelled through him only chimes before, but the only thing he could do was hear the blood rushing in his ears while he waited for death. Each word from the gatekeeper slapped him till he was dizzy and shaking with terror. This would be the last time his temper slipped, for the Elder was sure to take his life. For the first time in his short life, Taln wondered if death might bring a welcome surcease of the pain and oppression that mounted daily. He was in the 'senior years' of a Dek's life span and he'd lived longer than most of his caste could expect to. The copper haired man waited tensely for the first hit, his mind clouded with the hundreds of ways they could and would kill him. His chin was tucked to his chest and his only choice was to sit and wait. The two scant mouthfuls he ate fought to rise up again and he inhaled and held his breath to clamp down on it. "....do my best in my -first- lesson..." the highly indignant voice filtered through the haze of life and death terror. 'But she knew this stuff didn't she? How could it be her -first- lesson?! And I talked to her like that? She -was- once almost a friend. Why were they just talking instead of killing him and moving on? ' Unable to raise his eyes, he listened intently, but no one took out a weapon or belt. Neither one moved any closer to give Taln the justified retribution that was the right of their castes. 'Apology? Seriously? What were they playing at? It was their privilege to beat him for his demanding and obnoxious attitude and they only speak of words?' Shame and self-loathing warred with each other, vying for dominance within and he just couldn't think straight. He'd steeled himself to stay still and accept his death and they wanted him to just speak?! How do they want me to be? I hate being a Dek! Am I to die or not? Talk or not? I'm tired of this game. I just don't guess it right anymore. Rista speaks Tawna so good, I thought she was an expert on the language! She was right. I am just a dumb idiot brute. I have to answer them quickly or risk angering them further. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a quick, nervous gasp when he remembered to breathe again. The humiliated man's face, neck and ears turned bright crimson with deep shame. When Taln tried to talk a second time, his voice cracked badly and it was barely loud enough to be called a whisper. "Please accept my most humble apology Elder and Yasi. I will never again speak without orders or permission." Taln almost wished they had chosen to kill him now, and some small spark of life died further within him.

[Flicker]

When he’d stated they should behave as peers, it had been more to keep the Yasi’s scorn in line; that had been a gross miscalculation. The experienced old man should have been able to predict the dynamics between his students, this situation left a sour taste in his mouth. Rista had behaved unpredictably, but not, as far as he could tell, unjustifiably. Taln, on the other hand, seemed to take the direction as justification to lose his mind. Even his apology disgusted the gatekeeper. Clearing the sneer from his face with difficulty, the elder stepped back from the table and motioned to the meal remnants. “Take this away, Drudge. Return in three days timewill this work for you two? and forget that I ever gave you leave to approach Rista as an equal. You are now at her disposal for learning Tawna. Go.” Val moved away from the table to give the cowed boy room to gather everything up and remove it from his chambers. Turning away with a small gesture for Rista to join him, he led the way out into the heating nook. Stopping next to the cool stove, the rough pads of one hand slid along the smooth surface. Stars twinkled in a blanket across the tapestry of night, their light warm and fantastic as only it could be during the sultry summer nights. Before long, the wind would bring the chill of snow instead of the crisp scent of pine and new growth. Thick fingers deft even in the dark of the sparse enclosure, a small fire soon danced and hungrily lapped at the dry shards of wood the gatekeeper slowly added. “Let’s go over the phrases in the guide, make sure you can read them off how they’re supposed to be pronounced and we’ll be done for the night,” her teacher intoned blandly, taking his usual seat. There was room next to him, in the light of the fire, or next to the doorway, where the natural light was more than enough to discern the writing on the scrap of parchment. “Use Taln as you will, but come prepared to your lessons so that we may proceed smoothly without belaboring previous vocabulary.”

[Rista]

oocfive days would be better for me

Maybe it was stupid of her to expect anything different, but the meek apology made the girl feel even more annoyed, while at the same time giving her a bad feeling in her stomach. Maybe it was guilt, but who would have thought that the tall man was so easily broken? He hadn't seemed like it that first night when they sat in the darkness of her room, chatting so casually while she tried to stitch together the wounds at his side. Where was the person that so fiercely had chased off those loud-mouthed boys, intense and commanding enough to be mistaken for Endal? Why had he stopped staring at her with those green eyes of his, defiant and ready to step on her should she give him an opportunity? This person that cowered on his seat now didn't feel familiar at all. Was it she that did this, that broke him down by rejecting an offer of help, poorly expressed and stupidly executed, but even so full of warmth? She hoped not. If it was her fault that he didn't have any confidence left, she would be hopelessly indebted to him.

The feeling of guilt only grew stronger when she glanced up at the gatekeeper and saw distaste lingering on his features. In her mind she knew that she couldn't be held accountable for the actions of the drudge, but it didn't keep her from wishing that she had reaction more appropriately. The only problem was.. What was appropriate in a situation like that? Should she have swallowed it, acting like nothing had happened or would it have been better if she flared up, taking out her anger? It was there, burning beneath and stinging in her veins, but not hot enough to sear through the surface. And the presence of the Elder was tucking the lid on tighter than normally, she hesitated to act out more with him around than she already had.

Camouflaging her growing unease with silence, the girl watched quietly as the table was cleared, obediently rising to follow Val when he motioned for her to do so. A thin line stretched across her forehead, a good hint at how this sudden turn in mood troubled the yasi and she felt the beginning of a headache start to take for behind the eyes; she didn't say anything as she passed Taln on her way, not sure what would be appropriate. The quiet seemed to echo, the silence was painful as a whiplash against her back... And then she stepped outside, and it was as if the freshness of the air wrapped her in its embrace, soothing her inner torrents. Rista took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a while, then opening them slowly to take in the star strewn sky, unhindered by the memory of other light in her gaze.

She had always preferred the warmth of Syna and the brightness of the day, when things were clear and well defined, where there was no need for guessing and suggesting. She couldn't deny though that it was beautiful at night; the stars performed well in lighting up the darkness, soothing her initial unease at the infinite blackness between their pale radiance and spreading their pale glow over the landscape below. There was a peace over the night that she rarely felt at other times, a calm that the young girl found foreign; her own inner world was always so intense, her mind going up so completely in the things she saw and felt that it was hard to take a step back and just breathe.

Moments passed as the half-blooded girl stood there and simply breathed. When the fire began to grow and spread warmth and light over the area behind her she turned around, abandoning the cold and uncaring stars for the more homely warmth of the flickering flames. She crossed the room in several quick strides, her short legs carrying her swiftly but with determination; with only a little hesitation she sat down next to the teacher and returned her attention to his voice and the task at hand. Her gaze held a slight hint of wariness as she looked at him, trying to gauge his mood. The voice didn't reveal much, and she wondered how much of that patience he had left... A quiet "Yes, Elder" had to suffice for now, and while it felt somewhat insufficient compared to the many things she wanted to ask and talk about she didn't dare push it further.

Suppressing a faint sigh, Rista picked up the paper she'd kept in her hand and held it so that both of them could see, before returning to the task of deciphering the sounds and recalling what they meant. Perhaps the task of learning Tawna in itself wasn't so bad; she just hoped that there wouldn't be too steep a price to pay for it later. What was the old man having in mind when he taught her? Rista wasn't sure she even wanted to know. Surely she would sleep better if she didn't.

[Taln]

Taln stayed immobile and silent, not daring to move until they'd left the room. He swiftly wrapped up the food with the large serving leaves, using the stems to tie it to his leg beneath the clothing. Piling the emptied plates, bowls and cups gave him time to think; too much time to think. The look of ill concealed disgust from the Elder was something he should've expected. Just when he'd find a sane balance to stay at least marginally happy, something always petched it up. The large Dek used to be better at reading what others wanted from him but then again, this was a brand new situation with nothing to compare it to. He could deal with the bratty Yasis with indifference, the higher castes with overt submission, but Taln had never dealt with an Elder before and it was more than a little intimidating. All the large, medium and small plates were neatly stacked and he moved on to the bowls with meticulous precision. Were he given possessions that were more than the clothes he wore, they'd be as ruthlessly organized. Once the bowls were stacked neatly in variegated sizes, Taln moved on to the cups and mugs. If only Rista hadn't been here. If only they hadn't misunderstood each other on the brink of a much needed friendship by both of them. The copper haired man tucked away the if onlys as he did the cups--quickly and firmly. 'I thought she knew the language and was just holding out on me. She looked so petching mad at just the sight of me, I thought she was just giving me crap. I can't believe I yelled at her like that. That was my dumb idiot self assuming again.' As much as he didn't want to believe Rista's insults because everyone else said them, the frustrated young man couldn't -not- believe them when said by a kinda-sorta-almost-could've been, friend. Therein lay the heart of the matter and he didn't know a way around it. She acted all independent, tough Inarta and refused help even when needed. Wait-was that the crux of it? That Rista wouldn't accept help from a Dek, but if she chose to condescend to him then that was fine? He shook his head until the coppery messed up hair obscured his face almost completely. With everything perfectly arranged and stacked, he moved each load to a large serving bucket with meticulous care. The bending and stooping aggravated the fresh wounds on his right side, leg and right hand. Taln did his best not to fumble anything despite the broken fingers, knowing any spilled crockery would come out of his hide. At this point, he couldn't risk another beating until he'd healed or it would surely kill him. He'd ruined his chance at learning and there wasn't anything to be done about it, unfortunately. His temper and usual stupidity had squashed that opportunity deader than a Dek at mid winter. Taln checked that the food tied to his leg didn't show. Reech could really use it right now, and they'd mostly likely think he'd just ate it all himself like an idiot starving dog anyway. The shamed Dek hefted the heavy bucket, further ripping open the poor stitching on leg and ribs. He adjusted the load to lean more on the left hand and arm so he could grasp it better. Three strides before he'd be in sight of them, he bowed his head and kept his eyes on the ground. Thankful for his large step, he'd be gone and far on his way as soon as he possibly could. Secret : five days is fine.

[Flicker]

A draft from Taln's entrance to the nook stole the gumption from the hungry little fire and the light of the moon invaded its territory for a few, brief flickering seconds. Val used the darkness, his voice fading under the snapping protest of the whipped flames, to evaluate Taln's body language as he awkwardly hurried from their presence. The boy had utterly and inexplicably lost his mind. More bewildered than angry at this point, the elder shook his snow white locks and leaned back into the lesson. With inexhaustible patience, the gatekeeper guided the yasi through the proper pronunciation, even offering suggestions how to alter the spellings of the words so that she could remember what Nari sounds made what Tawna words. His blue eyes, easily fatigued in the fickle light, rested sharply on the guide from beneath bushy eyebrows. When she proved able to read and understand the sounds and phrases, Val leaned back, folding his thick, gnarled fingers together. The boy had utterly and inexplicably lost his mind. It seemed that Rista was just as subdued as he by it. That there were exterior factors coming into play here never even crossed his mind, despite the tersely offered clue Taln had given "We've met before, sir" or some such thing. If the youth still found her tongue tied regarding questions or comments, the disappointed old man would clear his throat and somehow summon up a pleased and kindly smile. "Come again in three days time, Yasi Rista. I'll have prepared another lesson and tasks to aid in your comprehension." Follow-up thread : Currently waiting on HD permission to backdate the thread. I suggest you two talk about how you're going to handle the fact that Val told Rista to make use of Taln before their next meeting. Figure out what they do between threads, if anything, so that everyone is on the same page when next they all meet.

[Rista]

Rista worked diligently with the task at hand, trying her best not only to get the words and phrases into her head but also to forget about the whole matter with Taln. Both were hard tasks to accomplish, and by the time the elderly man considered her finished, her eyes felt sore and tired from reading in the fickle light. She gathered up the papers at the mans finishing words, returning the smile faintly with one of her own; it didn't look very lively though, and the girl seemed unusually quiet as she stood up and took a few steps towards the door. It was true that she had many a question to ask the gnarled old man. She had been given a lot of things to think about during this lesson, and some were slightly more comfortable than others. As her foot hesitated between one step and the next, however, it wasn't anything about Taln or the lesson that burned on her tongue. No, the pondering that made her face seem so hesitant as she turned around half-way and glanced back at the Gatekeeper was of a slightly more sensitive nature, one that she had only ever inquired about once before in her life... "Elder.. You met him once, right? Him, the man who.. who sired me." She didn't want to call him a father. What kind of father would leave a potential mate and child and run off like he had? She had heard some old story about how he came and left and created a mongrel during his stay, but there were never any solid facts and stories had a tendency to warp as they were told. She wasn't even sure why she was asking. Maybe it was just the simple fact that he was getting closer to her now, as she learned to speak his language. Was it his voice she spoke with as she tried to bed the tongue around the foreign syllables, did he see through her eyes as she looked at the gray-haired man on the bench? The girl didn't know how much of that man she carried within herself, and how much that was pure and untainted Inarta. The thought was frightening as always, unsettling and bothersome and she didn't want to even think about it, but if she would continue to study this language and learn about this people... Sooner or later it would inevitably lead to talk about this man, this blood of hers. She wanted to at least try and prepare herself, so that the blows to her views on herself wouldn't be too hard. It wouldn't do to break under such an unimportant thing.

spoiler :

Here is the story Rista told Eoin about her parents. Also, I have agreed with Ma'ii that he and Rista are cousins, so I think that means that her father was a Chaktawe of the Kalanue tribe. I'd love if he could be fleshed out more, and perhaps even appear in her life at some point.. it's not certain whether he is alive or dead, and aside from this story I haven't done anything with him at all.

[Flicker]

Rista had hit it right on the head in one of their earlier skirmishes; Chaktawe simply didn’t venture to Wind Reach all that often. Val’s eyes, hidden in the vibrating shadows cast over his face by the fire, unfocused as he thought back all those years. Oft, when visitors from lands he’d once ventured forth to stopped in, they spent much time with the old gatekeeper. One, he could speak their language, and two, he was a fabulous guide to the city and its strange inhabitants. Pushing to his feet, the fatigue of his earlier anger setting in, the old man disappeared back into his small chamber for a brief second of rustlings. Coming back out, he sat close to the yasi and tipped a large, loosely bound stack of parchment toward the fire. “How old are you?” As Valterrrik flipped through the chronologically ordered papers, a handful of strange languages came and went in neat hand. He came to the correct year, went back nine months, drug his fingers over a few sheets, scanning for something specific. “Ah, yes, I remember that fellow. He went down to Thunder Bay, hid for three days in the settlement, terrified of the ocean, and then spent two whole days at the baths just floating.” A grizzled old laugh interrupted his ruminating. “I met him, Rista, and learned much from him while he was here.” Thick, strong hands offered the loose papers to the girl, open to the page. It was all written in whimsical Tawna, but there were at least three pages under the same heading there, presumably his name or something similar. As though Taln had never ruined their budding friendship and camaraderie, Val’s gentle and sincere manner returned. “Don’t be afraid, child; face your fears and you will overcome them.” A careful guiding hand settled on her shoulder for the briefest of moments. “But it might be best to let the past lie still,” he warned.