A Smidge of Magic

Chapter 16

Early the next morning Valethalassa set off for her uncle's chambers. She wanted to see if he had any further parting wisdom, or if he needed to see Ian again before they departed. She dressed in her usual leather armor topped by her green cloak. She'd tamed her blonde locks into a high ponytail. Her bow rested across her back and she had a full quiver of arrows hanging from her hip. On her lower back, a crisscrossed pair of blades rested in their sheaths.

Mal had, in his own way, insisted on carrying her gear as he followed faithfully alongside. It was only one satchel, a spare quiver, and a water pouch since they were going to the city and not back into the wilds. All of it was strapped to a harness of custom leather that Valethalassa had put on him this morning.

When they reached the camouflaged bark staircase, Valethalassa found the magical palm pad unresponsive to her touch. She ignored the nagging sensation of alarm, reminding herself the only possible way to deactivate the stairs was by The Seer's own spell work. It was not unusual for him to seal them when he was in the thrall of a vision, or even a particularly complex calculation. Still, it took a nudge from Mal to convince her that it was time to leave.

With no other recourse, she retraced the path she took the previous night to reach the Star Tree Inn. Upon entering the Inn Lirey directed Valethalassa to the dining hall. The Ranger found Ian finishing his breakfast alone in the dining area. While he had clearly attempted to clean himself up, his clothing remained a sorry sight. If she hadn't known any better, she would have labeled him as a vagrant and one who had seen more than a few hard days at that.

"Fortunes greetings, Gent McClintoc." She said as she slipped into a chair across from him. "We need to get you some new clothing."

Ian glanced down at himself and shrugged. His mouth was full of food. His massive breakfast was a sampling of everything the hotel served. Fruits, vegetables, and loaves of bread piled high on one plate, and a second held nothing but a heap of eggs, the only meat item that Ian could find.

He was chewing a mouthful of Teralass fruit. They were similar to kumquats in size and shape, with chewy yellow skin and juicy red innards. The taste, however, was something else entirely, it reminded Ian of the homemade tiramisu at Porcini Pizza. A little taste of home and a bitter reminder. It was his mother's favorite restaurant. He motioned for her to join him with a wave before he pushed in another mouthful of food. Ian was in some sort of vegetarian heaven. The spices, preparation, and presentation of the food made each bite better than the last. He tried to fend off Vale from taking the last bite of his fruit with a protesting sound but only succeeded in sending juice dribbling down his chin.

Vale deftly helped herself to a few pieces of Teralass, ignoring Ian's protest with a roll of her eyes. She grabbed another piece of fruit from the basket on a neighboring table and replaced her plundered meal.

Ian took a hard swallow and followed it a gulp of hot ginger cider.

"Good morning Vale," Ian mumbled around his napkin as he wiped at his chin. He swept his hand across the buffet before him, "This stuff is amazing! You eat this all the time?"

"Well, yes. Though usually not in such great quantities. Or with so much of it missing our mouths," she teased.

Vale found herself feeling much more lenient towards Ian this morning. After all, The Seer had confirmed his story, which allowed her to relax her guard and look at things from his perspective. And in doing so she thought he was taking it all remarkably well. Vale watched him wondering how she might react if she were forced into a similar situation. Regardless, she had no reason to believe that he was a threat. He needed help, and she was going to give it because that was the right thing to do, orders or not. Starting with his clothing.