Landing Day, 6099 RTR (27 Dec 1999) Ral and Morning-Mist get married. Willow makes a deal with Dack.
(Nordika) (Willow)
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Valley Spring Sanctuary
This old church is built of wood darkened by age and worn by generations of use, with a high peaked ceiling crossed by sturdy beams, hand-tooled with twirling, curving patterns to offset the austere, solid shapes they decorate. Here and there, one can see examples of newer woodwork, the lighter shade giving away the truth of repairs, despite attempts to stain to match the older timber. Still, the variation in shades of wood somehow inadvertently adds a certain character to the old church, and the carved angels and relief murals of tales of the Holy Book surely hold many stories of the generations that have added them, in turn, to this venerable structure.

The sanctuary of the church is at first glance a stark contrast between shadow and soft golden light in the early hours of the day, as the sun peeks in over the valley through the tall, multi-tinted windows, casting colored beams through the faintest wisps of dust in the air. Every window has at its base a floral arrangement with a single lit candle as its centerpiece, each one having burned low by now after keeping vigil throughout the night.

The pews are filled with family, friends and well-wishers of the royal Diamante family, with the elder Mother Diamante seated in the front row on the traditional groom's side, a servant ready with an ample supply of handkerchiefs. The rest of the church has been filled regardless of traditional division between the groom's and bride's aisles, since those attending are almost exclusively Krozite … without even a single person from the bride's homeland present. (Not that this would surprise those few privy to the story behind it.)

The ceremony is already underway, presided over by a plump, bespectacled raccoon in long vestments that hide his feet, who stands next to the groom – Prince Ral Diamante, a large and imposing figure, made even more striking in his royal robes and cape that accentuate the angular build of his wide shoulders, and compliment the rack of antlers crowning his head. He dwarfs the very young ring-bearer – a much younger cousin of Ral's, probably, as with some imagination the ring-bearer could look like a much younger version of Ral himself.

Prince Sebazhan Dack stands beside Ral in some hastily-purchased (but finely fit nonetheless) dark robes, cape and suit, having somehow talked Ral into letting him act as best man … far more a testament to Ral's solitary ways, than any statement on the closeness of the two Princes. Sebazhan's outfit, of course, is described in blacks and midnight blues, with a careful selection of different textures and silvery trim, so that he doesn't just blend into one amorphous blob of black Khatta.

A few other nobles sit amongst those gathered … Prince Silverbirch, a raccoon … Prince Darklight, a wolf … Prince Cobalt, a rat … and Prince Naochi, looking quite sober if bored. Prince Urban probably couldn't have been bothered to get up so early, and Prince Naochi would have likely had the same trouble if not for prompting from his butler, Rezhinald.

A schoolmarmish-looking deer at a piano-like instrument begins playing the Processional, the notes sounding much like the hammering of strings on a dulcimer, accompanied by a young raccoon boy on flute and a gentleman wolf on a violin-like instrument.

A gray Skreek fusses with her dress in her seat next to Mother Diamante. She didn't feel quite right about actually participating in the ceremony although prince Dack had managed to secure a spot for himself in the procession. Instead she simply squirms in her pew and fidgets with a handkerchief clutched between her gloved hands. She's garbed in the same dress that she wore to the banquet months before, although the shawl to hide her arm cast is gone since her arm has now fully healed itself.

At the cue of the processional, the guests rise and turn to look down the aisle. A white little Kattha girl heads down the aisle, spreading flowers from a basket, and looking quite giggly happy about the whole affair. Behind her, in radiant glory, is Morning-Mist, dressed in a way appropriate to see her as both princess and bride, with a wide bell gown and airy sleeves, and a crown of flowers above her veil of white lace. She holds a bouquet in her arms, and a servant carries her train.

Mother Diamante, for her part, manages to keep her composure for at least a few of the bride's steps before she starts bawling and going through handkerchiefs.

Willow offers her own twisted handkerchief to the matron doe as her current hankie starts to fill up. ( Misty looks like a princess, a real princess. )

Mother Diamante takes the handkerchief in turn, dabbing at her eyes, managing to tone down her sobbing a bit, though the tears still run.

Under the veil, Morning-Mist's ears blush at all the eyes focused on her, and she slowly makes her way down the aisle, then up to the raised dais near the altar, as the servant straightens her train, then takes the bouquet, and the flower Kattha steps to one side, positively beaming … and sneaking a little fingers-wave at Willow at one point, her hand partially hidden behind her flower basket.

The Skreek scoots a little closer to the matron as she follows the procession to the front of the church with her eyes. She doesn't say anything out of fear of spoiling the ceremony but smiles a little to the white Kattha.

The music comes to a stopping point, and a hush falls over the congregation. The priest goes through his traditional lines – traditional enough that Mother Diamante obviously knows them by heart, as she absently mouths the words along with the priest through parts of the ceremony – and he leads Prince Ral and Morning-Mist through the exchanges of vows. At last, he comes to, "And if any one shall have reason that this man and this woman should not be joined together in holy matrimony, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Willow watches quietly. She's never witnessed a wedding before and wonders to herself if all the ceremony is just for royalty or if it's a common thing. Maybe she'll find out someday.

There's a moment's pause, as would only be proper, and the priest looks satisfied, about to open his mouth to make his pronouncement … but he is cut off by a deep voice from the back of the church. "I have reason!" calls out a tall, muscular lupine with a golden mane, who has pushed his way through the double doors leading into the sanctuary. He wears well-worn leathers and rough cloth quite out of place in this gathering … but familiar enough to Willow, from an unpleasant previous "adventure".

At the sound of the wolf, the Skreek stands bolt upright and whirls around, her ears plastered against her head.

There he stands, that same wolf who tried to stop Willow, Burr and Morning-Mist from escaping from Bakanal. There are, of course, several gasps amongst those gathered. He ignores them, though, and proclaims, "Morning-Mist, your place is not here, but back with your family, at Bakanal. Come with me. Things have changed. Mistakes have been made. And I have come to learn in my heart that I love you. Will you come with me?" It all sounds so bold, something out of a fairy tale, perhaps … but it also sounds like something an actor would say in a Bazaar street corner stage play. It sounds so … rehearsed.

Morning-Mist shrinks back, and there's a glitter of a tear visible underneath her veil. She looks to Prince Ral … and glances to Willow. She shakes her head quickly, but looks to Willow as if for … approval?

Willow looks at the wolf and frowns. ( He would have feasted on Misty's corpse back in Himar. The nerve… ) She looks back at Morning-Mist and shakes her head as well, slowly moving to the edge of the pew to put herself between Goldmane and the deer should anything happen.

The wolf growls, and starts stomping his way up to the front of the church, breaking into a dash midway. Ral responds by moving slightly to position himself in front of his bride-to-be, glaring sternly down at the intruder.

The Skreek jumps into the aisle as well, having a score to settle with the wolf herself. "Get out of here, Goldmane. You're just here because as long as she's gone and word gets out about it, there might be others that follow her. I know that as soon as you get her away from here, you'll probably kill her with your own teeth like you've done with other members of your so-called 'family'. Go away. You have no idea what love or family really means." ( I've never fought in a dress before. Hooboy. )

The wolf seems to be rather caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a rat in front of him, and he stumbles to avoid crashing into her!

Willow tries to jump out of the way, kicking her foot out at the wolf's feet to help hasten his trip to the floor. If he falls, he'll be easier to subdue hopefully.

Somehow, Willow must have become a better fighter than she was the last time she encountered Goldmane. It's almost too easy … a dive to the side, a well-placed foot … and a well-placed lupine muzzle smack into the floor! *THUD* The impact can be felt through the wooden floor.

Sebazhan steps down and makes a quick bow to Willow. "If you don't mind, I can take it from here … " Several other men come over to lend their assistance in showing the wolf his way out the door.

The Skreek takes a moment to catch her breath and shrinks down as she realizes the commotion that she was just in the middle of. "Er … thanks. And, um, make sure he's not carrying anything dangerous on him." She shrinks down and scurries back to her spot on the pew, ears blushing bright crimson.

There's a bit of rough handling of the Jupani, as he's not quite unconscious, but a number of gathered warriors (Kroz attracts lots of adventurers, and breeds them, too) and other opinionated menfolk express their disapproval of the Bakanali's objection by accompanying him out the front door. The doors swing closed, muffling the sounds of the problem being dealt with outside.

The priest smiles. "Well then … now that that matter has been concluded satisfactorily… " He takes a deep breath as Ral and Morning-Mist (and the rest of those gathered) turn back to look at him. "By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you … husband and wife."

"I'm so sorry, Mother Diamante. I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing before I did it. I think I might have torn Nene's dress." Willow fusses with her skirt again.

Mother Diamante quickly hides a smile with her handkerchief and a show of sobbing.


Outside the church, several single womenfolk gather before the steps. Morning-Mist stands at the top of the steps, next to her new husband, Prince Ral Diamante.

A young white-furred Kattha girl bounces up and down. "Throw it to me! Throw it to me!"

Morning-Mist turns around, facing away from those gathered, holding the bouquet ready to toss over her shoulder.

Willow has joined the crowd of women outside the church, as she did say something about catching the bouquet to Ariel the day before. She's placed herself at the back of the crowd and isn't making too much of a show of trying to catch it. As it flies, Willow closes her eyes and holds her hands above her head.

The bouquet flies into the air … and Willow can hear it coming … but someone right in front of her leaps up and catches it. "I got it! I got it!" the girl mews happily.

Willow creaks her eyes open and glances in front of her. "You've always had a way with flowers." She grins.

Ariel bounces on her toes, showing off her trophy, as the others applaud politely. She smiles at Willow.

The Skreek carefully makes her way through the crowd towards the doe. "So is your name Morning Diamante now?"

The doe smiles. "Well … I never had a surname before … " She looks to Ral.

Ral says, "I shall leave that to Lady Diamante, to determine whether she would prefer to be known as Lady Morning, or Lady Morning-Mist."

Meanwhile, it looks like several eligible bachelors are lining up in front of the steps.

"I rather like Morning alone. It sounds very regal, and this is sort of a new day for you – oop!" The Skreek most assuredly does not want to be in line for the next part, and hastily scurries off to the side.

Kiri seems to be dragging his butler into the group … the latter looking quite scandalized about the whole thing. "Master Naochi, I must insist… ," the butler starts to protest, but he quickly calms down, so as not to cause a scene.

Willow gives Prince Dack a nudge into the crowd. "Go on, you. If I braved it, so can you."

Prince Sebazhan Dack sighs, looking slightly put upon, but then smirking despite himself. "All right, all right… " He steps into the group as well, standing beside Rezhinald and Kiri.

The garter is tossed into the air, sailing over the gathered bachelors … but no hands succeed in grasping it.

It ends up … landing on one ear of the long-suffering-looking butler, Rezhinald. "For some reason," he says dryly, "I had a feeling that something like this would happen."

Prince Kiri lets out a loud whoop, and claps his butler on the back, laughing loudly. Prince Dack wipes his brow at the close call, grinning.

"Good shot Misty!" Willow laughs.

Ariel rushes up to Willow, and excitedly mews, "They've got great food set out! And they've got music playing and everything!"

The Skreek nods. "Food I'm always eager for, although I'll save the dancing for people that know how." She looks back at the princes. "I should probably try to grab Dack and Kiri before they get too caught up in things as well."

As Willow looks back to the princes, Ariel throws her arms around the Skreek in a big hug. "I'm having a great time! I'm so glad I came along!"

The bouquet, alas, is getting a bit flatter in the process.

Willow coughs and forces her spine to bend. She puts her arms on the Kattha's shoulders. "I'm… glad you came as well. You've helped me so much these past few days. I really wish there was something I could do for you in return."

Ariel just smiles up at Willow, pulling away enough that the bouquet can struggle to spring back out to a little of its former shape. "But you already have! I have a big sister now! I've never had a big sister before!"

Most of those gathered are now making their way to a large building that serves both as a schoolhouse and as a gathering hall for the town, moving their way out of the snow in favor of the dancing and merriment awaiting indoors. Prince Kiri, of course, has already disappeared inside. Prince Sebazhan seems to be hovering around the front door, occasionally nodding and smiling and making polite how-do-you-dos to those who pass by.

"That wasn't much of anything though. I mean it was only… oh, nevermind. I'm smart enough to know not to spoil the mood on a happy day like this." The Skreek shrugs. "So do you know what they did with Goldmane? He wasn't near the food or anything like that, was he? I wouldn't put it past him to drop poison in the punch."

Ariel mews, "Oh, he was driven out of town. If he comes back to cause trouble, I suppose the townsfolk will have something to say about it. As for the punch… well, I don't suppose they'd let someone looking like him poke around inside the town hall without asking questions. And he didn't strike me as a subtle sort."

Willow nods and starts her way towards the banquet hall. "I suppose he isn't. Scruddy dirty trick for him to pull on Misty though, today of all days. If we weren't in a church and I wasn't in a borrowed dress I'd have done a lot more than trip him up… "

Ariel nods, momentarily serious, but then smiles again. "Let's hurry in so I don't miss the dancing. I only get to dance every holiday or so … and I like this a lot better than Parthos!" She then dashes ahead of Willow, rushing up the front steps and inside before Willow has a chance to get in a word edgewise.

The Skreek keeps her pace slow and leisurely as she climbs up the first step into the hall. "Aren't you joining us, Prince Dack, or were you waiting for me?"

The prince smiles faintly, bowing slightly to Willow. "Actually … I was going to say my good-byes. I'm not really much of one for social functions … and Mother Diamante asks the most interesting questions. It's been a pleasure, but I probably should be going. Please do stop by to visit if you're ever in Dack lands again, though. You're welcome at any time."

Willow droops a little. "Um… what are you going to do when you get back?"

The prince frowns. "What do you mean?"

The Skreek lowers her voice a little. "I mean with the throne, with yourself, that sort of thing. What if great-great-plus-grandfather shows up again?"

"Oh, that," murmurs the black cat. "I'm not really sure. I'm not going to go sitting in it again. It's not easy for me to say that … but I've had a lot of time to think about it on the ride here. Haven't gotten a wink of sleep the whole time, or since then. But you've made it pretty clear to me that I was never controlling that artifact."

Willow digs around through her belt and pockets until she produces a small handwritten book. "Here. I can't offer you much, but I do have this. I should be able to buy another copy from the Diamantes or in town here while I'm waiting for Burr and Thorn to show up. You wanted to know about the Star? Well it's all in here. I know you have some skills as a mage; can you protect yourself from him?"

The sounds of violins, flutes and other instruments drift on the air out from the town hall, mixing with the sounds of the winter breeze winding its way between the buildings and across the snow-frosted rooftops of the capitol city of Diamante. Prince Dack shudders slightly, and looks down at the book. He holds out a hand. "Thank you. I can't say that I'm quite ready to believe in your Star … but I can't deny the change that this philosophy at least has made in your life. As for … him … " Sebazhan shakes his head. "Truthfully, that's part of the reason I'm going. As much as I enjoy your company … I fear a repeat of what happened in Olympia. How long would it be before he would catch me with my guard down, and use me as a weapon against you in his fury? I don't wish to take that risk."

"You're a grown man, Prince Dack, and I can't stop you from going. But you shouldn't worry about me. I'm worried that if you're alone you might be an easier target for him." The Skreek sighs. "When I was in your castle, I thought I could hear spirits whispering to me. I'm worried that you might be even more vulnerable back in that castle. I don't want you becoming a pawn again."

Willow gently presses the book into the prince's hand.

Sebazhan frowns for a moment, but it's soon replaced by a faint smile as he takes the book and, giving it a moment's glance, tucks it into his belt. "Well … far be it from me to resist a request from you to stay a little while longer. Perhaps I can handle the crowd for just this once … if you will be so kind as to defend me from Mother Diamante, m'lady?" He offers his arm to Willow, turning back toward the doors into the gathering hall.

"Thank you, Sebazhan." Willow smiles and links arms with the prince. "This means a great deal to me… and I think that Mother Diamante should leave you be once she sees that you're under my guard." She winks.

The dance goes on for a good part of the day, with music and merriment. By the standards of the great powers of Sinai, such a royal celebration would be considered quaint. A noble wedding in Rephidim would easily put all this to shame, in sheer number of shekels spent and general finery. But at the same time, everyone would be on much tighter guard lest they make any faux pas that would become fodder for the rumor mill for weeks to come. Here, there's a lighter, less guarded atmosphere, even with the excitement earlier caused by Goldmane's surprise appearance.

Prince Kiri shows that he actually knows a few steps, no doubt a skill acquired during his irresponsible "adventures", and he does his part to make sure he gets in a dance with every girl that was present for the bouquet tossing (save for Willow, that is). He even dances with Ariel for a bit, though for the entirety of it, it looks like he's doing his utmost best to keep from breaking out laughing at the near-kitten's bouncy energy.

Prince Kiri's impulsive attempts at playing matchmaker for his butler have so far proven to yield naught, as Rezhinald sits alone at a table, occasionally looking faintly bemused when he thinks that no one is looking.

Willow has found herself a safe little corner out of the way of most of the activities, joined by Prince Dack, who seems to be similarly interested in keeping a low profile. That hasn't meant invulnerability from Mother Diamante's attentions, as she inevitably found her way by, but she has since made her rounds to other familiar faces.

Prince Dack rests his chin on one hand, occasionally twitching as he catches himself from dozing off.

"I suppose I should make another confession to you, Prince Dack," Willow says as she sips lightly at a glass of punch, her eyes following Kiri's movements. "I was the one that found those krozmids for Prince Kiri. I'd never really planned to go into the castle tunnels looking for treasure, but I happened to find them and I gave them to Kiri to use to buy his land back. After seeing the awful shape his kingdom was in, it seemed like the proper thing to do."

This prompts a sudden snort from Prince Dack, as he's definitely back in the land of the conscious for the time being. "Oh. Yes … yes, that was quite a surprise. Quite a shrewd move on his part. Yours, I mean." He sighs. "Easy come, easy go."

"You wouldn't have wanted what was down there anyway. Believe me. It had all crumbled to dust and the only things in there were monsters and bones. My main reason for going down into the tunnels was to find that table and smash it to bits, but considering how many close calls Burr and I had on the first leg of the trip, the whole trip seemed about as intelligent as suicide. I'm bitter, but I'm not stupid." She takes another sip. "Kiri still has a way to go, though. Do you know how his kingdom has been managing over the past few months?"

Prince Dack raises his eyebrows, nodding toward where Prince Kiri is spinning Ariel around in circles. "It's still no shining jewel of Kroz, but the change has been remarkable. It's as if he's suddenly … stopped trying to destroy himself and everything around him. He still has a lot to learn about proper etiquette, and how to treat a lady properly, but I do believe you made quite an impression on him."

Ariel giggles and frees a paw to wave in Willow's direction.

"Tachiri hurt him something bad, and lied to him about things to make him feel even more horrible. I'm ashamed to even consider that the man was my father." Willow coughs and waves back to Ariel. "I'm telling you this because I'd like to ask you to do a favor for Kiri and for me if you feel up to it."

"Oh?" says Sebazhan, raising an eyebrow. "Name it. I owe you plenty of favors."

The Skreek looks out at the dancing rat. "Kiri's kingdom is probably still hurting financially. He needs to be able to hire guards to keep the bandits out of his lands, get crops growing again, and clean up his town so that the people that live there aren't desperately looking for the first ride out of Naochi. It would mean a great deal to me if you could loan Kiri what you could to help him rebuild his kingdom. I'm not asking you to give him money, just loan it to him… interest free or low interest if you can afford it and give him enough time to pay you back if he works at it hard enough." Willow drains the last few drops of punch from her glass. "I won't hold it against you at all if you say no, Prince Sebazhan, but it would mean the world to me if you said yes."

Sebazhan smiles. "If it means the world to you, then I certainly can't refuse." He sighs, sitting back. "It won't be easy… but not impossible."

"Thank you." Willow puts her hand on the prince's and gives him a clumsy peck on the cheek.

Sebazhan clears his throat. "Well … maybe you should share the good news with Kiri, before he's had too many ales to understand what you're saying."

"Or before he says something that ticks Ariel off," the Skreek smirks and pulls herself up, smoothing out the folds in her dress. "I'll drag him back here before Mother Diamante has a chance to buttonhole you." She scurries out into the dance floor to snag the younger Skreek.

Kiri turns around as he sees Willow approaching. "Oh!" He makes an exaggerated bow, his tail whipping out. "Would you care to dance, Madame?"

Ariel giggles, stepping aside to make room for Willow.

"Maybe later. Before you get too caught up in the celebrations, I need to talk to you about something that Dack and I just agreed upon – if you're interested in it, that is. Could you take a moment to join us at our table?" Willow smirks at Ariel. "And you dance wonderfully. Maybe you can give me some lessons sometime."

Ariel mews, "What I lack in skill, I make up for in enthusiasm!" and then she skips along after Kiri and Willow.

Kiri takes a seat at the table, dipping his head in a nod to Prince Sebazhan Dack, then grins to Willow. "So … what is this about me gaining a little sister?"

"Sorry, Kiri. But my Kattha friend here is officially family now. I didn't think you'd mind." Willow winks and then clears her throat, her expression sobering somewhat. "But that's not why I wanted to talk with you. I've been talking with Prince Dack about helping you rebuild things in Naochi. If you're all right with it, then Sebazhan is willing to offer you a loan that you can pay back over time, enough to properly earn the money back and with no interest. It's a gesture of help and nothing more." She looks between her brother and the black Khatta. "I trust Sebazhan's word on this, Kiri. There's been more changes going on than you know."

Kiri's face goes through several expressions of surprise and disbelief and more than a little eagerness. "Really? I … frankly, I'm surprised you even let me sit down here, what with the krozmids and all."

Prince Sebazhan shakes his head. "Fair's fair. I bought that land to keep it from falling into Olympian lands … or, at least, that's what I've been claiming all along. It would hardly be fair for me to complain that those lands got back into rightful hands … especially now that I trust you not to continue your old habits of squandering your inheritance."

Kiri looks faintly embarrassed and ashamed at this, and looks like he's about to say something apologetic or defensive, but the black cat cuts him off.

"So long as you show me that you are serious about rebuilding your principality," continues the black Khatta, "it is in my own interest to see to it that you get the help you need. Besides… " He nods to Willow. "… I wouldn't dare get on her bad side."

Willow covers her mouth with a gloved hand as she stifles a chuckle. "I'm deeply grateful, Prince Dack."

The prince nods to Willow. "I'll shamelessly try to earn as much gratitude as possible, m'lady." He looks back to Kiri, who's still obviously trying to think of a reply. "Contrary to Willow's poor review of her adventures under your castle, I do think there may be something worth looking into … later, when there are sufficient resources to deal with the inherent risks. That stone carriage we rode … well … you'll have to ask Willow about that."

Ariel smiles. "Oh, that's nothing! You haven't seen the carousel!"

The Skreek's expression sours. "Just avoid that table unless you intend to invite me down there with a sledgehammer. Any place with an area like that is no place I want much to do with." Her glaring eyes soften. "Although if you intend to have any expeditions down there, I'd very much like to be invited along, even if they're not near the table." She gives Ariel an odd look. "What about that land made of candy? Will anything happen to you if you eat it?"

Ariel says, "I suppose you'd get fat if you ate too much!" She giggles, then says, "Honestly, I've no idea. Personally, I'd consider it a bad idea to go chewing indiscriminately on anything sweet that's been sitting around for a few millennia."

Willow laughs despite herself.

Kiri says, "Well, I … I still don't know what to say. Uhm … Willow … you're off of your work with the airship for a few months, aren't you? Maybe you could … help me with some of this? You seem to have a lot more experience with finances. I mean, dealing with them properly."

"I suppose I could." The lady Skreek grins again. "The only thing that might be a problem is that I need to wait for Burr and Thorn to show up here, unless I can meet them halfway along the trip." She taps her nose. "Prince Dack, if Prince Naochi is all right with this… you could stay at Castle Naochi for a little bit and I could show you what little part of the underground tunnels I know are safe. You'd better be good at tip-toeing past dragons though."

Prince Dack's eyebrows raise. "Dragons, you say? You are more the adventurer than I realized."

Prince Naochi quickly puts in, "I wouldn't mind at all! I can have Rezhinald clean the castle up a bit."

"Poor Rezhinald," Ariel mews.

Willow covers her mouth again as she chortles softly. "Would you two gentlemen mind staying here in Diamante until Burr comes back? I'm not sure if he ended up taking the same method Prince Dack and I used to get here or not unless… " She glances at Ariel. "Would you mind sending another message to Burr, Ariel? Tell him to meet us in Naochi instead? We could send along a note from Prince Kiri to make sure the folks at the inn in town treat him and his son all right until we show up."

Ariel mews, "Oh, yes, I could get another message to Burr. That's my specialty!"

Prince Sebazhan nods. "If he passes through Dack – which is almost a given – he'll be well-treated there. He would be very hard not to recognize, and I've already made my wishes clear that you and your companions are to be treated as guests in my absence."

"Wonderful." Willow smiles. "I hope the big hairball isn't getting dizzy after being told to go back and forth so much. Could you hold off until tomorrow to leave? I need to buy a few things in town and say my good-byes to the Diamantes." She smirks at Ariel. "I also don't feel right asking you to work on a holiday, since today is a bit special for you."

Ariel gets up and curtseys to Willow. "Only thirty-seven days until the New Year! I shall have to make sure to come celebrate it with you. I think I'm going to go ask the little ring-bearer to dance now. He looks lonesome over there. Bye!" She weaves her way across the dance floor.

Prince Dack says, "That would be no problem. One day is as good as the next. I still have a silver at the least to make up to you. Perhaps I can work toward that by assisting you in your shopping tomorrow."

( I can't believe that a dark man like Dagh could create someone like Ariel. I almost wonder if she's his heart given shape. I can't look at her like anything except a real thinking person, and I think that deep down she might be more human than all of the gods put together. ) The Skreek looks back at the black Kattha. "That sounds just fine. Thankfully my tastes in clothes are cheap… but I doubt that you wish to spend the next week or so in a carriage with someone who wears the same outfit every single day. Depending on how much it costs, I'd also like to replace a book I lost in Olympia but I won't press my luck too much." She leans back in her seat. "Happy Landing Day."

---

GMed by Greywolf

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Today is 5 days after Candlemass, Year 29 of the Reign of Archelaus the First (6128)