define('WP_CACHE', true); {"id":254,"date":"2014-01-31T03:00:50","date_gmt":"2014-01-31T11:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossed-paths.com\/logs\/?p=254"},"modified":"2014-01-26T10:48:05","modified_gmt":"2014-01-26T18:48:05","slug":"chapter-22-back-to-arrins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossed-paths.com\/logs\/archives\/254","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 22: Back to Arrin’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 22: Back To Arrin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

In Which\u00c2\u00a0There Is A Picnic At The Hot Springs.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yazeth: Soon Jozra is blinking in the sunlight. The snow from the storm that had trapped them in the burrow has since melted mostly away with remnants clinging to the shade and higher elevations.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He turns to her. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Back to the village then my friend?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She pauses for a moment as her stomach grumbles. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Perhaps we could take a lunch near the hot spring?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of course!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret grins as she sets off towards the hot pools. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I’ve been smelling that food Trey’s cooks packed up for us all morning.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So have I. How does a swim sound? \u00c2\u00a0Followed by some lunch.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sounds good! And I think we’re nearly there, I see steam over the trees.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Great!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He speeds up a bit.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Soon the two round a bend and find the hot springs before them. Jozra gives a whoop. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There they are!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He whoops also and increases his pace some more.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: A few minutes later and the two are there. Jozra has already deposited her pack on the rocks where it will stay dry but where the two can still keep an eye on it.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He tests the water with a footpaw. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ahh, perfect!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret grins as she strips out of her tunic, folding it and laying it beside the packs.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He too strips from his tunic and dives in with barely a splash.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra hops in after the otter and takes a couple of strokes before relaxing against the rocky side of the pool. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aaah… a beast could get used to this.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles and swims around in slow circles.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: After a bit, the ferret attempts a couple of laps across the pool, working out the tightness in her shoulders and back.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He stays near her, remembering what she said about not being a strong swimmer.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra settles herself near the edge again as she tires. She grins at Soquan. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ready for that lunch now?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen:\u00c2\u00a0 He swims around a bit more. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not quite yet.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret nods and continues to soak contentedly.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles and sends a splash towards her.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra grins and kicks at the water, ineffectively splashing in Soquan’s direction.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and dives underwater. It takes a moment for him to find her, but once he does, he grabs her by the ankles and pulls her underwater.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Startled, Jozra takes a mouthful of water. She splutters back to the surface. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hoo! I think I’ve had enough.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He surfaces and grins. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What was that?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She paddles back towards the ledge. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I said I think I’ve had enough for today. Besides, my stomach is really complaining now. It’s definitely time for lunch.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and heaves himself out of the water. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Okay.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He walks over to where they left the packs.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret follows suit, alternately slicking and shaking water out of her fur as she follows Soquan.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: Suddenly, he turns around and grabs her, slinging her over his shoulder. He turns back for the water.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ACK!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The ferret scrabbles for balance. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don’t you dare!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and goes to toss her in laughing as she scrambles about.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra lands in a giant splash in the middle of the pool. She surfaces after a bit, pawing water from her eyes. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You… you…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She laughs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Okay, that was fun. But still! It’s the principle of the matter, otter! You can’t just pick up poor land beasts and chuck them in the water!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: With a grin, he leaps in beside her, purposely making a large splash.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She grins at the otter as he surfaces before placing her paw on his head and dunking him. She swims as quick as she can and clambers up on the shore before he can catch her again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Okay, okay, really, I’ve had enough for today.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and climbs out also. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You can’t blame a guy for playing around can you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She chuckles. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, but can you blame a ferret for not being a strong swimmer?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He wraps an arm around her shoulders, giving her a friendly hug. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If something happened, I woulda come after you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know, but it’s not just that. If you’re not a strong swimmer, it tires you quicker and then you would have had to carry me back to your village!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She grins cheekily and then blows a raspberry at Soquan.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins playfully. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I wouldn’t mind.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret merely chuckles in reply as she pulls open the packs, digging for the food. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So shall we eat it all or conserve some, just in case?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hmm.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He goes alert a second while he listens to things. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Save just a little bit, we should get back to the village soon.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret pulls out a few left over baked potatoes. They may be cold, but they’re still good. There’s a few more of the honey scones as well as some blackberry jam. She spreads the food out between them, using a cloak as a picnic blanket.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He sits across from her with his legs crossed. He takes a scone and smears it with jam, munching on it contently as water continues to drip off of him.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret takes a bite out of one of the potatoes, and then experiments with putting some of the jam on the potato. She chews thoughtfully for a moment. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not bad. Unusual combination but still.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles a little bit taking another bite.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She finishes up her potato and then takes a scone. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now these are good,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says, chewing, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but I think I liked them even better when they were still warm.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter suddenly gets an idea and takes the package of scones, wrapping them up. He flips over a large, heated rock and digs a small hole, placing the scones inside. He puts the rock back in its original position and grins at her. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now we wait for a little bit and enjoy the potatoes while those heat.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The fettet grins. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are just chock full of good ideas, aren’t you otter?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He laughs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I try.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra grabs another potato and this time is quite generous with adding the blackberry jam to it. After a moment she says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I suppose people would think me quite strange if I advertised that cold baked potatoes and blackberry jam are good together.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He returns to his earlier position and picks up a potato, adding some jam as well. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What about my potato-soup method? Or you remember that cheese-bread stuff I made the night before we got to my village?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret laughs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How could I forget? I’m still not entirely sure if it was pure genius or just plain weird.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He laughs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But you liked it though!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret laughs as well. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153True.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: With an air of feigned hurt at the comment, he crosses his arms. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Alright that’s it, if you don’t apologize I’m not cooking for you ever again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra gapes in mock incredulity at the otter. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In that case, I most humbly apologize! If you never cook for me again, I just might starve!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter’s stern expression evaporates and he bursts out laughing, nearly choking on a bit of his potato in the process.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret chuckles. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Careful there, matey. You think the scones are warm now?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah, I think so.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He lifts the rock again and removes the scones. He juggles the scones from one paw to another. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oooh! Hot!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He puts them on the cloak.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Looking back and forth between scones and rock, the ferret comments, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I didn’t think they would get that hot! Wow!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He blows on his paws to cool them. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I didn’t either.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: After a moment, Jozra carefully picks up one of the scones with her fingertips. She breaks of a bit and blows on it before popping it into her mouth. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oof, still a bit too warm, but very good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think I’ll just wait a bit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She nods as she breaks off another bit and tosses it between her paws before eating it.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He leans back against another warm rock and closes his eyes, basking in the slight warmth.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: After another minute or so, the scones are cool enough to eat comfortably. Jozra picks one up and tosses it on top of Soquan’s chest before grabbing another one for herself.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s jerked out of his slight doze. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wha?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She grins. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Scones are eat-able.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He merfs slightly and gropes around the cloak for one, not noticing the other now in his lap.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret talks around a mouthful of scone. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It’s on your lap. Tossed it onto your chest.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and picks up the scone, chewing on it slowly. The otter was obviously not very alert when sleepy.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: After dusting the last of the scone crumbs off of her whiskers, Jozra takes note of the sun’s position. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153As I recall,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she ventures, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153at this point it’ll be nearly sundown by the time we make it back to your village. Ready to go?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yep!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He gathers his things, changing out of his wet pants and putting on his shirt in the process.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret packs the rest of their belongings away and gets her things together, changing back into her dry tunic. She gives a last check of the area before hefting her own pack.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He pick up his pack and grins. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You ready?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She nods her assent. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yep. Lets get going then.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She sets off down the path.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 22: Back To Arrin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s In Which\u00c2\u00a0There Is A Picnic At The Hot Springs. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d Yazeth: Soon Jozra is blinking in the sunlight. The snow from the storm that had trapped them in the burrow has since melted mostly away with remnants clinging to the shade and higher elevations. Arrin Woodgreen: He turns to her. … <\/p>\n