[Elena]

Earlier that day, Elena had been surprised when Nate had absent-mindedly told her that she could have the day off. Although she admired the 'Varian for his kindness to others in healing, he had never spontaneously given her the day off to squander as she pleased. For a moment, she had been surprised and waited for him to tell her the punchline, but it had never arrived. After asking where she could go outside of New Alexandria, he had muttered something about 'Espur', and then wandered out the back silently. She would investigate what was wrong in the morning.

So, after taking the portal to Espur, she had no idea where to go and no transportation to use. It was times like these that she regretted not being able to fly, and with a small frown asked for directions to some form of stables. She had been graciously directed to a man on the outskirts of the town, who had loaned her a Landstrider on the condition that she returned him the following morning, and at an affordable price to. Mounting the creature, however, was a different story, and he helped her up with an 'oomph' and a chuckle at her as she adjusted to the slightly humped back. Fortunately, the animal was quite an easy ride, and responded dilligently to the basic commands she had been taught by the stable owner.

It would probably have been a good idea to obtain a map of sorts, but she was too eager to see something new, so she rode and kept checking that Espur was in sight. The day was rather pleasant for winter, the sun was shining brightly overhead and kept the frost at bay. She was wrapped up tightly in a nice coat, with a scarf pulled up under her chin, and a thick woollen jumper on underneath everything. Mittens on her hands prevented her freezing and being unable to guide the Taroch, much to her gratitude. The creature didn't seem to mind the weather, though.

After about an hour along the road, Elena and her new 'friend' had made a few miles of progress. They had followed a river, and now seemed about a good time to dismount and pull out the sandwiches she had made for her lunch at work, and to wake the little squirrel that was wrapped somewhere in her scarf. “Hey Ginger, hey buddy. You want some bread? Does the ickle baby want some bread? You do don't you?” She crooned a bit more at the squirrel, who took the bits of bread in his little claws and munched them in the sunlight. He seemed quite content to stay in her scarf, which was probably a good idea since he was so ickle. As Ginger ate, she tied up the Taroch and wiped away the snow from a fallen tree, and gently ran her head down the muzzle of the big creature.

Days off were the best.

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[Kiel]

Like, Kiel wasn't usually sent across country; he was a city courier, a street runner, a messenger. Like, you know, he wasn't some daring adventurer who set off every day ready to face off bandits and monsters and... Oh, like, wait.

Okay, so, like. He was kind of a daring adventurer. But, like, you know, only when he was ready for it. And not every day, you know? He kinda thought sometimes that if he had to deal with that stuff every day, he'd die at the ripe old age of 500, with his heart bursting out of his chest yelling "lemme outta here!"

Dealing with Zeph on a daily basis was enough torture for him, you know? The thought of potentially running into a pack of gytrash every week scared the holey socks off him.

Except, like, Marty was mean and scary when he yelled. And Kiel actually, truly, really didn't mind the extra running. It was just that thought of the gytrash, man, you know?

“Wah, I hate gytrash!” he told a blade of grass as he raced down the track north out of Espur, headed for one of the outlying farms. He was pretty sure this track was the safest route, you know? Like, monsters, at least, didn't tend to get this close to the city. Unless, like, they were hungry or something. But bandits? Like, “Dude, bring it on!” 'Cause, like, bandits he could handle, for sers.

He even patted his trusty katana, where it bobbed along from the ties at his waist, to prove it. It was totally a pity Shane couldn't tag along, though. Like, he wasn't sure what the weather would be like further south, and she hated when he was working 'cause he couldn't give her enough attention, you know? Suck, like, major suck.

Slowing his pace from, like, breakneck blur to a humanly managable jog — just 'cause, like, he totally needed a snack, man, and there was a 'strider stopped ahead of him and he didn't want to race into an ambush — he slowed even further into a fast walk and then a slow one as he got closer to the 'strider. He could hear a voice, then, and as he rounded the humped beasty's rear end, he spotted the Anyeli and his face lit up with recognition.

“Wah! Like, dude, hahahaha, what're you doing out here, man? Wahahahaha, I can't believe it.” The chances of them meeting up again by accident were pretty slim, like, considering they weren't even in their home town. “How cool is this?”

[Elena]

Winters in this area seemed to be pleasant, unlike the harsh winters that they had to endure in the Dusky Mountains. Homesickness for the mountains washed through her, and when she swallowed she had a lump in her throat. She longed for the vistas you had in the mountains, the cold wind biting at your cheeks and being wrapped up, safe from the icy reaches of the snow and gales.

She wondered what her family were doing right now. Were they gathered round a roaring fire, sharing stories and recounting the events of the day? Or were they talking of her and Christopher, away from home, with their own lives? The lump in her throat remained, and she stroked Ginger's fur until the lump faded and she was calmed once more.

Pressing her cheek against the little squirrel's warm fur as he settled down to nap once more, Elena looked up to see the familiar form of the 'Varian. “Kiel!” she exclaimed, shocked that they had met again in somewhere that wasn't the shop. “How are you? What are you doing here? Yeah it's cool! You want half of my sandwich?” So many questions spilled out of the Anyelos. “It's just cheese, mind.” She handed up the half as an offering, and then continued to talk.

“It's nice here! Nate gave me the day off, I don't know why though, he was all mopey. Maybe he's lovesick, there was an Aurumus round the other day and they argued. So, go on, what are you even doing here?”

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[Kiel]

Kiel eagerly took the sandwich, not caring if it was just plain cheese or even just plain bread. He was starving, man, for sers!

Ramming the thing between his teeth, he used both hands to pat himself down in search of the snacks he was sure were stuffed in his pockets somewhere. Unlike most 'Vari and dragons, he didn't have a problem with taking stuff — food, really — from others, but like most dragonkin, turnabout was fair play. He had to give something back. Besides, he was the type to share, you know?

Except his hats. His hats were his, you know? Unless he was jokingly letting Shane or Derry wear one...

Finding a pack of mints, he plucked fluff off the one at the unwrapped end, then decided it was safer to just throw that one out and re-wrap the remainder. Then, tossing the pack into Elena's lap, he plucked the sandwich from his mouth and chewed heartily, a huge grin on his face. “Dude,” he said around a mouthful of bread and cheese. “You're a life-saver, man, for sers. I was sooooooo hungry.”

With no mind to warming down, he plonked himself on the grass beside her, still grinning. He only answered her question when his sandwich was gone, though — which, like, totally didn't take long. “Hahahaha, I'm a courier, you know? I usually only run around Alexandria but, like, Marty was all — ” Putting on a fake, low voice, even though his boss's voice was actually more of a throaty tenor, Kiel flapped his hands and exaggeratedly mimicked, “ — You good for nothing! Get to Espur and do this, do that, run off a cliff and drown.”

Marty hadn't actually said all that, but it was usually kind of what Kiel heard. “So, like, here I am, middle of bandit country, and, like, wah! I really, really hope I don't run into any gytrash, you know?” The last, however, was totally a whisper as he leaned in close to Elena's ear 'cause, like, he didn't want the 'strider to find out he was scared of shapeshifting dogs, hahahaha.

[Elena]

It was pleasant to just sit and eat the cheese sandwich, so craftily and artistically made by Elena herself. She was a complete connoisseur of sandwiches, and to her, sandwich-making was an art. An acquired skill. The perfect sandwich could only be mastered by those who knew the exact ratio of cheese to butter that had to be used, and what bread went with different types of sanwiches. For the humble cheese sandwich, crusty white bread was the best to use.

“Oh, thanks Kiel, I think mints for half of my sandwich is a good trade,” she said gratefully with a playful grin, munching her sandwich, quite glad she had made it earlier today. And sandwiches tasted even better when you shared them with someone cool, too, on an amateur tour of Espur.

Elena laughed at his impression of his boss, and helped herself to a mint, then passed one to Kiel and patted the Landstrider affectionately. “Can you run fast, then? You must be a good courier if he sends you all the way over to Espur, so at least you know you're doing the job right, you know?” She herself had been doing pretty well at work. She was growing in knowledge, and now things like wrapping bandages and stitching up wounds had become second nature to her. And, her mentor had said that he would soon begin teaching her to heal with her abilities! Life seemed good.

“Bandit country? Nate never said that. I asked him where I should go to see a new place, and he said Espur. Who tells a peacekeeper to go to a bandit-infested country?” Really, if she was confronted with bandits, what would she do? She could blind them, but that wouldn't last long enough to do a runner. And she wasn't exactly famous for being athletic. “What do you have to worry about anyway? You have that sword thingy. Can you use it?” She had grown up amongst swords and weapons, but still couldn't name them if you showed them to her. Her dad was extremely skilled with a sword, whereas her mother preferred the bow. And that was about the extent of her knowledge of weapons.

→ Piper's Boutique | Beyond Tonight | Odette Yustman ←

[Kiel]

Kiel had stuck his tongue out at her sassy remark about his mints, but, like, she totally had a point. They tasted kinda funny, like they'd been in his pocket way too long, but, like, that couldn't be true, right? 'Cause, like, he usually ate his snacks within a week or two, and had to replace them before they could go off...

Sucking thoughtfully for, like, a second, he was quickly distracted by her question. “Wahahahaha, I'm so fast, man, for sers!” Putting his arms together, he whizoom!/i]ed one hand up and along the other forearm and made out like he was faster than light. “Hahaha, but, like, I dunno, I think Marty's just trying to get me killed, you know?” He didn't, actually, and she could probably tell by his wink and grin. As much as he complained about the dude, he was pretty fond of Marty... except, like, not in the same way as he was fond of his other boss.

“Bandit country?”

Hearing a bit of panic in Elena's voice, Kiel frowned, but then he nudged her shoulder with his and his pink [i]red eyes sparkled. “Like, nah, you should be okay if you stay close to the city. They usually, like, ambush caravans a bit further away than this. Just, like, be on guard, okay? 'Cause, like, pretty girl like you, with a 'strider?” He nodded pointedly, as if he'd actually finished the train of his thinking that she'd be a nice, easy target. “Wah! And, like, watch out for gytrash, okay? Blegh.” His tongue came out and his face scrunched up way more than it needed to, but, like, that was just how much he hated them. Like, it was bad enough before he and Zeph got ambushed by a bunch of them on his farm, but now — blegh.

“You have that sword thingy. Can you use it?”

That, to a Rutilus, was like taunting a vlareon — especially for a runt who'd been laughed at his whole life about his size and tormented by other 'Vari for being a "kid playing with toys" rather than a warrior worth his salt. Like, the very first time Zeph took him to the dojo in Nirim, he almost got swatted like a fly 'cause the other trainers were laughing at him.

So Kiel immediately shot to his feet with a horrified pout on his face as he ripped the katana free from his sheathe and held it up like a trophy. “Dude! For sers I can use it! Like, I killed a lion with this thing, you know? Like, a desert lion!” And, like, okay, so the thing had nearly eaten him in the process, but it was dead and he wasn't, you know?

Giving the katana a couple of swishes through thin air to show his prowess (although, really, all it did was make him look like that same kid playing with a toy), he puffed out his chest and totally made like a Zeph. “Like, dude! I never asked if you could bandage a foot, like, right?!”

[Elena]

Elena had never ever been bothered by the high-esteem that her parents were held in as warriors. She had watched them spar on numerous occasions, and using weapons was a skill, but she would rather counter violence with defensive tactics. Like the light shield she had been working on, and which she had improved since she started. Or that blast of light she could now manipulate to blind any hooligan that wanted a piece of Elena Dalianis.

Surprised when Kiel leapt up and drew the sword, she blinked several times and cocked an eyebrow. “That's quite an achievement. My parents are warriors, great warriors! Actually, all of my family are warriors, except me and my brother. Tends to lead to some awkward family reunions.” She shrugged it off and grinned. You could hear the disdain and mock interest in some of her family member's voices when they asked about her peacekeeper studies. She didn't blame them, though, something like this was quite a revelation in a family of undisputed warriors.

But, what could be done? She didn't mind that they were shocked, and in fact some of them were rather supportive, and even one or two expressed regret for not joining the peacekeeper caste. Elena drew her attention back to Kiel with a small grin, and adaped to a tone of faux modesty. “Oh, bandaging is second nature to me now. I'm the queen of bandaging now, and splints, and stitches. I could probably do it with my eyes closed.” She winked playfully. While she had gotten quite good at practical stuff like that now, she still had room to improve and develop her skills. “Can you use any other weapons?”

→ Piper's Boutique | Beyond Tonight | Odette Yustman ←

[Kiel]

Elena's total, like, ignorance of his temper tantrum totally deflated Kiel and he stood there like a lemon, his katana still raised and his mouth wide open on the verge of another outburst. Like, “Weh.”

Kiel didn't usually lose his temper. Like, he was a good-natured guy, you know, who couldn't hold on to a grudge if it killed him. But, every now and then, it was like he had to let off some steam, you know? Only she'd burst his bubble before it was fully formed, and now he was just... gaping at her like a fish in a bowl.

“Can you use any other weapons?”

That kick-started his motor again, and he pumped the air with his fist as the other hand slid his katana back into its sheathe. “Like, totally, man! Zeph gave me these hook swords, right, for my 477th birthday, right, and, like, he can't use them himself, wahahahaha. But, like, I don't get to see my instructor very often, you know, so, like, I'm not great with those. But! Like, I can totally throw knives at people, wahahahaha.”

It occurred to him then, very briefly, that telling a healer how bad-ass he was at killing stuff probably wasn't a great idea but, like, it was already too late by then. Besides, the only thing he'd actually killed was that lion; usually, he just kinda ran around yelling a lot.

“But, like, I gotta go. I'm still on duty, you know? Like, come with! Haha, it'll be fun. Is her saddle for two?” He wasn't actually asking Elena, though, already hopping over to the 'strider to check out the specialised saddle on the back — and not bothering to check under "her" to see if she really was a "her".

[Elena]

Quickly shoving the rest of her cheese sandwich into her mouth, Elena jumped up and dusted herself off, which gained an indignant squeak from the little squirrel in her coat. “Sorry, Ginger!” She began to untie the Landstrider, then paused and said, with reflective philosophy, “Hey, I wish I'd brought a flask of tea. Or some cake. After you've done your delivery, we should get some tea and cake. Mmmm.” What an intellectual.

She petted the great beast and cooed to her affectionately. Next time she visited Espur, or anywhere, she was going to get a pegasus! Or she was going to learn to fly. But that probably wouldn't happen for awhile, so her best bet would probably be to just borrow a pegasus of somebody. And she would love it, and care for it, and they would fly and sight-see. She felt like a little fledgling at the thought.

Mounting the 'strider, she grinned at Kiel and gestured for him to sit in front of her. “You can use the reins. I did it on the way here, it's not too hard, and the 'strider is really nice to ride.” She briefly explained how to start and stop and trot and gallop or whatever, then braced herself for the ride. “Just don't get us killed. And watch out for bandits.”

→ Piper's Boutique | Beyond Tonight | Odette Yustman ←

[Kiel]

Elena's explanation as he hopping into the saddle made Kiel giggle. He took up the reins like a pro, but waited for her to finish before twisting his head to look over his shoulder, pink eyes sparkling, to say, “Like, yeah, my family owns a 'strider farm, wahahahaha.” He didn't do it to be mean or humiliate her — there was no way she could have known — but the idea of someone telling a farm boy how to count chickens was just too funny.

And then he showed her stuff the stable hands wouldn't have, like clucking his tongue to get the 'strider to move instead of speaking. Like she'd said, taroch were really nice to ride. Like, they were the perfect first mount, 'cause they (usually) didn't get antsy and were incredibly easy to train. A nudge of his knee here, a click of his tongue there, and they were bouncing nicely down the dirt track. It was one of the few times he preferred not to open his mouth, man, just 'cause this was how his dad taught him to ride.

"A good war mount doesn't need verbal commands, Kiel. They're silent, and you're all the more deadly because of it."

Of course, like, taroch weren't great war mounts to start with, and Rutilus didn't usually use anything but dragons in battle anyhow, but, like, it was one of the first things his dad taught him, before they realised that, like, he was a total runt and probably wouldn't be joining his father's Sept anyhow. “Wahahahaha, I showed him!”

Half-spoken non-sequiturs aside, Kiel was totally having fun, man. “Like, it's cool, man, I'll protect you! And then, hahaha, you can totally patch me up after!” Although, more likely, he'd yell for Zeph and die.

[Elena]

“Oh.” She reddened up, then giggled and apologised. “Then hey, you'll be a lot better than I was. The 'strider must have been mentally mocking me for being such an amateur.” As they started off, she silently debated about where to put her hands so that she didn't fall off and have to bandage herself up or something. So, she decided on just kind of, hovering around Kiel's waist without breaching any personal space bubbles.

A good healer would carry bandages and stuff about with them. Or at least, Elena did. She was always willing to help others, a major strength in her nature - or weakness, as it meant she could be manipulated for the selfish desires of others -, and sometimes felt like it was an unspoken duty she had been given by Xanth or something. In carrying around medical supplies, she could help others without having to charge them. Nate ran his shop because he needed an income, and it wasn't exactly fair to provide his services without a fee, but sometimes in the shop she felt bad when she had to request payment.

Listening to Kiel carefully, she felt a bit silly for relaying her tiny store of Landstrider-riding knowledge. Ah well, he was cool, and he wasn't going to rub her face in it and say 'hey, you suck at riding'. “That's impressive! He probably wouldn't even listen to me. Ginger doesn't even listen to me. Last week, he was running up the curtains, and he just sat on the curtain pole and looked down at me. I swear he looked smug.” It was true. He hadn't came down for two hours.

“Oh yeah! You can wave your sword, and scare them off, and they'll run off all, 'who's that fearsome 'Varian?'” She laughed at the thought. It wasn't that Kiel seemed like a bad warrior, it was more that he just seemed so relaxed. “What are we delivering? Maybe you'll get a nice big bonus when you get back to New Alexandria, for your excellent work in covering distances. Nate never gives me bonuses, he's so stingy.”

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[Kiel]

“The 'strider must have been mentally mocking me for being such an amateur.”

Kiel giggled but shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't think animals could understand like that, 'cause, like, Xanth knew Shane was plenty communicative. Just, “Nah, man, they're pretty cool, you know?”

It was kinda cool having a chick hanging on to him, too, although, like, probably one of those things he shouldn't tell Zeph. It wasn't the same as a kiss like with Phenny, but, like, dude. Kiel didn't want to almost break up again, you know? He was still kinda shocked the dude had even come after him that time.

“Wahahaha! Derry's like that, man, she's total nightmare sometimes.” He said this affectionately, though. And, like, it wasn't even his job to keep Zeph's imp dragon off the stuff she shouldn't touch, which was probably a good thing since, like, he accidentally instigated a lot of her randomness. Shane totally listened to him, though. Usually.

And Elena totally redeemed herself from that whole "what kind of warrior are you anyway" thing by exaggerating how bad-ass he'd be if they actually got in trouble, then made him laugh again at the thought of a bonus. “Haha! Like, for sers, man, Marty wouldn't know a bonus if it jumped up and bit him in the ass, you know? Hahaha! They should totally get together and be all, like, have a stinge competition and stuff, hahaha.” Except that would probably give them both ideas that Kiel and Elena would rather they not have.

“I dunno what I'm delivering though, man, for sers. Like, it's just an envelope. Marty never tells me, he's all "client confidentiality" and stuff. Although, like, this one time, I was asked to deliver a fish head, man, for sers! Like, what the heck, you know? AND the dude I delivered it to totally slapped me in the face with it!” He'd stunk of fish for days after, and he'd started a family feud. Well, like, not him, but the stuff he'd been asked to deliver.

“Like, but, hey, hey, where were you headed, anyhow? Not much out here, I don't think, you know? All the good stuff's back that way.”

[Elena]

At least she wasn't crossing any boundaries. She was very careful regarding physical contact with others, even people she liked such as Kiel. It seemed that people were easily offended, and she could understand that when there was sometimes hostility between races and stuff. Like between Skotadi and Apali; she really didn't get that. They were both the same race, they were both Anyeli. It seemed more sensible to band together rather than fight and spar with each other.

As Elena listened to Kiel, she leaned in near to his back so that the cold breeze wasn't stinging her cheeks and making her eyes water. As Ginger became restless from the movement, she transferred to one of the pockets on her coat, taking off her mittens to keep him warm before replacing her arms carefully around Kiel. “Who's Derry?” She had heard Kiel mention things she didn't know about several times, and also to voice half-sentences, but she hadn't enquired up until now.

She laughed when he mentioned a stinge competition between their bosses, that would be kinda interesting to see, except that it'd be her and Kiel who would suffer. And Nate was pretty competitive too. He always kept an eye on the shops of his competitors, and sometimes on her way to work he made her stop by this one healing shop that was on the way. Once, he'd made her go in, and feign interest, and memorise the prices that the Peacekeeper owner had up. A laugh escaped her at the thought, and she shook her head. Nate could be unintentionally funny.

“Your job sounds fun. I kinda like mine, actually I like it a lot, I learn loads while it's my shift. But the work load fluctuates, which is annoying, but then again, you can't expect the same people to injure themselves at the same time everyday can you? Except the 'Vari of your sept, I normally get to treat them when they've been bloodied up during a morning training session or something.” Loads of them were really stern and serious, or often were friends with Nate and were disappointed when she served them and not Nate. Some of them were jolly, though, and would tease her and stuff. Those types of people pretty much made her job worth doing.

She shrugged, though he couldn't see. “I don't mind, I wasn't going anywhere in particular. Nate just said to go to Espur for sight-seeing, but he didn't say where to go or anything because he was all mopey this morning. I dunno really, I spent my entire life surrounded by grey rock and vistas in the Duskies, but I never got to actually see anything. And it's cool, you're one of the few people who have actually been nice to me and talked to me since I moved to New Alexandria. Most of them are too busy with their own stuff, you know?” She shrugged again. It was not that she minded, it was just that she kinda needed to settle in properly, and making friends would aid that endeavour.

→ Piper's Boutique | Beyond Tonight | Odette Yustman ←

[Kiel]

Kiel was totally enjoying his conversation with Elena, man, for sers. Like, it was actually two-way, you know? Instead of being all, like, zoning out and just nodding, or letting him do all the talking. Like, he liked to talk, that was for sers, but he liked it more when they talked back.

So as he steered Elena's 'strider toward his destinations, he explained about Zeph's excitable imp dragon and how'd they'd rescued her from the fiery pits of death (like, Zeph's forge, haha). And then he had to elaborate about Zeph himself, since, like, it was hard to describe Derry's antics and how they were funny without also explaining that Zeph was a grumpy-boots way, way worse than Nate!

He commiserated with her about her job, or, like, more like he laughed at all those 'Vari she'd met, and agreed that the species as a whole needed to "totally lighten up, man".

Like, it was totally cool that they took it in turns to, like, blabber on about stuff that probably nobody else would want to hear. Enough that by the time they drew to a halt outside the farmhouse he'd been directed to, he was offering her his COM number, even though at some point he was pretty sure she'd mentioned that she didn't have one herself. Like, it was for when she did get one, you know?

“And anyway,” he finished as he hopped down out of the 'strider's saddle. “I'll just be, like, half a minute or something, hahaha. And then!” he suddenly tacked on excitedly, “I'll totally show you around. You just gotta see the Espureum, man, it's awesome! It's, like, way cooler than Alexandria's coliseum, you know?” Others would disagree, since Espur's was way older and, like, falling to pieces, but to Kiel that was the best part — watching it and its island crumble into the ocean.

Although, if people were still able to use it, then the crumbling wasn't happening fast enough to be really exciting... “Wahahaha!”

Hopping the few yards to the door, he knocked thoroughly, using the tip of his forefinger to poke the brim of his hat upward a bit. Like, folk got antsy when they couldn't see his face properly, you know?

And when the door creaked open to reveal a portly woman in, like, her fifties or something, Kiel drew out the envelope he'd been tasked with delivering, and whooped out, “TA-DAAAAAH!”

---

I hope you don't mind me skipping bits of their conversation. It just seemed appropriate, somehow.

And now I have to actually go write up the Espureum. Ack.

[Elena]

As Kiel talked, she listened intently about his friend Zephyr. He sounded even worse than Nate, but hey, Kiel was one of few 'Vari she knew that didn't seem to display that grumpiness and haughtiness. Though, many of the Anyeli she knew were just as bad! Lots of Anyeli were prideful and often very taciturn with each other. Was she the only one who didn't understand why they were so stern?

That could be the case, but as she looked at the back of Kiel's head, she realised that he also probably didn't get why everybody wss so stern. She could be serious, but that was usually when it came to her studies and job. And even then, she had a jolly sense of humour. For example, to annoy Nate, she had contemplate tying a bandana round her head to show how devoted she was to learning about plants, but she'd figured that he wouldn't laugh so she would keep that joke for another time.

Coming to a halt, she released Kiel and followed him down off of the 'strider to stretch her legs while he completed his delivery. He blabbered out his COM-thingy, and she shrugged and said she didn't have one but that when she did get one, she'd request it from him again. Besides, she didn't even have anything to write it down with, and the only places she could write it were on her arm or maybe on the haunch of the 'Strider. The stable owner probably wouldn't appreciate, though.

Elena watched Kiel prance off, taking a little stroll round the 'Strider during his absence so that she didn't cramp her legs and become like, bow-legged or something. At the thought, she pretended to draw two daggers from her hip, and held the imaginary blades up to the 'strider. “Hey pardner, Espur ain't big enough for the both of us.” In reply, the 'strider cocked its head curiously and snorted in what she imagined as a derisive laugh. “At least you have humour, huh?” She wanted to keep the 'strider down. They obviously had a special bond, she thought as she mounted the 'strider again and ran her hands through its mane while waiting for Kiel.

→ Piper's Boutique | Beyond Tonight | Odette Yustman ←

[Kiel]

SLAP.

“Wah!” Kiel stood there in the woman's doorway, rubbing his reddening cheek vigorously. Like, “Dude! Don't kill the messenger, okay? Like, I didn't write it, I didn't write it!” Whatever had been in the envelope, the woman hadn't liked it.

“Pass it on!” yelled the woman, as if she hadn't just slapped a total stranger. Man, this job sucked sometimes. “And you can tell that two-timing son of a vlareon that if he ever shows his face around here again, I'll take an axe to his [m]”

At that point, Kiel's ears just, like, totally shut down, man. No guy ever wanted to hear something like that, you know? Even if the dude deserved whatever he got.

With the door slamming in his face, Kiel shuffled back to Elena and her 'strider awkwardly, his face bright red. Like, he didn't normally get embarrassed, you know? He'd grown up with, like, a bunch of siblings all sharing bathrooms and stuff, and his younger cousins, his nephew and niece, used to pass out with him on his bed after playing themselves into exhaustion, so it wasn't, like, you know. But, like, having a chick hear those kinds of threats... somewhere in the back of his skull, his self-preservation instincts were kicking in, and hoping that she wasn't going to get any ideas, you know?

“Wahahahahaha, that was weird, it was weird! Like, but, you ready to go, man? 'cause, like, I think, if we stay here much longer, she's gonna go find that axe or something...”

[Elena]

After petting and probably irritating the 'strider, Elena looked up to see Kiel being viciously smacked in the face. She didn't know how to react, but as he started to walk away, she pretended she hadn't seen it - for the sake of his dignity. She was quiet, observing his red face and debating giving him one of her famous awkward one-armed, back-patting hugs.

In the end, she didn't. Elena and physical contact was strange. It felt weird to be touched by people she didn't know, in fact, even though she was over a hundred years old she still rubbed her mother's kissess off.

She was silent before she replied. “Oh, erm, yeah I'm ready! I wish I'd known this would turn into a whole touristy affair with you, I would have packed a massive picnic basket or something. So, where do we go now? You should probably ride again.” She slipped back in the saddle, leaving a gap for him to climb up next to her. “Tell me more about this Zephyr you keep talking about, Kiel. You said he's your boss?”

→ Piper's Boutique | Beyond Tonight | Odette Yustman ←

[Kiel]

“Wahahaha, picnic. Like, but that gives me an idea, you know?” He'd discovered, totally by accident, that Zeph's, like, billionth birthday was coming up, so, like, yeah.

Hopping up into the saddle, Kiel clicked his tongue to set the 'strider in motion and headed them back toward the city. Like, he would have kept them to the outskirts just to avoid, like, all the traffic and stuff, but he'd promised to give her a tour and most of the good stuff was where the traffic was for a reason, you know?

Between boasting about his boss/boyfriend, and telling her various stories about his life with the muscle-bound, girly-haired freak, he pointed left and right and told her everything he'd heard about this and that touristy spot. What he'd heard, like, ranged from the totally outlandish and never-in-a-zillion-years, to the hrm-that's-possible and wahahahaha-I-believe-it! but, like, the number of things he actually, factually knew about Espur could be counted on one toe. You know?

“Hey, hey, like, last time I was here, the guy I was delivering to [m] he had, like, this weird-shaped package, like a star, you know? But, like, it was this weird pellet thing he said came from, like, a windfur, man, how cool is that?! [m] said that the house he lives in used to belong to this famous pirate, right, back before he was a pirate? Or, like, before he was famous, at least. Like, which way was that...?”

By now, they'd reached the main hub of the city and were nearing the docks, so the streets were kinda writhing with people. Maybe if they went onto the promenade, like he had last time, he'd get a better idea of which way he'd gone. Assuming Elena was even interesting in seeing a pirate's house...

[Elena]

That sounded so weird, two Rutilus 'Vari in a relationship. Kinda took the whole 'grrrrr, I'm lusting for a fight, grrrrr, I'm so terrible and strong' stereotype out of perspective, she thought with a smile. But, then again, Kiel kind of also was completely unfitting to that stereotype. Spending her entire life surrounded by dull grey rock, snow-capped peaks and war-stained Anyeli, it was actually really refreshing to meet Kiel and his many stories about his boyfriend.

She was actually interested to hear about Espur, and was unsure about the accuracy of some of Kiel's anecdotes about different landmarks and stuff, but it was better than her knowledge of zero. She occasionally asked questions, - and by occasionally, that was all of the time - but she liked to hear about things. They seemed to plough through the people and carts and other 'striders, and whenever she looked down she could see a massive sea of different races and people, including quite a few Anyeli as well. That was comforting, she thought, especially when one or two nodded or smiled at her in acknowledgement.

“...belong to this famous pirate, right, back before he was a pirate?” Kiel instantly had her complete attention. She loved stories of the sea, she loved the sea and everything about it in general, especially pirates. Elena reminisced of when she had been smacked in the back of the head by Christopher's crude wooden pirate sword, and she smiled happily. “Pirates? Is the sea round here? Can we go and see the sea? Oh, I have dreamed of this day! I love the sea! I always wanted to go. My grandad had books and paintings of the sea, and, and, and, there was loads of stuff about pirates!”

The words tumbled out of her mouth, and the pitch of her voice escalated until her speech was probably just a high-pitched slur. She was excited! After all that time dreaming, hoping, reading and annoying Christopher with questions, she could finally see it. If Espur had pirates, it had to be near the sea!

→ Piper's Boutique | Beyond Tonight | Odette Yustman ←

[Kiel]

“Dude!” Kiel crowed, giggling at her excitement. Like, she reminded him a lot of ChloChlo, you know? She was the only one of his siblings who shared his exuberance for, like, anything. Even Tad's enthusiasm for reading just kinda presented as, like... "blah blah whatever". Actually, one of Kiel's biggest fears, if he ever bothered to stop to think about it, was that Chloe would grow out of the excitable phase and, like, outgrow him, you know?

But, like, who wouldn't get excited about pirates, you know? Except, well, like, probably the people being killed and robbed by them, he guessed...

“Sure, sure!” Stirring the 'strider into a trot that scattered the walkers ahead of them, Kiel turned the corner [m] and there it was. Like, if she hadn't been so busy following his gesticulating "tour", she'd probably have seen it already. “Like, you know, the whole of Espur sits on the shore, you know. Like, on a clear day, you can totally see Marport, man.” You couldn't, actually, 'cause Marport was, like, more than four hundred miles away as the dragon flies and there was a whole heap of rocks and land between them and the Dardanian town. Kiel had been on the boat home a couple of times and even then, he'd been disappointed to realise that he couldn't see the town [m] the town that meant he was halfway home [m] until the very end of the ocean run. “It sucks, it sucks,” he chanted, forgetting to fill in the gaps so she'd probably think he was saying that being able to see Marport from here was what sucked. “But, like, when you do see it, man...” It meant he was halfway home.

Well, like, a third of the way, at least. More than a third. Like, between a third and half. Yeah.

“Let's go look at the ships, okay?” He was already stirring the 'strider (he really should ask what her name was, man, for sers) toward the docks, letting his butt bounce in the saddle. “Wahahahaha, maybe we can get, like, a seafood platter or something. I'm so hungry, man.” Not kraken, though, 'cause, like, he was planning on buying some for Zeph's birthday and the stuff cost more than his life was worth.