---

Blin shook his head and woke himself up, the power-nap had refreshed him from his early start and the dream, it was already fading....something about riding...oh the skywhale. He opened his journal and made a note next to "knights riding dragons - ask Gaius" and wrote "skywhale delivery service - tell E."

He checked his gear and glider, then looked up at the sky for a rough estimate at the time, he had a little time left before lunch. A quick trip to the library and he'll help Eli out with the school...yet again. He smiled, it kept him busy and he really didn't mind. Blin stretched his muscles, took up his glider and launched for the library.

His large glider slowly drifted down near the stone domed building that housed Blin's imaginary world. He loved the place, leaving the glider outside he walked in looking for the closest librarian. Blin spotted a few regulars at the library and one new face, he slowed down a little wondering he was. The freckled face was unfamiliar to him, the man smiled and seemed nice enough. Blin smiled a little nervously back to him, nervously turning away. He was embarrassed at being caught staring, and he quickly moved further into the library.

He soon found a librarian and asked for a package for the pre-school kids, he was handed a selection of maps and books all of which were carefully wrapped up. He struggled a little, with the bulk of it all, but got it all safely loaded on his glider. Making sure they were all secure, he tested the weight. He was cutting it fine, just enough to get to see his mother and friends for lunch. Eli was going to have deliver his sisters request for once, either by himself or with his help. The farm was luckily lower in altitude than the library and he swore to himself that he would not close his eyes this time.

Blin still had to get the blue thread for Lee, he wondered if anybody at the farm had any.

@LostBrotherGrimm@Aquaknight

"Why don't we try seeing him legitimately first?" Blank asked, both glad he could still keep his plans and slightly disappointed there would be no adventuring today. "I'll see if I can take a guard shift in exchange for letting you in." He craned his neck, looking back at the man trailing behind them. "Is that alright, Gaius?"

Herron was a peaceful place. There were no bandits or opposing nations to contend with. The royal guard mostly spent their time handling civil disputes and chastising friendly thieves, so he doubted he would have much trouble getting someone to let him take their shift. He wasn't sure what he was comparing the situation to, but somehow he knew that there were places with far stronger security.

He sighed, putting a hand to the side of his head. Why couldn't he just remember already? He felt so close, like he was on the edge of a cliff looking down on the ground, but too afraid to take the leap. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes for a second and kept walking, reaching out to pat Nikki on the head absently.

Gaius stopped hard on his right foot for a split second when Nikki fell from the sky, jostling his armor with the sudden loss of momentum. Twice in one day? How many times did he have to tell people, flying close to the ground in populated areas was a major hazard! He rose a finger to injerject, but stopped himself as she started speaking with Blank. It would've been a pointless refute on his part. That blasted woman was worse than Forrest. Everything he'd have to say would go right over her head, woosh.

Suddenly, Blank turned to address him directly. It took him by surprise to see an unfamiliar face. Well, he'd seen Blank before, it was impossible for him to miss a trainee, but his name wasn't coming to mind immediately. "Hm?" He grunted, and stepped forward to continue following Blank and Nikki, "Ah, right- Um- Ah! Shifts!" Gaius remembered, tapping his right hand into the palm of his left. "Sorry there, friend! I'm not keen on swapping shifts with such short notice, and if you're still a trainee, it'd be a little irresponsible to post you somewhere so important! Besides that though, I'm not so sure how the king feels about people dropping in unannounced," Gaius explained, glancing at Nikki through the grates of his helmet suspiciously, "So I would advise not trying to slip past the guards. There's a lot of newbies on patrol today, and they're awfully loose with their weapons." Gaius chuckled at the innuendo that accidentally snuck into his empty warnings, but stopped himself and cleared his throat right afterwards. "I'm on my way to see the king myself, though. If he's not too busy, there's no harm in asking him if he'd be alright with a couple of visitors!"

"Legitimately?" Nikki practically whined the word. "But that's /booooring/~" Where was the fun in doing something the way everyone else did, the way you were supposed to? What Gaius said made her even more determined to do it the interesting way. Maybe she could hear what Gaius talked about with the king! That would be excellent. The teen glanced at Blank, and found him putting one hand to his head. She knew the expression on his face, mingled concentration and disappointment. "Hey, I'm sure you'll remember eventually," she told him gently, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling as he patted her head. "I know it's frustrating, but don't let it get you down, okay Lloyd?" She'd given him the alternate name herself, and tended to save it for times when she was being especially sincere. "And hey, even if they /don't/ come back, you can make new ones, right? I mean, there's so many things out there just waiting to be done." Her eyes lit up. "I certainly plan to do all of them -- and you're welcome to come too~" The girl moved a little closer, and suddenly stretched up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before dancing a few steps ahead and turning to grin over her shoulder. "C'mon, I'll race you to the castle~ Last one there's a muddy duck~!" And with that she was off and running, laughter trailing behind her.

Eventually, Lee finished the hair ornament. She turned it over in her hands, admiring the gems she'd positioned in specific ways, round white stones near the edges making the ornament give off a light summery air. Lee picked up a rag and dipped in a shallow bowl of oil, gently working the liquid around each of the gems and letting the scent of lavender fill her shop. She used a small ball of cotton to work the oil into the smaller crevices, wanting to be sure that all of the ornament would shine when used. After setting it down, she wiped her hands on a clean cloth and picked up the hair ornament, standing and walking to the back of the shop once more. Picking up a strip of soft fabric, she wrapped it around the finished work and then carefully tucked it under the sharp brambles.

Lee looked up as she heard the familiar sound of sandals clacking against the ground and two voices shouting. Apparently her brothers awake. If she knew them as well as she did, she'd know that in about half an hour they'd be coming down from their rooms and demanding breakfast. They had enough food to have a good breakfast, both her father and brothers knowing how to cook relatively well enough to put together a meal. Lee wasn't too hungry at the moment though, wanting to know if there was anything else to be done in the house before she left. Everything was clean and put away, all her work done. The sun was high in the sky and after checking the kitchen, Lee decided it was a good day to go shopping for groceries.
After putting on a pair of slightly more comfortable outdoor slippers and her sunhat, Lee picked up a few of her cloth grocery bags and finally headed outside, leather purse in her palm. She let it's leather drawstring loop twice around her wrist, not liking the idea of it getting stolen.

The market was already fairly busy, vendors out with carts, selling fruits, vegetables, spices and an overall large variety of foods that smelled absolutely fantastic. The woman adjusted her hat, brushing the blue ribbon out of her face before striding down the pathway. She needed to stock up on proteins, vegetables and certain fruits at the moment. Fera was craving pegiros, which were a new fruit that was shaped like a pear but tasted like watermelon yet had the inner texture and look of the insides of a pink kiwi. Who was Lee to deny her little brother the simple pleasure of strange fruit?

As she walked back, arms full of bags and biting into a nectarine, she thought of visiting Kelari. She hadn't seen her good friend in quite some time and was very interested in seeing what she'd been up to these past few days. Probably designing something or other. Lee loved to watch Kelari work but always worried that she'd be bothering her if she just sat there. Silvertongue disliked being a bother to people, especially if they were close friends.

Eventually Lee found herself at the parlor shop door, peering in and calling out. "Kela? I'm here! It's Lee."

@Disciple Cain

Blank stood stunned for a moment. No matter how many times Nikki teased him like that, it always had the same effect on him. Still, somehow it felt different this time, and what had she meant by...

He shook off his stupor. There was no way, she was just teasing him like she always did. Either she didn't know how much it effected him or, more likely, she did know and enjoyed every second of it. Regardless, if he didn't keep up with her she would undoubtedly get herself arrested or worse, so he took off after her, casting an apologetic look back to Gaius with a silent promise to make sure she behaved herself.

"Nikki!" He called as he ran, one hand on his sword to keep it from bouncing around, "Weren't you just saying you wanted to see me get beaten? The training grounds are that way!"

Rahna Altema

---

She always forgot to tell Eli about why she didn't want him to talk to her mom. And she'll probably keep forgetting every time since they always go out to do something silly. She shook her head slightly with a small sigh, "I'm more worried that my mother would embarrass me instead. Also, you'd never be able to leave if she started a conversation with you." She replied with a somewhat amused look.

She noticed that Eli had spotted the bandages on her arm, she subconsciously hide her injury behind her back, giving him a cheerful smile. "It's okay! Really. I-I'm just not used to the glider yet, that's all." She didn't want Eli to feel down about her injury. She didn't want to spoil the fun by making him worry about her. He'd endured much worse than this, she knew because she was always the one treating his wounds, but his unfaltering, adrenaline filled attitude is what kept him going, and that's what she really admired about him.

She also didn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. She knew her best friend. He was really looking forward to this race. A small darkness swelled in her mind. She was making this difficult for Eli.. negative thoughts ran through her head.. However, his next suggestion eased her conscience a little. Perhaps even amused her a little, because she noticed how long he paused for, ending with "Talk?"

Rahna realized that he never really did anything that was considered 'normal', like talking. Conversations. Perhaps she should've left him to talk to her mom. She giggled when his smile returned. "Of course, I'd love to talk with you~ I haven't really had a day to relax in awhile, so it'll be nice." She responded finally, giving him a warm smile.

She quickly jogged around the corner of her house, retrieving her glider and jogged back over to Eli. "I know it's not very far, but shall we race to our usual spot?" She suggested with a grin on her face. Their usual spot was only an island away, so it really wasn't far enough to make for a proper race, since it was just a straight line. However, Rahna decided to entertain the idea to keep Eli's spirits up.

---

@LostBrotherGrimm

Nikki neither slowed nor changed direction. "I know they are, but this way's faster~" she called back, still laughing. "It's a shortcut. Just be careful, you don't wanna fall!" She leaped off the edge of a short drop, landing in a crouch at the bottom and following a path half-overtaken by grass and following it around a bend and over a rope bridge that had seen better days. She didn't even break her stride as she darted across, though the placement of her feet was clearly carefully considered, and none of the boards she stepped on were damaged enough to break at the impact. The bridge, or rather what ws left of it, was both rickety and missing planks, and a careless step might easily spell disaster -- particularly since only one of the side ropes was still whole. In short, precisely the sort of route Nikki would pick, given the opportunity.

---

Thema had been walking for a while. Nowhere in particular. Not like she had anything else to do. She hummed to herself as she walked, but was interrupted by someone speaking quite loudly and near her.

"Hey! Where'd you get that lute from?"

Thema stopped. She quickly glanced around her. Nobody else had a lute. The only person with any sort of instrument nearby was her. The question was quite simple. Where did she get her lute? She didn't actually remember ever getting it. It was always just there, with her, back to even her earliest memories. Though, she would have gotten it at some point. Most likely a gift or a heirloom from her mother.

She turned around and looked at the boy behind her. He looked quite similar, but Thema couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was mostly the hair, but who else did Thema know that had hair like that. She then realized that the boy had almost the same hairstyle as her, except it had been let free instead of being tied back. Thema thought it was quite intriguing how similar this boy looked to her, but she didn't really care enough to vocalize it.

"Hmm? This lute?" Thema said as she pointed to the instrument on her hips. "Don't quite remember. Had it as long as I can remember."

Gaius huffed as Nikki and Blank wandered off towards the castle- Or towards wherever the hell Nikki had decided to lead them. But with his path clear, the iron giant trudged onward, out of the market district and towards the castle grounds. Hopefully nobody else would get in his way.

---

For a moment, the arched entrance way felt alien. It'd been a while since Gaius had been summoned by the king, and longer since he'd felt an unease gripping his throat. He looked up at the morning sky reflexively, but there was nothing there. Nothing except the low-hanging clouds and local feathered friends twittering about, anyways. Gaius huffed again, forcing his body into motion through the castle courtyard, and past his fellow guards, who all greeted him with a subtle salute. What a happy bunch! The guards were usually like that. Life up in the sky was quaint, and crime was sparse. A shimmer of sunlight caught water in the courtyard's fountain before striking Gaius's helmet. He rose one hand to block his eyes and picked up his pace ever so slightly, hailing each guard that he passed on his way to the castle's main entrance.

Arriving inside, it was a straight path through a set of double doors and up a small ramp that lead into the king's chamber. Hopefully his highness would be there, and Gaius wouldn't be left waiting for his return.

((collab with @chukklehed))

Nikki’s proposed shortcut was indeed shorter, even though Blank didn’t follow quite as fast, needing to keep an eye on where he stepped instead of knowing the safe spots by heart as the young woman clearly did. Nonetheless, the pair made excellent time to the castle. However, instead of heading for the training grounds once they were past the wall, she made for the kitchen door. The head cook, a giant of a man with broad shoulders and nut-brown skin, greeted her moments later. He had a strong voice, and while he seemed suited to his apron and the dusting of flour on his front, he would likely be no more out of place at a forge. “Nikki!” he exclaimed, teeth shining white in his dark face. “What trouble are you up to today?” The young woman grinned back. “Nothing much, Delshad~ Gaius is going to see the king! And I was thinking I could...ah...look in as well.”
“He might not be pleased with that, Nikki,” the large man cautioned.
“True, but he’d have to notice me first,” she replied blithely. Delshad shook his head. “Ah, I know it is useless to try to convince you not to try,” he replied, switching his gaze to Blank. “You poor lad, I have no idea how you keep up with her. But do try to keep her from getting in too much trouble, yes?” Amusement glittered in his dark eyes. “And here, before you go.” A massive hand held out a small pasty to each of them. “You in particular need to put more meat on those lanky bones of yours,” the man said to Blank.

Blank smiled sheepishly and gratefully accepted the food. “Thank you, Delshad, I’ll do my best.” He lingered for a moment, uncertain. Delshad handed out extra food like it was going out of style, but Blank always felt a little guilty for taking something he hadn’t worked for. The cook wouldn’t hear it when he tried to pay for it though, so he was at a loss. He did turn to follow Nikki again though, waving one last time to the friendly chef.

By the time he caught up with her, Nikki was almost to the stairs. She was moving a bit more slowly now, making sure her footfalls were quiet. “C’mon, if we go to the gallery, we’ll be able to listen in without being seen~” she told him softly, before continuing on. The few guards were easy to avoid -- this was not her first time slinking about the castle, and inside had far fewer roaming soldiers than out. She knew their posts, and paths to avoid them. The gallery itself wasn’t someplace she’d been more than a couple times, mostly because the throne room was primarily for business (or so she believed). But if Gaius had been summoned, maybe it would be interesting -- he was a knight, after all. And besides, if she knew what he would be doing, it was likely an opportunity would present itself for a prank. The teen could already see the irritated set of his shoulders and tilt of his helmet. She grinned.

---

Tivo idly quirked a brow in response to Themba's answer. It certainly wasn't an answer he was expecting, that's for sure. Really, her reply only piqued his curiosity further. One of the first things the boy noticed was just how short she was. There were't many women that he knew who stood at the stunted height at which Themba did, and he would admit to himself that he certainly wasn't tall either.

Quite abruptly, Tivo allowed for the equipment he carried on his shoulder to simply fall off of his shoulders and land on the ground with a 'thump' before taking a seat right in the middle of the path, as if preparing to settle in for quite a while. The boy, after assuming a criss-cross sitting position on the ground with his hands upon his knees, looked up at Themba. As he eyed the woman, he took in the various details adorning her body -- jewelry, face paint, sandals, the relatively revealing top. Her apparel greatly interested Tivo, but that was probably because she seemed to contain a carefree soul akin to his own. Also, what he especially noticed was her hair, which was incredibly similar to his own. This sort of hairstyle wasn't one he had seen often in Heron.

After shifting about some to adjust himself into a slightly more comfortable position, he rattled off his first question.

"That's pretty interesting, I gotta admit. Can you play it well?" A moment afterwards, another question came to his mind.

"Oh, can you sing, too? Written any songs yet? Can I take a look at some you've written down? I mean, if you've written some down."

@Pacha

At dusk, the king got up and began to shuffle his way toward the doors of the castle.

The dimming light made clear the streaks and flashes in the sky: the meteors were falling thickly across the stars, a light show that the village had gathered in the streets to watch. Every telescope was pointed at the stars. Gliders had been grounded to avoid blocking the view -- though an occasional rebel swirled overhead, much to the outrage of those watching from below.

Just as the king reached the open castle doors, a huge streak of white light passed overhead. The village let out a collective gasp of wonder as the falling star lit up their faces. It spanned the sky, flashing and burning all the way into the distance. It disappeared on the distant horizon with an explosive flash that lit up silhouettes of mountains. A few seconds later, they could hear a low rumble like thunder.

The king had made it to the banister outside the castle. He raised an arm and shouted to the wind and to the people gathered on the streets below -- but not a word of what he said could be heard. He coughed and wheezed, then motioned for his attendant to come close.

"His Majesty the King of the Island-in-the-Sky," the attendant shouted clearly to the people of the village, "hereby proclaims that at the first light of dawn a search party shall gather at the eastern cliffs for the purpose of retrieving the star we have just witnessed to have fallen." The attendant paused and stooped a bit to hear what the king was mumbling. "One out of the party that returns with the star will be named heir to the throne. The rest will be appointed to the council and will be made royalty." The attendant stood idly for a moment, assuming he was finished -- but leaned down again when the king tugged on his sleeve. "To anyone who plans to gain these rights deceitfully -- the king himself promises to kick your ass." The old king grinned and nodded slowly, hunched over his staff.

The town criers made certain this message was spread throughout the village and its outskirts and the ruins beyond within the hour; gliders and messengers and carrier pigeons scattered throughout the islands. The starry sky was calm and clear.

---

At dawn, the Weather Man floated above in his balloon, signaling the spot where the adventurers would gather. Crowds of villagers brought cakes and dried meat, lengths of rope and filled backpacks, repair kits for gliders and hooked lanterns for night-flying, hoping to send off the search party well-stocked and well-fed. None of them had ever been to the surface, but all of them had warnings or questions or requests for souvenirs or stories. All of them wondered, behind their smiling faces, whether any of the explorers would ever return.

The sun rose behind the distant mountains, marking the spot where the star had fallen. Between here and there was a sea of forest and mist, and a spiraling flock of sparrows.

Sera blinked at the little creature, then she smiled. "You want some?"
She ripped off a piece of pie and laid it next to her on the bench inviting the furred one to jump up and nibble on it. Sure enough, the little critter did exactly that and Sera happily petted it. In moments like this, Sera's tough-girl surface melted away and her soft, caring core showed.
But only until she caught herself. She straightened her composure again, waved goodbye to the little animal and went shopping for foodstuff and other necessities needed for another expedition.

---

Hours later, the sun had already set when Sera finally finished all her preparations for her scavenging hunt that would begin as soon as the sun was up. She planned to go to bed pretty soon, but for now, she enjoyed watching the orange sky and the light show above it. Suddenly the sky lit up even more as a blue-white star races across it and plummeted towards the ground. A shattering white light banished the orange of the setting sun for a moment, before a shattering sound made the ground beneath her wobble.
She wasn't very superstitious, but such a thing certainly carried some meaning, even for her. Maybe it was the heavens telling her to stay at home, but maybe the opposite, she wasn't sure.
However, she was sure as soon as she heard the town criers call out the will of the king, whose castle was literally on the other side of the island from Sera.
"I'd never have any monetary trouble anymore... no more fearing to die from starvation...", she contemplated.
She had packed her stuff for a multiple week journey anyway and she could certainly stretch it to a period of 2 months. There was one thing she did need to do before she started.
Sera grabbed her trusty stick from her rack, moved into her tool chamber and grabbed an iron halberd head and proceeded to nail it onto the stick fitting quite perfectly.
"Great!"
Carefully she swung the halberd and poked a stuffed bad with it. Satisfied with the quality of the new weapon, she nodded, hung it onto the rack from which she took the stick earlier.

---

Even before the sun had fully risen, Sera was already up and on her way to the mentioned meeting point. When the sun rose past the horizon's edge, Sera sat in the dirt at the meeting point, her legs crossed, her skirt covering them and her halberd lodged into the ground next to her quite menacingly.

A collection of metallic clanks resounded as Gaius' armor breathed. The titanic knight knelt before his king with an open ear, half expecting an order to mobilize the guard. A preposterous thought, he was sure of it. An upset echoed past a duo of nearby pillars, catching his attention for a split second, but he remained resolute, grinning under his metal mask as he heard Sarah's voice denounce the sneaky intruders. She was as reliable as she was beautiful, as her husband Richard put it. Gaius was never one to disagree with praise. His thoughts drifted back towards the king as silence seeped back into the throne room, but what he heard next was far less climactic than what his mind had whipped up.

Sera? Tivo? That quiet boy? He thought to himself, glancing at the slits in his helmet. Why am I tasked with the safety of children? Gaius shook the thought with a visible twist of his neck and nodded. Was that all? An order bordering on prophetic and unsound predictions? What did the king know? Gaius rose to his feet, turned away from his highness, and made his way out of the throne room with unsteady steps. His armor wobbled loudly, but it didn't help to distract from the eerie feeling that proceeded the King's announcement. Something was going to happen.

---

Gaius found himself on guard detail outside of the castle perimeter when the announcement was made. The meteor shower was splendid, or so he'd heard. Unfortunately for him, the big oaf had dozed off prior to the event, missing the spectacle by a mile. That's what he got for overworking himself like a mule. What would the guard do without him? Probably goof off and let the entirety of Heron fall into anarchy. Yea, that sounded just about right.

Well, like it or not, they would have to learn to manage without him for a while. Gaius felt the need to join the search party himself, confident that without his experience and leadership, those who decided to venture forth would be utterly lost in the world beneath him. Honestly though, even the captain of the guard was sure to lose his bearings if he was thrown into the realm of the unknown. His decision was final, regardless. This star was important enough to his highness that it commanded a hefty reward with its retrieval. Yet another reason for Gaius to join the search. What if an unworthy citizen was to return with the star? He was certain that it would plunge the kingdom into darkness. Or something to that effect, anyways. Sera, Tivo and that strange man from a land far off would have to do without his protection as well. Surely the king wouldn't mind too much. His orders were vague, and without reason, after all.

---

A chorus of rattling metal rang over the hill, drowning out the subtle breeze and migrant avian creatures rather abruptly. Hark! It was the all-too-familiar calling card of Heron's captain of the guard! In the past, many took heed and turned their necks towards the sound of his glistening jade-stained armor when he approached! It was hard not to when every subtle movement that the gargantuan man made offset every other sound in his immediate vicinity. What a ruckus.

Gaius was surprised to see that somebody had arrived before him, so much so that he paused at the foot of the meeting spot with a loud 'Clang!' and stared at Sera from several yards away. "Oho! Your profound punctuality continues to beset my reputation, Sera!" Gaius chortled, creaking back into motion. He found his way across the clearing to the girl's side and grasped the edges of his armor's waistline. This was one of the children that the king had mentioned before this whole event had thrown his citizens into a state of wonder. Was it a coincidence? Bah! He had hoped to escape the king's vapid musings. He'd already written off the star-fall as a coincidence, irrelevant to the king's prophetic words, but for this girl to have volunteered the same as Gaius? "I'd not have pinned you as a girl for dangerous adventure!" Gaius heaved, unsure of where this day would take them.

"You don't have to do this, Kel," A man said, his husky voice tinged with sorrow.

"It's been pulling at me, Glenn, and I can't deny it this time," A young woman responded, her silvery tone just barely above a whisper.

An old key on a ring dangled from one slender finger off Kelari's outstretched hand in front of Glenn. He rubbed his bald head and shuffled in place, dark eyes flicking aimlessly about their modest home. A crackling fire in the hearth filled in the silent minute as he thought it over.

He pressed his lips together as he stared at the key, then suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

"You're as stubborn as you're mother," He said, shaking his head.

Kelari offered him a shrug and a short smile.

Glenn hesitated for a second, then took the key and pocketed it. A smile masked his disappointment, but he gave her a nod of understanding. "I know I'll never be able to convince you otherwise."

Another brief intermission of crackling flames, accompanied by Kelari rhythmically tapping her fingers on her thigh.

"The parlor will be fine under your management," she assured him.

"Hah, I was hoping I wouldn't have to open the shop in the mornings anymore but, ah it's been a good many years."

The two laughed along with each other for a little while, but it the awkward melancholy from the thought of possibly never seeing each other again hung thickly over the both of them.

"If you're really ready to leave this all behind," Glenn said, moving for a wooden lockbox settled against the wall, "You should... take this with you."

Kelari curiously shifted closer on her tip toes to get a look over Glenn's shoulder. Bear of a man as Glenn was, Kelari was tall enough to see over him even still.

Using the same key Kelari gave him, he opened the lockbox and took out an object wrapped in a dark cloth. Carefully unwrapping it, he revealed a dagger in a leather scabbard. He regarded the supposed heirloom with a ghost of a smile, running a couple thick fingers along the rune-covered scabbard.

Kelari looked on with her mouth hanging slightly open and a breath caught in her throat. Those runes were familiar, somehow. Colors and shapes entered her mind, as if a dream long since gone tried to remind her from the oldest of memories, or jumbled words of a book she could barely recall reading.

"It was her's," he explained, "I think if you're going to go out looking for her, you should take it with you." The dagger laid flat over both Glenn's palms, and he offered it to Kelari.

After all this talk and posturing, Kelari actually hesitated. It became difficult to move as it settled in all at once that this may finally be when she finds what was missing in her life, but also that she might never return. She swallowed hard. The call to action was made by the king already, and there was never a better excuse to make for the surface than to find some mystical wish granting stone. With any luck, if she was anywhere near and still alive, Kelari would find her again. But, there were friends here. A comfortable home and living that could provide for the rest of her life.

Yet somehow... it didn't satisfy her.

Kelari's resolved hardened in her icy blue eyes, and she took the dagger without another moment's hesitation. She winced, clutching the scabbard in both hands, then stepped in and wrapped her arms tightly around her uncle's torso.

Glenn lifted his arms in surprise at first, then enveloped his niece in a powerful embrace. He could just barely feel her shaking as she dug in her nails. Stroking her hair gently, he whispered, "If she's out there, I know you'll find her somehow. Come back to us, you hear?"

---

Once dawn came, Kelari had enough time to settle her heart and mind to where she could confidently join the others at the meeting spot. Now all rested and sated, with a brass-colored cloak wrapped around her for warmth in the chilly morning air and a well-stocked backpack given by one of the villagers, she felt a little more ready to tackle the unknown.

Some familiar faces came to see her off, giving their best wishes to Kelari before she left for the surface world. The head librarian said he would certainly miss Kelari, but if she comes back that she better be adding her own stories to his library. Readers would be dying to know all about the surface world.

After seeing a few others for some extra odds and ends for the road, Kelari peeked over the crowds to find other faces she might've missed. Blin was going to be missed. She loved telling her outrageous stories to him, but maybe when she came back he'd be old enough to get that tattoo he pestered her about for so long.

Eli... known accomplice to Blin, and makes just as good of company. Always nice when people appreciate the work of an artist.

When the thought of Lee came around, Kelari absently clutched the necklace around her neck. A trillion cut aquamarine set with a pair of silver wings hanging on a leather cord. It was the best replication of that old necklace that Kelari could ever get, and Lee was the one to craft it for her.

Kelari hopped up and looked around again. Maybe she could see a few more of her friends before leaving.

Lee puckered her lips as she looked around the shop. No one was home, it seemed. The woman sighed and turned back, a little disappointed to have missed Kelari. Oh well, maybe later on in the day, she'd thought as she waved hello then goodbye to a few people that had addressed her on the street.
Humming a tune under her breath Lee made her way back home, dropping the groceries onto the kitchen table. The mess her brothers and father left behind from breakfast made her sigh in exasperation as she began to clean the mess. "Oh your Daddy's rich and your Ma is good-lookin'. So hush little baby, don't you cry," she sang, the clash of metal against metal from a door or two down not bothering her in the least. "One of these mornings you're going to rise up singing. Can you spread your wings, can you take flight? But till that morning, there's nothing that can harm you. With Daddy and Mami, standing by," Lee sang, looking out of the window as the sun winked at her from behind clouds.

The day passed slowly but Lee didn't mind, going about chores that didn't really need redoing and making sure the house was in order. Watering the flowers and plants, making sure no little night buggers had eaten any of her vegetables.
Lunch time happened around the afternoon, Lee cooking with a bounce in her step, gently picking leaves out of her brother's hair before sitting her family down. It was an uneventful meal, Lee watching them devour the food messily and somewhat like animals.
When they'd finished Lee received a kiss from her father on the cheek, letting him get back to work after he'd thanked her. She took her brothers out behind the house and proceeded to continue cleaning them off. The boys were almost always covered in mud, scratches and scrapes from their adventures around Heron. Lee washed and bandaged their cuts before sending them off to their rooms to finish their studies.

Night fell eventually and Lee watched the town grow sleepy and quiet, the skies painted with a violent brush. She sat outside in her little woven chair, the fabric of the blankets lining it soft against her back. The woman plucked a match from her pocket and struck it against the side of the house, pulling out an ivory pipe and lighting the insides. Calming scents of lemongrass and lavender filled the air around her, a slightly bitter but familiar taste filling her mouth. Lee loved to sit back like this when the world was growing quiet, loved to stare up at the sky knowing her family was safely inside. Just as she was about to exhale though, a bright flash shine across the sky. Once, twice, then many more times. Lee watched in stunned fascination, pipe forgotten. She'd never seen anything like it in all her life. Right after it was over, Lee swallowed, not sure how to react. She hurried inside, dumping the smoldering content of the pipe outside before doing so and then made her way to her bed, remaining there until the next morning.

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A star. Someone was shouting loudly about a star. Trying not to fall all over herself, Lee scrambled to the window, leaning out as far as she could to hear everything. Her mind instantly went to her brothers, the rest of her brimming with curiosity. Without a second thought she got herself ready, changing into something a little more protective, leather boots feeling strange as they hugged her calves and her usual breathy tops replaced with something more sturdy. Packing a bag of basic necessities, she thought of the adventure she would be departing. It was possible she wouldn't ever return. But finding the star guaranteed a good life. It meant her father could rest easy and her brothers would have a better life. Lee's hands hovered over an old blade her father had made for her as a gift, a single pale green gem in its hilt. Her heart hurt at the idea of letting go of her family but at the same time, she believed it was necessary. Right now, anyway. So with a determined huff Lee was off, both excited and nervous.

Finding Sera at the meeting spot didn't surprise Lee too much. The girl had determination and a knack for weaseling out of the toughest of situations, so she'd heard. Gaius however, she did not expect. Both people stood out like a white mare in a thunderstorm, Gaius being as tall and Sera well, just being Sera. Lee's dark eyes flew over faces, most of the people being ones she didn't know. That was fine. Honestly, Lee didn't know how this was going to go. If they were going to split into groups or go off on their own. But all her thoughts were happily kicked from her mind when she saw a figure far too familiar to be anyone else but her. Containing her excitement, Lee strode forward and put a hand to the woman's arm to get her attention, all nervousness forgotten. "Kela? It's really you! I'm so happy to see you," Lee smiled, her greetings for Sera and Gaius suspended at the moment.

Sera let out a chortling chuckle. "Maybe you as a 'royal guard' should step up your game! Otherwise you might oversleep your king's assassination!", she exclaimed mockingly, but remained happily seated. Clearly Sera wasn't one for the respect of nobility, not out of spite for nobility, no, but more that she didn't see them as special, just ordinary humans and as such, she'd treat them as ordinary humans.
And as such, she treated Gaius like she would anybody else she didn't particularly care about other than being a target for her enjoyment.
However, there was somebody she did care, at least a little, about, who wandered past, apparently also taking part in this expedition, so Sera waved back at Lee just before she was distracted by another girl, Sera thought to know, but wasn't sure.

She turned back to Gaius as he questioned her place in the expedition. "Har har! Alsmot starving to death does that to you. But I didn't take you for somebody who'd abandon their King to go on an adventure.", she giggled. "Or were you, by chance, sent as some sort of envoy?" The last statement quite audibly was uttered in spite, but if you knew Sera well enough, you'd know, she didn't really want to hurt Gaius saying such things, but she just couldn't help it, poking fun at people, insulting them. It gave her such a good feeling in her chest and she could still be nice to the people she actually liked.