12th Ymiden, 718
They'd popped to Mistral village with the aim of selling some items she'd crafted from wood, picking up some more wood and maybe learning about making musical instruments and instead, they'd found themselves fighting off attackers and helping out in the investigation afterwards. So, that hadn't entirely gone as planned, Vega considered with a smile as she pulled a small package wrapped in parchment out of the supplies she'd popped into town earlier on to pick up. But then, in fairness, this was them. When did it ever go as planned? Rarely enough that, if it ever did, they'd both get suspicious, she'd wager. She'd gone into town early, while he'd been doing something with that bloody cast iron pot of his which she'd nearly killed some time ago - some kind of coating or treatment or something or another. Mostly it just sounded like gibberish to her.
Besides, Vega had wanted to pop to the dance school she'd told him about some time before. Not that she mentioned it before she went, he might have decided that it was just too good an opportunity to miss, him with his balletic talents and all. So, when she got back she had a look on her face which told him she was pleased with herself about something. Which wasn't entirely true.
She was pleased with herself about a number of things.
"Hey," she called, as she returned to their camp and then beamed in delight as Zyqat, her dog, ran up to meet her. "Hello, boy, have you been good? Have you, oh, I bet you have, come on, did you get a single belly rub while I was gone? Did you?" The dog and Vega got on enormously well, she adored it and was soft as could be with the thing. Zyqat, in turn, transformed into a tongue-lolling, rolling on the floor, cute little pup whenever Vega was around. When he'd said that she was well trained by Zyqat, Arlo hadn't been far from completely right and Vega knew it. But she also didn't care. "Come on then, lets go show Arlo what we got, shall we?" He was growing and growing, Vega thought and scratched him behind the ear before getting up and grinning at Arlo.
"I know what yer thinkin', you know. It's written all over your face," she teased and moved over to him, slipping an arm around his waist and kissing him. "He's a good dog. Did you do the schmurdle-urdle-umph you wanted to with your pot?" Vega's lips lifted as she teased him and she bumped her shoulder against his. "So, I went to the dance school I told you about, an' guess what?" Whatever it was, there was no doubting that she was pleased, more than a little. "They teach musical instruments, an' singin' too!" They could teach her to play the cello, she said, and the piano, flute and harp too. Singing too and dancing. "Only thing is, it's like, well expensive. But that's alright, I've got coppers saved an' there's no pockets on a funeral pyre, so I might as well spend them as store them." She was pleased, there was no doubting it. It would mean that she could get a basic grasp of those four instruments - the classes were paid for in blocks of five, so she'd have five classes in each. "I can book them up in a group, or space them out, I don't mind. What're we thinkin' about stayin' here or movin' on?" They hadn't considered it, and it wasn't like them to plan but still ~ she wanted to do this so wanted to make sure that she booked the lessons in the right sort of space of time. "If I've got time an' money," money would be the issue, but she didn't say that. "I'll do some dance classes too. Maybe singin', I dunno." It was all a bit odd to her, really, the idea of going to a school. She'd never been a student before, not of anything or anywhere and so it was exciting, but she felt a strange nervousness too, which she covered in brash.
Once they'd worked out timings, Vega bumped against him and smiled, slightly ruefully. "So, I got all the stuff you wanted. An' I met this kid," she watched him as she told him the story, which was entirely true. "He looked well desperate, Arlo. His shoes had holes an' he looked poor. Not like someone pretendin' to be poor, neither, you know? Sunken cheeks an' the lot." So, she explained, she'd felt bad for him. Vega had no idea that she'd been taken in by good make up, but that was what had happened. "He said he had these magic beans, an' I mean, I don't think they're really magical, but it would be cool, though, wouldn't it?" Solemnly, she handed him three, small, beans.
"An', look." she said, passing over a very crumpled piece of parchment. "He wrapped them in this for me, an' I reckon that's a map. Do you think it's a treasure map, Arlo? We could go look, couldn't we?" Yep. Hook, line and sinker, she'd been played. The 'map ' was a piece of parchment drawn on and then soaked in tea to look old. But it had been a child with good make up to look poor and hungry and a really good skill at acting.
And so, Vega had bought it. "Don't ask me 'ow much I gave him. I'm not tellin' you." Vega said, primly. "But if that little chap buys some food out of that three gold an' two silver, then it'll be well spent. So, do you reckon this is a treasure map?" Looking at him, it had to be said she looked nothing but believing and hopeful. "An' those might be magic beans, don't you reckon?" She wasn't tugging at his sleeve, but it was a close thing. "Can we plant the beans an' then go follow the map?"
Besides, Vega had wanted to pop to the dance school she'd told him about some time before. Not that she mentioned it before she went, he might have decided that it was just too good an opportunity to miss, him with his balletic talents and all. So, when she got back she had a look on her face which told him she was pleased with herself about something. Which wasn't entirely true.
She was pleased with herself about a number of things.
"Hey," she called, as she returned to their camp and then beamed in delight as Zyqat, her dog, ran up to meet her. "Hello, boy, have you been good? Have you, oh, I bet you have, come on, did you get a single belly rub while I was gone? Did you?" The dog and Vega got on enormously well, she adored it and was soft as could be with the thing. Zyqat, in turn, transformed into a tongue-lolling, rolling on the floor, cute little pup whenever Vega was around. When he'd said that she was well trained by Zyqat, Arlo hadn't been far from completely right and Vega knew it. But she also didn't care. "Come on then, lets go show Arlo what we got, shall we?" He was growing and growing, Vega thought and scratched him behind the ear before getting up and grinning at Arlo.
"I know what yer thinkin', you know. It's written all over your face," she teased and moved over to him, slipping an arm around his waist and kissing him. "He's a good dog. Did you do the schmurdle-urdle-umph you wanted to with your pot?" Vega's lips lifted as she teased him and she bumped her shoulder against his. "So, I went to the dance school I told you about, an' guess what?" Whatever it was, there was no doubting that she was pleased, more than a little. "They teach musical instruments, an' singin' too!" They could teach her to play the cello, she said, and the piano, flute and harp too. Singing too and dancing. "Only thing is, it's like, well expensive. But that's alright, I've got coppers saved an' there's no pockets on a funeral pyre, so I might as well spend them as store them." She was pleased, there was no doubting it. It would mean that she could get a basic grasp of those four instruments - the classes were paid for in blocks of five, so she'd have five classes in each. "I can book them up in a group, or space them out, I don't mind. What're we thinkin' about stayin' here or movin' on?" They hadn't considered it, and it wasn't like them to plan but still ~ she wanted to do this so wanted to make sure that she booked the lessons in the right sort of space of time. "If I've got time an' money," money would be the issue, but she didn't say that. "I'll do some dance classes too. Maybe singin', I dunno." It was all a bit odd to her, really, the idea of going to a school. She'd never been a student before, not of anything or anywhere and so it was exciting, but she felt a strange nervousness too, which she covered in brash.
Once they'd worked out timings, Vega bumped against him and smiled, slightly ruefully. "So, I got all the stuff you wanted. An' I met this kid," she watched him as she told him the story, which was entirely true. "He looked well desperate, Arlo. His shoes had holes an' he looked poor. Not like someone pretendin' to be poor, neither, you know? Sunken cheeks an' the lot." So, she explained, she'd felt bad for him. Vega had no idea that she'd been taken in by good make up, but that was what had happened. "He said he had these magic beans, an' I mean, I don't think they're really magical, but it would be cool, though, wouldn't it?" Solemnly, she handed him three, small, beans.
"An', look." she said, passing over a very crumpled piece of parchment. "He wrapped them in this for me, an' I reckon that's a map. Do you think it's a treasure map, Arlo? We could go look, couldn't we?" Yep. Hook, line and sinker, she'd been played. The 'map ' was a piece of parchment drawn on and then soaked in tea to look old. But it had been a child with good make up to look poor and hungry and a really good skill at acting.
And so, Vega had bought it. "Don't ask me 'ow much I gave him. I'm not tellin' you." Vega said, primly. "But if that little chap buys some food out of that three gold an' two silver, then it'll be well spent. So, do you reckon this is a treasure map?" Looking at him, it had to be said she looked nothing but believing and hopeful. "An' those might be magic beans, don't you reckon?" She wasn't tugging at his sleeve, but it was a close thing. "Can we plant the beans an' then go follow the map?"
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