define('WP_CACHE', true); library – Crossed Paths – Logs https://crossed-paths.com/logs The Story Thus Far... Sat, 01 Feb 2014 18:53:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.6 Chapter 61: Sihayadda https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/337 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/337#respond Fri, 02 May 2014 11:00:56 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=337

Continue reading]]> Chapter 61: Sihayadda

In Which Woodgreen Is Not Jozra’s Last Name.

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Arrin Woodgreen: He listens to Jozra read for quite some time before his eyelids begin to droop and he’s listening with his eyes closed. It’s not long after that when he begins to snore softly beside her.

Yazeth: Fortunately for Jozra’s throat, Soquan begins to snore just before her voice begins to give out and she’s able to continue reading in silence.  Eventually, Joseph comes in and begins preparing lunch for the three.

Arrin Woodgreen: Due to the story, Soquan dreams of the Northern Knights. He remembers his father telling him about the Knights in their glory days and how they were respected throughout the country.

Arrin Woodgreen: A day and a half later, Soquan grins at Jozra from his seated position beside her as she finishes the book, snapping it shut. “I take it you liked the book then Joz?”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles and feels rather silly for thinking the book a mere collection of children’s stories. Oh it was certainly geared towards a younger audience, but it was well written and she found the stories captivating. “Heh, yeah.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her, stretching out on the bed. “Did you have a favorite story?”

Yazeth: The ferret thinks for a moment. “I liked the story about Coop and his friends.”

Arrin Woodgreen: His brow furrows as he tries to remember, then brightens, “Oh yeah, that one!” He grins at her again. “Fiarah’s coming again today, maybe if she says it’s okay, you and I can go to the library and you can pick something else out.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s ears perk at the possibility that Fiarah might actually let her do something other than lay in bed all day. “Do you know what time she was going to come by?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs, “Noon-ish? I dunno, that’s usually when she stops by. She DID say you’re looking a lot better last time she was here, I say it’s a good possibility she’ll let you.”

Yazeth: A slow grin spreads across Jozra’s face. She hadn’t had a chance since Jinx and Soq went to the library the first time to get out of bed and move around without somebody telling her she shouldn’t.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan smiles, “I take it you’re glad at this then?” He reaches over to give her paw a slight squeeze, “I’m sorry you’ve had to stay cooped up in here, I know how badly you wanna move South.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods. “I do want to move South, but it’s mainly having to be cooped up… Especially after wandering for so long.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles softly and grins at her crookedly. “At least you had me to keep you company most the time, right? Some beasts don’t get that.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods again, this time more thoughtfully. “That’s very true…”

Arrin Woodgreen: Noon rolls around, and for a while it seems Soquans predictions were wrong until he sits up in bed, his ears cocked towards the door. He grins at Jozra, “They’re here.”

Yazeth: Jozra grins slyly at Soq, impressed as always at how the blind otter’s other senses have over compensated. Not a moment later, a knock is heard at the door.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan takes the liberty of shouting, “C’mon in!” before leaning over to Jozra, whispering quietly in her ear. “No offence to the dear, but Jinx is way too easy to hear a block away.”

Yazeth: Jozra stifles a giggle as Fiarah and Jinx enter the house and close the door behind them. The young ferret bounds into the room while Fiarah follows at a more sedate pace. “Afternoon. Where’s Joseph?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins at Fiarah, “He’s out back with his plants.” He motions towards the back door. “So how are you today?”

Yazeth: Fiarah settles herself down in the armchair as Jinx pops out the back door to talk with Joseph. “I’m doing well. But I’m here to see how somebody else is doing.” She smiles at Jozra.

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles, “I think she’s in need of some good news.” Fiarah laughs softly and turns her gaze to Jozra. “How’re you feeling today Jozra? Any coughing?”

Yazeth: The ferret sits up straighter in bed, knowing now from experience that Fiarah rarely takes her answers to these questions at face value. “I’m feeling better. Haven’t really done much coughing.”

Arrin Woodgreen: She eyes Jozra. “Well your voice seems better, which means you’re telling the truth. How are you feeling strength wise?”

Yazeth: The ferret easily tosses the book into the vixen’s lap and grins. “Better there too.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah strokes her chin in thought, eyeing the ferret. “Well I guess you can be out of bed for little bits at a time, maybe walk around town a little, just as long as you keep Soquan close by.”

Yazeth: Jozra absolutely beams at the news.

Arrin Woodgreen: She waves a paw at the two and rises. “I must speak with Joseph, you two do as you please.”

Yazeth: Fiarah places the book back on the bed as she heads towards the back door. Jozra, feeling uncharacteristically giddy, pokes Soquan in the ribs. What weeks confined to bed will do to a ferret! “Wanna go for a walk?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods, “Of course I do!” He bounds out of the bed and on his paws in less than a heartbeat.

Yazeth: Jozra slips out of bed and is about to make her way towards the door when she realizes she’s still wearing the robe Fiarah and Joseph require her to wear. They let her wear some pants too about a week ago but they definitely aren’t… street clothes.
She glances around the base of the bed where she remembers seeing their packs but the last time she actually saw them there was a while ago. “Umm… Soq? Do you remember where our packs are?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan turns back to her and scoops up the book from the bed. “Check the closet; I think Joseph shuffled them into there last week.”

Yazeth: The packs are indeed tucked away neatly in the closet and Jozra soon fishes out her clothes. They’re a bit tattered, but they’ll more than do. With a little difficulty, as Jozra’s a bit more unsteady on her feet than she lets on, and a minimum of coughing, the ferret is soon changed. “It’s nice to be back in real clothes.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins at her, chuckling. “That’s good for you. Ready to go now?”

Yazeth: Jozra firmly steps towards the door with a very definitive, “Yes.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shifts the book over to one paw while offering his arm to the ferret. “Where to first? Library?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods as they step off of Joseph’s porch. “I can’t really think of any other place to go.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and pauses at the step, getting his bearings. “The library is over that way,” he points off to the Southeast. “To tell you the truth, I can’t remember all the twists and turns Jinx and I took.”

Yazeth: “That’s okay, Soq. We’ll find it eventually. As long as remember how to get back.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He laughs, “Can’t you see the temple from everywhere in the city?”

Yazeth: The ferret glances over her shoulder. “I suppose you’re right. When we were first here I just thought it was a tall snag. Didn’t realize there was an actual building connected to that spire.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods from beside her, “Okay then.” His brow furrows as he thinks for a moment, “We take a right real soon I think.”

Yazeth: After a moment, an alleyway appears on their right, cutting between blocks of houses. Jozra leads the otter through it and soon they’re standing at another street.

Arrin Woodgreen: After reaching the street, the otter thinks some more before leading her in another direction. “A left soon here…”

Yazeth: The left is a little longer in coming and the pair almost walk past it until Jozra realizes that the gap between buildings is actually a tiny alley.

Arrin Woodgreen: Once they emerge from the small alleyway, the library is in view. Soquan starts at this news. “Wow, that was fast… I guess we found a quicker way?”

Yazeth: Jozra shrugs as the pair walk towards the building. “Maybe that really wasn’t an alley back there.” The library’s shingle swings gently in the afternoon breeze as the two approach the door.

Arrin Woodgreen: As they enter the building, Soquan turns to Jozra to whisper quietly to her. “Is there a place for book drop-offs?”

Yazeth: The ferret looks towards the circulation desk but the only thing there is the marten, engrossed in a book, and his huge ledger. “Nope. I think we just leave it with the librarian.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods and places the book quietly on the desk as they walk by, murmuring a quiet greeting to the marten as he looks up, startled. He leads Jozra towards the area Jinx took him to. “This is where we picked up that book.”

Yazeth: Jozra peers at the spines of the books running down the length of the shelf. Pausing every now and then at something that looks interesting. “…”The Snail That Ruined It All?”  I’m not even sure I want to know what that one is about.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan snickers quietly, “I’m not quite sure I want to know either; Jinx pointed it out when we were here.”

Yazeth: The ferret stops short at a book entitled, “The Desert Rat: My Exploration Over the Eastern Mountains.” Jozra wonders for a moment if she’s just being paranoid when she thinks that checking out that book would be particularly incriminating that she’s not actually from the South, but her curiosity overwhelms her caution. Maybe she should find another book and take that too. Just in case.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan looks over as he hears Jozra’s pause in musing over titles. “Find something?”

Yazeth: Jozra nods hesitantly, “It looks like it’s about an explorer.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He quirks an eyebrow, interested. “Oh? What’s it called?”

Yazeth: The ferret tucks the book under her arm as she turns back towards the stacks. “‘Desert Rat.’ Oooh… this looks interesting. ‘Erran: Northern Knight.’”

Arrin Woodgreen: It takes a moment for the title of the book to sink in before he starts and turns towards the ferret again, “What was that title?”

Yazeth: The ferret glances at Soq before repeating the title. “‘Erran: Northern Knight.’ Why?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns, “’Cause that was my grandfather’s name. Though it could just be a coincidence.”

Yazeth: Jozra tucks that book under her arm as well. “Could be. I’m rather surprised by the amount of beasts I’ve run into with the name ‘Jozra.’”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods, wrapping up his musing, “I’ll bet, it’s a pretty name.” He grins jokingly. “Only in your case, the name doesn’t fit the beast.”

Yazeth: Jozra slugs the otter in the arm, though, as she recognizes the comment as a joke she doesn’t hit him too hard. “Think two books are enough?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her. “At the rate your inhaled the last one, I doubt it, but we can always come back.”

Yazeth: The ferret actually laughs, and then she remembers that she’s in a library. Fortunately, the only other person in the building is the librarian, and he’s already put down his book in preparation of checking out the two Jozra places on the counter.

Arrin Woodgreen: As the two of them reach the counter, the marten relieves Jozra of her books as he writes the titles in the ledger. Sliding the books back across, he looks at the ferret, “Name please?”

Yazeth: The ferret slides the books off the counter and tucks them back under her arm. “Jozra.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The marten eyes Jozra overtop his ledger, “Last name please?”

Yazeth: The ferret glances up, just barely containing her surprise. She had forgotten that these Westerners used last names rather frequently. Mentally scrabbling, she says the first thing that pops into her head, “Ah, Woodgreen.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The marten nods and scratches down the last name, unaware of Soquan’s surprise. He starts and turns his head towards her, an eyebrow raised. As they exit the building he leans down to murmur in her ear quietly. “You have some explaining to do.”

Yazeth: Jozra grips the books under her arm tightly as they walk back down the street. Why oh why did she say that? Surely she could have come up with an innocuous, fake last name. Maybe being confined to be for weeks on end really was rotting her brain. “I… My last name is a little hard to spell… I didn’t want to have to stand there spelling it out for him.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He cocks an eyebrow as they turn down that narrow alley, not really believing her fake story. “Oh?”

Yazeth: Now’s the ferret’s chance to come up with something truly un-spellable. Too bad she’s gotten tired of lying to Soquan, especially after all they’d been through. And that one dream. She shudders slightly at the memory and then glances at the otter before replying, “…it’s Sihayadda.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He lets the name mull over a bit, falling silent for a moment. He grins and drapes an arm around her shoulders. “Well then, Miss. Sihayadda, that’s quite the last name, very pretty.”

Yazeth: Jozra flushes at Soquan’s comment and continues to walk along silently. Retracing their steps is quite simple as both beasts made mental maps, something Jozra had been making a point to do after getting vaguely lost in the SSMC’s tunnels.

Arrin Woodgreen: They walk in silence for the rest of their walk and as they mount the stairs to Joseph’s house, he opens the door and mutters a quiet, “After you…”

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/337/feed 0 Chapter 60: Library Books https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/335 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/335#respond Wed, 30 Apr 2014 11:00:03 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=335

Continue reading]]> Chapter 60: Library Books

In Which Jinx Gives Soquan A Hand.

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Yazeth: Jozra’s ear flicks and with it, her consciousness rises a level. Early morning sunlight barely reaches the house, much less enters the windows, but the light outside is morning light. A rapping echoes through Jozra’s ear and breaks the last threads of sleep. Her eyes pop open — well, the eye not pressed into Soquan’s shoulder pops open — and she strains to listen for the rapping again.

Beside her, Soquan snoozes on and she can hear Joseph’s soft snores from the other room. Carefully she moves away from the otter, wriggles out from under the covers, pauses to stifle a cough, slips into a robe, across the floor and out the door.  She should have grabbed a heavier robe. Winter may be giving way to spring, but it’s still chilly in the mornings.

Again she strains to hear the rapping, the tapping, the noise that couldn’t have been anything other than a message coded in a woodpecker’s hammering. Now, did she actually hear it or did she dream it? Frankly, she admits to herself as a few dry coughs escape into the morning mist, she wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter.

She’d been having some stranger than usual dreams since her chat with the Priestess. Well, maybe not stranger, but they tended to be more dreams and less memories and for Jozra, that’s pretty strange.

Arrin Woodgreen: Back indoors and under the blankets Soquan begins to stir and idly, a paw reaches out to locate bedmate. He jerks awake as he realizes she’s not present and he sits up as he faintly hears her coughing. He climbs out of the bed and pulls on a robe before following the sounds to outside where the ferret stood. He pads up silently behind her and places a paw on her shoulder. “South, right?”

Yazeth: The ferret starts under his paw; she was listening so hard for the phantom tapping that she didn’t even hear him pad up behind her. Wait. Did he hear it too? How could he decode the message?! “Wh… What?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He cocks an eyebrow at her. “C’mon, you’ve been talking about it all week, and I still think it’s a bad idea to get moving so soon.”

Yazeth: Oh. Right. That explains it. Jozra mentally kicks herself for automatically jumping to conclusions but her brain is still rather scattered. She looks out in the general direction of the forest. “Did you hear a tapping?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head and wraps an arm around her shoulders, attempting to lead her back inside. “No, now c’mon Joz, it’s cold out here, I don’t think that’s too good for you. You’re still very sick.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s brow furrows at that comment. Sure she’s nowhere near as strong as she was before falling in the river and the cough hasn’t completely gone away and if she wasn’t emotionally scarred before, she certainly is now. Even as a pup she never liked the ‘stay in bed’ part of being sick. That she’s been cooped up in bed for more than a week now has made her very restless. But it is cold outside and despite rebellious thoughts, Jozra follows Soquan inside.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and gives her shoulders a squeeze. “I know you don’t like being cooped up, but it’s for the best, trust me. Maybe when you’re stronger, I’ll ask Fiarah if we can go for walks or something.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods dejectedly. She’s entirely convinced that if she has to spend another week cooped up while the weather progresses every day towards spring and the pull of duty leads her brain ever South she’ll go completely insane. Her stomach growls, interrupting her thoughts. “Hrm… What do you think is for breakfast?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles. “I don’t think Joseph’s even conscious yet. It’s still early.” He helps her out of her robe and into bed before shedding his own and crawling in beside her.

Yazeth: “Hrm.” She drums her fingers against the blankets, trying to either focus her thoughts or think of nothing. Other than sleeping, dreaming or eating, she’s had very little to engage her brain the entire week other than her own thoughts: “What’s in the south and why is it important? How do I really feel towards Soquan? Is Kirrian a security risk? What’s the family up to? Probably farming.” But always her thoughts return to trying to make sense out of Alvisa’s words.

Arrin Woodgreen: From his spot beside her, the otter pipes up again. “I might go for a stroll later if that’s okay with you. Joseph said I need to start stretching out the muscles in my foot again.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods absently before realizing that’s what she’s doing. “That’s fine, Soq… I’ll be alright.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He reaches out, rubbing one of her shoulders. “You sure?”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles at the otter. “Joseph will be around and I think Fiarah was going to pop in later. I’ll be fine.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and curls close, wrapping his arms around the ferret. “If you say so.” With a wide yawn, Soquan closes his eyes, intent on dozing for a bit.

Yazeth: Jozra listens for a while longer, still not entirely sure if what she heard was real or a dream echo. Eventually she dozes a little, but not for very long. When Joseph gets up her eyes follow the healer mouse as he wanders into the kitchen to start breakfast, which prompts another growl from her stomach.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan dozes for a good while, not moving from his current position. He does however, come awake again as Joseph enters the room with their meals. He sits up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What’s for breakfast, Jo?”

Yazeth: The mouse smiles at his two patients. “P-pancakes, Soq. And I have some, some honey here too.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and stretches out his back muscles. “Smells wonderful!” He adjusts their pillows and sits up, helping Jozra up as well. He receives a plate and gives it to Joz before taking his own. “Thank you very much Joseph.” Joseph grins, “Y- you know it’s no, no problem.”

Yazeth: Jozra takes her own plate and mutters internally, unhappy with needing to be ‘helped up.’  “Thanks, Joseph.” She digs into the pancakes, her appetite much improved.

Arrin Woodgreen: He digs in as well, happy to have some food into his grumbling stomach. He finishes rather quickly and settles back, content to listen to the sounds coming from the kitchen. He sits up suddenly. “Fiarah and Jinx are here.”
As if on cue, a knock sounds from the front door.

Yazeth: Joseph sets down his own dishwashing endeavors and shuffles to the door. “G-good morning Fiarah. Jinx.  W-we were just having breakf-fast. Come in, come in.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins in Jinx and Fiarah’s general direction as they enter. “Hullo you two, how’ve you been?”

Fiarah nods. “Well enough, Kirrian’s behaving much better now.”

Jinx grins, “Yeah, she’s moved from badger with a toothache, to hare with stolen food.”
Soquan laughs at this.

Yazeth: Jozra smiles wanly at the joke and finishes off her plate of pancakes as Fiarah and Jinx settle themselves about the room. Joseph takes the ferret’s and otter’s empty plates back to the kitchen and resumes cleaning up, leaving the other four to their own devices.

Arrin Woodgreen: He thanks Joseph as he takes their plates, and after a few minutes of small talk with Jinx and Fiarah, he looks towards Jozra. “Mind if I head off now Joz?”

Yazeth: Jozra gazes forlornly out the window for a second before responding. “Go ahead Soq. We’ll be fine here.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He reaches out and squeezes her paw slightly before climbing out of the bed. Jinx watches him. “Where are you going Soq?”

Soquan grins as he replies, “I’m going for a walk.”
Jinx perks up. “Can I come?”
Soquan shrugs, “Why not?”

Yazeth: Jozra waves to Jinx as the young ferret and the otter depart. “Have fun.”
The door shuts and Jozra sighs. “Fiarah… Please tell me you’re here to tell me I can DO anything other than sit here forever now.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Friarah shakes her head. “I’m here to give you a look over to see how you’re recovering. I can tell by just looking at you that you’re not well enough to be up and about. I’m sorry Jozra.”

Meanwhile, Soquan strolls down the street with Jinx beside him. At some point, he turns to her. “Jinx, I need your help. Joz is absolutely bored of just sitting around and doing nothing. I wanna do something to help her though.”

Yazeth: Jinx glances up at Soquan. “Well… Like what?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs. “I dunno, I wanna get her a book or something.”

Yazeth: Jinx skips along by Soquan’s side. “We could always find something for her at the library.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He starts. “There’s a library here?”

Jinx nods quickly, “Yep.”

Soquan grins at her, “What’re we waiting for then?”

Yazeth: Jinx laughs and grabs Soquan’s paw. “Follow me!” She hurries down a couple of side streets and alleys, arriving rather quickly in the early bustle of downtown Kodan. Jinx swerves around a trio of rats entering the now infamous bathhouse and continues up the street before stopping at a squat, round-ish sort of building.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her, “Wow, you certainly know your way around here.” They enter the building and he lowers his voice. “Hey Jinx, I think I just found a flaw in our plan. What do we get Jozra to read?”

Yazeth: Jinx puts her chin in her paw and furrows her brow. “Hrmm… Well, what do you think she’d like to read?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns, “That’s the problem, I don’t know. Do you have any suggestions?”

Yazeth: Jinx wanders off towards her favorite section, idly pulling Soquan behind her. “Well…” Jinx runs her finger along the book spines, thinking. “There’s “Xeirgo’s Folly,” and “The Forbidden Lover”… Um, “Medicinal Plants” which is good if you want to be a healer. Lets see, “Adventure on the High Seas,” that one wasn’t as adventurous as the title makes you think it is though. “Way of the Wanderer” was pretty good.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “I dunno Jinx, none of those really seem like something Joz would read. What else is there?”

Yazeth: Jinx moves along to the next set of shelves. “Um, let’s see. There’s “Bragi” and “Springfest Romance” and “Imperial North.”” The young ferret wipes some of the dust that gathered on her fingers off on a nearby curtain.*  “Loke’s Farewell,” um, “Tales of the Knights,” “The Snail That Ruined It All,” “Red Branch”…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He starts, reaching out towards the bookshelf slightly. “What was that about Knights?”

Yazeth: Jinx backs up to the spot where that book was. “I think it’s a collection of short stories about the Northern Knights.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He scratches his chin. “Hmmm… Sounds promising, don’t you think?”

Yazeth: Jinx shrugs as she pulls the book off the shelf. “I haven’t read it but sure, if you think that’s what she’d like.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He waves a paw briefly at the book in Jinx’s paw. “I can always return it and try another if it’s not her cup of tea.”

Yazeth: The ferret grins at Soquan. “Lets go check this out then!” She leads the blind otter over to the circulation desk where a young marten is quietly dozing, a book laying open on his stomach.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan allows himself to be lead by the paw towards the desk. He clears his throat slightly as he realizes the clerk is asleep.

Yazeth: The marten starts and nearly drops his book. “Oh, um… Ready to check out?” He takes the book Jinx hands to him and writes down the title in a rather large ledger. “Name please?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He speaks up from beside Jinx, “Soquan Woodgreen.” The marten starts and looks at Soquan oddly before shrugging and writing the name down. “Okay, thank you for supporting our library, the book is due back in three weeks.”

Yazeth: Jinx takes the book back from the marten and leads Soquan back out to the street. She idly thumbs through the book as they walk along at a more leisurely pace than the one they arrived at. “Looks interesting. Maybe I’ll have to read it when Jozra’s done with it.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins, chuckling softly. “Maybe I can get Joz to read some of the stories out to me then.” He points his grin at Jinx, “Thanks for taking me to the Library Jinx.”

Yazeth: Jinx grins back. “No problem. It was nice to take a little walk.” She pauses for half a second to look at some early spring flowers beginning to bloom along the street. “Should we head back to Joseph’s or do you want to wander around a little more? It’s a very nice day for walking.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He stretches his arms out a bit. “I think I should actually get back to Joz. The poor girl is bored out of her skull.”

Yazeth: The young ferret nods. “Okay then. This way.” She leads Soquan back through some side streets and the two soon arrive at Joseph’s where the healer mouse is trying to keep his bed of chamomile from being choked out by weeds.

“H-hello, Jinx. Soquan.”
He stands up, dusting some dirt off of his paws. “Jinx… F-fiarah asked me to, to tell you that she went back to th-the safe house.” Inside, Jozra slips back into bed.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan turns to Jinx, “Why don’t you head back to the safe house then?” Jinx nods and starts to head off. Soquan calls after her before heading inside, “Thanks again for the help!” Once he slips inside, he grins in Jozra’s general direction. “
“Hullo again.”

Yazeth: Jozra coughs a little, the result of doing the traditional version of the set of exercises adopted by the Scorpions while nobody was there to tell her that she shouldn’t. “Hi Soq. Have a nice walk?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods, crossing the room towards the bed. “Yep.” He sits on the bed next to her. “Got yah something…” He tosses the book lightly into her lap.

Yazeth: The ferret’s ears perk with interest. “Oh? What’s this?” She picks up the book and glances at the title before thumbing through the first few pages.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her. “Well, Jinx and I decided that maybe getting you a book will help you pass your free time, I mean I know how bored you’ve been. So when we went out, Jinx and I swung by the library and got you this.”

Yazeth: From what Jozra can tell by just glancing through the pages, it looks like a book written for children. But she smiles anyway. It’s the thought that counts, right? “Thanks, Soq. That really means a lot to me.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He beams at her. “I hope you like it, Jinx looked through it and said it looked good, but if it’s not really what you usually read, I can always go back tomorrow or something.”

Yazeth: “Heh, with the way things are going I might be finished with the book by tomorrow.” She settles the book on her lap and opens it to the first chapter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stretches out beside her and he’s silent for a moment before he pipes up rather quietly. “Hey Joz? Do you think… maybe… if you’re up for it… do you think you could read a chapter out loud?”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles softly at her companion. “Sure thing, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles and turns his full attention to the ferret. “Thanks Joz. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book, used to inhale them.” He chuckles softly.

Yazeth: Jozra props the book up a little better and clears her throat a little. “Lets see… ‘Avan always was a mischievous little squirrel, but the day he decided to take the long way home would change him forever.’

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