The Princess in the Tower

[Vega]

26th Cylus, 718
following this

The trial before, they'd set out for the Tower with the intention of seeing it getting struck by lightning in the storms. Apparently, so her father had told her, it was an amazing sight and the Tower lit with constant impacts. They had set out in the truly terrible conditions and, for all that Arlo had grumbled and complained, they'd both known that he didn't mean it. He was more than happy out in the elements and she knew, somehow, that they both felt it was important that they visit the Tower before they left Scalvoris. They would, undoubtedly, leave as soon as the weather allowed it.

They'd found a place to set up camp the night before and, despite the awful weather, they were both well rested and, of course, well fed. "So, like, when we leave Scalvoris," she said, with a grin at him as she pulled her cloak tight around her. "Are we gonna 'ave to stock the boat completely with food or risk you cookin' the horses?" Solemn of face but with a gleam of mischief in her eyes, Vega handed him the remains of her breakfast which she simply could not eat. "I'm stuffed. Will you still love me if I get fat?" She waggled her eyebrows, puffed out her cheeks and grinned. "I can be yer fat ginger girlfriend in the bumblebee 'at. Such a lucky guy."

The trial before, they'd saved a cat from up a tree. Of course, it being them it wasn't any old cat up a tree. No, it was a cat called Giggums up a tall, thin, spiked and bendy tree on the edge of a sheer drop. What other kind of cat up a tree would it be, after all? As they walked, away from their camp, Vega slipped her arm into his and pulled herself against him slightly. The winds had died down this morning and with a bit of luck, she thought, they'd get a few breaks of walking in before it got awful again. That it would get worse she did not doubt as she looked at the sky. Still, a bit of a reprieve. "Do you think we'll ever come back 'ere?" Never say never, she figured, but then there were so many other places to see.

"When I was a kid, my Papa used to tell me a story about a Tower," if it seemed like a random start to a story, then it probably was, though it didn't seem it to her. "I s'pose it was a bit like that one. It was locked in the land, a'course an' there were all these rumours about great treasures in there. Any'ow, it was said that there was a mage who lived in it, an' anyone who came near got burned to a crisp on the doorstep." A lot of people had tried, she said, to get into that tower, and they'd all died. Politicians had come and demanded entry, knights in armour had threatened the mage. People had offered him great titles and land to get into the tower, but his response to them all was the same. Burnt to a crisp.

"But then, one trial, a Princess walked up to the Tower," Vega said, motioning to the structure which was much more visible in front of them. "An' she knocked on the door an' asked if she could please come in, cos her father was tryin' to marry her to a Prince called Prince Snoozy-Head, an' she found him dull an' she didn't wanna marry him." The mage let the Princess in, where she learned magic and then became a Queen with lots of armies and the mage was her advisor. As for Prince Snoozy-Head, well, he'd lived a long and boring life. With a slight shrug, she explained. "Papa said the moral of the story was that manners don't cost nothin' an' rude can get you killed. Also, that it's not a good idea to try an' force a woman to do anythin'. Or I might have added that bit, maybe."

As they walked, she glanced at him. "You strange folk who went to school an' lived in houses an' stuff, you tell stories of princesses in towers, don't you? So Papa said - said it was a traditional human tale. Sounds dead weird to me. Is that really what you tell your kids?" It seemed strange to her, if so. The lesson of 'have good manners or die' seemed harsh. But then, she wasn't sure what sort of things humans and other land-living people did in terms of parenting.

As they walked, the Tower grew closer and was a very visible dark shape in the dark skies and then there was a sudden rumble of thunder. And there, above the Tower, was a thundercloud and first one, then another and a third, fourth and so on, bolt of lightning striking the structure. It lit up every time and it seemed almost as though, as the electricity struck, it lit up from within, rather than on the outside. Vega stopped in her tracks and watched it, entranced. "Arlo, it's beautiful," she more or less whispered as they stood together and saw the structure lighting up in a prism-like rainbow of colours. "It's not in any way nat'ral. But it's well pretty, innit?"

The question was, she supposed, simple. "Wanna get closer? Have a looksie?"

[Arlo Creede]

Once they'd found a place to settle in for the night, Arlo had called on his blessing from Cassion to set them both up a safe camp. As a traveler, in most cases he liked roughing it out in the elements. Still did. But in the thick of Cylus, in a place that seemed impossibly colder than any other place on Idalos? There was a particular appeal to have a hearth that they could comfortably stretch their feet out in front of. And a soft feather bed piled up with thick quilts. And so they'd spent the night in comfort, well rested, and ready to face the outdoors again.

And of course he fed them both well once morning had come. Hard to tell really, during a season of constant darkness, what time it really was. Lyova was certain as could be though and Arlo figured of all of them, she'd know. "I've already started stocking the boat," he told Vega when she asked about keeping themselves fed while they were at sea. "Neither Peg nor Storm will need to worry. It'll be enough to feed us all twice, or three times over." You never knew after all. Things could spoil, accidents could happen, winds could so still and keep them at sea months longer than expected.

"There'll be more of you to love if you got fat," he told Vega as they headed out. Though he couldn't imagine either of them ever getting that thick round the middle. They simply moved to much to allow it to happen. But would they ever come back? "Maybe?" he considered. "When we've visited all the other places, or should we happen to pass by again..." He saw no reason why they wouldn't, after all. They'd enjoyed their time in Scalvoris and there were still things they hadn't seen or explored. When Vega told him her story however, Arlo smiled and grew quiet, listening, committing it all to memory. The Biqaj were after all storytellers themselves. It was little wonder that Cassion and U'frek got on so well together.

Or maybe, he suggested when she was done, the moral of the story was that people ought watch what they name their children at birth. "With a name like Snoozy Head, a fellow is bound to live a dull life. He'll be sure to live up to that name," he teased Vega. But it was a good story, and she herself was a fine storyteller. As for what human mothers and fathers told their children, he shrugged. "I guess so. Cautionary tales, or something like that. Swallow the watermelon seeds, they'll grow out your ears. Pick the nose and you'll get stuck that way...and so on."

It was strange though, that there was no storming that morning, outside their safe camp. No blizzard, no falling snow or hail, no wind, lightening or thunder. And yet as they drew near to the tower, the clap of thunder startled Arlo. "No, it isn't natural," he agreed, curiously frowning as he watched one bolt of lightening after another connect with the tower, and yet light it up from the inside out. It was beautiful. "It's almost like it's storing up energy with each bolt," he considered aloud. But how was that possible? Some sort of science at work, he guessed. "Maybe there's a mad mage in there, doing some sort of weird experiments," he suggested as they approached in the dark. Because of course he wanted a closer look.

[Vega]

He'd already started stocking the boat? Vega raised an eyebrow at him and then, in a rare moment of self-reflection, considered. "I might be the most non-domestic useless woman ever, accordin' to the traditional definition, you know." It was true, she was a lousy housekeeper, abysmal cook and generally not at all organised about anything. That wasn't to say that she didn't work hard, they both did and Vega would chop wood, wash dishes, mend anything at all and kept fires burning and all sorts, but as far as traditional gender roles went? Well, she would have to admit that she wasn't great. "I don't mend yer clothes, either. Shockin' it is. I should spend my evenings happily darnin' yer socks with a smile on my face an' a song in my heart." Her grin was genuine and she bumped her shoulder against his with a delighted expression. "I love you, an' our life, you know that, don't ya?" With a flash of sudden seriousness, she added. "Thanks. I'd never 'ave been brave enough to tell you what I felt. I'm right glad you did."

More of her to love if she got fat? She considered it and tried it. Puffing out her cheeks and pushing her stomach out as far as it would go, she considered it and then shook her head. "Nah. Not really my thing. I think I'll jus' be 'appy bein' uncommonly tall for a redhead. Or whatever you used to say before you got taller than me." He'd stopped teasing her about her height she pointed out. Which was good, because he used to do it a lot. A big lot. And she, of course, had never once teased or tormented him back, she reminded him. "Yeah, I like it here. It's weird. I'm lookin' forward to Ivorian, though. We should pick up a few books on it, if we can find 'em. I can practice my readin' on the journey, too." She'd wanted to try and get all the different colours of sand, though, she said. And then there was the rainbow sand, which fascinated her. Sure, they could buy it all in jars, but where was the fun in that?

But then, she considered, maybe they could do a full circuit of the island before they left, stopping off at the beaches? That might be fun and a navigation and steering challenge. She told him the tale of the Princess in the Tower and he listened to her with an expression of interest on his face. When he pointed out the name, though, Vega chuckled. "Yeah, I think that was more to do with me tellin' my Papa that I was gonna marry a Prince an' become a Princess. He wasn't one bit amused. I went through a stage, about twenty trials long, where I put my hair in these intricate braids an' wore nice dresses an' tried to talk posh." It hadn't lasted long or been successful, she assured him. Her father had more or less pandered to her, but her cousins? Far less so. She grinned as she remembered. "Shon discovered that the posh hair styles were really good for grabbin' an' pullin' and I perfected my kick to the groin technique. Poor Papa. No wonder I don't want children, we was right 'orrible."

The thought of a watermelon growing out of someone's ears though, had her letting out a guffaw of laughter. "I can only assume 'uman kids are stupid." She chuckled at the thought of it. But they had to get themselves moving and whilst it was nice that the weather was better, it was also more than a little bit odd that it was that much better. And the Tower itself, storing up lightning like a mad mage? Vega glanced at him and frowned a little. "Gives me the jeebies," she said, but they kept moving forward. And as they did, something strange became apparent. The snow was thick on the ground, especially out in the open and yet, the closer they got, the less the snow got. Like... "Arlo, do you feel that?" Vega whispered. By now, they were getting significantly closer. The snow beneath them was sludgy, more water than snow, in truth. And further along, towards the Tower? It was green. "Either that's green snow, or it's gettin' warmer. If there's a door, should we knock it?"

But there wasn't. No door, no window. Nothing. When they got there it was like it was a completely solid structure. Vega frowned deeply. "Yeah, this is wiggin' me right out. Damnit!" As another lightning strike lit up the place and they heard the deep thrum of the Tower itself, she looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure we should touch that there wall you know?"

[Arlo Creede]

"And what's the traditional definition?" Arlo shot back when Vega insisted that in that sense, she was useless. "And for that matter, when has either of us ever done anything in a way that might be considered traditional, or even the norm?" It would be dull as dirt, he figured, if they did. Even were they to some trial settle down somewhere for longer than a season or two, in some sort of more permanent dwelling, they still wouldn't go about it in the usual way. Which was probably a good thing. If he left it to Vega to pick up a knack and liking for preparing their meals, they'd both starve in under a dozen trials.

Course he knew, he told her, and she knew too how much he loved her. And for that matter, he was capable of mending his own socks. Not that he made a habit of it. Old ones wore out and got turned into rags or other useful things, and he purchased new socks when he needed them. He'd pick up some books, Arlo told her, next trial when they got back from this outing. "I know I've told you before," he said as they walked. "But I'm as proud as can be that you're reading now. I always knew that you could, you only needed to know it too." It was all her, all Vega and Arlo was clear about that. He might have encouraged her to try, suggested ways of going about it that might or might not work better. But it was her that had done it.

Taking a roundabout tour of Scalvoris before they left however, that he was completely in favor of. Why shop the market for all that sand when they could scoop it up at no charge as they sailed by? And as much as they wanted besides. They might even take a bit extra to sell to others along the way, he suggested. "Maybe we should get some of those ice crystal snowflakes too," he suggested. Just think, he added, how eager they'd be to buy them off near the Hot Lands.

No matter the hardship of trudging through deep snow, Arlo grinned when Vega told him about her childhood dreams. "I'd always assumed that all young girls dreamed of being princesses. It must be a universal thing that crosses lines of race and everything else." But no, human kids weren't stupid. It was the rare one that actually believed the silly warnings heaped on them by their mothers or fathers. "I think it's more to do with the parents not realizing how clever their children really are." Who knew? Both his parents had been a never ending source of silly warnings. All the way from watermelon seeds to skeeterwampulus. Maybe that's where he got his knack for telling stories.

All of that was forgotten though, in light of the strange goings on, in and around the tower. It wasn't just the tower itself but it's surroundings. Arlo hadn't noticed at first because he'd been transfixed by the thing lighting up. But it was warmer here, he suddenly realized. "It's like the tower itself is giving off heat," he said with a frown. "Into the air, into the ground..." It was like slush, after all, beneath that thin crust of packed snow on top. And it was probably the lesser of many, many strange things, that there didn't appear to be a door that led into or out of the place.

That humming when lightening struck was a little bothersome too. Part of him, the more cautious part, was more likely to say it was all better left alone. But he was Cassion marked, the cautious part of him didn't stand a chance. So pulling off his glove, he waited till the thing wasn't being struck, and reached out to touched the surface of the tower. Immediately he felt that the thing was alive with energy, it emanated from the surface, through his fingertips, up his arm, he could even feel it in his teeth. Not enough to give him a shock, but it was definitely there. Pulling his hand back then, he confirmed, "It's warm, and for all the world it feels alive."

[Vega]

]

When he told her he was proud of her, Vega's eyes flashed green and she grinned. "Shurrup," she said, bumping her shoulder against his but her hand slipped briefly into his and she squeezed. "I think yer wrong, you know. I think I couldn't 'ave done it without you. Maybe I could always 'ave learned to read, that isn't what I mean." He had done much more than suggest techniques and tips for her, she said to him with a very serious look on her face. "You knew I could do it, an' you didn't doubt that but you wanted me to do it for me. An' I knew, if I couldn't do it, it wouldn't matter to you or 'ow you see me." Shrugging slightly, she didn't know if it made any sense, but he had made her want to learn for her, not anyone else and he'd taken away the fear of failure. It meant a lot, she said, that he'd done that and come to that? "You do it a lot. About lots of things. Yer still irritatin' though, so don't get too big headed."

He liked the idea of a circuit of the island and that pleased her although she frowned at something specific. "The ones in Ishallr? Aren't you bloody cold enough?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Always, got to take it a step too far you 'ave." Her eyes lit with delight, though, and she nodded her head. "Lets do it." It sounded like great fun, a final sweep of the place and a quick jaunt into the ice caves. "Maybe there's be more sno'oh deer, too."

Did all girls dream of being princesses? Vega didn't know, rightly, but she glanced at him as he said that. "What did you dream of bein' Arlo? Other than a pirate, that is." She chuckled at the thought of the skeeterwampulus. That had been a scary dream, that had. "Why'd you think Jesine put you in my dreams so much when you was learnin'?" Vega asked with a thoughtful look on her face. "I wonder if she saw us when we didn't or somethin'? Does Lyova know? An' why am I askin' that? If she did, she wouldn't tell would she?" With a chuckle, she stored that one under the heading of 'never likely to find out' and let it go.

It was the strangeness they'd come to see, but it was strange Vega couldn't argue that. There was no door, not a window in sight. More than that, Arlo was right when he said it was like the place was giving off heat. Vega glanced at him and nodded, "is it linked to the volcano, d'ya think?" This place had a volcano on Faldrass and caves of ice - it was like it was its own little ecosystem, or something. She said that they shouldn't touch the wall and as the words exited her mouth, she knew that he was going to. Which, of course, he did. She looked at him with a deadpan expression for at least three trill before a grin started tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Arlo. Oh, umm." motioning to him, she patted her head and should he do the same, he'd feel that every hair on his head was standing up on end. Vega looked at the tower and then tugged at her own unruly mane of red hair and shook her head. "Right, well, I'm not touchin' it." She grinned. "You look like a right plonker. Told you not to touch it."

She suggested they did a careful circuit of the Tower itself, checking the whole thing. The ground, the wall (not touching it, she reminded him with a grin) and tried to ascertain if anyone had gone in or come out. "When I first got 'ere, on Scalvoris, you told me that you'd seen people goin' in 'ere, didn't you, Puffy?" She didn't emphasise his new nickname, just let it happen naturally. "Where? Which bit, did you see?" Looking at him, her lips twitched once more in amusement.

[Arlo Creede]

"I'm right," Arlo argued when Vega insisted he was wrong about who had done what while she'd learned to read. "I encouraged and supported you sure. But none of that would have made a bit of difference if you didn't have it in you already." Shrugging, he bumped her shoulder. "It was a compliment, a sincere one. You don't have to argue them all, you can just accept them sometimes."

They both knew though that she was right about one thing absolutely. So far as his feelings were concerned, reading or no reading, it wouldn't have changed a thing. After all, he'd fallen in love with her long before she'd learned. So far as peddling what they were able to take with them, to others along the way, it made sense to him. After all, he pointed out, folks in the hot lands would have no use for sand that stayed warm under the worst of conditions. They probably had a lot more hot sand that they wanted or needed. But ice crystals that could stand up to that heat? They could make a fortune, if they really wanted to. so the ice caves it was.

"I dreamed of being exactly what I am," he told her while they were looking up at the puzzle that was the strange, electrified tower. "A traveler, an adventurer. I dreamed of following in Cassion's footsteps." And how many people could say that they'd grown up to be exactly what they'd hoped to be? But no, Arlo added. If he was to ask Lyova about their early dreams together, she wouldn't tell him. "I did feel pulled," he admitted. "But I didn't really question it then. I was fairly new to dreamwalking. And then I thought maybe it was because Jesine knew you'd be patient with me, seeing I was just learning. But then?" He shrugged. Later he'd come to the conclusion that there'd been more to it than that. At least it felt that way.

Sloshing through the half melted ice and snow though was a strange experience, considering the rest of the world around them was frozen solid. "Maybe," he considered when Vega asked about the volcano. "It's the reason the hot springs are hot, after all. Maybe why the warm sands are warm to an extent." So maybe the owner of the tower had found a way to tap into it? But that didn't explain the lightening. Did he look like a plonker? Raising a brow, not unlike his hair on end when Vega pointed it out, Arlo pulled off a glove, reached out a finger to touch her cheek, and gave her a gentle, quick, static pop for good measure. "Thought I'd start a new fashion trend, that's all."

She had a good point though when she reminded him what he'd told her, after he'd watched the place for trials on end. "I couldn't tell exactly where they were going in...Except," he added as he pulled out his ordinary compass and found north. "It would be...here on this side," Arlo concluded once walking halfway round. Except now that they were standing near what must be the exit or entrance, he didn't see a thing but more wall.

[Vega]

She didn't have to argue every compliment? Vega stopped and looked at him as she considered that and realised that, in fact, he was right. That was exactly what she did, every time. "I know I don't 'ave to. But it's one of my many talents, you know." She bumped her shoulder against his, returning the gesture. He was right, it was a natural defence and yet, she had nothing to defend from or against here. He was proud of her and she was pleased by that. More pleased than she was prepared to admit, in truth. "Thanks," she said and added, through mock-gritted teeth. "For the compliment."

Vega chuckled at his point about the hot lands and the snow crystals and the cool sands. She understood and he was right, too, but there was something endearing about Arlo when he was like this, thinking ahead and planning the next great scheme. Selling sand and ice crystals to the hot lands and thinking about going to the ice caves to collect up all this stuff. "Solid plan, qau'ma. Lets sell snow crystals in the hot lands an' warm sand to Viden. We'll amass a fortune an' you can wrap me in jewels. A piece from every place we've been together, each one more extravagant than the last." Though in fairness she felt she had to point out that they could gather all the gold in the world and he could use it to buy a diamond the size of her head and nothing, nothing would be better or more loved than the bracelet she wore. That made her think of something and she nudged him.

"Did you know that here on Scalvoris, if someone you love dies on yer birthtrial, you change yer birthtrial to the one before or after? It's bad luck to celebrate life an' mourn death in the same moment." The glance she gave him was arch. "So it's not jus' a biqaj thing, Arlo Lei'nox, an' you should pay better attention to what is obviously the wisdom of yer clan." The air of snooty authority was replaced with a cheery grin and when he said that he dreamed of exactly what he was, then described it, Vega rolled her eyes. "No mention of a feisty an' passionate redhead. Steadfast an' true, honest an' brave. Nope. None o' that. So ignored I am." But his thoughts on Jesine were much the same as hers. "Yeah, I mean, her father is the Immortal of Love, isn't he. Though also death, so p'raps I'll stop that analogy right there where it started."

Her grin at his hair was short lived as he touched her and she felt a slight shock then her own locks responded. "That's a mean thing to do that is. Look at 'ow much hair I've got. You should be ashamed of yerself." So he should, but he wouldn't she knew so she reached out and touched it herself, since she might as well at this point. It was a strange feeling and it certainly proved a point.

The point being that Vega had a lot of hair.

Still, the explored and there was no door where Arlo had seen people going in. Vega frowned. "Alright," she said, turning to look at him and very well aware of how ridiculous she must look. "We can't go in that way. We can climb it, but I think that's a bad move. We could dig underneath it, but really? Or we can watch it in the storm, which is what we came for. Whatcha reckon?" Either way, they should have a rummage for a token of some kind. A stone or some such, something they brought back from the Tower with no door, she said.

[Arlo Creede]

"You're welcome. For the compliment," Arlo shot back when finally, Vega was able to accept without feeling the need to argue that she didn't deserve it. Being humble was a nice trait, he guessed, though not one he possessed in abundance. And still it was overused in cases, when clearly the praise was fully deserved. He couldn't be prouder of her, and though there might have been plenty of people including himself who had lent their support, it was her that had put in the work and learned to read.

As for any sort of business venture? Arlo grinned even while trying to use his hat to bring his curls under control. "Well it's better than selling warm sand in the hot lands or ice crystals in Viden surely. Then again," he considered, "If someone was actually able to do that, they'd be a far better salesman than I'll ever be." He'd find a way to wrap her in jewels though if he thought that Vega wanted it. Except that he knew she didn't. Still, nothing could have pleased him more, when he'd seen how fond she was of the bracelet he'd made and given her.

"Well we both know already that Scalvorians have some funny ideas about any number of things. And the Biqaj," he teased her. "But I guess if you explain it that way, it makes sense." It did, except that before now, Vega had been resistant to celebrating her birth-trial at all. "I think that was my mother's dream for me," he added with a lopsided grin when she pointed out her own place in his, then, future. "One I had no idea about till it came true. And all the better for me in the end. She'd be more than pleased." He knew his mother would be. In fact he'd sensed it when they were there together. She might not have shared her thoughts about him and Vega out loud. But she'd definitely been thinking them.

He laughed aloud however when, after dragging his foot and reaching out to touch her, Vega's red hair as good as stood on end. It was fair play as far as he was concerned and surely she looked as ridiculous as he did. And then he stopped laughing and frowned curiously. "I wonder if someone inside is watching and listening?" Chances were, someone was. Maybe though, whoever it was had decided they were neither of them a threat, and there was no reason to strike them down for trespassing. Thinking that way however made it seem easy, the answer to Vega's question. "I say we back away a little and just watch a while before heading back." No need trying to break in where they hadn't been invited, and risk angering whoever it was inside. And in truth, they'd come to see before they set sail. And so they had.

[Vega]

She was his mother's dream for him? Her eyes swirled gold and green and she smiled, her pleasure obvious. "I can't think of a better compliment," she said, honestly, and squeezed his hand gently. Usually, that would be followed by some teasing or another, but not this time. Not about that, or her. Nella Creede had been a formidable woman and Vega had liked her a lot. The thought that she'd be happy with her as a match for Arlo meant more than Vega could manage to say, or even entirely explain if she tried. "Thanks," was the best she could do.

She laughed with him when he was so outrageous and mean and caused all her hair to stand on end. As he laughed, though, she kept her hand on the wall and grabbed him, pulling him into a kiss and reaching her hand up to bury in his hair. Where she promptly stole his hat, letting his hair go wild once again. "Let them look," she said with a shrug, having let go of the wall. There was so much of her hair that she didn't bother trying to tame it, just grabbed a ribbon to tie it back from her pocket and did so. "It's not kind, what you did to me. Look at me." She looked ridiculous, she knew, and she grinned at him. Then, she puffed out her cheeks and looked at her nose, which she wrinkled. She couldn't hold the ludicrous expression long, though before she chuckled. "Yer so lucky, yer girlfriend's righ' pretty an' dead sophisticated, too."

But were they being watched? Vega considered it and decided that yes, he was probably right they were. "Obviously, they've decided we're a far cry away from dangerous. Wonder why?" She grinned and moved with him.

And they did as he suggested. Backed off a while and watched, like they'd come here to do. She was quite content with that, it was an amazing sight as the lightning struck the thing. Although they were further away, the air held enough of a charge that they neither one of them got their hair under control. Her hand in his, she bumped her shoulder against his. "I don't know why it were so important to me to come 'ere but I'm glad we did. I want to see all the sights, 'ave all the adventures," Her green gaze turned to him and she smiled. "With you."

There was nothing more to see, really, but it kept her interest for a while, just in terms of the sight and the experience and, actually, the rare moment of being still together and just looking at something. "Come on then, you, lets 'ead for home," she said, when she sensed that he was getting ready to go. "Keep an eye out fer cats up trees on the way back. You were 'er little 'ero you were."

Slipping her arm into his, Vega was quite content to simply make their way back, to their schooner and from there, it would soon be time to leave. Though, as it turned out there would be one more adventure, just not one either of them was prepared for.

[Oracle]

What a wonderful thread! It was so fantastic to see a simple peaceful thread with Vega and Arlo simply talking to each other. I appreciate the effort you both put into their relationship. I also adored the story of the princess and the tower. I may have laughed out loud at that one. I love the honesty you both put into your characters. Vega might be blunt but she's so kindhearted, and Arlo is so caring and relaxed around her. Well done both of you!

Vega

Points

XP: 15
These may NOT be used for magic.

Renown

N/A

Loot

1 x small pebble from the base of the Tower

Knowledge

Detection: Changes in temperature
Discipline: Keeping a deadpan expression
Storytelling: The story of the Princess and the Tower
Storytelling: The moral of the story is important

Arlo

Points

XP: 15
These may NOT be used for magic

Renown

N/A

Loot

None

Knowledge

Detection: Changes in temperature
Logistics: Planning food for a long journey
Navigation: Using a compass to determine where something used to be.
Sociology: Common themes in childhood dreams across races.
Storytelling: Names are important, especially in stories.

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