Elbows & Knees

[Vega]

2nd of Zi'da
Arc 717

"So," Vega said, cradling her cup of tea in her hands and relishing the warmth of it, "I spoke to my familiar." She pulled the blankets back for him as he came back into the tent they shared, so they could sit together and discuss what they were going to do. The tent was bigger than it had been when he'd left, spirited away on a mission for U'frek which he had known was going to happen. Then, yestertrial he'd reappeared in the camp, deposited back there. In the time that he'd been away, Vega had been busy and one of the things that she'd done was to put together their two tents, making a larger space for them as he'd suggested. There had been other things, too, the more obvious crafting of benches and seats for them and the more subtle obsessive treating of his cast iron pan, which she had previously ruined. She didn't tell him about that, figuring that it probably wasn't something that he'd notice and, anyhow, it was the least that she could do.

Once he was settled back down, she pulled the new (to them) blanket over them both and she couldn't hide the grin of delight at him being home. They'd talked about what had happened to him while he'd been gone and she'd given him the brief version of what had gone on for her. As the cold sun rose in the Zi'da skies, Vega leaned over to kiss him and then pointed to where the light was hitting a small and very threadbare stuffed bear. "Arlo, Bruce. Bruce, Arlo." She'd thrown said toy in frustration when she couldn't get to sleep without him there. "I went to see Papa. He told me some stuff about my mother, but more'n that, he told the three boys straight. Said if they didn't like me an' my choices that was fine an' up to them, but they'd respect those choices, an' treat you and me with respect, or they could get off his boat." Tugging at the very large, thick and warm blanket which was covering them she explained. "He told Reese that if 'e called 'is daughter a whore again, then the two of them would 'ave a very serious issue. An' then he gave me this. It was my grandparents, 'is parents."

Vega turned her head to look at him, her eyes swirling in colour. She was happy about what Jo'qan had said, about the stance he took, there was no doubting it. Yet there was more to it. Vega was, in many ways, an open book to Arlo. Certainly moreso than she was with anyone else. "He told me stuff about my mother. Ways I'm like her." Vega looked at him and frowned slightly, almost shrugging but not quite. "Then 'e taught me this technique for meditatin' she used to use. Meditation through movement, like a sort of fightin' style, but slowed down loads."

Then, she explained, she'd seen her familiar. Standing on the deck of her father's ship, moving in a slow and deliberate movement, Vega had seen her. "She's beautiful, Arlo. All elbows an' knees, though. Like me." She bumped her shoulder against his and grinned, "She's a mush-mish of two animals, an' she's beautiful. Then, I dreamed of 'er an' we chatted. Her name is Iris." Vega couldn't hide the depth of emotion she felt, nor did she try to. "She's well argumentative. I don't know where that comes from." Not even Vega was quite that unaware, it must be said and her expression was amused. She'd slept better last night than she had for the three nights that he'd been away and she looked rested and relaxed. "I 'ave to find 'er. She's in Sweetwine woods, but listen a'right, see. I said, she's a mush-mish, like me. Well she is." Vega's gaze was more than prepared for the torment. She was preparing her fist ready for her response when she said. "She's 'alf flunny, an' 'alf rainbow lorikeet." Let it begin, she thought, wondering if a pre-emptive punch was acceptable and deciding that it probably was, but still. Instead, she gave him a warning glare and gave her best and most well constructed argument.

"Shurrup, you."

[Arlo Creede]

The extra room inside their tent was more than Arlo had anticipated it would be when first he'd envisioned it. Then again it was more than two single tents sewn together. But while it wasn't too much, it left extra room for moving around. For sitting, reading, talking or working indoors during the coldest time of the arc. She'd done a good job of it, he'd commented when they'd first woken up that morning, and he'd slipped out in the open to cook them up some breakfast. It wasn't just roomy, but plenty warm and seemed like it would hold up well against those trials and nights that turned particularly bitter and windy.

He'd returned with two bowls in hand. A porridge made of oats with chopped up dates and walnuts cooked in it, dressed with butter, honey and a little cinnamon. Arlo handed Vega one before climbing back under the blanket with her. When she mentioned her familiar, he nodded. She'd said something about it the night before, and had promised to tell him more in the morning. "My pot's good and seasoned I noticed," he said, and grinned after downing a spoonful of porridge. "Like it's seen a fortnight's worth of work in just three trials." He was amused, in truth, but also happy she'd done it. "Thank you."

"Sorry Bruce," he said, teasing her again when he glanced at the discarded bear. "You've had a good run. I'm back now." When she talked about her father though and how things had played out, he listened more seriously. He wished that there hadn't needed to be any ultimatums. But there was no use in saying that. It was what it was and he knew it as well as she did. "It's nice," he said, referring to the blanket. He'd wondered where it had come from. Clearly it hadn't been new. And it meant something that her father had decided to give it to her now. "I got the sense when he was here before," he said, referring to her father, "that you're like your mother. Unreasonable," Arlo said then, grinning and bumping her shoulder.

He'd never heard of the fighting style she was talking about. But maybe she'd show him some of it sometime. But more importantly now, she told him about her familiar. He knew how much it meant to her, how it was a piece of her missing that wouldn't allow her to be completely whole until she found it. And because it meant that much to her, it meant that much to Arlo. "Let's see. Mixed up, a mush mish, not one or the other but both and contrary. I can't imagine any other creature, winged, four footed or two legged than that," he teased her. Except for her of course. "That sounds just about right then."

"Do you know where she is?" he asked. "and are you going to go find her? Or have you already?" The implied bit he left out was, did she want him to go with her to do it. But it was a thing that was hers, and while the offer was out there unspoken and in fact he'd be eager to be by her side, he wouldn't ask outright. It was for her to tell him if she wanted him there.

[Vega]

2nd of Zi'da
Arc 717

Vega rolled her eyes in mock despair. "You watch yer step, Arlo Creede," she teased, amusement lighting her expression, "Bruce an' I go back a long way. I've whispered secrets in 'is ears, cried myse'f asleep 'oldin' on to 'im an' he was always there when I was ill as a kid, you know." Her elbow was sharp and aimed well as she dug it in his ribs. He was much more serious when she spoke about what happened with her father and he understood, she knew. They'd both be happier if things were more friendly, but at the end of the trial they couldn't fight bigotry with anything but a firm stance. He was her choice, this was her choice and that was that. He liked the blanket and Vega smiled."He said, it's been in the family for two generation already, an' he wanted it to be for more, so he 'oped we both liked it." She shrugged slightly and then gave a slight grin. It was an acceptance of Arlo, from her father at least. A gesture. But she was unreasonable like her mother? Vega looked at him incredulously as he said that and her eyes swirled a myriad of colours, but then settled on shades of blue and she let out a laugh. "Papa said she drove 'im mad." She stole a kiss, moving forward quickly to do so and when she pulled back she grinned. When he added his assessment of her familiar, though, Vega couldn't help the guffaw of laughter which escaped her. He was right, though, what other way would her familiar ever be?

His next questions saw a change of expression from Vega. Did she know where it was? "I told you. Sweetwine Woods." It wasn't repeating herself that bothered her, though, or caused the frown to flicker on her face. No, that was the implication in his question. Was she going or had she already? He wasn't coming with her? That confused her, in truth, they did everything together, they had since they met. Why was this different? She'd assumed that they'd go together, because they always did. But not this, apparently. Well, that was fine and up to him. "I 'aven't, no."

Just when she was starting to believe she understood all this stupid relationship rubbish, Vega thought, she realised that she had no clue at all. Which was fine, just fine. "I don't know 'ow long it'll take me. But yer back, now, so I can get goin' an' not worry about leavin' camp unattended." That hadn't been why she'd waited, of course, but he didn't know that and he didn't need to. So, she started pulling together her things, fury building in her with every movement, some at herself for allowing this situation in the first place, but the lion's share was for him. At least this time he'd disappeared, she thought, they'd waited till the next morning to get to the point where they fell out. The unaware young woman didn't really consider that her emotions and how stretched they were because he'd been away might be a common denominator in these situations. But, she was too busy boiling with anger to consider such and so she flung her things together as quickly as she could, not saying anything because she knew that if she said anything she'd say much, much too much.

It took next to no time to fling her stuff together, they were used to having to move and so Vega was ready quickly. Not quickly enough, though, as she turned to look at him with eyes which were deep crimson red and vivid turquoise blue. She was doing up her sword belt with hands which shook with fury and she wanted to just punch him. She opened her mouth to say something straightforward like "see you later, Arlo" or something like that. That was the best thing, she knew. Nothing complicated. "Yer a shit you are, you know that?" How did it happen, Vega had time to wonder before she lost any semblance of control, how did it happen that she didn't even seem to control what she said? "Twice now, over a short space of time, I've 'ung around an' waited for you to come back, like some forlorn little puppy. Twice now. Well there won't be a third time, Arlo, shove it." She wondered if she'd ever have full control over what she said, but she suspected not. Right in this moment, she didn't want it.

"An' jus' for the record, I don't like that I'm not invited on yer special adventures, but I'm 'appy for you an' I waited for you cos I 'ad no option. Well you 'ad an option Arlo, but you don't wanna even bother to offer to come with me on this? Fine. Don't. You're not invited, there we go. But you know," oh, when was she going to learn to just shut up, Vega wondered? There was no point to this, it was her own fault for being so stupid, for having expectations "if there was somethin' this important to you, I'd snardin' well offer to 'elp you. Even before, when we were jus' friends. Cos that's what friends do, or so I thought. But I guess I don't understand any of it do I? Well, 'ow very unreasonable of me." She grabbed her bag and pulled it on, lifting the hood of her coat first, doing her best to hide her face and the hurt expression she knew she had. "You 'ave a good time. Don't feel like you need to wait, only an idiot does that, don't they? An' I couldn't tell you if this is a rule that's been broken, cos it seems like you've got different ones to me. Lucky you, cos mine just make me stupid." With which parting shot, Vega had every intention of turning and flouncing off in the direction of Sweetwine Woods.

[Arlo Creede]

Arlo would never be able to fathom how one bit things could be harmonious and warm and all around pleasant between them, and how the next bit she could blow like a pot under pressure. As if someone, him he guessed, had inadvertently fanned the flames and let loose every apparent grievance she'd been storing up between then and the last time. The problem was, so far as he was concerned, that there was no predicting or even avoiding it. Vega had said that her papa had told her, her mother had driven him mad. Arlo figured then that he and her father had something in common. Only a fool would ever say it out loud.

A cold blast of air came rushing in when she flung the blanket aside, and Arlo sat up, dumbfounded, watching her as she busied herself with collecting her gear. He knew by now before she'd said a word that she was angry. And while he could learn quite a lot by watching the way her eyes shifted color, there was no real transition of warning there. They changed on the same sort of whim her temper did and just as unreasonably...in his humble opinion. So she wanted to go without him? "Had she wanted to? Having asked her a perfectly reasonable question and in his opinion, in the most sensitive way he could imagine, he couldn't for the life of him figure out which it was. Arlo could take a fairly good guess, based on her current mood and the way she was flinging her things together.

Then she made it fairly clear and he threw back the blanket, grabbing his boots and pulling them on. He was a shit? Shove it? He could multi-task perfectly well and since he couldn't seem to get a word in edgewise anyway, he glowered at her. But then where he spotted an opening, he grabbed it. "What do you mean I didn't offer? I didn't not offer!" he shot back. "You didn't give me a chance before you went off on me, throwing all this stuff at me from before that was supposed to be resolved the last time you went off on me." Not eloquently put really, but it made sense in his head and was no less valid a point.

"But instead you've apparently saved it up to throw at me again when I trip over a rule that I didn't know was there, and you assume that I'm saying something I didn't." How was he supposed to know she wanted him to come with her, he asked. It wasn't like other things, it was her familiar, something personal to her. And how was he to know that her familiar wanted him there when first they met? "You didn't give me a chance to ask Vega. You just assumed. I can't read your mind. Don't think you can read mine and accuse me of thinking things that I'm not or of meaning things that I never said."

If she wanted to go without him now in spite of his intentions, he'd respect that, he told her. "But don't act like I've been going off without you because it's what I wanted. Or that I wouldn't have rather been with you. That fog swallowed me up and there was nothing I could do about it. I was back as soon as I was able. I told you that before. And the thing with U'frek, when I agreed to go, was before we got together this way and I had no idea how or when that would happen. If I'd have known I'd have told you. It wasn't allowed to have you with me. But if you'd told me you didn't want me to go, I wouldn't have. I'd have asked him to send me back at the beginning."

She'd told him the night before that something had changed about him. But something about her had changed too, and it seemed that somehow it was him causing it. He just couldn't figure out how or why. "We've been together longer than we've been like this together," he reminded her, referring to the nature of their relationship and how it had changed. "I love you, and I want this." Well, not this, specifically, but them together. "But you never got mad at me like this before or if you did you never let on or said it. If there's something I'm supposed to be doing that I'm not, or something I'm doing that I ought not to, I wish you'd tell me what it is."

[Vega]

2nd of Zi'da
Arc 717

"This is nothin' to do with last time!" Vega was clear that he was being just downright unreasonable and she glared right back at him. "You jus' keep on bein'... bein'... you, an' just pilin' it on, don't you, you.." The stream of Rakahi which exited her was probably not something he wanted translated, in truth. And come to think of it, he was downright wrong at best or lying through his Immortals-dammed teeth, she pointed out, switching back to Common. Because he did exactly that, he did not offer to go with her. He asked her, she reminded him, when and how she was going. She. Alone. "Singular. You not we. So yeah, you bloody well did. Not only did you not offer you did didn't offer too!" She frowned slightly and the flung her hands in the air, frustration at herself for not being able to use her words effectively adding to the mix. "You're the clever one, you can work it out." She didn't say anything as he talked about the fog and the thing for U'frek, except to point out, "I never said you wanted to go. I know you didn't." When he finished speaking about that, though, she shook her head. She'd never tell him she didn't want him to go, she was proud of him and happy for him, didn't he know that? Of course he didn't. Why would he when she'd been like this with him about it? Both times, now, she'd blown up at him when he came home.

As she came to the realisation of just what she was doing, and what she was actually reacting to, Vega remained quiet as he spoke, reminding her that they'd been friends, travelling together a lot longer than they'd shared a tent. When he said that he wished he'd tell her what he was doing wrong, or not doing when he should, the last of her anger flew from her. "It's not you. It's me." How did she get this way, Vega wondered and she shook her head, trying to fathom it. Pushing her hood back so she could look at him, she tried to explain where things had, as she saw it, started.

"I thought you knew I wanted you to come with me. I always want you to, an' if my familiar don't like it she can jog on." Vega's face was, as always, a clear illustration of what she was feeling. How did he not know that, she wondered. How could he be in any doubt? He'd been there when she dreamed of the familiar, she reminded him. Lots of times. "Arlo, I always want you with me. Always. 'ow can you not know that?" That had been true for a long time, much longer than they'd been together as a couple. She dropped her bag, shrugging it off her back. "We've been together for twenty trials now an' the two times you've been gone we've argued when you come back. It's me." She couldn't stand still, couldn't sit down so Vega put her bag on to the bench she'd made and started to unpack and repack it. "It's me, bein' all elbows an' knees, innit?"

"I've always 'ad a temper. You said you liked it." She couldn't help but smile, just a little. Careful what you wish for, Creede, she thought to herself but didn't say. Just in case it was what he was thinking too. "It's not an' excuse, but remember, I was raised with my cousins. Remember the dream of the woman, with the 'at?" It had been the first time he'd visited her dreams, she thought. She'd been the grown up woman in the dream, she explained, but the scene they'd been watching, that was a memory from her childhood, she'd been the little girl with red hair. "That was Reese's nose I bloodied." It was like he'd told her, she said, just a few trials ago. Her feelings gave Reese ammunition, always had. "But Arlo, with you? I jus'.." She couldn't explain it, how could she explain it? Come to that, Vega thought, why didn't he know?

"When you look at me, my tummy gets wobbles. When you touch me, ev'ry bit of me is on fire. If you breathe an' I feel yer breath tickle my neck?" That had happened in the room with spider gloop covering them, "Oh, I tingle all the way down to my toes. I love you so damn much, I can't 'old it in. Am I doin' it wrong, Arlo? Cos it's not jus' when we argue that I'm like this, it's every trill of every break that's changed for me. An' it's not gonna stop, cos I can't switch one bit of it off. It's all of me an' I'm all in." Did he know that, she wondered? Had he not recognised that it wasn't just in an argument that things had changed for them? How could he not recognise it?

"An' when you've been gone an' then you come back, I've been missin' you an' not knowin' when or if or how you're comin' back." He'd been missing her, too, she knew that and she told him so. She didn't doubt it. But he'd known where he was and that he was alright, whilst also knowing where she was and that she was alright. She didn't have that, so she used her worry and nervous energy to make things or stitch tents. "So when you come back an' then start talkin' about one or the other of us goin' somewhere alone, I jus'..." she searched for what she did, for how she felt when he seemed fine with her going on her own somewhere, so soon after he'd come back. "I don't think I can stop it, Arlo, cos it's all of me, all the time. But it's passion, an' it's love. Jus' in elbow and knee format is all." He told her he loved her and he wanted this, them, but.... Vega knew that that meant. Everything before the 'but' was meaningless, or so her papa had taught her. But she'd never got mad like this. Was this a deal breaker for him? It might be. So, she said something which she never thought she would, but she did so without pause or concern. "I'll try an' change. Try to do better. I jus'... just don't take no notice of me an' tell me to shurrup. That works, I promise. Or jus' kiss me an' I can't be angry then. I don't think." She looked at him, her eyes a myriad of colours swirling in no pattern at all. "I'd like it if you came with me, I 'ave to find 'er. Would you, please?"

[Arlo Creede]

It was probably better than Arlo didn't speak Rakahi. And come to think of it, he didn't think he wanted to. But it was he said, she said. Ages old, so far as he was concerned. He'd witnessed his mother and step-father doing it too on a very rare occasion. Truth was, they didn't cross words much. In truth, they didn't have many at all, what with is stepfather being the quiet sort. He'd have argued the point though, because she was wrong. But already from experience he'd learned it would get him nowhere. She'd never admit it. He only scowled back at her in response, and it would have to be enough. He hadn't not said it.

"It's not you Vega," he muttered,but clarified what he'd meant. Sort of. "Not you, not me...Us together." What he'd been getting at of course was that it felt to him as if them together in the way they were together now, had created a volatility that hadn't been the case before. At least Arlo didn't think so. But then she told him why, and it wasn't the answer he'd thought it might be. And she was probably the only person he'd ever known that would tell her own familiar to jog off, as she put it. But no, it wasn't just her, he insisted again. Except this time, maybe he understood why.

He did like it, he said. Her temper. "I like it now too but I didn't see where it was coming from or why." He remembered the dream with the hat, remembered what she'd told him about her cousins and her upbringing. But when Vega told him why, really why, he looked back at her with wonder. Women were curious, he concluded. A puzzle, a conundrum, an unsolvable mystery. In truth from the time he'd been old enough to know the difference, he'd known that. In spite of himself he shook his head and smiled a little. "Don't you know it's like that for me too? Every bit of it, every bit of every trial. But without the shouting and throwing things," he couldn't help adding with a grin, just to tease her.

That it wouldn't stop, the temper...well, that was no real revelation either. It was part of her. Like her red hair and her changing eyes. And in truth he didn't want it to change. Passion watered down in one respect was passion gone in another. It was his response to it that could change, now that he understood. "I thought you hated me, or were done with me, us," he admitted. When she blew like that. The smile faded though when she talked about how she'd felt while he was gone. And she needed to know. "I'll always come back. Everything in my power, always. I figured you'd have known that." He'd have to be trapped. Dead. And even then he'd try.

Shaking his head again, he got up off their bedroll and began gathering his things together. Putting on layers, his leather armor, gathering weapons and other supplies. "I worry if I tried to kiss you when you're like that, I might end up with a black eye or a knee where I don't want it," he pointed out, teasing but also serious as could be. But otherwise, "I love you Vega just like you are. If you were different, we wouldn't be us would we? I don't want you to change. Not for me or anyone." But would he go with her? Of course he would. He wanted to add...Hadn't he already said that he wanted to, and just hadn't said it yet? Or hadn't not got around to it yet? It was probably going too far. "What are we waiting for then?"

[Vega]

2nd of Zi'da
Arc 717

She knew what his glare meant. He wasn't admitting that he was wrong but he knew it. He damn well knew it. Vega met his gaze and matched him, glower for glower and she had the added advantage of being absolutely and completely right on her side. She didn't think there was no point to arguing because of he-said, she-said. No, Vega knew that she had won. No doubt. He had not said it and he knew he had. Hadn't. Whatever it was.

When he said that it wasn't her, it was them, though, Vega felt tension build in her shoulders and her eyes darkened, but she kept them turned away from him. Let him speak. It was them. A hundred thoughts went through her head at that as she went to a place that she didn't want to go. Unusually for her, though, she didn't say anything, didn't blow up or speak about the conclusions she was jumping to. Instead, she kept quiet. When he said that she was the only person who would tell her familiar to jog off, Vega smiled a brief, slight smile. "On, Arlo. Jog on. No one says jog off, that's jus' silly." It made all the difference, she was sure.

But no, she didn't know that it was the same for him. How could she when he seemed so surprised, twice now, that she lost her temper at him like she did. She didn't answer, though, it was what it was and she didn't know what he was building up to and she didn't want to mess up whatever hope she had here that she hadn't just messed it all up anyhow. Until he said what he'd thought, that she hated him and was done with them, Vega looked up at him in surprise. Her eyes were so dark that they were more or less black and she shook her head. As she moved over to him, he promised her that he'd always come back and she stepped next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm never done with you. Us. You make me mad, drive me crazy, but I'm not done. I was jus' scared witless I'd pushed you over th'edge an' you were done with me." When he'd said it wasn't her, but it was them, that he loved her but? "I'd 'alf convinced myself that I'd blown it an' when you said the problem was us, I thought you meant that was the end of it."

Her eyes always told a story, they were very much a window into her emotions for all that Vega would deny it completely. Yet it wasn't the vivid violet, swirling with gold and green which told of her feelings. Or not just those. It was her expression. "I'm never done with us, Arlo. Please don't ever think that, it's just my gob, you know. I jus' wasn't prepared to love you so much, an' .." She gave up on telling him because she knew that she had no words and so she kissed him, her hands moving to his hair as she felt the argument slip away and Vega held on to him.

When he got himself ready, Arlo told her that he was worried that she would blacken his eye or knee him if he kissed her when she lost her temper. Vega shook her head and raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" She looked at him with earnest eyes, then explained it very clearly. "I will never do that, Arlo. I'd kill anyone who ever 'urt you an' I would never." The mere thought of it was just too much for her to even consider, honestly. And for all that he said he didn't want her to change, if he thought that she was walking away, or that she would hurt him, ever, then changes did need to happen. However, "I bought this for you. Us, really." it was a carpentry kit, she had bought while he was away. She had used it to make the benches she had made but, she explained, she thought it would be helpful to them. But what were they waiting for? Vega grinned at him and answered, quick smart, "Far as I know we're waitin' for you to stop lollygaggin' an' get on with it."

[Arlo Creede]

"It'll never be done for me, never the end of it," Arlo said and looked up from gathering his things and strapping on his weapons when she said it. Under other circumstances, that might have sounded a little stalker-ish. Maybe it did, come to think of it. But she knew what he meant. And at that he grinned a little. "I'm not very good at translating these sorts of things I guess."

It was nice to know though that if he did kiss her in the heat of passion, the heat of angry passion that was, she wouldn't haul off and try to punch him. He should have known it though in spite of her temper. Mostly he'd been teasing her though, and he did know it deep down. He'd never and would never consider even on impulse hurting her in any way. And he'd make a mess of anyone else that laid a hand on her.

But she'd bought the carpentry kit and he smiled, nodded when he looked it over. He wasn't any sort of real woodworker, but even at that the thing would come in handy. "It already has, judging by all that you did around here, while I was gone," he said, and thanked her. Probably one of those things that would prove invaluable at any given time. "I'm not lollygagging though," he insisted. And in fact by now, if they'd been going on any other ordinary outing, he was ready to set out.

"I'm thinking. This is going to take time isn't it? I mean finding your familiar, the rest of it? It'll take time to get there, time to get back. We should at least consider packing up enough of the camp to carry with us." That way, they wouldn't have to return before they'd found her familiar, then set out again the next trial, only to cover the same ground they had before. Come to think of it, "A change of scenery might be good?" They'd been camped here in this spot awhile, seen all there was to see for the most part.

A change of scenery might be nice. They might even find a location that was a better, natural defense against the frigid cold. If she agreed, and ultimately it seemed that Vega did, then they'd delay their departure a break longer in order to pack up the camp in the cart, hitch up Peg and set off, what amounted to their home, stored in the back of the cart. What was left behind was nothing more than a fire pit left cold, but ready for the next traveler that came along in search of a good stopping spot.

[Djinn]

Rewards Awarded

Vega

Knowledge:
Discipline: Better to say nothing than too much
Discipline: Keep quiet to avoid making things worse
Fieldcraft: Keep warm, keep your tent warm
Fieldcraft: Identify ways to keep the wind out of a tent.
Rhetoric: Singular. Not plural.
Rhetoric: Use of analogy to describe feelings
Sociology: Items can have cultural or family significance.


Loot: None. Carpentry kit is deducted from ledger and recorded in previous thread.
Injuries/Overstepping: None
Fame: +2
Collaboration: Yes

Arlo

Knowledge:

Discipline: Not pointing out obvious flaws in personality
Discipline: Knowing when funny teasing isn't funny at all.
Fieldcraft: Keep warm, keep your tent warm
Fieldcraft: Identify ways to keep the wind out of a tent.
Fieldcraft: When to break camp, when not.
Rhetoric: Double negatives.
Sociology: Items can have cultural or family significance.
Storytelling: Explaining why this time is not like that time.
Storytelling: The importance of a promise, clearly stated.
Loot: None.
Injuries/Overstepping: None
Fame: None
Collaboration: Yes
Magic EXP: No

Comments: There is something extremely natural and rhythmic about how you two write together, but I think that shows the most with Vega and Arlo. They are so natural around each other, and they just seemto enjoy each other's company. I love their dynamic, and it's always a pleasure to read such uplifting writing.

Also, tai qi. Cool.