Escape (Lexus)

[Vala]

30th of Spring 511 AV 2nd Bell Wind Reach The room was littered with shreds of paper; a blanket was strewn across the floor; and a chair lay overturned by the fire pit. In the corner sat Vala, placidly twirling her quill between her forefinger and thumb. She stopped, putting it down at her side. She picked up her head from her knees to look at the wreckage; she giggled. After going over forty eight bells without sleep, Vala was starting to feel - as in like get hit in the face with a sledgehammer, the effects of her insomnia. Vala gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for at least keeping her control until her regulated two day break from work in the Enclave, but ever since Fois, Vala was left to wallow in her hate and rage without a Dek to torture, the fear of getting caught again was still too recently burned in; not even praying to Priskil was enough to stay sane anymore. Vala wanted to get out; Vala needed to get out. The lithe girl ran out of the trashed room, slamming the door behind her, not even bothering to lock the door behind her. The light pitter patter of her footsteps echoed in the near empty halls of Wind Reach, so early in the morn. Vala snarled at the few Dek impertinent enough to look up at her passing form in curiosity. She ran without purpose, without destination. She slowed down when the smell of bread and soup wafted to her in the tunnels, filling her nose and thoughts. She wiped away at the few droplets of sweat that ran down her forehead, which was now an marked by an unhealthy pallor. She wandered over to the kitchens: it was empty save a lone Endal and a handful of kitchen staff preparing for the day. As a chiet, Vala had limited access to food outside regulated meal times, especially if it was several hours before dawn; it was times like this she appreciated her overachiever nature and random hobbies. A few of the staff recognized Vala as she walked up to the line. She was feeling so very light headed that she just went on autopilot, relying on her innate cuteness as a barrier to maintain a comfortable distance from others. “Good morning Vala, up early today. Working at the Enclave?” One chef asked. The physical hunger, the hunger for food, began to weigh more on Vala than her inner turmoil, distracting her for a while. A loaf of bread, filled with nuts sat on a nearby counter; Vala eyed the small loaf with lusting eyes, mouth a watering. Her head snapped to the side when another Endal walked in. His hair was a mess, his eyes heavy lidded from grogginess, he had just woken up. His thick boots silenced his unbalanced footsteps to the food line. He stepped in front of Vala. “I’m hungry. Have you made the breakfast meal yet?” He asked the chef gruffly. “No? We’ll I’ll just have that loaf of bread and a bowl of soup. Thanks.” He nodded to the chef and walked over to the other Endal eating his early breakfast. A low growl emanated from deep within Vala’s chest. Scarlet tinted her vision, specifically saturated on the Endal that had just swiped her breakfast from under her nose. Thankfully the chef behind the counter spoke up before Vala could charge the man in wild abandon. “Hey, don’t worry Vala. We’ve actually got a few more loafs baking, I think a batch should be ready now. Hold on, I’ll check for you.” The lady walked off, returning in two chimes with a warm loaf in one hand and a small bowl of soup in the other. “Here you go Vala. Can’t wait till the next time you help us out here in the kitchens; enjoy your meal dear.” Vala’s eyes clouded with tears from the act of kindness. The red faded to a dull haze. With breakfast in hand, Vala sat to a table some what close to the Endals, her ears pricking up, to subtly eavesdrop to their conversation. “I can’t believe I agreed to... this damn early. I ... far too knackered from last … this.” Vala missed a few words as they talked with bread in their mouths. The other Endal scoffed. “We’ll it’s your fault you decided to see your Chiet at Thunderbay last night.” The first Endal punched his friend on the arm. “You’ll … have to deal. You … not mess up today though. We’re falling... on our quota. Wind Reach needs meat.” “Bah.” The first one grunted. “You’re no better. You’re just lucky your girl is working here in the city. You’d be doing the same if she worked at Thunderbay.” They continued to talk of their morning hunting plans; Vala listened to their every word as she sipped her soup. She closed her eyes so that she focus on listening. She soon grew bored of their talk of eagles. The one snippet that did hold her attention was the bit about Thunderbay. Sleep deprivation mixed with a need to do, a need to go, a need to achieve finally pressured Vala to come up with the fantastical notion of visiting Thunderbay. Vala finished eating her soup, leaving the empty bowl for the Deks to wash. A handful of kitchen staff trickled in, relieving a few to go eat some breakfast themselves. The kitchen began to buzz with activity. Vala pinched off a piece of the nutty bread, picking out the nuts and popping them into her mouth. She crumbled the rest of the bread in her hand. As she passed the Endal who had swiped her first loaf she subtly tossed the handful of bread crumbs into his shortly cropped ginger hair. She managed to keep calm as she walked out of the kitchens, maintaining her composure and refraining from giggling wickedly. Vala walked back to her room, nibbling contentedly on her loaf of bread, enjoying thinking about her little prank on the Endal. She walked in, still ignoring the mess, grabbed her journal and travel pen and walked out to the Sanikas Pass. Vala may not traverse out, beyond the city gates often, but as an educated Inarta she was smart enough to know the way to Thunderbay was through the Sanikas Pass. What she didn’t know was how long it would take... Vala with a nutty bread loaf in one hand and journal in the other, began to walk to the seasonal community of Water Reach on a search for an adventure and hopefully a distraction from herself. “People go down this road all the time, whats the risk of me getting hurt?” She muttered under her breath. Slivers of golden light began to penetrate the horizon, lighting up Skyinarta with the burgeoning day.

[Lexus]

1.5 bell The sun had set some time ago. Lexus arose from his tent, near the beginnings of his soon to be home. As he stepped out, arms stretched towards the waning crescent, letting out a yawn-sigh of relaxation, he scoped out his horizons, trying to pick up any scents. “Mmm,” Lexus muttered to himself when he smelt the trail of a hare that had passed by his tent some time during the night. Leaning forward slightly, Lexus began his transformation and soon, he was in his more comfortable form of a White Siberian Tiger. He began a slow trot in the direction of the trail and picking up on it, continued. The scent grew stronger and Lexus approached some relatively fresh scat. Leaning down on his front paws, he brought his nostrils in close and took a short inhale, processing the scent to determine the proximity of the hare. Couldn’t take me more than 10 minutes to catch up to this one. Lexus thought. Continuing his quest for breakfast, Lexus could tell the hare was within eyesight, but instead of looking around, he took the more assured approach. He crouched down amongst the brush and waited. He listened, knowing that if he made a noise, or moved, the hare would spring away, and Lexus was in no mood for a chase, especially not for a tiny hare this early. He waited, and waited, another ten minutes went by and the scent of the hare seemed to envelope him. Good, it must be moving around in this area, that means he may pass closely without realizing I am here. Lexus’ legs began to tire from the crouched position, he was hungry. However, he knew ‘The patient one gets the prize.’ His ears perked up, he could hear light hopping sounds coming closer. Using a combination of his nose and ears, he was able to place the hare in his surroundings, it was 7 feet away, over a small bush, at his 2 o’clock. His eyes strained to see through the opaque bush. Confident in his decision, Lexus leaped over the bush. While in the air, he noticed the hare a little bit further than anticipated, he outstretched his front left claw, hoping to pin it as he landed. Thud! All four paws landed together, his left forward one pinning the poor hare to the ground. It thrashed about, making more noise and squealing. Not good, now all the animals around know of my presence, it will be tough finding meat to sell. Lexus realized. He quickly brought his jaws down over the neck of the hare, breaking its neck, ceasing the noise and letting some of the blood out. Lexus started by licking up the spilt blood off of the hare’s fur. He then carefully sliced open the hare’s coat and devoured the meat all the way to the bone. He was so hungry, he ate some of the organs, including the liver and the heart. He kept the fur, knowing every penny counts.Quickly he dug a 2’ deep hole and buried the hare’s remains. As he did this, he realized how easily the same thing could happen to him by a larger predator. That hare was enough to eat for now... Lexus’ thought trailed off as he was looking for another scent. A breeze blew, Lexus picked up an unidentifiable scent. Putting his two front paws on a near by tree, he placed the hare’s fur between two branches, securing it from being taken by the wind. He quickly marked the tree by placing his weight on a low branch and snapping it off. Lexus trotted off in the direction of the new scent. As he grew closer to the origin of the scent, he was able to see the moon, now a little higher in the sky. The unidentifiable scent was coming from a little lake, not quite a pond. Over 50 geese were on it’s shore, resting in the moonlight. Lexus crept closer to the sleeping geese, he did not want to make it a slaughter, so he was looking for weaker ones to take, no more than three, just enough to make a living. as he crept closer to them, he past one nest, a little goose awoke at the snap of a twig and made a shrill call, alerting all of the other ones. All of a sudden, the silent night was disturbed by the call of dozens of geese, the males began to hiss and snap at him while approaching in great number. Needing the geese to back off, Lexus took a firm step back, accidentally stepping on a wing of one of the geese, and let out a strong roar. This made all of the other geese flee, most of them flying. There was one, who could not fly well, it couldn’t sustain its flight for more than a few yards, and even then, not gaining more altitude than an elephant's jump. Picking this one out as weak, Lexus chased after it, made a short leap, and landed with a dead goose hanging from his mouth. Lexus turned around to see if there was any other geese left. There was. The one unfortunate goose whose wing was crushed under Lexus’ weight was trying his best to prevent his impending death. Lexus sensed the goose’s pain and swiftly sprinted to it to relieve it of its misery. With two geese in mouth, Lexus started back, it had been four hours and the market at Thunder Bay would open soon. Lexus journeyed back towards the marked tree. On his way, he sniffed another scent. That deer smells delicious, or is it a moose? Lexus questioned, unable to correctly identify it with two geese in his mouth. Reaching hare’s pelt, he leaned up and grabbed, and headed for his tent. Lexus reached his tent roughly twenty minutes before sunrise. Placed his prizes down and morphed back into his human appearance. Leaning into his tent he grabbed a snug shirt, and shorts. Dressed. Then he picked up a sturdy stick, and got some rope out of his bag. tied the necks of each goose to themselves around the stick and laid the hare pelt over it. Lexus took the little bit of rope and closed his tent flap, using a thieves knot. With all of his possessions on his back, he started the 30 minute walk to Water Reach Market.

[Vala]

12th Bell The loaf of nut bread had disappeared terribly fast. It was gone even before the sun had reached the center of the sky. Vala had tried her hardest to nibble slowly, but walking was more tiring than she had first anticipated. Her feet were sore, her legs were burning, and almost as if cued, another pebble wormed its way into Vala’s boot. She hobbled over, off the Sanikas road to an inlet jutting off the nearby Sanikas river. A group of Chiet, farmers for Thunder Bay, passing by on the road, nodded to Vala in acknowledgement as she unceremoniously plopped down onto the ground a few feet away. She slipped off her boots, sighing in contentment. She shook her right boot upsidedown until the tiny devil finally slipped out. She picked it up, delicately, between her thumb and forefinger, and threw it violently into the clear water of the river, ripples disturbing the once peaceful water face. “And stay out!” Vala shrieked. It had taken the small, fairly out of shape girl, over ten bells of mindless walking to travel three fourths of the way down; it would have taken her less time, but Vala had to stop often to shake out her boots. She looked back up, up the way she came. The steep, winding stairs seemed endless. She looked down, down at the seasonal settlement of Thunder bay. The stairs seemed even steeper looking down. Vala scooped a handful of the fresh water from the inlet and drank greedily. The cool water refreshed her dry throat. “What is wrong with me? What in the world possessed me to go down to Thunderbay... I have nothing prepared: only ten Pinions in my pocket... Oh goddess I’m going to die.” Vala opened her journal the next blank page. She began to write with a shaky hand, her letters coming out a barely legible. She tried to write with a little more flourish - in an attempt to practice her calligraphy while writing to keep her sanity. I’m going to die. Well, I deserve to die. Sitting on the ground by the Sanikas Road. I’m so hungry. I’ve been drinking a lot of river water. I have to pee... don’t know where I can. I have no idea what time it is: sometime around mid day? I probably won’t die. Lots of other Chiet walking down, not as many as during planting and harvesting time, but I’m sure someone will find me if I pass out. Can’t pass out though, don’t know what they’ll do to me when I’m out... Sketchy guy just passed... gotta stay alert. Priskil... I need you! Vala snapped her journal shut, eyes misty from tears of frustration. “I want to go home.” She looked up, gaze latching on to the passing Endal lookout riding his Wind Eagle through the cloudy sky. It was a wild fantasy, but it was a little comforting, to imagine the Endal swooping down, picking her up, and carrying her back to Wind Reach: her knight in shinning armor. A stray thought, grazed the edges of her consciousness; she wondered if it was Fois up in the sky, if he was just watching her tear up pathetically. She stood up, almost jumping. She patted off her bum to get all the brown dirt off her black byrda. When she felt sufficiently composed, Vala continued her journey down to Thunder Bay. She was hungry, and she was in no mood to beg from the other travelers, she was forced to continue. The biting pain of hunger was enough to force Vala into a state of agitated lucidity. And so, since she could no longer walk in a placid trance, she resorted to filling her thoughts with childish songs. Though her voice was pleasant to the ears, Vala rarely sung, if ever, in public, because she could never stay on tune unless she was listening to someone else singing beside her. She hummed quietly to herself so no one else could hear her... the song was a little embarrassing too... “One, two, three, four, five, Once I caught a fish alive, Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Then I let go again. Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so. Which finger did it bite? This little finger on the right.” As she finished the song, Vala wiggled her right pinky with a giggle.

[Lexus]

8 bell. Lexus arrived at the back of the Thunder Bay Trader’s store. “Good Morning to you!” Brock greeted, in common. “Nice to see you again, Brock,” Lexus replied. “How was the hunting this morning?” Brock asked. “Went well, wish I had gotten bigger game, but I have these two geese for you, and the pelt from this hare.” “What happened to the rest of it, breakfast?” “Yeah,” Lexus admitted. “Alright, let’s take them inside to be weighed.” Brock led Lexus into the back of the store and placed the first goose on the balance. Like an expert, Brock loaded up the other side with his comparison weights. “Comes to ten pounds, that’s a sliver miza. Hand me the other one.” Lexus picked up the second goose and placed it on the balance for Brock. It was considerably heavier than the first. Brock added more comparison weights. “Comes up to sixteen pounds, that's another 16 copper mizas.” “That bird is worth 2 silver mizas, its got a lame wing, and couldn't fly, it’s filled with fat," Lexus said hopefully. “I’ll give you 17 coppers, and thats it. Gimme the hare’s pelt.” Lexus handed him the casing to his breakfast. “You scratched it a little here, and I'll have to work out this blood stain, then clean up the edges so it can be used for something. I won’t give you more than 4 coppers for it” “Deal.” “You’re total today includes 1 silver miza for the first goose, 17 coppers for the second, and 4 copper mizas for the fur. So, 1 silver, plus 17 coppers, plus another four coppers is 3 silvers” Brock said with a smile on his face. Lexus pretended to do the math to check Brock’s work, then nodded his head in agreement. “Do you want the 3 silvers on your credit, or in hand?” “Write me down for them,” Lexus said, happy he had put more credit on his account at the Trading Store. “ I have to go for now, I may come by later.” “Anytime for you, Lexus,” Brock was happy that this customer who was a horrible trader promised him more business. Lexus started his hike back to his tent, thinking about how nice it will be once he finishes his cabin... on time, before winter that is.

[Vala]

18 Bell Finally, she had finally reached Thunderbay. Vala was almost sure that the moistness in her boots wasn’t just icky feet sweat, but blood - which was definitely far ickier. She didn’t want to take off her boots to find out. Thanks to the Sanikas river, Vala hadn’t passed out from dehydration nor heat stroke. And since it was early spring, the sky was still fairly cloudy and the days still short - it was getting dark fast. Vala hobbled over to the closest building she could spot in the settlement. She had no idea who anyone was. She had no idea where she was. And she had no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t want to look like a complete idiot to a random stranger, especially to a chiet or a dek, and she didn’t want to offend an Avora, so she decided someone working in one of the public buildings would be more helpful - especially since they usually had to deal with idiots all the time. Thunderbay was sparsely populated compared to the bustling city of Wind Reach. And compared to the rest of the major Mizahar cities - it was near abandoned. As Vala opened a store’s door, one which she hadn’t even bothered to read the banner of, she was ecstatic when she noticed food stuffs hanging on a far wall. Like a moth to a light, Vala flitted towards the food, mouth watering. “Oh my goddess. How much does this cost? This piece of cheese here, sir.” Vala asked, her words coming out in a jumbled hiss, to the shop keeper. She didn’t care if there was a public kitchen in Thunderbay, she was hungry now, there was food in front of her, and she was willing to rip off a chunk of her hair for the guy if it meant getting a bite of the delicious piece of cheese just sitting on the shelf, all tantalizing and such. Brock was a little bewildered. He had never seen the girl before but she was obviously of Inarta descent. She dressed like a citizen as well, a chiet most likely, but she had the sharpness in her eyes that Avora or higher had, only slightly dimmed by her disheveled state. “We’ll, the cheese is a pinion, but the public kitchens are just down the road, four buildings over, to be exact.” Thunderbay was a small settlement. It was easy to navigate the public buildings, and directions were almost unnecessary. Brock was a little worried that the girl wasn’t in her right mind, and maybe needed more than just food - maybe a little medical attention. Brock felt a wash of relief when the outsider stepped in - Lexus. Brock knew he couldn’t leave his store unmanned, and from the transactions they had so far, Lexus seemed like a nice guy, albeit a little naive at negotiating. Well it didn’t hurt to try. “Hey Lexus,” Brock called out in common. “Can you do me a little favor?” Brock pulled Lexus off the side, allowing the girl to drool over the food a little longer - she didn’t seem harmful, yet “I can’t leave the shop, but this girl looks like she needs some help. Could you possibly take her over to the kitchens and help her get some food. I think she’s a citizen so she’ll have access. If she’s still acting strange after she gets some food in her, then you can lead her back here and I’ll try to find someone with some healing experience. There’s bound to be a free Avora somewhere.” Brock ruffled his short red hair. “I know this isn’t really a small favor... but she’s like,” Brock tried to estimate her age, but gave up when he remembered how angry women got when he tried to do that. “...young and all. Kind of reminds me of my daughter... So uh... yeah. Oh what did you come in for?” Brock asked.

[Lexus]

17 bell Lexus had been working on his cabin since he returned home, only stopping once to eat an early lunch. As he worked on, he noticed the work becoming harder to do, forcing the blade of the saw more, forcing the plane, his short axe was even becoming difficult to use. He picked up the saw, and studied the teeth. dull, and a few were crooked. Damn! Lexus thought, trying to remember those days in Jonah’s shop, when this problem arose. It didn’t arise often because Jonah’s tools weren’t used to cut through entire trees. Well, he had to have straightened the teeth, and then sharpened them bit by bit. Ugh, what did he use?! Lexus was growing frustrated, all he could remember was Jonah sharpening each tooth individually, and how long it took, and Jonah’s saw was a smaller shop saw than the one Lexus was using. Maybe if i describe the process to Brock, he’ll know what it’s called. Yeah, Brock is a real helpful guy. Well, I’ll also need to get a stone to sharpen the axe and the plane. Lexus was so eager for his hard work to pay off on the cabin, that going to the General Store in Thunder Bay couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Tying up his tent as usual, and grabbing his belongings, he set out for the shop. Lexus Arrived at the General Store at 18 bell. He rarely came to the store this late and wasn’t expecting anyone to be there when he arrived. Brock called Lexus over to the counter, before he even entered the door. Surprised to hear Brock call his attention, Lexus hurried past a girl who seemed to be enamored by a piece of rotten milk. As Lexus passed the tiny-framed girl with striking crimson hair, his nose picked up a whiff, a strong sense of her discomfort, be it pain, hunger, sorrow, or freight, something was not right with her. Lexus listened to every word Brock said and was determined to help out his friend by taking this girl away. Lexus was so bound by Brock’s request, that he had started to walk away before Brock had asked why he was here. Lexus began to walk towards the girl, then remembered about the tools he still had to buy, and simply swung closer to her in his path towards the door. “Follow me,” Lexus said towards the girl in a commanding and somewhat annoyed tone. Lexus continued to walk out the door, and turned right, towards the kitchens. After a few steps out the door, he paused and turned, seeing if she would follow. The sun was starting to dip behind the mountain that held Wind Reach. It was going to be dark before he knew it and he feared that he wouldn’t be able to get back to his cabin to finish the cutting he had started.

[Vala]

The cheese, was just sitting there, all alone on the shelf. The shopkeeper had left Vala to go deal with another customer. And she was far too engaged in pining over the cheese to bother looking at who the new guy was. She was about to just swipe the cheese when someone behind her gruffly ordered her to “Follow me”. She managed to rip her gaze off long enough to turn to the man behind her. It, well he, was an outsider. Smelled like one too. What right did an outsider have, ordering an citizen? Even if she was a chiet, Vala knew she out ranked the beast of a man before her. He towered a foot over Vala - a closer look at his hands, hands that could probably crush her skull with a forceful squeeze, made her reassess her situation - Vala sobered up, quick. “What?” She whispered, flustered at his order. Before she could clear her throat and ask him what he wanted properly, the man had already left the store. Brock ruffled his hair once more, unsure of how to proceed. He walked over to the girl; wondering if she could even be a Yasi, though it was rare to find one in Thunderbay. He switched from common to his more comfortable native tounge, Nari. “I just asked that man to help you to the kitchens. I don’t think just a piece of cheese will be enough to help you feel better-” Brock held up his hand, cutting Vala off before she could protest. “No, please. I’m not going to sell you this cheese...its kinda old too.” He said sheepishly. “Just keep it there for looks.” Not admitting he kept it there because he always forgot to just throw it away. “Now go on, the guy’s name is Lexus. Yes he’s an outsider, but he’s nice. I trust him enough not to do anything ungentlemanly. Oh I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Brock and I’m the general store shop keeper here in Thunderbay. If you are still feeling ill after you eat something please come back here and I’ll try to help you find a healer-” He faltered when he saw Vala cringe. “I’m sorry did I say something wrong?” Healers - why did people always have to mention them all the time. Vala got along fine without them; she straightened her back, trying to compose herself. “Why are you being so kind to me?” Vala asked, skepticism lacing her meek tone. Brock tugged hard enough to pull out a few hairs. “I uh... Well you remind me of my daughter... she liked to keep her hair up in pig tails too.” Vala bit her lip. From his tone and his open body posture, Vala could tell he was being sincere, either that or he was a really good actor. Vala dropped a few of her more aggressive mental and emotional walls, allowing herself to trust the burly man a little. “Well...” She felt uncomfortable in the gaping silence. “Thank you for your help. Lex, was it? Well it seems like he’s impatient to get somewhere, so I should probably... yeah. Thanks again.” Vala bowed, sheepishly. She loved to use people, but she never really knew how to react when they were nice of their own accord, just helping her out of the blue. She slunk out of the store, nearly running into Lexus. It was obvious to Vala, heck, it would have been obvious to a baby, that Lexus wasn’t just human. There was something about his eyes and his gait that just seemed... feral. Vala was unsure what language the outside spoke, and she didn't want to embarrass herself by attempting common, so she spoke in simple Nari. “So uh, Brock told me your name is Lexus. My name is Vala.” She bowed slightly to the stoic man. “Thank you for helping me, I’m sorry if you are busy...” Lexus began walking; Vala tried to keep up. They walked in silence. She was definitely exhausted and starving, but Brock’s kindness gave Vala an energizing second wind. Vala just wanted to get some food, more like devour an entire serving pot of soup, and then be on her way back to Wind Reach. She felt like an idiot for going all the way down to Thunder Bay in a day, but she knew she had to get back as soon as possible, to make work in time. Without proper sleep, Vala was a veritable ball of bad decisions. She only had one more free day before Kirna would be expecting her at the Enclave. She also knew that it would be physically impossible for her to walk all the way up the road without resting - so she would probably, definitely, have to spend a night sleeping in one of the way stations by the road. An unappetizing thought, but better than having to deal with arranging something around Thunderbay. Vala was grateful that she had the common sense to bring her Katinu on her badly planned, impromptu trip, to keep her warm when she was to sleep on the cold earth, exposed to the elements. When they reached the kitchens, the sun had already begun to dip below the horizon. They were close enough to the bay to see the clear water glow a fiery red. It was beautiful and breathtaking. Vala had never seen the bay, let alone at such a beautiful time. She couldn’t help but smile. She licked her lips and cleared her throat. “Thanks again for going out of your way show me the kitchens, you didn’t have to.” She smiled softly, her eyes were too tired to look past Lexus’s chest. “Well, I guess this is goodbye.” She bowed again, bending at the hip till her chest was parallel to the ground. Vala closed the door to the kitchens behind her, without a second look back at the man.

[Lexus]

She caught up, and introduced herself, or he thought she did. He knew she said his name, Lexus. And by her bow, he could tell she was being polite, even respectful to him. She was talking Nari, which he could barely understand. He picked up the words, …name... Vala... Thank you... Sorry.... Lexus did not know how to respond; he thought he had said hello, but it came out as a low grunt, sounding more like an exhale. He peered down at her, checking to see if she noticed his failed attempt at talking. She did not, he quickly looked away. He peered down again, praying she would not make eye contact, she didn’t. Now Lexus could see her face, he noticed how pretty she was. Tiny, but pretty. His eyes saw hers, her shinning dollish eyes. He didn’t know how to introduce himself. She didn’t look up long enough to see that Lexus was surveying her, up and down. He was a confident walker, and didn’t need to see where he was going to accompany her to the kitchens. Lexus mind was racing, he wanted to talk to her, but did not know where to start. At first this girl was an obstacle between him and the stable lifestyle of having his completed cabin, but now, she was something else. Lexus continued to look at her, she either did not notice, or did not mind. His palms sweat at the thought of her finding out that he was kelvic. He brought his hands together behind his back as to not let her notice, they fidgeted. The kitchens were getting closer, Lexus was distraught with the pressure to say something soon, or not say anything at all to this beautiful girl who entered his life so abruptly and unexpectedly. A moment passed, the kitchens were closer, this girl was about to leave his life just as she had entered, by accident. Lexus began to curse himself for being who he was; he did not want to have to tell her about his true animal form, but he did wanted to be her friend, he wanted to find out more about her, this girl intrigued him for reasons he did not understand. They arrived at the front doors to the kitchens. Vala was quite polite, her voice was soothing to Lexus, even though it was Nari. Lexus made out the few words, ...thanks... kitchens... goodbye.... Vala bowed to him again and then walked inside. Lexus stood there a moment, deep in thought. He thought she only bowed to him as an introduction. The second bow must mean she was either afraid of him or respected him, there was no real reason for her to respect him, he had not done much. Lexus really hoped he hadn’t frightened her, it is impolite to scare a woman. Lexus decided, that next time, if he ever does see her again, he will bow to her, to show his respect. Lexus stood there in place, his eyes gazing out to the lowering sun. The beautiful scene stole his mind away from everything else. His body was at peace, his mind, resting. The sun was out of sight, all that was left was the red streaks that faded into purple across the sky. A minute after the sun’s disappearance Lexus remembered why he was in town. Turning around, he walked quickly to Brock’s shop, he did not want to keep at the store late, waiting on him. “Thanks again Lexus for taking that girl down to the kitchens. So why did you come down here so late in the evening?” Brock said as Lexus entered. “I have been working on the cabin, and my tools are getting dull. I was wondering if you could teach me how to sharpen them, especially the saw.” Lexus replied. “Oh, of course, no problem, all you’ll need is a whetstone, er make that two, and a file, no wait, 2.” Brock started. “Mk, I know the whetstones are for keeping the point fine, but why two?” Lexus asked. “Well, you would want two, one to make it fine, and the second is to make it even sharper. However, your first step will almost always be filing,” Brock continued, “ One file will be a small, and fine triangular file for the teeth on the saw, the other will be a flat one, for the plane, chisels, axes, etcetera, anything with a flat edge. To sharpen them, simply drag the file along the blade’s edge, but keep the angle and pressure consistent, because if you don’t you’ll mess up the blade and cause more harm than good. And your best bet would be to pay a blacksmith to fix it. Do you have an edge on you, so i can show you?” Lexus reached into his pack and grabbed his Father’s short axe and handed it to Brock, handle first. “Here you go,” Lexus said. Brock took the axe, removed the sheath, and laid it down on the edge of the counter, holding it still with his left hand. In his right hand he held the file, handle downwards and he glided it along the surface of the edge. “Picture every blade as a saw blade, but with much smaller teeth,” Brock added, “and these teeth bend and fold over, left and right. By filing it, equally on both sides of course, you are realigning the teeth so they can become sharper, together. The act of filing greatly increases the sharpness of your edge.” Brock picked up the axe, after doing a few strokes on both sides and handed it to Lexus, “Here, feel.” Lexus took the axe and ran his thumb perpendicular to the blade, “Whoa,” Lexus responded to the improvement. “Now, you are going to want to use the file much more than I have right now, keep filing until there is no more improvement, you’ll be able to tell. Now onto the whetstones, always start off with the coarser and then move onto the finer ones. Just like filing, you’ll be able to tell when one stone is no longer improving the blade,” Brock kept going. Lexus was fully paying attention, as if he was taking notes. These were useful skills, and Lexus did not want to look like an idiot by having to come back here and asking for instructions again. “Oh, thats right, you will need some oil for the stones. For a smaller blade, especially one that is double, sided, like this knife,” Brock took his knife out of it’s sheath on his belt, “ place a dab of oil on the stone and use a circular motion. The same rules that applied to filing apply here, sharpen all sides evenly and use the same pressure and angles. When you finish on one stone, move to the next. And when you are completely done sharpening, it is always a good idea to rub down all the metal parts with a tiny bit of oil and a rag, this will prevent rust.” Brock stopped, waiting for Lexus to react. “Got it, thank you, oh, and what about for a saw?” Lexus reminded. “Right, hold on.” Brock walked down the counter and bent down, coming up with a short saw. He returned to his sharpening spot. “As long as you did not bend the teeth, you will be fine. If the teeth are bent, then you will need a saw vice to straighten them. Which I don’t have now, but if you need it, tell me, I can order one for you. Back to sharpening, Take the small triangular file, which has three distinct sides, coarse, medium, and fine. Starting off with the coarse side, go along each tooth in the saw, like so, and file them the same as i showed you with the flat file on the axe. Once the coarse side won’t sharpen it any more, move up to the medium, and then the fine sides. This triangular file should work on almost any saw. Oh, and keep your files oiled, just like your blades, because if these rust, you won’t be able to sharpen anything. And that should be all you need to know on how to sharpen the blades you are using. Want me to go over anything?” Brock ended. “No, but thank you so much, I got it all,” Lexus said, tapping his head with his right index finger. “But if any problems should come up, like the teeth being misaligned, or if i run out of oil, I’ll definitely be back.” “Glad to have someone who pays attention so well, So that will be 2 files, one triangular with three grades, a small glass jar of sharpening oil, which should last you longer than one would think, and two sharpening stones. That comes up to eight silver mizas.” Lexus reached into his backpack, took out his coin sac and removed 8 silver mizas, and then took the five items and placed them back into his bag. “Wow, it’s dark outside, thank you for staying here so late to help me. You should get home,” Lexus said as he closed up his bag. “Oh, it wasn’t a problem Lexus, I enjoyed going over that with you, it’s good to brush up on these skills every once in a while. Have a good night Lexus,” Brock said as he locked up the money box and locked it in the counter. Lexus said one final goodbye before beginning his journey back to his tent. He was a little disappointed that he could not continue his work on the cabin tonight, but excited for tomorrow. As Brock was locking up, he remembered the girl who came in earlier, he hadn’t heard anything about her since she walked out. He hoped that she had gotten to someplace safe to stay during the night, for even though the area was protected from the monsters and really dangerous beasts, it was still night time, and there were still wild animals and predators in the woods around the town. Lexus reached his tent, and laid out his things inside it, keeping all of his blades and new files wrapped in canvas to protect them from the moisture.