Welcome to Gaia! ::

Mailon nodded, and after Lin left, he moved to lie down in his bed rather than sit by the window again.

Earendil was waiting for Lin in the waiting room, sitting in one of the chairs and leaning back with his head against the wall. He had his eyes closed, and he didn't hear Lin enter the room, so when she entered, he didn't move.

Earendil's eyes flew open when Lin touched his shoulder, and he jumped slightly in surprise.

"Lin," he sighed when he saw her. He stood up and put his arms around her. "I don't think I'll ever get used to not hearing people approach."

He hugged her gently before letting her go again. "How did it go?" he asked her.

Earendil chuckled at Lin's first comment. She wouldn't be alone in that anymore.

"Well, I'm glad he's all right," he said softly. "Kyrie looked like she was falling apart when she left. She said she wanted to go for a run before going home, so Ahkshi went home without her."

He glanced out the window. "She's either brave or really troubled, to want to go for a run in this weather."

It had started raining while they'd been in with Mailon, and now it was quite the downpour.

Earendil glanced at Lin. "We're going to get soaked if we go out in that."

"That's true," Earendil agreed. "She doesn't seem to let weather bother her too much ..."

He looked out at the rain a moment longer, then sighed softly.

"Well, shall we return to our tent?" he asked her with a rueful smile.

Earendil chuckled softly. "Indeed. Well, we might as well go. If we end up cold, we can always snuggle for warmth."

He winked at her, then reached for her hand and opened the door.


It was nearly two days before the rain passed, though it passed in phases of light and heavy rain, and while the group from the Four Lands was snug and dry in their tents - though wanting for some hot food after two days with no fire - two travelers had been caught half a day's journey outside the city and without a tent.

Shoneah Adoeete Silverbirch was in a foul temper by the time the sun broke through the clouds on the third day. Thoroughly soaked and somewhat chilled, her bowstring was too wet to shoot with and what food they had that didn't spoil in the wetness was quite unappetizing by this point.

"Have we got anything we can sell when we get there for a chance for a warm bath?" she asked her companion as they packed their bags after a cold breakfast of jerked meat from an animal she hadn't recognized. "Other than the scales, I mean."

The dragon scales were just about the only thing she could think of - other than her pistols - that might be worth something, but they needed them too badly to be able to sell them.

Shoneah sighed. "Well, maybe we'll find that woman everyone's been telling us about and she can help us," she said optimistically.

All she wanted for the moment was to dry out and have some hot food again.

"West by southwest," she murmured, glancing up at the sun. She shouldered her sopping bag and looked at Eron. "Pity your watch doesn't work," she quipped. "We could tell the direction more accurately if we knew the actual time."

She waited until Eron was ready, then started to lead them in the direction she felt most confident was the right one.

Shoneah smiled bemusedly. "Well, a longer day means a longer night," she pointed out. "So even if we're traveling longer, we do get about the same amount of sleep, even with taking watch."

There were advantages to this kind of life, she supposed. And she would be willing to admit that after five weeks in this world, she was beginning to like it - if only her family were with her ...