define('WP_CACHE', true); Northern Knights – Crossed Paths – Logs https://crossed-paths.com/logs The Story Thus Far... Sat, 01 Feb 2014 20:51:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.6 Chapter 65: Leaving Kodan, Redux https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/347 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/347#respond Mon, 12 May 2014 11:00:29 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=347

Continue reading]]> Chapter 65: Leaving Kodan, Redux

In Which The Pair Are Happy To Put The Town Behind Them, Again.

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Yazeth: Soon the two are rounding the bend that leads to Joseph’s door just as Fiarah and Jinx are exiting the house. Jozra waves at them with her free paw. “I didn’t know you guys were coming over today.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shouts his own greeting at Jinx and Fiarah stroll towards them. Once the two pairs meet, Fiarah speaks. “I actually came over to give you another checkup Jozra.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s ears perk up at this. “Oh?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah nods. “Yeah, Alvsia said you two should be able to leave soon.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s surprise is visible as her eyebrows shoot up. “Alvisa said so?”

Arrin Woodgreen: She nods. “Yeah. Apparently, she’s taken quite an interest in you two.”

Yazeth: The ferret glances at Soquan and then back to the vixen. “That’s… really kind of unexpected.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah shrugs briefly. “It is… I have no idea why she’s taken this interest.”

Yazeth: Jozra frowns a little, somewhat troubled by this news. “Well, did she say how soon?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah grins slightly. “By the end of the week. Personally, if it were my decision, you’d be here two more weeks. However, Alvisa thinks that Soquan can take care of you just fine if the need arises.”

Yazeth: The ferret grins, very happy at being allowed to leave soon. “Well, I suppose that means we need to finish reading our books pretty soon, huh Soq?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles happily. “Yeah, we better. I’ll try not to fall asleep while you’re reading tonight.”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles at Fiarah and Jinx. “Thanks for the news.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods at them, “Aye, thank you.”

Jinx smiles and Fiarah grins, “I’m happy for you two.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods at the two as they head out of the yard, “Thanks.” She leads Soquan up the porch, preoccupied by the fact that Alvisa seems to be interested in them.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan bids them a farewell and follows Jozra into the house silently.

Yazeth: Jozra waves a greeting to Joseph who smiles at the pair as they enter. “How-how was your walk?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles at the elderly mouse. “The walk was wonderful Joseph, thank you.” He deposits their garbage in the waste bin and stretches a bit. “What’s for dinner tonight, Jo?”

Yazeth: The healer mouse shrugs a little. “I’m not, not sure. I hadn’t s-s-started on it yet… I think I have some po-potatoes and onions that might make a nice, nice stew.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan fake whines, “But we had stew last night! Why don’t you let me see if I can scrounge something up.”

Yazeth: Across the room Jozra chuckles as the mouse smiles at the joke. “S-suit yourself.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan beams, “Right then, move aside.” He heads for the kitchen

Yazeth: Jozra merely quirks an eyebrow at Joseph before settling herself in the armchair with the other book the pair had picked up at the library.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan fiddles around in the kitchen with Joseph fretting in the doorway the entire time. Soquan manages to cobble together a meal from the leftovers without burning the kitchen to the ground and soon he announces proudly, “Dinner!”

Yazeth: The ferret marks her place and tucks the book back under the other before making her way to the kitchen for some food. “Smells pretty good, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He beams, “Battered and fried fish and potatoes drizzled in leftover stew.”

Yazeth: Joseph already has a plate of his own and takes a generous taste. “It’s, it’s very good, Soquan. Y-you should cook more often.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He beams happily. “Thank you Joseph, I do try my best. When you only have limited things while traveling, you learn to be creative.”

Yazeth: Jozra doesn’t eat quite as much as usual, still being somewhat full from lunch, but she agrees with Joseph. “Now I remember why you were the one doing all the cooking on the trail.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He places a small platter of cheese bread on the table and finally sits himself to begin the meal. “I’ll cook tomorrow night too if you two want.”

Yazeth: Joseph smiles and pats at his lips with a napkin. “That, that would be wonderful, S-soquan.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at Joseph with a mouthful of food for a moment before digging back into the meal. “Read anything interesting Joz?”

Yazeth: “Hrmm?” The ferret swallows her mouthful of food before replying. “Just the memoirs of a rat that decided to explore over the Eastern mountains on a whim. So far he’s just talked about things on this side of the ranges.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “Sounds interesting. You going to stick with that book for the rest of the night or are we going to keep going with my grandfather’s book?”

Yazeth: Jozra shrugs. “It’s up to you, Soq. I could go either way.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He clears the table as he speaks. “I don’t care either, I just enjoy listening to the stories.” He grins at her, “Having your voice lull me to sleep isn’t half bad either.”

Yazeth: The ferret blushes a little at Soquan’s comment while Joseph gets up to lend the otter a paw at clearing off the table. “You, you two go and read, I’ll take c-care of the dish-dishes.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles, “Thanks Jo.” Walking over to where Jozra was standing in the kitchen, he slings her over his shoulder and carries her towards their “area’.

Yazeth: The ferret squeaks a little in surprise and then berates the otter once he sets her down on the bed. “Now what did I tell you about doing that?!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles, “I don’t believe you’ve said anything about that.”

Yazeth: Jozra mutters about the situation but doesn’t seem to really take any terrible offence, despite what she’s saying. She grabs the book off the top of the pile and flips it open. “Where were we again?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan flops down beside Jozra and stretches out, pulling the covers over them both. “We were just about to read about the siege I think.”

Yazeth: The ferret tries to find the page she thought she had marked earlier. “Really?” Finally finding it, she notes the large amount of pages in her left hand compared to the right. “I guess we did get a lot of reading done this morning.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles, “Read on then Jozra m’dear, like before, I’m all ears.”

Yazeth: Jozra clears her throat and begins again. “‘The day arrived that something happened that all Northern Knights from then on hoped would never happen again. Donfin was under siege. We all hugged our family and loved ones goodbye and went to defend our town.’”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan listens intently as the book goes on to describe the siege and his grandfather’s meeting with a beautiful otter maid named Elianza from the South. Finally the siege ends and the book begins to describe Springfest.

Yazeth: Jozra pauses between two paragraphs. “Ah, the whole Springfest thing makes so much more sense now.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods, “Aye, with all that explained it does make it clearer.” While Jozra read on, he grows silent and grim-faced as his grandfather jumps to the time he’s writing the story, mentioning his wife and children, the betrayal, and how the children would never know about his involvement in the Northern Knights.

Yazeth: In the middle of a sentence, Jozra notices her friend’s demeanor. She frowns slightly, knowing it’s probably a hard tale for the otter to hear. “…you alright, Soq?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods and wraps an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “I’ll be fine. It’s just hard, you know?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods, “Do you want me to continue or should we take a break?” She’s more concerned about her friend than about the fact that it has gotten rather late.

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head slowly. “No, it’s okay, the book’s nearly over isn’t it?”

Yazeth: Jozra runs her thumb thought the few remaining pages. “That’s very true.” With that, she continues the tale.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan is amazed as his grandfather begins to write about his father as he grew up, and Soquan began to puzzle about how his father had been said to follow in his footsteps relationship wise. The otter is nearly in tears at the very end, as his grandfather closes off saying that he had to go meet his newborn grandson.

Yazeth: At the end of the last sentence, Jozra snaps the book shut and then turns to look at her friend, somewhat surprised to see tears nearly rolling down his cheeks. She places the book on top of the other and leans over to give to otter a hug. “Oh Soq…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He hugs the ferret back, resting his head on her shoulder as he sighs heavily. “I wish I could remember him better Joz. He died a little after Arrin was born.”

Yazeth: Jozra strokes the top of Soquan’s head. “I never really knew my father’s father either.” She thinks about this for a moment, “Though, from what I hear that’s probably for the best.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs again. “It all makes sense now, but he didn’t deserve it. He was such a nice beast.”

Yazeth: The ferret makes comforting noises, but she really doesn’t know what to say to the otter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He murmurs something inaudibly and for a while, he remains with his face buried in her shoulder, his shoulders giving a bit of a shake once and a while.

Yazeth: Eventually, the ferret drifts off to sleep holding the otter.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan is brought out of his brooding as he notices his friend’s breathing change and he lifts his head from her shoulder. Seeing her asleep he smiles softly and wraps his arms around her, whispering softly. “Thanks Joz.”

Yazeth: The remainder of the week passes pleasantly, marked by walks around town — including back to the library to return the Northern Knights book — and evenings reading of interesting passages from the book about the rat.
The day that Alvisa has said that the two can leave has finally arrived and, despite Fiarah’s disapproval of the early date, Jozra and Soquan are nearly ready to head out.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan is humming happily to himself as he fastens his cloak and adjusts his pack straps. It’d be good to travel again. He looks towards Jozra with a grin. “Nearly ready to go Joz?”

Yazeth: Jozra nods, tightening the straps on her own pack. “Just about. Think Jinx and Fia-“ Before the ferret can finish the sentence, a knock comes at the door, and then the bouncy, young ferret pushes her way indoors without waiting for someone from inside to open it for her and Fiarah.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan beams at the younger ferret. “Hullo Jinx, I see you’re feeling well today.”

Yazeth: Jinx grins rather ruefully at Soquan. “Well, I wish you guys didn’t have to go.” The backdoor can be heard opening as Joseph enters the house. “H-hello Fiarah. Jinx.” There’s a slightly troubled look on his face but he smiles at his former student and her unofficial apprentice.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grabs Jinx in a noogie type motion and laughs. “I’d love to stay longer m’dear but Jozra’s whining about going South to see her family would drive me nuts.” He chuckles a bit.

Yazeth: Jozra playfully slugs Soquan in the shoulder. “I’m glad you guys stopped by before we left. I won’t say I liked being bedridden for that long, but I did like getting to know you guys.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods, releasing Jinx from his hold. “Yeah, I’ll miss you guys, but don’t you worry, when Joz and I head back up North, we’ll be sure to stop in. Right, Joz?” He turns to give his friend a very pointed look.

Yazeth: The ferret grins sheepishly. “Uh, yeah.” A thought occurs to Jozra and she hands the remaining library book to Jinx. “Before I forget, could you do me one last favor? This needs to be returned and it’s kind of out of our way.”

Jinx looks over the book. “Sure! What’s it about anyway? I might want to read it first.”  Jozra grins. “Just a rat that tried to explore over the Eastern mountains and nearly got sandy in the process… It had its moments.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan moves to embrace Fiarah briefly. “Thank you for all you did, and thank Alvsia for us too when you get the chance.”

Yazeth: Joseph clears his throat a little. “S-speaking of Alvisa, she-she told me to tell you both best, best of luck and to re-remember what she said. Sh-she also gave me these t-to give to you both.”

With that he gives to Soquan a cone shell just big enough for the otter to enclose completely in his paw. Through the top enough twine for the otter to tie the shell comfortably about his neck sprouts and on the shell its self a red rune is painted.

To Jozra, he hands a large-ish feather, also with leather-like strips tied neatly near the end with enough loose to attach it to something else. The feather is strikingly colored – half jet black, half pure white with the colors splitting evenly up the midrib.

The room is silent for a moment before Joseph stutters out, “Sh-she said you would know what it, what it meant.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan holds the shell in his paw for a moment before tying it around his neck. “What’d you get Joz?”

Yazeth: Jozra is, understandably, a little shocked at to what her gift represents. She blinks and takes a moment to respond. “A feather, Soq. A black and white feather.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He blinks as well, stunned for a moment as his mind clicks into place. “Like the one on the wall hanging?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods and replies hoarsely, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with Joseph, Jinx and Fiarah there as well. “Yeah…” She clears her throat a little. “Yours is like one of the shells on there too.”

Arrin Woodgreen: His brow furrows a bit as he fiddles with the shell. “Which one?”

Yazeth: Firarah answers the otter’s question instead in a rather wondering voice. “…the healer’s commitment to the patient…” She shakes herself a little and smiles weakly at Jozra and Soquan. “Well, Alvisa has always been known to do strange things like that.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shrugs off the off feeling for the moment and puts on another smile. “Well I’m sure the reason’ll make itself clear soon.” He turns to Jozra, “We better get moving, we don’t want to lose too much day.”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes herself into the present as well and nods. “Thanks again everybody.” A couple rounds of hugs are exchanged before the pair even make it to the front porch.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan waves at Joseph happily. “Thanks for putting up with us Jo!” He hugs Jinx again tightly, whispering quietly in her ear, “Good luck with Nolan, kiddo.”

Yazeth: The younger ferret blushes furiously but can’t help grinning. From the porch, Joseph waves back at the pair as they walk out onto the street. “N-no problem, c-come back anytime!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan smiles happily and releases Jinx to fall in beside Jozra. “Shall we get out of here then?”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles at her companion as she ties the feather to the strap of her pack. “Let’s go.”

Arrin Woodgreen: With one last wave to the group on the doorstep, the two head off towards the exit of the city. With a smirk, Soquan leans over to murmur to Jozra, “Let’s just hope Kirrian doesn’t try to be sneaky again.”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles deviously, “I think she’s learned her lesson.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan smiles happily. “Hopefully we make it across the river this time.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods, “I’d be really surprised if they haven’t fixed the bridge yet, though.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins, “Supposedly, repairs are underway, I asked Jinx and it should be done soon.”

Yazeth: The city is soon put behind them as the pair take the road out of town. “Soon enough for us to cross it?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head. “Sadly, no, we need to find another way across.”

Yazeth: The ferret sighs. “I suppose we’ll manage.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan scratches absently behind his ear. “Perhaps we can try to find some shallows to cross, or a fallen tree across the river…wait! Maybe they might let us across the support beams of the new bridge!”

Yazeth: Jozra’s ears perk up at this thought. “That would be very nice.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He beams at her. “Well then. Shall we go ask?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods decidedly, not wanting to take her chances against the river again without a proper crossing. “I think we just follow the road to get to the bridge.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan gives an affirmative nod and strolls casually beside the ferret. A few minutes pass in silence as he listens to their surroundings and very quietly, he pipes up almost hesitantly, “Hey Joz?”

Yazeth: She looks over at her companion. “Yeah?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He looks towards her a bit. “You’ll tell me if you get tired right? I know you’re not up to scratch yet, and I don’t mind if we have to stop early, or take lots of breaks, or even carrying you.”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles faintly. “Yeah, Soq. We’ll take it easy.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins hooks an arm around her shoulder, ruffling her ears slightly. “Atta girl.”

Yazeth: Jozra grins and chuckles, then she smoothes the fur between her ears back into place.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and his arm remains draped over her shoulder as they continue on in comfortable silence. Suddenly, he shudders as he gets an odd sense of Deja-vu.

Yazeth: The ferret quirks an eyebrow at Soquan’s sudden change in mood. “What’s wrong?”

Arrin Woodgreen: His brow furrows. “It’s odd, it feels like we’ve already done this before. You and me, like this after we had that conversation. I wonder… “He shakes his head, “Bah, don’t mind me, I’m just being weird over a bit of deja-vu.”

Yazeth: She shrugs. “It is a little familiar. But then again, we did try to leave Kodan once before.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snickers softly. “Yeah, but then we were fleeing for our lives and being shadowed by Kirrian’s goons.”

Yazeth: The ferret smirks a little. “True, that.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles. “Aye. Plus we had next to no sleep so we were both dead tired on our feet.”

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/347/feed 0 Chapter 62: The Healer’s Web https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/339 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/339#respond Mon, 05 May 2014 11:00:08 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=339

Continue reading]]> Chapter 62: The Healer’s Web

In Which The Talismans Healers Use Are Examined.

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Yazeth: Jozra enters the healer’s house and heads towards the bed, depositing the books at the foot and leaning on the mattress for a few moments for a rest she needs but deeply resents. Sounds of conversation can be heard coming from the kitchen where apparently Fiarah and Jinx are helping Joseph prepare dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan plunks down beside her and grins as conversation in the kitchen continues. “You feeling okay hun?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Yeah, just…” it pains her to have to admit it but what the hell, “…just needed a little rest.” She places her paws behind her and pushes herself up onto the bed so that she’s actually sitting on it.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and winks at her. “I won’t tell, you just rest a bit.”

Yazeth: Fiarah wanders out of the kitchen, wiping her paws free of flour on a towel. “Ah, I did hear you two return. How was the walk?” She casts a critical glance at Jozra. “Feel alright?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan answers Fiarah, “The walk was great, I was just saying to Jozra that even though she feels fine she should rest, you never know.”

Yazeth: Jozra, thankful for Soquan’s intervention, pulls her feet up and sits cross-legged on the bed, trying to look healthy and not at all tired out by the walk. Anything to leave sooner. “So, when do you think we can get on our way again?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah frowns, “Not for a while yet I’m afraid, Jozra. You may feel fine now, but imagine walking all day like you two do.”

Yazeth: The ferret harrumphs and bats idly at the wall hanging over the bed, setting the various shells and stones to jangling.

Arrin Woodgreen: Not knowing the presence of the wall hanging, the sudden noise startles the otter immensely, causing his fur to stand on end. His tenseness causes the otter to overbalance and fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Yazeth: Both Jozra and Fiarah start as Soquan topples over. The ferret pokes her head over the end of the bed to look at the fallen otter. “You alright, Soq?”

Before he can answer, Joseph hurries into the room. “Wh-what was that?” Jinx looks on from behind the mouse.

Arrin Woodgreen: His adrenaline surging, the otter is breathing heavily. “Just–  startled–” Soquan heaves himself onto his feet and turns to Joz. “What in the gods name did you hit Joz?”

Yazeth:  Joseph frowns as he leans over the bed to stop the hanging from swinging.* Y-you shouldn’t have smacked that.”

Jozra helps guide Soquan back onto the bed. “It looks like a branch and shells and things. It’s been hanging on the wall since we got here, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins at her somewhat lopsidedly. “Well I guess in the future I’ll have to feel out all the walls where we’re staying.”

Yazeth: Joseph frowns a little at Jozra, still apparently upset at her batting at the wall hanging. “Th-that’s fragile.”

Jozra glances at the now still wall hanging. “Well, what is it anyway?”

Fiarah picks the books up off the floor and sets them on the bed, glancing idly at the titles.

“It’s, it’s the Healer’s Web. Kind of a, a series o-of talismans.”  Joseph answers.

Jozra quirks an eyebrow skeptically. Despite all that’s happened to her, she’s not all that superstitious.

The vixen smoothly takes over the healer mouse’s explanation, noting Jozra’s look. “It’s a traditional wall hanging among healers. If you had been conscious, you might have noticed one in my clinic.”

Jozra grins weakly as her ears redden a little.

Fiarah sits on the edge of the arm chair and continues. “Each of the things on it represent something, though I don’t remember them all. Lets see… That big shell in the center with the rune is just the healer symbol. Most healers have that symbol somewhere outside their door.”

Jozra nods, remembering seeing that same symbol on Joseph’s door frame just that day.

“The stone hanging from it represents… I think faith in the healer’s ability. Um, the acorn is nourishment, I don’t remember what that tassel is. I think the wood holder itself is supposed to signify something.”

She glances at Joseph who merely shrugs, “The, the flat stone is t-trust and the b-black and white fea, feather is life and death. Er… th-the cone shell is…”

Fiarah interrupts, “The healer’s commitment to healing the patient and one of the other feathers is just optimism, but I don’t remember which one.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan listens intently as Fiarah and Joseph take turns telling the two of them about the wall hanging, a small smile touching his features. “I remember one of those used to be at the healer’s clinic in Donfin. If I remember correctly, the holder is supposed to mean some sort of stability.”

Yazeth: Anything the healer mouse might have said in response was lost as Jinx shouts from the kitchen. “Joseph! Is this supposed to smoke like that?”

Fiarah and Joseph glance at each other for a second with wide eyes before dashing into the kitchen to salvage what remains of dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: While Joseph and Fiarah rush off to deal with the crisis in the kitchen, Soquan turns to the ferret with a grin. “So should I be expecting an apology from you anytime soon for scaring the wits outta me?”

Yazeth: The ferret eyes Soquan and then grins wickedly and says sweetly. “Apologize? I thought it was part of my job description.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He mock scowls at her and sticks his tongue out. “Well remind me next time how ungrateful you are for your friend lying for you.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s smile falters a little at the mention of lies but she grabs a book and says rather cheerfully, “I wonder if this book is going to be as good as the last one.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “Well we’re just going to have to find out, now won’t we?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods and scoots backwards until she’s can prop herself up on the pillows and opens up the book to the first page. “‘For Elianza.’ I wonder who that is?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan starts beside her, propping himself up on an elbow. “You said Elianza right? My mind’s not playing tricks on me?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods slowly. “Yeeeahhh… Elianza. E-L-I-A-N-Z-A.  I am pronouncing it right, right?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan seems a bit pale as he swallows. “That was my Grandmother’s name.”

Yazeth: Jozra flips the pages to the beginning of the story. “Weird… How common is the name?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head. “Not very.”

Yazeth: The ferret looks at Soquan quizzically. “Why would there be a book apparently about your Grandfather to someone with the same name as your Grandmother without you knowing about it?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs, slumping back onto the pillows. “I don’t know.”

Yazeth: Jozra watches the otter for a moment and is about to say something when Jinx enters the room, smirking a little. “Well, I hope you’re not very hungry because dinner is ready but it’s a little… charred.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Deciding to risk it, Soquan, addresses the younger ferret. “Jinx, what do you know about Erran, the Northern Knight?”

Being blind, Soquan cannot see Jinx’s eyes light up, but should be very apparent to Jozra.

Yazeth: Jozra’s surprised at the recognition in Jinx’s eyes and even more intrigued as a result. The younger ferret bounces into the armchair near the bed, forgetting all about dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx eyes Soquan excitedly, “Are you kidding Soq? Erran Woodgreen (Soquan tenses at this) is one of the most well known Northern Knights of all! He was still a new recruit when the siege of Donfin happened and he took lead after his commander fell in battle and lead them to victory!”

Yazeth: Jozra manages to keep her eyes from straying towards Soq but Jinx is able to catch on anyway. “Wait, Soq! Your last name is Woodgreen too!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods, “Aye, it is, he scratches the back of his neck. “I’m fairly certain Erran was my grandfather too.” Soquan barely had enough time to brace himself as Jinx gives a very fan-girlish screech and leaps at Soquan.

Yazeth: Jozra laughs at the general mayhem that ensues as Joseph and Fiarah come bustling back in with a loaded plate in each hand.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan pats Jinx on the head awkwardly as she clings at him, obsessing. He throws the occupants of the room a pleading look as he tries to pry the ferret off of him.

Yazeth: Joseph looks astonished at the scene as Fiarah merely shakes her head and hands a plate to Jozra. “Wh-what’s going on?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan continues to pry Jinx off of him, “Well, between the three of us, we found out Erran of the Northern Knights was my grandfather and… well… this happened.” He gestures at Jinx

Yazeth: The young ferret looks sheepish as Fiarah hands her a plate. “It’s just Erran’s always been sort of my hero.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan crinkles his nose slightly as he takes the plate. “Well it woulda helped if I knew he was a Northern Knight.”

Yazeth: Jozra tries a hesitant taste and finds it to be alright. Not up to par with Joseph’s usual cooking but edible.The other three settle themselves about the room but Jinx isn’t able to keep her mouth shut for long. “Um… How could you not know?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shakes his head, “I don’t know.”

Jinx falls silent for a bit, but not for long. “Wait! The betrayal!”

Soqua blinks. “The what?”

Jinx rolls her eyes and explains. “A small army started to make their way into the town using a secret entrance only the Knights knew about. They fought off the attack, but after that the Knights were heavily persecuted because they thought the Knights were turning against them and it scared them how much they relied on their defenders. So, the Knights, in exchange for peace in the town, vowed to lay down their arms until the need for them arose again, which it hasn’t.”

Yazeth: Jozra looks at Jinx with a mix of amazement and newfound respect. “Seems you sure know a lot about the subject.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx scratches the back of her neck “Err… well, after I read about Erran, I kinda became obsessed about the Northern Knights in general, and things concerning them. I love how Springfest generated around their victory over the siege.”

Yazeth: Jozra quirks an eyebrow at the mention of Springfest but continues with her dinner. Fiarah seems to be absorbed with the wall hanging, apparently trying to remember the significance of the rest of the talismans.

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx points to the book on Jozra’s beside table. “Yeah, I think it goes into detail about it in there.”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles around her fork, chews, swallows and replies, “I suppose I’ll just have to read it then, huh?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx nods and finishes the last of her meal. “Yeah, you should, it’s a great book.”
Meanwhile, Soquan has gone quiet, pushing his meal around on his plate, taking the odd nibble here and there.

Yazeth: Fiarah finally tears herself away from the Healer’s Web and starts gathering up empty plates from Jinx and Jozra. “We should head back soon, Jinx.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan hands off his practically full plate to Jinx, who gives him an odd look then nods at Fiarah. “Okay Fiarah.” After depositing the dishes in the kitchen she shouts a goodbye to the two before following Fiarah out the door.

Yazeth: Soon Joseph is busy again in the kitchen with the dishes. Jozra watches the rather thoughtful looking otter before her for a while. “Want to talk about it?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan jerks out of his thoughts. “What? Oh… no, it’s okay Joz. I mean, I was just wondering why he didn’t tell me, even if the Knights were ‘retired’.”

Yazeth: The ferret shrugs, “Maybe he didn’t want to think about it anymore.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods, “True… So are you going to start reading or what?” He cracks a grin.

Yazeth: Jozra chuckles, “Sure.” She cracks the book open to the first chapter and starts reading. “My mother’s stories of magic and great heroes fueled my childhood…”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan listens to the story of his grandfather intently for quite a while before his eyelids grow heavy, and not too long after that he listens with his eyes closed, eventually dropping off to sleep.

Yazeth: It takes a few moments for Jozra to realize her companion is asleep and that Joseph went to bed quite a while ago. She smiles faintly before marking her spot and setting the book aside to snuggle down under the covers herself.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/339/feed 0 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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