[h1]The First Parade - Final[/h1] [h2]Featuring: Susa, Lakshmi, Chroma[/h2] [hider=Tbh this really didn't work out as I expected but I will miss the banter] -The squad travels south, into the more populated human areas of Mesathalassa. -There is a brief bit saying that human settlements are basically divided into two influence zones: harbor kings in the western shore and innkeeps in the inner lands. -Innkeeps are basically lodges where hunters and traders rest and do stuff. Despite certain influence with local tribes, the parade thinks they will die out and wants to record their way of life -Salassar decides the visit the one Inn which was built after Susa's village was raided by the horde -Susa meets an old friend who says two things -A) That her mom showed up again for a while despite being gone since she was born since she was a Shamaness and those are supposed to be pure. -B)That her ex-boyfriend who went mad and travelled to the north came back and is right there in the room. -Susa wasn't the happiest woman after hearing that. -Salassar spends his time trying to figure out how the Innkeeps became so influential, which is mostly thanks to a pseudo-written language initially used by hunters to describe the landscape. -Eventually he discovers that Shamans and Innkeeps have some sort of alliance. -Also, Susa's ex boyfriend, Marcelo, seems to know a lot about the gods and has a distate for the Jvanic. -He meets Chroma in the woods and thinks about fighting her since anyone with Victor training could take her down. He doesn't, cause she has a certain aura to her. -Lakshmi writes about the Mesathalassa and its people to Lifpradude -Finally, Susa and Marcelo talk it out, finishing their issues with eachother but the huntress makes it clear it is over. He is still a bit worried about her though, as he manages to indentify some of her problems. [/hider] [hider=Khookie and Might Summary] Susa: _29 +10 -10 Faction: Innkeepers -10 Faction: Shamanists 19 Khookies Chroma: 17 +5 22 Khookies Lakshmi 60 +6 66 Khookies [/hider] It was a gleaming summer morning. The breeze was delicate and the strong sunlight was turned into soft warmth by the canopy of the trees. Near the rocky shores of a river, two kids, a boy, and a girl, carelessly played around. The girl looked tomboyish and moved around the rocks with the same ease and familiarity one has when walking in his own home, the boy was far softer, but at no moment he showed the lack of confidence. "Getting tired?" The girl teased, assuming he would be shy about his slowness. "A bit." he smiled, showing full acceptance of his limitations. "But no worries, I can still walk a lot." The girl expected to fluster him but instead she was the one feeling shy. It felt odd to have someone along with her on these matinal journeys. "Good! We still need to walk a lot to arrive." They kept going upwards into the forest, up to the point where the river was still just a small collection of streams. In this area, there was a grove with a tree noticeable different from all others, looking older and taller than anything else, this is where the girl liked to travel to when life in the village was a bit too annoying. And in most days it was annoying, she barely knew her mother beyond the fact that she came from another village and disappeared as suddenly as she appeared, and her father was a big game hunter who spent most of his time away, she lived with her mother's friend, the boy's mother, and all of this together made her an easy target for harassing among the other children in town. Recently it all had stopped, probably related to her inheriting the strong physique of her father, even so, her vision of the kids of the village was still one of a bunch of irritating brats and the quiet wilderness felt much more welcoming. There was a single exception... "So this is the place huh? It's pretty." The boy commented, bringing her back to the present. "It is. If you climb the tree you can see all this valley." "Really?" He sounded excited "How do you climb it?" "Don't push yourself." At first, she had joked about his stamina, but in truth, she was a bit worried. He had been a very sickly kid for most of his life, though on the last couple of years he started to get a bit healthier. Neverminding her advice, he started to climb the tree, though as he got higher his stamina started to fail him, eventually leading to dizziness. He was about to fall from the tree when the tomboy grabbed his hand. "I told you." she scolded him. "Sorry, I thought I was a bit stronger than this." he still smiled. They would visit the forest a few more times until the boy decided to voice something. "So, where else there is to visit?" "What do you mean?" "This place is interesting, but I want to see more." by this point he had already managed to climb the tree and see the whole region. "Have you seen anywhere else that is curious?" The girl didn't exactly follow him "No, I just came here whenever I went out." "What? I thought you had the whole region explored. Isn't that how you find this?" "I... I just went upstream one day and ended up here." "Ah... lame. I thought you liked to walk around searching for neat stuff." "I like to move my legs..." she sighed. "And silence, but that is mostly gone." "Hey, let's make a deal. You could go around trying to find other interesting places around here. I can't do it myself because, well, you know." "Eh? And what I win?" she asked "How about I don't tell the kids in the village about this." The boy smiled and opened his hand, releasing a panicked butterfly in the girl's direction. She immediately yelped and ducked to avoid the bug. The boy laughed "So I was right. This is cute." The girl rose up again with a face red with embarrassment and anger. "I noticed how hard you avoided certain bugs and figured out there was something going on." "Marcelo..." she was grinding her teeth at this point. "I mean, like, you are not scared of some big centipede showing up, but the smallest of the flying bugs makes you cower. Cute." He would have continued with the teasing, but he had to run, the girl was already really close and it would be better to try to tire her a bit before the inevitable beating ensued. [hr] The odd dream was interrupted by Lakshmi. [color=6A5ACD]"C-Chro-roma. T-Time t-to go."[/color] she said, everyone had already packed their belongings and the journey would resume very soon. [color=ffbfee]"Ah sorry, I was just having a strong dream again"[/color] she explained. Somehow, ever since she left the island some of her dreams have been very vivid yet mostly featuring persons who she didn't even know. [color=ffa04f]"Lucky you, I had another terrible night. My face must be terribly tired"[/color] [color=6A5ACD]"Y-You alway-s lo-look te-terribly tire-red Su."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"Thanks for the free jab, couldn't start the morning without it."[/color] she jokingly winked at Lakshmi. They had spent the last few days traveling across the western coast of the region. Unlike before, where they made stops at each village, they were now doing a broader work across the Harbor Towns, merely sending messages and gifts. The human side of Mesathalassa was basically divided into two regions, the shores, with its Harbor Kings, whose access to fishing was key to their subsistence and the inland area, mostly wildland and tribes, with the exception of the Innkeeps, where hunters would gather midway across the journey to trade resources and resupply. This was the current division of power in the region, masters of harbors in the beach and masters of inns in the deeper land. Though with the advance of agriculture, this balance of power was bound to shift, and while the Parade was sure harbor kingdoms would fully adapt to the future, the persistence of Innkeepers once Hunting is no longer the main source of food was unstable. For that reason, the Parade's only prolonged stop in this region was at one of the Inns, so their culture could be studied and recorded should the worse come to fruition. If not for that, Salassar would have surely hurryed through the region and started to make the way back to Alefpriel. Things had been odd recently, a sudden eclipse, news of waves of fire and a second tsunami, and general oddity all around. [color=ffa04f]"So, where are we going today?"[/color] [i]"We are going to leave the shores and go deeper inland, I want to visit a particular Inn"[/i] The huntress soon saw herself walking into familiar lands, though it had been such a long time, some things were still the same. Most of the villages had been long dislocated at Vestec's war, though, in turn, a new keep had been built. [img]http://i.imgur.com/aYC2fdn.png[/img] Lakshmi followed close with her party, valuable items that had once been flourished to the open air now lay under hide and furs, hidden from the realm that didn't even know what a ruby was. It was a lively place, far more than what she expected it to be. Everything had similarities to what she had seen in her childhood but at the same time, a lot had changed. [color=ffa04f]"Just like the paradox that Marel Vascogne had proposed..."[/color] Susa whispered. "P-paradox? T-this reminds m-m-me of the first days of A-lef-f-fpria, w-while the-the mannequins w-were still s-strange c-creatures to m-myself. I-I could b-best describe t-this s-s-sensation aaaas 'n-nostalgia'." Lakshmi noted, her jaded sword bouncing on her waist. Lakshmi then looked to the worried huntress. "H-how d-do you k-know this place?" [color=ffa04f]"I was born here. Well, around here. The village is no longer around"[/color] she pointed to the valley outside. [color=ffa04f]"I did say this region was my homeland back when I jumped on the boat, and well, this is the exact place."[/color] "O-oh y-yeah," Lakshmi chuckled, visibly flustered. "I-I remember that. D-did the Horde d-destroy y-your old home?" The huntress nodded [color=ffa04f]"Yes. Lifprasil said it was one of the armies marching south.[/color] at this point there was not much emotion to what she said, it bothered her, but somehow it all felt distant and unreal. Lakshmi, feeling the distance in the Huntress' estranged heart, decided to cease her speaking and simply follow along with her. Susa smiled [color=ffa04f]"Maybe I will show you some neat places I found when I was a child. They will make the springs we saw in the north look like ugly puddles."[/color] At that, Lakshmi's smile returned to her palor face. That tinge of worry disappeared. "T-that sounds l-lovely," she replied, setting a hand on Susa's shoulder. "I-I haven't seen m-much of the Galbarian l-landscape outside of Alefpria." At first, the people around her were just ones she did not recognize, making her wonder just how bad had the horde been, but eventually, a familiar face welcomed them. Livina had been the one who instructed her into proper hunting and along with her sister, had been one of the first to think about leathermaking. "Hello, welcome to Saen..." once she caught a glimpse of the visitor her jaw dropped "Hawke?" she gasped. The huntress didn't even know what to speak to her old teacher"H-Hey... uh!" a sudden hug left her out of breath. [color=ffa04f]"It...It is me."[/color] she added, struggling to breathe. "I would never have imagined, of all people..." [color=ffa04f]"I know right? We have a lot to talk."[/color] she held her teacher's hands and struggled to keep her emotions in control [color=ffa04f]"Is there anyone else from the village that is still here?"[/color] "Oh...!" Livina had completely forgotten just how long Susa had been gone. "Well... Our village was directly attacked and razed by the horde. Only the hunters who were away at the time survived." she sighed. "Then your mother, of all people, showed up. She lamented being too late to save the village, but along with other Shamans, she helped us to build this keep." [color=ffa04f]"My mother? Are you serious? How can someone disappear for decades and then just... Sorry. It is fine, I'm glad you are safe."[/color] "It was hard... I lost many friends, my sister, too. But we rebuilt, and I took in every one that sought shelter after their villages were attacked. That is how this place became this large." [color=ffa04f]"It is a beautiful Inn. But... wait, is my mother still here?"[/color] "No, she left. You know how she is..." [color=ffa04f]"Actually, I don't."[/color] [Day 2 of posting] "Just think about yourself or your father except she is far more religious, you have no idea." "Ah, but I digress. While our old village has mostly spread out after that, with some people going to the shore, others to different inns, there are still quite a few of us who stayed at this keep. Maré, Vista, Corale, Lance and Marcelo." The name hit the huntress like a boulder. [color=ffa04f]"What?"[/color] she said [color=ffa04f]"Marcelo?"[/color] she shook her head [color=ffa04f]"The one who got mad on dreams a looong while ago and travelled to the far north ages ago"[/color] "Yeah. That one, your little sweetheart too." The instructor smiled. [color=ffa04f]"Bullshit."[/color] she muttered. [color=ffa04f]"How can one go mad like that and just return after gods know how much time?"[/color] "Ask him yourself, Hawke, he has been in the room for a long while." Immediately the huntress started to look all around her, she was both startled and vicious, she didn't even know what she would do once she found him, she felt like punching him many times over, at the same time... Finally, she found him, their eyes locked on each other's [color=74a705]"Peace"[/color] he answered with a brief hand wave as if it had been just a few hours since they last met. Susa was almost paralyzed. There he was, barely looking older than when they last met even. He was even wearing the same outfit which Susa had got hold of back in Fibeslay, but how could that even be? Finally, she snapped and giggled. [color=ffa04f]"Oh, Sally will have to answer me for this one, his little goddess can't play with me like this."[/color] There was nothing but silence in the room. Susa looked at her friends, who looked all confused, even Sally, and then back to Livina, and finally, she stared at Marcelo. [color=ffa04f]"No. This... Damn it. For real? I swear if..."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"Just... Tell me why. Why did it happen? Were you even... That bad? Or did you just want to leave everything and EVERYONE behind?"[/color] The man sighed. [color=74a705]"First you must rest. Once you are calm, we can talk, and I assure you there will be a reasonable explanation to..."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"Oh, great, you assure me, now I can feel calm, yep, can't get more trustworthy than that."[/color] [color=74a705]"See, you are being unreasonable right now."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"I'm going to be unreasonable on your face."[/color] Suddenly she felt someone grabbing her hand. "Hawke, dear." said the instructor. "Please don't start a fight at my Inn. Let's relax, eat something, then you two can talk in private. Yes?" The huntress bit her lips, but a quick look at Livina and her friends made she return to her senses. [color=ffa04f]"Fine."[/color] Salassar sighed in relief, he had no idea this was such a personal place, he even wondered if the goddess had intentionally sent him there or not. "Glad this didn't end in a fight. Right?" "I-I wasn't t-too worried," replied Lakshmi, even though she perpetually looked so. "W-well -- m-maybe I was." she added in the First Tongue, speaking with more liquidity than the practiced dialect she had learned from Susa. Chroma didn't even hear the question, she looked dazed, far more than the other two. "Chroma. Hey, Chroma." [color=ffbfee]"Wah! What? What is it?"[/color] "You were spacing out. Are you fine?" this was hardly her first time seeing Susa barking around like this so he doubted the discussion was the reason. [color=ffbfee]"Uh... yeah. Salassar, you are like, a dream master or something like that, right?"[/color] The Quara sighed "Not the words I would choose but you say so." [color=ffbfee]"Can I talk to you later?"[/color] Salassar tilted his head, curious about the why of such question. "Surely. Whenever you want." At this moment the man Susa had met decided to come closer to them. [color=74a705]"So, you are the group that has been traveling with Su?"[/color] he glanced at each one of them, and for a brief second something close to disgust discretely showed in the corner of his mouth before it was quickly covered by a smile. [color=74a705]"It is a pleasure to meet you."[/color] Lakshmi looked down on the human, feathered horns neutral against the pleasant atmosphere of the inn. "A pleasure." she forced, metering her speech. Salassar answered "Likewise. Even though this was a bit of a troublesome start." [color=74a705]"Talk about it."[/color] he laughed [color=74a705]"I need to go now, but we need to talk again later, for now, enjoy your stay here, and if you could, make sure Su is relaxed, otherwise I might not survive past this evening.[/color] [hr] Salassar usually waited until he had gathered enough information from his surroundings before partaking in his missions, however, considering how many personal issues had arisen since arrival, he decided that it would be best to make his move as soon as possible. He approached Livina not soon after she finished serving the guests with food and drink. [i]"This place is really fascinating, ma'am. Furthermore, unlike the eastern human towns, it doesn't have the reek of rotten fish."[/i] "You know what is up." she chuckled. [i]"But I do wonder, how is the supply of resources kept? Is it all brought by the hunters?"[/i] "Most of it, yes. Inns cooperate a lot to exchange goods, furthermore, we have a good relationship with the local tribes." The use of plural made it clear for Salassar just how much the Innkeepers felt like a community. It had a structure similar to the community of hunters that lived in the village Lifprasil had met Susa. This made sense, considering that Innkeepers were often former hunters, the difference between the northern group and this one, however, was in how complex the relationship was. One was merely a glorified school, this one had evolved into a society. Salassar knew one of the ingredients behind such success. [i]"So, tell me, what is the story behind the odd symbols carved in wood that is all over the place."[/i] "Oh, just some bored hunters cutting lines in trees, really." Salassar knew this was not the case, however. The Wanderer's Code was a series of markings used by southern hunters to describe locations. Originally it was just about saying how deep a swamp was or how safe it was to swim in a river, but Salassar had seen then being used on some very interesting cases, for example, forests where the tribes from this region should not be hunting as they belonged to Hain, Harbor Towns or were deep within the North. In fact, it was those markings out of this region that gave him the clue that unlike what the Parade's intel told, the code was being used to describe people. When used to aid poaching there were unique symbols being carved into tree trunks probably describing the behavior of the local population. [i]"For how long have the Inns like this existed? I never heard Susa mentioning them."[/i] "Well, Susa left before the Horde arrived. And really, it was that what really made keeps like this one be built. At first, there were very few tribes around anymore to properly support hunters and travelers." [i]"I understand, but before that..."[/i] "Hmm, I don't remember well the story. But there was a family of hunters that built the first few lodges west of here." The use of the Wanderer's Code to describe people probably started there. A problematic client or a good business opportunity showed up and one brother wanted to talk to the other without being obvious so he used the secret code shared between the elite of the southern hunters. Communication links could have been built from there, then when the Horde attacked those who had a more developed information network were able to prepare for the disaster if not outright avoid it. Thus the Innkeepers became prolific and deeply connected but... Salassar knew this couldn't be all that there was to the richness they held. "Sincerely, I don't know much of the history before Susa's mother and the other shamans recommended me to become the Innkeeper here." This sentence lit up Salassar's mind. The Shamanists were an important group of the Mesathalassam culture, Hain and Human alike had their own sects and rituals, but both shared the preference for isolation. It was odd that they would provide such aid to the Innkeepers. "Ah, wait, someone is calling me," Livina said, "Sorry, I need to run the Inn a bit." [i]"It is fine, good luck with your chores"[/i] It was probably better he didn't go on questioning the Innkeeper either way as she could start to suspect him. He kept exploring the impressively well-organized premises of the keep in search for more details of the local human culture. At one point he walked into what looked like a garden full of rare flowers and herbs, it felt more like private quarters than a public area but Salassar was curious about it. [color=74a705]"Hey, friend, what do you think of this garden?"[/color] said Marcelo with a smirk on his face. [i]"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to invade your property, I just got lost... it's a large keep"[/i] [color=74a705]"Typical Susa behavior really, just leaving her friends lost around. But do not worry, this is not a secret place or anything, furthermore, you are not our typical guest either."[/color] [i]"Speaking of Susa, what is the issue with her mother? She didn't even seem to know her."[/i] [color=74a705]"Oh, Susa's mom was a Shamaness, and I don't know how Shamans work for your people, but the ones around here are supposed to be virgins and die without leaving descendants. I think they pardoned her mother for it, but in turn, she had to abandon her daughter."[/color] [i]"Really? Why is that?"[/i] [color=74a705]"A mix of exalting purity with a few prophecies about how the children of the Shamans will bring trouble."[/color] [i]"Couldn't imagine Susa doing that, but I will keep an eye out for her"[/i] he chuckled [color=74a705]"Eh, she did bring some odd guests. The Lifprasilian is fine, and you seem to be a nice person despite the fact I have never met your species, but why are you all traveling with a Jvanic creature?"[/color] Salassar was impressed the man knew so much about the gods to the point of even identifying who Lakshmi was. [i]"Chroma... I have to admit, I'm unsure about her, but she has done no evil. On the other side, we were never supposed to have her journeying with us."[/i] Marcelo looked somewhat worried. [color=74a705]"It is just odd, considering how much your goddess is revered by the Victors."[/color] there was a hint of nostalgia to his voice. The quara didn't know what to answer, the man talked about foreign concepts and there what he said didn't seem to connect to any of the Parade's orders. [color=74a705]"Oh well. I need to get ready to face Susa later today, you can keep looking at the garden if you want, just don't take anything from it."[/color] The Quara sighed. "He is Susa's trouble" he repeated to himself before trying to focus on his own questions and mission again. Then he realized the beginning of the link. If Shamans didn't have kids they must pick new members from the villages and towns of the region, apparently they care a lot about the past of the person, so the more information the better. Due to the nature of their work they must be familiar with the forests of the region, so if a bunch of markings started to show up, they would be the first ones to notice, eventually, this could lead to them learning about how the Innkeepers work. [i]"Perhaps they keep records of everyone who even visits these places"[/i] Which helped business and to get an idea of how each person worked, however, it could also help the Shamans to do their recruiting, perhaps a lot of their work too. [i]"So it's an alliance."[/i] Or perhaps even more. What Salassar knew was that the Parade was completely wrong in its assumptions about this region. If only he had enough time to visit the Shamanistic groups. Before leaving he accidently brushed his feet against the border of a plant revealing a little plank of wood under the herb, it had a collection of symbols carved on it. Upon closer inspection, most of the plants had been tagged. "Amazing. We completely underestimated these people" [hr] Elsewhere within the Inn, Lakshmi unbridled herself of all her burdens she had carried along the way, peeling away extremities like heavy clothing, armor, and weapons, down to her lighter, more casual clothes. She beset them upon her bed, the fabric of her mattress having been cushioned by feathers, cotton, all sorts of comfortable things accessible to the people of this region. The room around her felt much like a lodge, interpid with heavy logs, and supported by beams that erected themselves in a regimented, carefully calculated pattern; cutting into the geography of the gruff walls. To be truthful, the simple architectural value was interesting, compared to the smooth foundation of stone that became commonplace in Alefpria. Lakshmi opened a window, examining the raw iron nails effaced into their splintery craters in the lodging. She then got to writing. Within her pack of supplies, Lakshmi had saved something from Lifprasil, a cube wrapped in thick, yellowed parchment marked with the wax, teal moniker of Alefpria. It darted into the center of the room, gravitating into a fixed position in front of its beholder. She pressed into one of the corners of the device, letting purple blood seep from a small wound in her index finger, and into the rivets of the portal. Without any conscious attachment to the device, Lakshmi had to utlilize bloodletting to open the Artefact. Outward, tendrils of scroll flexed from their confinement, and Lakshmi caught one. She then retrieved a piece of charcoal she had gathered upon their journey, and flattened the coarse paper she had retrieved onto her room's circular table, and got to work. She wrote in the First, Divine Tongue into the day, making sure to carefully analyze previous events, and scrawl familiar excerpts into the tome. By the time she finished something she was satisfied with, the sun looked as if it was descending beneath the trees, the luminescence pressing a pair of nearly identical spheres into an extended shadow across the twilight sky. Two of Galbar's moons. Lakshmi never really bothered to learn the names, but she was quite hungry, now that her mind drifted away from work. She even noticed that, for the first time in a while, she felt dirty. Strange, how such things could skip her mind with such ease... [hr] Chroma had always been advised to keep most of herself covered whenever near a crowded area. She found it odd, after all, people didn't seem to ask the same of any other species, but since her friends had no reason to lie to her she preferred to do as she was told. She really disliked such exaggerated amount of clothing and often engaged in strolls in the areas surrounding the settlements they visited, where she could at least take off her hood. It was also a time to let her mind wander, though this wasn't intentional introspection, instead of being merely a side-effect of her energetic behavior and a lack of interest in the wild landscape of the region. Usually, her thoughts were pretty similar, no matter how many weeks had already gone by, she still found the whole "living in another world and traveling around odd places with odd people who are like a bunch of hippies" a bit odd. She didn't feel particularly nostalgic for Iridia, but at times she did wonder how much longer she would stay there and what she would even need to do to go back. Today however she was far more occupied with the issue of prophetic dreams and how she would discuss it with Salassar without coming out as some sort of freak. [color=ffbfee]"Man, I never really saw myself as the psychic of the team. Does this mean I now need to be aloof and stuff? Is dreaming about something that is from the past even consider premonitory?"[/color] she asked herself, she always saw herself as the action type, it was odd to suddenly have powers more fit to a mystery solver. Distracted by her own otherworldly musings, the heroine walked deeper into the woods until she found herself in some sort of clearing by a river spring. The place felt awfully similar though she had yet to pinpoint exactly why. [color=ffbfee]"Yikes, Dejavu"[/color] Suddenly she heard the sound of rustling grass as someone else walked by. Usually, it was Susa who met her in these nightly walks, but today it was someone different, the Marcelo person from earlier today. At first, there was nothing, just the two staring at each other. She was a bit freaked out by him not because he was scary but because of some sort of uncanny aura about him, probably due to her "stolen" dreams from Susa's childhood. He analyzed the creature, clearly fit for a fight and with probably as much raw strength as a normal Victor but when it came to training she was millenniums away, and that is where the battle would be a sure win. No matter how much she adapted, if she created multiple limbs or if she calcified her body into ivory armor or any other trick, he would be prepared and his sword would strike with precision. Yet, even with the sureness of victory, he didn't do anything. The image of a young girl in love crossed his mind, was the fact she cared about this entity what was chaining him? [color=74a705]"Ah, you are not the one I expected to meet here."[/color] he said with a smile [color=ffbfee]"Sorry! I didn't know there was someone already here! I will be going already, good luck with Susa."[/color] she said almost too fast to be properly understood. The "mother of words" was masterful at creating dissonance of perception and reality, the aura the jvanic entity had was something that inspired the idea of a youthful girl, and it would do so no matter if it was accompanied by an actual child or an adult or even a rock. [color=74a705]"Chroma, right?"[/color] the girl was starting to move out of the grove but her name being called made her stop and turn around. Anxiety all around her. [color=74a705]"It's a bit late, isn't it? If you don't go back to the inn soon people might be worried, or worse, you might miss the supper."[/color] Her reaction was immediate [color=ffbfee]"W-what are you, my father? Seesh, I can take care of myself."[/color] she turned back and started to move out again, this time stomping her feet on the ground. Marcelo chuckled at the sight before he was once again left alone is his waiting. [hr] [color=ffa04f]"Sweat baths are foolish"[/color] Susa thought as she walked back to her room. Apparently being in a scalding room full of vapors was one of the many rituals the Shamans introduced after the horde attack and reconstruction, yet the huntress did not see the point, she did not feel even a bit more purified after spending gods know how many hours in the tent. [color=ffa04f]"Steam doesn't hold the same fluidity of water, I can't see how this can be a substitute to the nightly diving rituals at all. There are plenty of hot springs too if you want warmer options."[/color] the mental rant about bathing habits would have gone on if she had not met a certain someone in her room. [color=ffa04f]"What are you doing here?"[/color] she immediately reached for her leather cloak in order to cover herself. [color=74a705]"Well, you kept me waiting for a long time back at the old place."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"I don't remember saying I would meet you there."[/color] [color=74a705]"Was it necessary? Apparently, even your new friends agree that it is hard to go to groves and ponds around the forest without meeting you."[/color] The huntress rolled her eyes. [color=ffa04f]"I was too busy trying some new form of bathing. I just stayed there all night to see if I would feel anything out of it."[/color] Silence reigned for a while before she decided to continue. [color=ffa04f]"Don't you have some story to tell? Last I saw you was back when you had lost your mind and kept mumbling about going to the north where the aurora is. Was that even real or just one of your lies?"[/color] [color=74a705]"It was very real. The medicine your mother created did keep me from getting any worse but at the long run started to keep my mind a bit too deep within the Raka."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"What? This is the first I ever heard of this medicine."[/color] [color=74a705]"The whole reason why your mother came to the village was to help her friend's son. Has anyone ever explained to you about..."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"The whole shamaness thing? Not really, but I figured it on my own as I became more familiar with the traditions. But let's not stray away from the issue here."[/color] [color=74a705]"What issue? Ilunabar is a harsh mistress is all I take from my story."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"For a start, why are you fine? Surely the time at the lifeless icy wastes of the north didn't just make you get better all of the sudden.[/color] [color=74a705]"Why are you still young despite your actual age? Where have you been? Why are you together with a religious procession?"[/color] The same questions every time. This time, she didn't feel like answering it. [color=ffa04f]"Fine, I get it. I guess this also explain the two pairs of the exactly same outfit."[/color] [color=74a705]"Huh?"[/color] he peaked around the room just to see the battered outfit [color=74a705]"Oh. I thought I had lost that one ages ago."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"I found it all the down in Fibeslay, yet I can't find how it could possibly be there..."[/color] [color=74a705]"I met that Hain close to the savannah and the primal jungle over the everdark mountains. You of all people should know people can move from one village to another."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"I... Well... It does explain it."[/color] [color=74a705]"Wait, were you legitimately thinking that I left the village not because of my mental state but just to do that ages-old idea of traveling the world?"[/color] [color=ffa04f]"Uh... Yes. We were in a very bad moment at the time and you just left so I just took that as a lie. The outfit... was proof of it, but you gave one explanation I didn't account for."[/color] [color=74a705]"Bad moment? Was it truly like that?"[/color] [color=ffa04f]"It really was. Maybe I didn't see it back then, but now that it is so distant I can see it clearly, even if you hadn't disappeared, it wouldn't work."[/color] [color=74a705]"Really? That is not how I remember it at all."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"I was all about you. From the very moment you first requested me to explore the valley, it had always been a quest for more praise...."[/color] [color=74a705]"From what I remember it was about me blackmailing you with a butterfly."[/color] She chuckled. [color=ffa04f]"That too... but you know, when you left, I was aimless with no clear objective in life, I understood that it wasn't healthy."[/color] [color=74a705]"If that is what you think there is little I can do to change that. Though don't you think you have been a bit too harsh on me..."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"Spending all those afternoons swimming with Livina's sister in the lake didn't help our situation a single a bit."[/color] [color=74a705]"Those were swimming lessons and are you in a position to talk about bathing with others?"[/color] [color=ffa04f]"That was just an example, there were other cases of you being sneaky. My mom's medicine for example."[/color] [color=74a705]"Fine. So let me tell you a thing. When I went to the north, I faced death, but I was saved by a group called The Victors, I became a warrior under them and currently I'm in a task to scout this region, just like you.[/color] This caught the huntress by surprise. [color=ffa04f]"Why the sudden change in mind in keeping that a secret?"[/color] [color=74a705]"Because of the things you said. I heard you are traveling with a priest of a goddess you don't like and in service of some celestial kingdom from across the ocean. Why?"[/color] [color=ffa04f]"I just like moving my legs, really."[/color] She sighed. [color=ffa04f]"I'm hungry, do you think dinner is ready?"[/color] [color=74a705]"It was ready hours ago, now it is either eaten or cold, but before you leave... Look, I know what we had before has been over for a long time but do you think there is..."[/color] [color=ffa04f]"No."[/color]