Re: Hunting Through Keliac - 119 4A

[Kara Winters]

"Okay," Holly agreed.

She went over to pick up some tatting that she had been doing.

"I guess it's back to waiting then."

[Nara-pyon]

And wait they did. Wren hunted, brought down a massive wild boar, brought it back to the town, and had it processed in a butcher shop, brought it back to Alph and his wife. The evening was pretty dull, and the night uneventful.

In fact, it wasn't until the afternoon of the following day, Wren's fourth day gone, that anything remotely interesting happened.

Wren and Alph were walking through the town when they were approached by the letter master, who gave them a sealed letter. Alph read it to Wren, and then the two of them got into an argument which, after a few minutes, Wren won. They headed back to Alph's house, where Wren began to collect her things. That was when Kaylessa began to argue with Wren, but once again, Wren won out, and within the hour, she had bid the family farewell and set off.

An hour and a half later, she was back at the tent once more.

"Got it," she grinned triumphantly as she entered, holding the letter high.

[Kara Winters]

"Oh hey!" Miyuki greeted Wren.

She had been watching the last leg of Wren's journey, it wasn't hard for the kitsune to spend time in the main room while she worked when she wasn't training.

"Then we're good to go? I noticed you got into an argument before leaving."

[Nara-pyon]

Wren shrugged and folded up the letter again, grinning. "Alph was downright shocked when I told him I didn't want him to come with me, and I think Kaylessa was just as shocked that I was leaving so soon. Pretty sure she didn't want me there in the first place, at least until I brought her that boar yesterday."

Her face softened. "I think things have been pretty tough for them. She said it was the most meat they'd ever had in one month, let alone one day."

[Kara Winters]

"Considering Alph mentioned he took the job because it was the most money he had ever seen in his lifetime, I had wondered about that," Miyuki admitted thoughtfully, "And a third child on the way..."

That would make things tough, though if you knew how to live off the land there was still hope in a place like this unlike Gaia. So she wondered if Alph also lacked a few of those skills as well.

"At any rate, want me to get everyone?" Miyuki asked.

[Nara-pyon]

"Actually, I'd prefer a bath, my own proper-fitting clothes and a comfortable night's sleep first," Wren admitted. "No sense of getting everyone together yet. If you want to let them know I'm back, I wouldn't mind, but there's no point to stopping them doing what they're doing."

She paused thoughtfully. "Although ... maybe first ..."

She hesitated for a moment before glancing back at Miyuki. "I don't suppose Khetal's around ..."

[Kara Winters]

"He's either in the kitchen eating, or in his room resting, that's generally where he is when he's not here," Miyuki replied, "Though.. maybe someone also convinced him to take a quick shower. Otherwise he's always here normally."

Miyuki wasn't sure what convinced Khetal to take better care of himself, but she suspected Kyrie had something to do with it.

[Nara-pyon]

Wren pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll look for him first," she murmured.

But it turned out that she didn't need to. Even as she spoke, Khetal entered the room from the kitchen.

"I thought I heard your voice," he said quietly. He grinned widely and strode quickly across the room. Before Wren could move or object, he took her in his arms, tipped her chin upwards, and kissed her warmly.

For several seconds, there was only silence, but when Khetal let Wren go again, she laughed softly. "Well," she grinned, her eyes sparkling, "maybe I should leave more often."

[Kara Winters]

"Please don't, he was unmanageable before until Kyrie said something," Miyuki replied wryly watching the two, "And maybe mom and dad, but I don't know what."

She never asked and it didn't matter, as long as he was resting properly.

[Nara-pyon]

Wren chuckled softly. "Well, it's nice to know I wasn't the only one," she grinned, taking Khetal's hand. She looked up at him again. "On the other hand, you're going to have some explaining to do to my father now. As I recall, you did make him certain promises concerning your relationship ..."

Khetal blushed. "Ah ... yes, I had done that, hadn't I?" he murmured. "I don't suppose that could wait, could it?"

"Until?"

"... until ... ah ... well, shall we say, until I actually get to meet him face-to-face?"

Wren pursed her lips, thinking about it, and then nodded. "All right, until I've washed," she agreed. "Then you can explain to him face-to-face using my mirror."

He blushed brighter, but Wren just laughed.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki tilted her head, "Did I miss something?"

Because clearly she had, but she wasn't sure what it was.

[Nara-pyon]

Wren grinned at Miyuki. "My father has been making our courtship rather interesting," she laughed softly. "Of course, my position would make any courtship difficult, but for it to take place so far away ... well. So several weeks ago ... nearly a month ago now, I suppose, I contacted my father, and introduced him to Khetal. It was ... interesting. Father needed reminding that blood doesn't mean anything."

"To make a long story short," Khetal interrupted, "courting a princess is complicated, and certain steps are not to be taken before certain other steps are. One of which is getting certain permissions from her father."

"Well, if he gives you a hard time, just remember that with the interrogation he gave you, you've earned a few privileges," Wren said sternly.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki blinked, "I thought you only needed permission to marry..."

At least that was from her understanding, after all her father had to ask her grandfather for permission to ask to marry her mother. Granted, Miyuki was also (somewhat) aware that her parents' courtship wasn't quite normal.

"I mean unless you are getting married."

[Nara-pyon]

Both Khetal and Wren opened their mouths to answer, but it was Wren who spoke first.

"As of yet, that is unknown," she explained patiently. "And because it is unknown, what Khetal just did really was inappropriate. After all," she added, her face serious though her eyes were sparkling mischievously, "a princess can't be going around and kissing just anyone."

Her comment and the way she said it made Khetal blush even more brightly, and Wren laughed and squeezed his hand. "I'm teasing," she giggled at him. "Besides, if I hadn't wanted you to, I'd have stopped you."

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki shook her head, leave it to Wren to also tease a bit.

"Alright then, I'll leave you to, to it. I'll let the others know you came back," Miyuki replied rather than to get into the details of that.

[Nara-pyon]

"Good," Wren chuckled. "Then I'm going to wash and rest. See you later, Miyuki."

It wasn't until dinner time that night that everyone was together in one room. Thankfully for Wren, they were pretty much all up to date on what had been going on and didn't have many questions for her - aside from the obvious, of course.

"So what is in that letter that you got?" Kyrie asked curiously.

"Directions," Wren replied. "I came here first to find out how we want to proceed. Do I go ahead first and allay suspicions? Or do we all go together right away and deal with it immediately? Personally, I think it would be wiser for me to go first, if only to get a layout and head count."

[Kara Winters]

"I hate to say it, but that sounds wise," Lin sighed.

She didn't like to send Wren out alone any longer than necessary.

"We know he has at least two people, this cousin and another fellow guarding him in case of problems, which means this person knows to expect something," Lin murmured, "I mean the other opinion is to scout out the location instead and see if information can be gathered that way."

[Nara-pyon]

"Except that would only show us the outside, not the inside of the operation," Earendil pointed out.

Daeron leaned forward. "What if we were to move the tent closer to the location and let Wren go in while we scout around the outside?" he suggested. "Best of both options."

[Kara Winters]

Lin nodded slowly, it would also allow them to be closer if anything happened to Wren.

"That would provide us with more information... what does everyone else think?"

She looks to Kyrie when she asks this, but Lin wants to know what others think of the plan as well.

[Nara-pyon]

"Sounds like the safest plan for now," Jassin nodded.

There was agreement all around the table.

"Though I do wish there were a way you didn't have to go in alone again," Khetal murmured under his breath.

Wren touched his arm lightly. "Unfortunately, only one person is expected," she said apologetically. "And it's been going well so far. No one has even suspected that I'm anything other than what I present myself to be. I'm not too concerned."

[Kara Winters]

"Where are you supposed to go?" Lin asked.

Deciding not to voice her own concerns since Wren didn't have any. It seemed to be going too well, and that was enough to make her nervous.

[Nara-pyon]

Wren swallowed the food that was in her mouth. "About ten miles northwest. A huge place, tall fence around it. Large enough to be self-sustaining - gardens, fields, river running through it. The directions are pretty simple. Four miles west of town, about nine miles north. Shorter to go as the crow flies, of course, so I should probably do that. Half a day's journey at the most."

"Easily," Kyrie agreed. "But you're not doing that part alone."

"And if they've sent someone to meet me?" Wren protested logically.

Kyrie fell silent.

[Kara Winters]

"I don't like the idea of Wren going alone neither, but I suspect whoever this person is might be paranoid to call it off if Wren is with someone other than Alph, who we agreed would not get dragged into this further," Lin spoke up, "The fact this person is stationed in a place where they could be self-sustaining speaks to either really good planning or a healthy sense of need for protection."

The fact the person was outside of town also made Lin think. While not too far, it was far enough where if they wanted to do anything, they could without too many people seeing.

[Nara-pyon]

"They're both right," Jassin spoke up. "Even in Illsbruic, we had to deal with people like this sometimes, and if we didn't do things according to their prescription, nothing ever succeeded."

Lashrael looked at him curiously, and he explained, "This was after you'd disappeared."

She nodded in understanding before turning to look at Kyrie. "Were Wren to show up with more people than expected, or even be found in the forest with more people than expected, there would also be a chance that she might be attacked on sight simply as a precaution on his part."

"That would certainly happen in Jielam," Mailon agreed reluctantly.

"What if Uruloki were to go with her?" Khetal suggested cautiously. "I know you don't like to be without him, Kyrie, but at least she would be safe with him."

[Kara Winters]

"Not many people know dragons are quite intelligent, in the... you could converse with them sort of way," Miyuki offered, "That is up to Kyrie though. I would ask one of my Pokemon, but... a dragon is a bit less weird to have around you than a creature no one has seen before."

Pity they didn't have any animals that looked like they could fit into this world, but that was just the way things turned out.

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