"Now this is more like it!"
Ausdauer was in a truly excellent mood. The sun was shining, the day was balmy, and he was finally out from under the proverbial thumb of the overly-somber Angeni that he had to call his mentor. Not to knock Regelus by any means; the senior angeni certainly had a great many good qualities. But he was the most frustrating creature that Ausdauer had ever encountered in his life, and that INCLUDED Aus' own guardian spirit. Well, maybe not that extreme; Regelus and Aus' Spirit were probably tied in the frustrating department. Besides, it was the Spirit that had put Regelus in charge of Aus to begin with, and it was the spirit that had forced Aus to spend the previous year as-
"Don't even think about it, Ausy, you'll only get grouchy and you really ought to enjoy this time." Talking to himself was therapeutic, if a trifle odd; he was good at calming himself down, giving himself advice, and talking himself into (or out of) things, as the case may be. He was firm but fair, and he always knew when he had pushed himself too far, so he was a good conversationalist. Better than dour types that shall remain nameless, at any rate.
Anyway, it was a lovely day; he was large, in charge, and out for a stroll amongst the meadow grasses without any annoying types looking over his shoulder and telling him he ought to behave in a better/different/more suitable way.
