Your only qualification is... (Saige)

[Bob Barton]

19th day of Summer 512 AV

So imagine the humiliation for someone like a Speaker to be pushed by a few random kids to take them camping. It was Bob's fault really. In order to get them to help him out in some insane snowball war he needed to put himself in a position of leadership. While using his age and position should have been enough he wanted them to do everything he could which was why he suggested to them that as a Speaker which would do anything for Alvads, they should try and do the same in the war especially since they all wanted to win. He thought that it would be all over when the event was over but the kids somehow found him again as the Speaker who would have to take them camping because of Bob's mission statement. "Why do you want me take you?" he asked a little bit surprised. There were so many other people who would be more qualified than some small man who lives in cities more than the wild.

He wanted to find and offer alternatives based on their preferences but how could he when "you want a Speaker? Why?" This was getting very strange. "Fine..." they are probably right that a Speaker would have more fun things to do for them during the camp and their parents are more likely to allow them to go with him "but...I don't like the wilderness." Maybe like would not be appropriate to express if he wants to appear as a selfless Speaker so he added that "I don't know what to do out there. I can't be responsible for you if its like that." he said hoping to dissuade them from choosing him. "Well..." of course someone among them has to know how to camp already or it would have to be too easy for them right? "Fine" he said with a sigh of resignation. "Just get ready your things and tell me what I have to bring so that this won't be too...uncomfortable for me."

Bob returned changing back into his uniform and packing up what the children told him to bring along. Some of the other Speakers who found out what he was going to do had a good laugh and tried to scare him that the wilderness is unsafe being out of Ionu's sphere of protection. The usual snappy dismissal from Bob was withheld as the man remembered about all the monsters roaming about Alvadas the previous season and how the casualties were not too great after the initial storms thanks to the protection provided by Alvadas. Having adopted some of the superstitions of the Speakers and Bob quickly ran to the temple above ground and offered a quick prayer to Ionu. Something along the lines of "don't let the horrors out there see me" especially when he is going to run away and to "let the camping trip go well" just like all his other jobs. The worst that could happen is if something happens to the kids but as long as Bob survives he can worry about addressing the survivors later on.

"So are you all ready?" he asked the campers when they gathered. As long as they forced him to take care of them as the adult escort he might as well assume control. "What do you do?" he asked each one of them to find out what they are going to do during the camping trip before distributing the jobs like "you lead us to the camping spot" for the obvious leader among the children that forced him into this "and you can cook" for the one that told him what to bring for food while "you can show us all how to do the camping nonsense" for the boy that was boasted as the one doing all the actual camping. "What am I going to do?" he asked in return the the same question they asked him. Bob was hoping that he might use this as some sort of holiday since he already did what he was asked to do when he reminded them "I'm here aren't I?"

The only way Bob seemed to be the leader of the group though was when he was leading them into the mountains following the instructions of a child. Probably so that if anything jumped out , it would get him first since a Speaker was only good for safety. And if safety was his responsibility Bob found himself asking "should we really be getting off the path?" How would they be able to find their way back if they split up. When the leader assured that they were going the right way Bob asked again "how can you be so sure?" before being pointed towards some trees. "I don't get it..." even when he was asked to look closer and closer until he saw some strange markings on the trees. "And this is for?" he asked still at a loss until he was told that the site they were going to has been used by them a lot and the markings would lead them right to it. "So are there only markings for this or are there others?" Bob asked getting into Speaker mode now. Knowing something like this might be able to help him a lot in the future.

Getting his answer, Bob felt content to just reach the camp and looked for the signs himself once he knew what to look for. At least if his group was about to get lost he can correct their route or just have himself to blame. It was easy when he realized after searching for so many signs that they were normally on the foot of the tree, to the same direction that the previous sign pointed at and was in a brighter color from the bark to stand out. So Bob decided that his responsibility was just to look out for these signs from tree to tree and maybe other signs of dangers that might be hiding beyond them.

[Saige]

It had been an interesting day at the bizarre, uncannily full as it always was. Saige avoided being stomped on by sticking to corners and edges, though even those methods of prevention still had her tossed about by idiots who couldn't simply look where they were going. Annoyed as she was, she did try to refrain from thinking of the people as idiots. Not many people looked at their feet when they walked in case there was a barely one foot tall statuette wandering about. They didn't deserve to be called by such a derogatory insult. Still, idiots.

She stopped here and there, never really looking for anything in particular until she came upon a merchant selling books. She stopped there and climbed onto one of the piles that were stacked around an old smiling man, sitting cross legged on a carpet. "Hello," Saige made herself heard over the noise of hagglers doing their haggling. The old man caught sight of the small thing and reacted with the warmest of smiles. "Why hello there, little Pycon. May I interest you in a book or two?"

"Most definitely," she replied with a grin. "What have you got?"
"Oh, this and that... For an adventurous lass like you, however, I've got just the thing," he said, and got up to start sifting through one of his many stacks.
"Adventurous?" Saige said, puzzled. "No, no. I'd rather read a book about history. I don't suppose you've got anything up that alley, rather?"
"Yes, maybe that was your intention upon visiting the bizarre," he said with a chuckle, "but I've met your kind before. You can't refuse a good old-fashioned treasure hunt."

She cocked her head to the side as the old man handed her a book much like her own, though considerably bigger. Taking it in both hands, she scanned the black leather-bound journal, ripped and worn in every direction."Treasure hunt... sounds a little childish to me," she said apprehensively. "I'd much rather read something of historic value."

"Oh, this does have historic value. Dates back to the 400's, see?" He took the book from her again and turned it to a random page, and pointed to a scribbled date at the top that read: 68th of Summer, 482 years after the Valterrian. It did indeed pique her interest. She squinted at the old man, wondering if the whole thing was a fake. He didn't show any signs of lying, no shuffling of the feet or wandering of the eyes. Then again, merchants were trained in the art of lying.

"How much?" She said after a pause, figuring that any book she bought in the bizarre had a chance of being a fake. The truth had to be read between the lines.
"Twenty Gold Mizas."
"Are you kidding me? I can tell from the one page you showed me that the writing is mediocre at best. Not to mention that handwriting will take ages to read."
"Haha! You have admirable attitude. I'll make you a deal for seventeen."
"That's no deal. I wasn't even looking for this, you're just insisting that I buy it. Make it ten."
"Fifteen, and I won't go any lower."

The pycon rolled her eyes, which proved to be a feat for a being without pupils. She was tired of arguing, and the more time it took to buy the damn thing, the more curious she was to see its contents. Reluctantly, she handed over the fifteen gold mizas and took the book from the old man's hands, who only laughed heartily as she walked away from him and towards the nearest exit.

"It was nice doing business with you, my little friend!" He called after her, still laughing.

---

Just as she had expected, the terrible handwriting and lack of proper spelling or grammar annoyed her to no end as she sat down on an inviting bench made of wool that Ionu had procured for her, infinitely warmer than the three inches of snow that fell everywhere but the bench for some strange reason. At first, it seemed to be only the chronicle of a generic Alvad farmer, who for some random reason had taken an interest in writing down his mundane life. She scanned these bits without much thought until she finally reached a part that didn't talk about his wife's cooking or how the crops were doing.

13th of Autumn, 483 years after the Valterrian My... My son returned home today. Before I met Lidya, when I was young and foolish, I had three nights of passion with a Svefran woman. I didn't even remember her name until he told me. He told me that he had forced his mother to give him information of my whereabouts so that he could find me. He still hasn't told me why he wanted to see me so much besides wanting to see his father. I have agreed to let him stay in the room of my long-deceased daughter, even though it pains Lidya to see someone in it. I have explained the circumstance to her, and though I can see the disdain in her eyes, she says she understands.

Finally, something interesting. Saige read on, but it no longer felt like such a meandering task.

43rd of Autumn, 483 years after the Valterrian. My son left today. Lidya got very upset at him for accidentally breaking the door handle to his room. It was very rusty. He came to me this evening and told me that he was actually in hiding this whole time, but he did not want to bother me any longer. Then, he gave me something... precious. He asked me to swear not to breathe a word about it, and hide it somewhere that won't be found. I've decided to travel into the mountains east of Alvadas tomorrow, and find some place suitable to bury it. I will not be able to keep the promise I have made my son, for though I will not tell a soul, I will write it down. So maybe one day, if my son returns (which I hope he does, for I have grown to love him in the short time we have spent together), we will not have to depend on the failing memory of an old man to find it again. I am angry at Lidya for chasing him out, but I cannot tell her that, because I know his presence has caused her much suffering.

Saige was ripped from her reading by the shouts of children nearby, her immediate reaction being one of anger. She managed to regain control of the wild emotion before she shouted insults, and instead only glared for a while before grumbling to herself and deciding to find her way home to continue her reading. On child in particular, though, a small dark-skinned girl with frazzled, snow laden hair, ran up to the pycon and pointed at the book.

"Why are ya readin', miss? Why not play?" She asked curiously. Saige was about to reply abrasively in the book's defense, but remembered to keep her cool. After all, it was only a child.
"This is play," she said, "It tells you where to find treasure." She grinned, knowing that would certainly sound interesting to the small thing.
"Wooww, really? Let's go find it!"
"It's up in the mountains, but we can't just go there. It's dangerous."
"Not true! Me and them-" she pointed towards the group behind her, "We're going there today! Jano knows the mountains like the back of 'is hand, and we got a Speaker-man to protect us. He's well important."
"Really, now?"
"Yeah, you can come too, whatever you are."
"Pycon," Saige said, educating the small child. "You shouldn't talk to strangers, especially if you don't even know what they are. Don't worry though, I'm harmless," she winked.

"I'll take you up on your offer, but only because I frankly have nothing better to do." That was a lie. She had grown genuinely excited, even though the promises of a small child were often empty ones. "What's your name?"
"Enna. 'Ere, you'll fit right in my bag if ya don't wanna walk, miss Pycon!"
"My name's Saige."
"Okay, miss Saige!"

---

Traveling through means of a child's backpack was not something Saige had ever tried before, and she was finding the experience much easier than walking the whole way, albeit being a little bumpy. She spoke with the little child, who told her of adventures in a snowball fight that eventually gave her and her friends leverage over an adult. She rather liked this Enna girl, who ran far ahead of the group to explore for herself with Saige. She could only see the "adult" from a distance, rather confused to see that he was no taller than the other children. Eventually, her curiosity overcame her will to let the girl go where she please and said, "Enna. Please take me to the Speaker-man. I should like to have a word with him."

"No problem, miss Saige!" She turned around so abruptly that Saige almost toppled out of the bag, and ran back to the group. Saige could see him more clearly now as they approached. She had never seen such a short human, wondering if the height was an affliction or merely a small anomaly. The expression on his face suggested that he didn't really know what he was doing, his attention focused to asking the Jano boy questions. Saige asked the girl to walk alongside the little man, then finally decided to make her presence known.

"Hey, Speaker-man. Got a name? Or, any idea what you're doing, for that matter?" She asked with a grin.

[Bob Barton]

It would seem that Bob has another thing to look out for besides the path to the site and any possible complications on the way there. "Are you sure this way is safe?" he asked Jano as he walked because "I don't think that she should be running off like that" even if it is. However Jano reassured Bob by claiming that they have went out camping a lot of times here already which only made him wonder, "why do you need me?" Of course it had to be the storm. Everything was about that horrible storm and the monsters it created especially with parents. "Then shouldn't she be with us?" Bob asked when Jano's explanation ended up giving him more reasons to be wary. It was not about how fast Enna is or whether they can see her. Bob was responsible for their safety now. It was all about how fast he can get to her if she got into trouble.

"Where is she?!?" Bob asked when Enna suddenly disappeared. Jano did not know either but he did not even display any signs of worry. Bob should have just focused on his responsibilities which was the group's safety while leaving Jano to leading them but he was worried. Worried about getting lost in the mountains and about nasty surprises. Looking out for the signs to the campsite was not hard once he knew what to look for even if it took some effort to look at every tree for just the one with the markings. Looking out for danger was not hard too since it was a practiced habit Bob picked up in Sunberth and when he was in Alvadas Underground for many days after the storm. Even both together did not make things hard but add a girl into a mix. One very brave one that moved on her own. Even Bob would have to admit if he took Jano's task upon himself and left the youth to his own devices, the group would be lost having missed the marks a few time when he had to look out for one of the others.

But was there anyone else looking out for Enna like there was Jano for the marks? No. Bob found himself pushing Jano to "speed up" since he could not leave the rest of the group either for one girl, unless she made a scream for help or something. However, Jano refused despite Bob bluntly stating "you needed an adult to keep you safe. I'm the adult. You have to listen to me" as the boy realized he had the more important position here when he said he cannot allow himself to miss any marks, or he might be just confident about Enna's safety in the safe route he boasted about. Either way Bob was the one who was forced to tolerate the boy's smug smile when they saw the girl again. Fortunately he did not care since Enna was closer to them than ever. He could only hope it was because she knew that she was far ahead of them and waited for them because Bob did not need the stress.

Enna was weird too as Bob saw. While there was so many friends of hers around she seemed to be more interested in talking to herself, like her backpack was her new best friend to personify it. "Are you sure she's alright?" Bob asked Jano who dismissed him by saying if she was, they would not have brought her along. Bob decided to try asking Enna but as if she read his mind, the girl turned around and ran back towards the group before taking a spot beside the Speaker. It was weird, it was strange, it was freaky like everything else in Alvadas. It must be true that the environment will shape up a person. Bob was was from Zeltiva and knew that everyone there was just smart. The squires he knew were dutiful as expected in Syliras, his friend Victor was like...the order in chaos of Ravok and then the people he knew in Sunberth were just scum like the rest of that rundown town. Probably when it comes to Alvadas, a person's behavior will be random just like its everchanging streets.

Upon seeing the pycon, Bob's first thought was that "I thought we were only supposed to bring necessities?" which a toy just like a pet would not be. it was not as if he never met a pycon, but this one was not like the one he met and after seeing all the amazing items for sale in the Festival, a talking toy would not be surprising. Even one introduced as Miss Saige by the girl. However the name, and what the doll said was just a little bit too specific and the talking clay doll that traveled with him back in Sunberth made the connection that allowed Bob to say "you don't have to call me Speaker-man, just call me Bob like them unless you want to call me Mister Barton, Miss Saige?" Looking around at the rest of the group to confirm that everyone was still around Bob admitted "not a clue" because if he did he would not be here. Why did he have to pull his position and boast that it was to help people in Alvadas when he just had to tell the children it would be more fun to pelt other people who were not Speakers with snowballs instead? He was regretting it now but it was not like he could just go back.

"How about I ask you what are you doing in there Miss Saige? The only thing that I know is that I'm suppose to take care of these kids during their trip, and I don't really know why you'd ride in Enna's pack. I hope you don't mind if I ask you to come with me instead? Just for a short chat?" and held his hand out for the pycon to get on. He would not be sure if it would be insulting but he would not feel comfortable talking to her in anyone's backpack especially his own. Seeing Enna's frown, obviously unhappy that Bob was taking away her newfound friend he asked "can you stay with Jano for a while? I'm sure you don't want to tell Miss Saige everything before we reach camp otherwise she'll have to talk to me, or Jano" with a smile. He did not want to make the girl angry and rebellious that she will cause him problems later. Better to make her happy by suggesting that he was only making sure of her interests and that he did not need her new friend aside from a few brief moments.