[Wind Reach Quest] The Deepwoods Riddle (Closed)

by **Gossamer** on May 4th, 2011, 7:18 pm

Timestamp: 38th of Spring, 511 AV
Purpose: Adventure, Wilderness Survival
Location: The Unforgiving Just Outside Wind Reach
Status: Closed - Ayren, Vala, Kovac, Sira & Aidara Have Permission

Hunters were reporting strange happenings. It started out small bothering the Avora ground hunters - snares and traps raided, sabotaged - then grew more serious. Whole carcasses disappeared. Eagles who were hunting on the ridges noted that when they'd tuck wings to dive in for a kill often would find a sunglare in their eyes and would miss the kill. It was starting to - all the odd happenstance occurrences - look like less of a rash of misfortune and more of an act of someone attempting to protect the woods around Wind Reach from the volcano's denizens who routinely hunted them.

The Valintar, to say the least, was less than pleased. Within ten days the word went out that a hunting party of a new kind was going to go out and get to the bottom of the trouble. Ayren was one of the woodsman tapped. Expendable, he was simply the wilderness teacher of the Yasi, and thus could be taken off his duties for a few days to be sent out to track the trouble. He wasn't told it was dangerous, though of course it was. Chiet weren't fretted about that much unless they somehow stopped doing their jobs or got in the way of the Avora and Endal of Wind Reach.

His reward for getting to the bottom of things was extra food - a weeks worth of being able to eat at the Avora mealtimes and consume what they did. It wasn't that Ayren was hungry. Woodsman never went without. But this was decadent cuisine at its finest and something he'd never gotten an opportunity to partake in. He was to recruit two others - either from his students, Dek, or from any volunteers that might happen along - and find out what was causing the fuss. Another Chiet would take over his classes while he was gone and with a successful return and information, Ayren would also be given extra pinions for his trouble. The Valintar was vague on the amount. But then again Kaden always was. It depended, really, on what was causing the fuss and what Ayern ferreted out. The Valintar would pay fairly but before he knew the nature of the trouble, he was non-committal by nature.

So, Ayren had a day to prepare, then an Eagle and his rider would ferry the woodsman and whomever was in his crew down to the Deepwoods that lay between Skyinarta and Thunder Bay and turn them loose on the task. All Ayren had to do was look for some help and make a few plans.

by **Ayren** on May 4th, 2011, 10:08 pm

It had been an interesting morning. Teaching the Yasi was always an adventure of its own kind. It wasn't usually difficult, but there was always times that the students just won't learn what you try to teach them. Today, the lesson in his survival class was reading a map, and making sure you didn't get lost. They had gone into the wilderness to a random location, and he had told them to work as a class to read a map and lead them back to the city. Of course, they were lost, and by the time the class was supposed to end they were no closer to finding their way back than at the beginning. Pronouncing it a failure, he lead the class back to the classrooms while trying to tell them what they had done wrong.

Once back in the classroom, Ayren released them from the class, and watched them file from the cavern. Inwardly sighing, he reorganized the chairs into a semblance of order. Knowing that by now it would be late morning, he debated how to spend his time until his advanced class in afternoon. Deciding that whatever he did, it would most certainly not be in the confines of his classroom, he grabbed his things and made a split second decision to head to the Courtyard of the Sky where there would be fresh air.

Not 20 steps from his classroom, he ran into a messenger. Then to his surprise, the messenger asked if he knew where she could find someone named Ayren. After telling her that it was him, the messenger told him that he had been selected by the Valintar to be in a hunting party to get to the bottom of all of the strange happenings.

The messenger gave the additional information, and then ran off presumably to deliver another message. Ayren continued on to the Courtyard as his mind whirled around his new duty. Of course Ayren had heard about the odd going ons in the wilderness, but when one was a woodsman you didn't survive if you ignored rumors of that sort. Though, the stories took on a new light now that Ayren knew that he was actually going to have to deal with them.

It would all start tomorrow, as the messenger had said that he had the day to prepare. Also she had said he could get a couple people to help his out, and he knew that having others to help could make the difference on this quest. It was just a matter of who he would take with him. He had no idea who he would recruit. His friends all had other things to do, and probably wouldn't want to come anyway.

Then Ayren entered the Courtyard of the Sky, and couldn't help but smile at the sunshine. He walked across to sit against one of the walls, happier to be sitting in open air. As he sat he debated if he needed to leave some notes for the guy who was going to be teaching his class so he knew what was going on. Maybe, he decided, but it could wait until later. For now he was content to just sit for a moment and watch the people in the Courtyard and hope that he could figure out what to do for his adventure into the woods the next day. It had been an interesting morning, indeed.

by **Vala** on May 5th, 2011, 2:20 am

Bright red hair a bouncing, the messenger scampered up to the librarian sitting beside Vala. She looked up from her copying work to listen in on their conversation. Kirna had given her the day to finish copying the entirety of the fifty page volume – another simple encyclopedia-esque entry on flora. Vala didn’t even bother trying to remember what the title was; she just copied the endless words as if they were in a foreign language. She was growing bored from the tediousness of her life; Vala needed some excitement to give her life some meaning before she tried to drown herself in a vial of ink from pure boredom.

The messenger chiet’s voice was bright and just a little too bubbly. It grated on Vala’s scornful ears. “Excuse me sir, but would you happen to know where I can find the chiet Kirtan?” Vala’s coworker looked up from his own recordkeeping work to look up at the girl.

Kirtan picked up a nearby towel and wiped his quill nib, until all the ink was off. “I’m Kirtan. Can I help you?” He smiled up at the girl who nearly jumped up for joy at her luck; it was the second time she was lucky enough to catch the right person at the right time. The girl opened her mouth, just about to get into some juicy details about a replacement when…

Forgetting to at least pretend to be working, Vala was caught red handed by Kirna who snuck up behind Vala; the lithe librarian could beat even a shadow at sneaking. “How’s the work going Vala?” The clipped tone of her voice quite indicative of her actual meaning – Why aren’t you working. Vala gulped, too flustered to do anything other than bobble her head, as she got back to scribbling. Her left hand flipped to the next page in the original copy, as her right hand dipped her quill into the nearby ink pot and got to flourishing characters. Her pale face flushed so violently, that her cheeks soon matched the coloring of her scarlet hair. Kirna couldn’t help but giggle at Vala’s extreme reaction. “You can take a break after you finish the next three pages. We wouldn’t want you getting another cramp, do we. Just make sure it’s done and on a senior librarian’s desk for approval before the end of the day.” Kirna smiled comfortingly at Vala who weakly grimace-smiled back.

By the time Kirna left, the messenger and Kirtan were almost done with their conversation. Learning from her past mistake, Vala kept her eyes down, pretending to fiddle with her quill nib and a pen knife as the two finished their conversation.

“Yes I’ve heard of him.” Kirtan’s deep bass was a nice contrast to the messenger girl’s exasperating voice. “What does he look like exactly?” Vala nearly threw a vial of ink at the girl when she said: “red hair”. Like honestly – who didn’t? Instead of letting herself get enraged at the girl’s vibe (the girl was actually quite nice and friendly – just the type that irritated the crabby sociopath), Vala tried to continue with her work so she could get her break early. Getting caught up in a challenging cadel, Vala only managed to catch something about gray eyes, but by then Vala didn’t care anymore. It had been a boring conversation anyway.

The three pages of calligraphic copying flew by in a matter of fifteen chimes. A lot better than the thirty chimes it had taken her when she first started. By then Kirtan had already left for his break and the library was emptying out for meal time. Vala cleaned up her station, making sure everything had been put away, capped tightly, and cleaned up perfectly. Vala always made sure to keep her stuff in perfect condition, if not her relationships. She gingerly closed the new book. Vala had learned early on haste led to smudges, and smudges let to dirty looks and not a heartbeat later, shelving duty.

The day was beautiful, quite sunny in fact. Vala couldn’t help but smile as the rays warmed her pale cheek to a rosy hue. In her right hand a stack of Warden’s papers, from his stall The Written Word, all wrapped up in a leather binding. He had sent her to give it to the library to replenish their stock – it was his contribution to the city, to keep the Enclave stocked with its meager hunger for stationary, which today, was even less than usual. Kirna said that their stocks were still filled a plenty, and that Vala should just return them to him, which did not make the little chiet very happy. Being a messenger was one thing; being a double messenger was another: she still hadn’t worked with Warden enough to know how he would react to the return.

After being cooped up in the relative gloom of the Enclave, Vala’s mind began whirring connivingly in the brightness of the day. Her left hand slipped into the pocket of her byrda, brushing against the warm glass pinions. Her fingers fiddled with the ten she always made sure to keep with her, in case of emergencies. Then it hit her. If she sold the paper to random people, made some money, gave it to Warden (making sure to keep a cut for herself), then he was sure to not mind that the Enclave had rejected his ‘donation’.

She walked up to a lone yasi sitting in a secluded area of the Courtyard. With wild abandon she jumped into a not very well thought out sales pitch. “Excuse me, young sir. I was just wondering if you would happen to need any paper for your studies, or a journal per chance?” Vala smiled winningly, baring her pearly white teeth, making sure to bare them too much – they had the tendency to look like sharp little fangs. The boy looked up at Vala, shook his head, and walked away to a group of other yasi, without a second look back.

Still not completely put off from her money making mission, Vala walked up to another man who seemed to be musing the meaning of life, by the pensive look on his face. Vala made sure to primp a little, clearing her throat, trying to act as confident as possible. “Excuse me sir,” She wavered; his description seemed familiar. Where those gray eyes she saw flashing? “Would you happen to be in need of some stationary for your business or personal use?” Vala figured if she played the numbers game, asked enough people, she was bound to get a response from at least a one… she hoped

OOC :

by **Ayren** on May 5th, 2011, 12:34 pm

Ayren had been sitting in the Courtyard, thinking about how in the world he was going to get something together for tomorrow, when the girl walked in. She smiled when she got into the sunshine, and Ayren inwardly smiled back, knowing he had had the exact same reaction upon entering. There was just something about sunshine.

Turning away from the girl as she bounced up to some Yasi, Ayren looked up into the sky one again. There were only a few clouds on this sunny day, and high in the sky he could see birds flying around. They obviously knew what they had to be doing, unlike some people. He wondered if they ever had similar issues to his, where they didn't know what to do. Animals never seemed to be confused, they always had somewhere to go, something to do.

Lost in his musing, he didn't see the girl towards him, until he heard her say, "Excuse me, sir." She hesitated for a moment, and Ayren assumed it was to make sure she had his full attention, but he thought he saw something in her bright, blue eyes, a slight confusion maybe. But the moment was already gone, and she continued to ask him if he was in need of stationary.

So, she came to the Courtyard to sell stationary? That didn't seem like a common thing to be doing. Still, it may be an opportunity to actually get something done during the morning. If he planned to leave notes so that his replacement wasn't completely lost during class..."I'll need stationary to write the notes on," he finished his thought out loud.

Then, knowing that probably wouldn't make much sense to anyone who hadn't been in his head, he hastily added so he wouldn't seem like a complete idiot, "I have to leave notes for a replacement for a few days, and I'll need stationary for that." Which still didn't really fix his problem of looking like an idiot, but at least she might understand what he was going on about. Ayren inwardly sighed, there was a reason he didn't socialize to much.

Deciding that there was no way to fix the damage done to her mental view of him, he just went with something simple and to the point. Flashing her what he hoped was a nice smile, he said, "Sure I'll take some stationary. How much do you want for it?"

by **Sira** on May 5th, 2011, 7:02 pm

Strange things had been happening around Wind Reach of late, and Sira had seen first hand the odd happenings in the forest. Both on the ground and the air, Sira's attempts at hunting had been regularly hampered, and she knew it was getting the nerves of all the Eagles and Endal in the city. But still, Sira hadn't given the problem too much thought, having turn her hunts seaward, and it wasn't until she was given her message that Sira gave it any real concern. Sira was on her way back to her aerie, a place she rarely visited anymore, when she was intercepted by a bubbly young redhead who was more than a bit excited to have found Sira. "Sira, Sira! I have a note for you from the Valintar!" Sira didn't know the chiet and might have ignored her, busy as she was with whatever it was she was intending to do in her aerie, but the word Valintar caught her attention. The cheerful redhead ran up, taking a moment to catch her breath before delivering her message.

"The Valintar wants you and Aidara to escort Ayren and two other volunteers to the forest to investigating the strange stuff that's been happening, and give them any support they might need."

Sira raised a curious eyebrow at that one. Why her and Addy? And why did they need to stay with the group once they were down? Was the Valintar expecting this mission to be dangerous? Sira got all the information she could from the messenger, which wasn't much, before dismissing her and mulling over the facts of the situation. Ayren.. the name sounded familiar.. she was fairly certain she had met someone named Ayren before, and the description was just as familiar. Then it came to her, he was the one she'd met in the tunnels a while back! Well, well, who would have thought he would be assigned to a dangerous mission in the forest? Sira turned away from the door to her aerie, whatever she had planned on doing forgotten, and started walking toward the courtyard of the sky where the messenger said she had seen Ayren last. Mentally, her mind reached out to Aidara. "Addy. We have a mission from the Valintar! Meet me in the courtyard of the sky!" The excitement in her voice was rather evident and Sira knew Addy would be full of questions if she hadn't met the messenger already.

Sira arrived in the courtyard a few short chimes later, her keen eyes quickly scanning the area for Addy or the handsome man they were to be escorting. Not spotting Addy anywhere, she simply assumed the healer had not arrived yet, and so when her eyes settled upon the familiar face of Ayren speaking to another familiar face Sira decided to head over. Sira walked up as Ayren agreed to purchase some stationary, an odd thing considered he was a woodsman, but perhaps he wanted to keep a journal? Sira gave Vala a chance to answer his question regarding the price before stepping in, a friendly smile upon her face.

"Hello again, Ayren. Sira, if you don't remember me." Sira nodded to Vala, whom she remembered from the Winter Lights Festival. "Good to see you again too... uh.. I'm sorry, I can't remember your name. You're the artist, right? We met at the festival." Sira turned her attentions back to Ayren, "So it seems that we are going to be working together, Ayren. I'm supposed to support you during your mission in the forest."

OOCSince we don't know the extent of what will happen in your other thread, Ayren, just keep any detail vague as far as how well he and Sira know each other.

by **Aidara** on May 6th, 2011, 2:16 am

Aidara had actually be half way to the Courtyard when she realized that, in her excitement, she had left the door of her Aerie wide open. With a grumble of resentment that her twin was also out of their house, Addy had to turn around and run back along the corridors...just to close the door.

She had left the common room in such a messy state, the meticulously clean healer noticed with a wince as she leaned in to grab the door handle. The medical book she had her nose buried in all morning was thrown carelessly on the end of the couch, the furs she had been using as a blanket strewn on the floor. Sira's mindcall had immediately gotten Addy to her feet and rummaging around in her drawers for some suitable hunting clothes (she had learned the hard way, the last time she was on a hunt, not to wear things one cared about). And so a trail of discarded garments lead out of the womans room. She had found an old pair of black bryda and a cropped cream vanti. Both were sewn with clear glass beads that were so last season. She could afford to trash these.

I'll clean it later.." She decided, too excited to waste anymore time. A quest! From the Valintar! Sira was correct in assuming Addy's excitement. With her front door now shut tight, the small woman sprinted back off down the corridors. Dek and Avora moved quickly out of her way, and for the few who didn't see her coming it was easy enough for Addy to just duck under their arms. Why did it always seem like the corridors were packed when she had to head somewhere at a sprint?

Reaching the Courtyard at a full gallop, Addy spotted her Sira and continued her mad dash over to where the tall Kelvic stood. A mighty leap (at least, mighty for someone as small as she) and the healer attached herself to Sira's back, her legs going to hug tightly around her waist while her arms settled in a comfortable grip around the other womans neck (not choking her, of course). "I came absolutely as fast as I could. I was going for a record, but I totally had to run back and shut the front door. I left it open again. So whats up? What are we doing? Where are we going? How come I didn't get a cool message? You're just the bird, I'm the important one. I should have gotten the letter." She was teasing of course, and let Sira know so by applying a gentle nip to her ear. Her words flew fast as she spewed her steady stream of questions, not stopping until they were all out and then paused for some answers.

With part of her curiostey sated, Addy looked around at the man that Sira and a young girl seemed to be standing around "Who are you?" The question would have been rude if Addy hadn't asked in such a pleasent voice, plying her dimples at them and unleashing the full force of her smile. "Are we to be traveling companions?" Readjusting her hold on Sira, Addy moved around just enough to get a better look at the other two. Upon seeing Vala, Addy turned her smile specifically for the girl. "Hi Vala! Fancy seeing you again!" And then she lapsed into silence, waiting for the man to introduce himself.

by **Ayren** on May 6th, 2011, 2:51 am

It had been simple enough. He had been buying stationary from the girl who had smiled at the sunshine, and then, out of no where a familiar face walked up to them. It took him a moment, but soon he had it. She was the one he had met in the tunnels. What a weird thing to see her again, and then he wondered what she could be doing there.

"Hello again, Ayren. Sira, if you don't remember me," she greeted, with the same smile she had had before in the tunnels. Then she said, turning to the stationary girl, "Good to see you again too... uh.. I'm sorry, I can't remember your name. You're the artist, right? We met at the festival." So Sira knew this girl too. She did get around indeed. Then she turned back to Ayren before adding, "So it seems that we are going to be working together, Ayren. I'm supposed to support you during your mission in the forest."

First thing he felt was surprise. They were going to work together? He hadn't expected to meet her again, let alone work with her. He wondered how she had ended up with the task. This didn't seem like a duty that was randomly given out, and he figured there must be a reason why it was Sira they had chosen to help. Deciding that he would probably be able to figure it out later, he dismissed the issue. The second thing he felt was relief. Before the deal with the stationary, he had been hoping that somehow he would be able to get the help he needed. This wasn't the way he had been imagining getting help, but he wasn't one to say not to help from anywhere, especially Sira who looked like she could handle much of what she came up against. He took in a breath to make a request for more information...

Then chaos. There was a whirlwind of red hair as someone ran full speed into the Courtyard, and running across the length, seemingly tackled Sira. There was a long stream of questions, in the sort that the person doesn't really wait for an answer just goes on and on. Ayren smiled at her open affection for Sira, and secretly wished that he could be that exubrant.

When the new woman finally stopped to take a breath, she looked up and seemed to notice him and the stationary girl for the first time. "Who are you?" She asked, with a beautiful smile. "Are we to be traveling companions?" she added, moving to view Ayren and the girl next to him. He marveled at his ability to cling onto Sira and not fall off, and he inwardly praised Sira for not falling over during this.

She looked at Ayren as if she wanted answers, and Ayren decided that it was probably best to answer before she started another flood of questions. "Yes, I think we are to be traveling together. All I know is that I was caught this morning after class and told that I was to be part of a party that was going to look into the strange occurrences in the woods." Ayren shot a look at Sira, who he hoped had more information. Sira had been the one telling him she was supposed to support him, so maybe her message had had different information in it. Then looking back at the new girl, he added, "My name is Ayren,"

by **Vala** on May 6th, 2011, 2:55 am

It worked? It really worked? Wow. Vala didn’t even bother stifling an enthusiastic fist pump. Clearing her throat, while trying to regain a sense of composure, Vala smiled brightly, blindingly so. “Well it’s ten sheets of paper a pinion. And I swear sir it’s the best paper around – straight from Warden’s The Written Word. Here why don’t you feel it, sir?” She opened the binding, revealing the top sheet for him to feel. As a passionate calligraphy enthusiast, Vala could tell the quality of paper just by feel, she didn’t realize other’s probably couldn’t; her business skills, made obvious by her stall success, were not yet quite honed. “How many sheets would you like, sir?” Vala was almost hopping on the balls of her feet. Vala’s flighty mind barely managed to register Ayren’s little spiel about his wilderness class. Ayren’s response was cut short by a sudden arrival.

Vala’s mouth gaped open when an Endal walked up to them right out of the blue, she seemed so familiar; Vala reached up to close her mouth. The taller woman introduced herself as Sira to the other chiet and then actually, really actually, acknowledged Vala. It was then Vala recognized the sharp features of the lady from the card reading she had stepped into so long ago. She was so caught up in the wildness of the moment she didn’t have enough air in her lungs to gasp excitedly when the Endal continued to mention a mission in a forest – it was like the stories in her books coming true!

The fairy tale day seemed to be exploding with potential excitement before Vala when another Endal joined dashed into the circle, jumping onto the other Endal. Vala instantly recognized her as the lady who had requested to learn calligraphy several days ago. Aidara recognized her! Vala was still a lowly chiet and hadn’t expected acknowledgement, so when Aidara fully remembered her Vala ecstatic to the point where she was stuttering.

Vala respectfully bowed to both Endals, her bright red head bobbing energetically. “My name is Vala, ma’am...” She wasn’t sure how to proceed. She had gotten herself caught up into some sort of fantastical quest all in her attempt to earn a couple pinions. Vala scowled when she remembered she still had some work to do at the Enclave… ignoring the fact that she actually wasn’t part of the quest, just an inquisitive bystander.

by **Kovac** on May 6th, 2011, 2:28 pm

In the time it took Kovac to traverse the warrens from Shayth's aerie to the Gallery his cheery morning had turned aggravating. He had availed himself to a handful of precious sweet taff that had been awarded to his Endal benefactor and had been savoring the rare chewy candy one piece at a time as he made his way to the Courtyard. He had a couple bells before he had to prepare for a lesson, not scheduled to hunt for a few days.

Upon reaching the Gallery, his revelry of confection was invaded by a clique of yammering younger yasi who had spotted his treasure of sugar. Clamoring for a piece of the taff, they pawed at Kovac as he tried to maintain his forward motion. Holding the fistful of candy aloft, he stuck his tongue out at them as he moved into the Courtyard, determined youngsters in tow. "Leave off ya grubby weasels!" He bellowed, unable to shake the persistent children, who did not cease their begging.

Finally coming to an abrupt halt, fed up with the torment, Kovac eyed the kids with a menacing grimace, then shoved the whole handful of candy into his mouth, his cheek puffing out like a squirrel with a mawful of nuts. In a muffled voice delivered around the wad of taff, Kovac taunted. "There, its all gone, none for you! Now beat it ya bloodticks!" Disappointed and crestfallen, the children drifted off, only to begin laughing and playing almost immediately, leaving the mean Avora a distant memory.

Chomping on the overly large mass of candy, Kovac took a moment to look around, realizing he may have made somewhat of an arse of himself. Nothing new. It was then that he caught sight of Aidara racing across the Courtyard, her deep crimson mane trailing behind. The healer leaped onto another woman's back, whom he recognized as Sira, already engaged in some conversation. Kovac laughed at his friend, who still didn't seem to know how to behave like an Endal. For that he was grateful.

He did not often come across Sira and Addy together, and he made the unusual decision to engage in sociality, walking across the yard to the small conversing group. As he drew near, he recognized the young girl, the artist, if he recalled, who sketched as Twik had read his rather unfortunate fortune at the Winter Festival, she and Sira also had played on the opposing team during the snow battle.

Stopping just short of the group, he saw the last participant, a man he had seen but knew little of, though something outdoorsy seemed to come to mind. "Hey." Kovac uttered unceremoniously through the glomp of sticky candy he was still trying to swallow, "Addy, I figured by now you understood that Sira had to change before you climbed on her back. I wonder sometimes if it was worth saving you from that bear!" He goaded, winking at Sira. Of course, it was the healer who was the true savior on the ill-fated hunt, healing him of a deadly snake bite. He then gave Vala a head tilt greeting, "Hey kid." Finally, he looked to the man and offered him a nod.

by **Sira** on May 21st, 2011, 12:25 am

Sira laughed and stumbled forward when Addy leapt on her back, barely managing to maintain her balance as Addy spewed forth a stream of questions Sira didn't know the answer to. Ayren took it all in with an amused expression while the artist.. Well, she just seemed excited that Sira had even recognized her. When she introduced herself further recognition showed in Sira's eyes, knowing Vala to be the name of the person who was supposed to be teaching Addy to write or something. Then Ayren began to explain why they were there. When it turned out he knew about as much as Sira did she frowned, having expected him to have all the details. And then Kovac joined them, joking about Addy's antics and the smile returned to Sira's face. "Hi Kovac, we were just discussing our mission. Did you get a message too?"

Sira glanced back at Ayren, offering a helpless shrug. "I hate to say it but I know about as much as you do. Strange stuff has been happening in the forest and the Valintar assigned you to look into it.. I'm guessing it's because you practically live out there most of the year. Addy and I are supposed to provide transportation and whatever support you need." Sira paused, glancing around at all those gathered. She didn't know Kovac and Vala were not actually part of the mission yet, simply assuming that they had all received the same message she had. "If I had to guess based on the people here, this is going to be a dangerous mission... I assume the support I am supposed to provide is protection, and maybe an aerial scout. Addy can heal, so her role is pretty obvious. Kovac is an experienced hunter, you know the lay of the land. ..really the only one who doesn't fit is Vala. Unless she is supposed to keep a record of our findings, or maybe draw a map. Yeah, it's probably something like that." Sira nodded to herself, pleased with her assumptions even if they were way off. Vala and Kovac didn't even know what she was talking about.

It was turning out to be a very interesting spring for Sira. First getting violated by a creepy wizard and nearly being mauled to death by a wolf, and now a mission from the Valintar. What other surprises did the season have in store for her? Sira wasn't complaining, it was certainly better than the same old thing every day. And on top of it all she had Aidara now, which all by itself added a whole new level of excitement to Sira's life. The mission was looking very promising as well. Two handsome men, a scribe to record her heroics, Addy, what more could a girl want?

OOCBleh.. kinda lame post.