In the weeks that follow, Sarine spends some time trying to learn more about her sword. Why was a splendid weapon like this under the steps of a farmer's house? Why did it glow in the presence of the chokers?
She also scouts the nearby area, trying to learn more about the environs of Talmandor's Bounty. While doing so, she also organizes an expedition to speak with the constructs that they met on their last trip to learn from them, including questions about the "Master" that they have been hearing about.
Aurelian spends the intervening time as he spends much of the rest of his life: happily.
After rising with the sun and spending no less than two hours practicing his swordwork in the sand, he dons his bathing suit -- which bears an identical resemblance to his birthday suit -- to a swim in the warm waters off the colony's shore. Afterward, he spends his time teaching swordwork to any colonists who wish to learn or serves as a guard for those leaving the safe area around the village to collect herbs or any other study. The island is clearly a little less safe (for people other than Aurelian, of course) than they might all have wished, and he would prefer no more colonists die if they don't have to.
His evenings are spent in pursuit of sybaritic pleasures in the company of any (and all) who are interested.
"Well, you're very welcome!" Ashlyn tells the spirit as it departs. She looks at the ring, picks it up, and places it upon her finger. She smiles.
Ashlyn blushes furiously whenever Aurelian goes skinny dipping when she's trying to pearl dive!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
There is much to do in the fledgling colony, and Jenner is at his best in the busy bustle of mundane details and organization. He consults with Ramona about the skills of their colony, and suggests those with some experience mining be put to work on starting to clear the underground wealth that they'd discovered. He's more than happy to set to in that, helping the miners-to-be find rich ores. If he's not there, Jenner is often holding a morning's prayer to Abadar, splitting duties of the faithful of the Master of the Vault with Father Kurvis if the other priest seems amenable. And if he's not there, Jenner can be found in the storage buildings of the colony, industriously taking inventory of everything the colony has and the many more things they yet need. And if he's not there, he's at the forge, often stripped to the waist due to the roiling heat and trading boisterous loud jokes with Luetin as they refine ore and cast metal into useful shapes-- hammering out plows, arrowheads, and the dozens of other things a colony may need in the months to come. And if he's not there, he's visiting Alba, ostensibly to ask her for the descriptions of any plants she might find useful when he and the others are out journeying... less ostensibly to pay a bit of court to the dwarven woman, never mind she's many years his senior. And if he's not there....
Jenner does make time in there to take Sarine aside and get her measurements. "I might be able to make a bit of kit for you, not that we've that much to work with yet in terms of raw materials, but give me time, lass..."
Jenner definitely takes the time to whip up a pair of earplugs so that he can sleep nights, given Elizar's accursed howling. He frequently regrets sharing the big house with the poor, sweet girl and her damned and dead wretch of a companion!
And, somewhere in all of that, Jenner finds time to write a letter home, for the coming ship to carry.
We reached the colony safely, tho there is Trouble in Paradise. Bad fates befell those who came before. We have fought with all manner of critters since we got here. Still we are making progress. There's a chap in the group who's a real piece of ore and no mistake. Biggest ego I have seen since Uncle Thunderbeard, Torag-rest-him-and-keep-him. He's a dab hand with a blade but it tain't stopped him coming close to kissing the Grave Lady. Abadar's grace, I've kept him ticking. There's also a lass with a cat who swings a sword hard as any I've ever seen. Good head on her shoulders. Scary when she's riled. And then there's this haunted lass but less said of her the better, the poor thing. Gods willing, I'll find some way to get that blasted cursed of hers laid to rest. If it don't kill me first.
We found a tunnel with some likely traces of....
There is queer business with something that took over the mind of one fellow. My beard tells me we have not seen the last of that yet. I've my work cut out for me to keep the others alive.
There's much work to do here yet. Hope the business is booming. If Trig, Torm, Jeckard, Joad, or Cousin Firnir are looking for work at all tell them this place can use all the smiths and miners we can handle.
I sure do miss your cinnamon cakes, Ma. Please send me some cinnamon if you can. I do not know if there is any here.
Love,
Your boy Jenner
Jenner's good as his word in trying to make some useful 'kit' for Sarine.
Sarine spends a long time examining her greatsword, a fact that does not go unnoticed within the colony. Eventually, as she labors on the palisade, Carver Hastings makes his way through the men and woman working and begins to set to beside her. Gruff and grizzled, Carver is clearly one of the most capable members of the colony and, according to others, has a deep store of knowledge about odd things.
"Know how Azlant ended?" He asks as the two of them lever a large log into place. "Realised there were secret masters. Running the Empire. Tried to find them. Just before Earthfall." He casts an appraising glance at her sword, standing against the fence nearby.
"Some Azlanti were ready. Had weapons to fight the masters. At least that's the story." He finally looks Sarine in the eye and his lopsided mouth twists into a grin. "Be nice to have one of those round here."
-----------------------
Ashlyn and Aurelian find themselves the only occupants of the beach many mornings, and since neither of them seem overly troubled by clothes they return to the colony to ribald looks and gestures more than once.
Tobias and Marguerite in particular seem interested in whether Aurelian is becoming an item with Ashlyn, and whether that will prevent him spending more time with them. When it clearly does not, they react very happily indeed, and Aurelian finds that he has a willing couple of partners for his 'happy times'.
----------------------
Jenner's time meanwhile, is mostly spent with Luetwin at the forge. He does some spectacular work, forging a new and improved breastplate for Sarine in three weeks work, a feat which has Luetwin watching and marvelling.
"So that's why everyone always talks about dwarven crafting." He says in amazement. "Never saw much difference before now, but I don't mind saying that I couldn't do that! Tell you what Master Jenner. Teach me a few tricks and I won't charge you for the steel. Got some more coming on the next boat hopefully."
Alba proves quite receptive to Jenner's courting, smiling widely when she sees him and presenting him with a beard comb and ring made of beaten gold. "You're a good fellow Jenner Holystone. Make a ladies heart beat a little faster you can. I've found some excellent plants for making soup. You should come by for a bite some time."
Ashlyn is oblivious to the meaning behind the many ribald jokes and gestures. Elizar, unfortunately, is not. He howls with rage at the colonials who imply Ashlyn was up to anything intimate! Then he attempts to place be himself between Ashlyn and Aurelian, glaring daggers at the man.
Unfortunately, Elizar's obvious jealousy and hatred over the swordsman only make the rumours worse.
Sarine nods as Carver relates his story. "We can hope for better, but yeah... it would be nice to have a weapon like that around if it turns out we run into the unfinished business of the Azlanti."
A three day side trip suffices to revisit the caraytid columns in their ruined shrine, halfway to the tower you found Rayland in. Two of those days are taken up by the columns themselves, who talk without pause the entire time, offering a remarkably comprehensive lecture on the worship and portfolio of Acavna, interspersed with doctrinal commentary.
It is clear that time has not affected the columns in the slightest, and they have no conception of how it has changed others. They still believe the Azlanti Empire to be in its prime and have absolutely no concept of the idea that Acavna may be dead.
Never-the-less after forty eight hours of solid lecturing the columns look at each other and fall silent. They then thank the group courteously for hearing them out and offer future lectures for anyone else who would be interested.
--------------------
Returning to the colony with only a few days before the supply ship arrives leaves just enough time for Jenner to assemble raw materials and, with the application of dwarven magic, create for Aurelian a new and more masterful rapier - perfect for Aurelian Fache and his mastery of all forms of combat (even the ones where he falls down and bleeds a lot! ;))
--------------------
On a warm and balmy day the long awaited ship,The Bold Adventurer, arrives from Almas. Huge quantities of supplies are unloaded, two or three travelling merchants set up their personal stores on the beach, ready for trade and a young woman comes cautiously down the gang-plank, looking around for her welcoming committee...
The tall, fair-skinned girl with blond-curls makes her way slowly down the pier. Her face is covered with freckles and her eyes are wide as she takes in the view of Talmandor's Bounty. She's wearing a pale-blue blouse and matching skirt-pants.
Part-way to the beach, she stops and sets down her shod quarterstaff and her expensive looking backpack and pulls from it a sketchbook. She spends the next five minutes rapidly drawing with a charcoal pencil. She takes a quick look at the final product before stowing back in her bag, picking up her gear and continuing towards the beach.
"Excuse me ... " she says to a passing worker, but he doesn't stop. "Pardon me ... " she tries again, but fails to catch the next sailor's attention. On her third attempt, she grabs the man's arm and doesn't release it until she manages her question.
"Excuse me! Could you please direct me on the best way to get to Talmandor's Bounty? I'm supposed to contact the mayor there."
She waits expectantly as the man looks at her with a confused expression. He looks from the settlement to the girl and then back again.
"Ur.. ye-ah. There she be," he finally says with a gesture towards the collection of buildings and the unfinished stockade. "E-ya just walk down the pier there and 'cross the beach and there ya is - Talmandor's Bounty. You'll find Ramona around somewhere."
"No, I meant Talmandor's Bounty, the town," the girl says with annoyance, but the man is already on his way to finish his labors. She continues her way down to the beach and into the village.
Her eyes take in the rough-shod construction and the rough-edges on the people going here and there. Feeling a little overwhelmed, she takes a seat on a rock.
"Oh, Wallace. What have I done?" she says as she reaches down and pulls from her belt pouch a small toad. She brings the creature up to look it in the eyes. "I think I've made a big mistake."
*Brruupppp*
"I can't go back now. Mother will be so angry," she replies as she looks around.
*Brruupppp*
She looks back at the toad.
"I know, I know. It doesn't really look like a bad place. I just figured there would at least be ... I don't know ... roads? An inn? An actual town?"
*Brruupppp*
"I am not being childish. Oh! You just don't understand!"
She shoves the argumentative creature back into her pouch and stands.
"I can do this," she says as if to reassure herself. "Let's just find this Ramona woman and get this done."
Sarine pauses in her work helping to unload the supplies from The Bold Adventurer as she observes the young woman.
"Are you OK?" she asks as she approaches Tettia and sets down a heavy bundle. "I'm Sarine. Welcome to Tamandor's Bounty! If you are looking for Ramona, she should be in the city hall." Sarine points in the direction of the partially completed settlement.
Tettia stands with a start as the woman addresses her.
"Oh! Ah ... He-hello ... " she manages to mumble out before her years of etiquette training kick in.
"Hello Sarina. I am Tettia Tuditanus. It's a pleasure to meet you," she says formally as she gives a small curtsy and holds out her hand.
She looks around at the settlement before looking back at the armored woman.
"I hope this doesn't sound rude, but is this all there is to the colony? I was led to believe ... " She reaches down and pulls out a letter from her backpack and looks down at it. "I thought there would be more."
"You should have seen the place when we arrived," Sarine says. "But otherwise...yes. This is Talmandor's Bounty. We had a rough patch at first, but the colony is getting better all the time. We could use your help."
"That's what I'm here to do," Tettia says. "I mean that's what they invited me to do." She holds up the letter in her hand. "My major at university was in Azlant history."
The young woman returns the letter to her backpack.
"I'm so looking forward to actually seeing remnants of their culture for myself. I can't wait to be able to publish papers of my very own."
She turns and scans the horizon as if expecting to see ruins waiting to be documented right there. She then looks back at Sarine.
"I was just expecting ... " She frowns but then squares her shoulders. "I'll just have to learn to rough it. I can't wait to meet Ramona and get started. How often do they give tours?"
"Come on, Elizar, hurry! The boat's here!" Ashlyn exclaims. Still wet from the ocean and dressed in a tiny top and shorts, she hurries across the beach and up to the dock. She smiles brightly and gives Sarine a wave. "Hi, Sarine!"
She pauses and looks at the blonde. "You look scared. Are you alright?"
A terrifying, oozing spirit chases after the smiling woman, howling in rage and despair. He's tall and gaunt with long hair and tattered robes. Ectoplasm drips from him and fools on the ground, leaving a mess all over the place.
The girl smiles back over her shoulder at the spirit.
She looks back at Tettia and grins. "There's nothing to be scared of! Not anymore. Mostly. Well..." She thinks for a moment. "I guess there is, actually. But you'll be fine."
Tettia pales as Ashlyn approaches with the apparition close behind her.
"T-That's a ... a ghost," she says in a small voice. It begins to sink in that neither of the other two ladies are reacting in terror. Nor are any of the nearby colonists.
"Uh.. I'm ... I'm Tettia Tuditanus," she says, nervously holding her hand out to Ashlyn.
She looks unsure as to the protocol of being introduced to a phantom.
Ashlyn shakes Tettia's hand. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Ashlyn. And this is Elizar." She gestures at the ghost.
Elizar gives Tettia a glare, then turns back to Ashlyn and lets out another sad cry.
Ashlyn doesn't seem to mind.
"Are you here to barter? Or are you joining the colony?"
"Barter?" Tettia says in a confused voice. "No. I'm here to ... I'm a scholar. The Bountiful Venture company recruited me to come here and ... I'm an Azlanti history major. I know everything there is to ... I mean, I know everything you can learn about them without actually being here. This is my first time ... I mean, I've never been here bef... "
She takes a breath.
"I've always wanted to see the Azlanti ruins in person and ... "
The woman trails off looking back and forth between Ashlyn and Elizar.
"Wait! Were you speaking Azlanti!" she seems almost unable to contain her excitement and her hands move up to her face and is she ... bouncing? She lets out a strangled squeal and then a stream of the same language.
Her excitement at finding someone else that speaks the ancient language has seemed to override her dismay at the current status of the colony.
"So I'm supposed to meet with Ramona first," she says, her face flush. "And then I want to see some ruins!"
"You too?" Ashlyn exclaims with a surprised smile. "Sarine told me it was Azlanti, but I didn't really know that until a while ago. I've just always been able to speak it. I guess Elizar taught me." She shrugs, clearly used to strange occurrences.
"I tought myself Atlanti after I read Do'Boa's 'Examination of the Azlant Empire'," Tettia says, warming to the subject. "I just wanted to sink myself into the culture and that was the best way to do that."
She thinks for a moment before continuing.
"I was on an ancient empire kick for a while after that. I learned Thassilonian and Ancient Osiriani," she continues, ticking off her fingers. "I learned some racial tongues, some planer languages and lately I've been trying some really different ones. Here ..."
She clears her throat and then lets out some high pitched squeals and clicks.
"It's really amazing how much you learn once you immerse yourself into languages. As well as seeing the influences between different languages, after a while you start to see the commonalities rather then the differences."
Tettia's grin widens when Ashlyn responds in kind.
"Oh, yes. Books have always been my greatest friends," she says. She shrugs. "Except for my sister, Taldara."
There's a muffled croaking sound from the girl's belt pouch. Tettia rolls her eyes and laughs.
"And you too, Wallace."
She reaches into the pouch and pulls out a small toad which she brings up to her face and proceeds to rub noses with it.
"There's no way I could forget my little cutie-bug," she says in a sugary voice.
She turns the toad to present it to the others.
"This is Wallace. We go way back. Wallace, this is Ashlyn, Sarine, and Elizar."
*brrruuuppp*
"Hello Wallace," Sarine greets the frog. "Is Wallace your familiar, Tettia? You should meet..." Sarine trails off as she looks about for her own familiar.
"Huh. I don't see Socks around. He'll be back tomorrow, probably."
Jenner's on his way to the docks with a load of fresh-hammered nails when he spots Sarine and Ashlyn (and Elizar (ugh)), in the company of a new face. The dwarf, who has a key woven into his beard and a pipe jutting out the corner of his mouth, raises a hand in greeting.
"What's this, bring your pet to work day?" he calls out. "Waves and waters, at this rate I ought to get myself a fish! Call it Murgatroyd. Couldn't be any more unpleasant company than the fecking ghost... *COUGH* --Ah, 'Lo there, miss, you must be new with the ship, how d'you do? Welcome to our humble colony! Name's Jenner, or Holystone, as suits you. Has anyone seen our most worthy Master Fache? I've finished with his blade and wish to get it back into the hands of the finest swordsman in Avistan."
Elizar howls angrily in Jenner's face!
Having grown accustomed to Elizar howling at people in anger, Ashlyn is completely unbothered by his behaviour. She turns to Jenner and replies, "Aurelian was swimming last I saw." She blushes brightly. "Well, not that I was looking or anything! I... I just noticed. It's hard not to..." She clears her throat. "He should be along soon."
"Yep," Tettia replies to Sarine. "Wallace and I are partners. He helps me with research and my magical studies and I help him ... " She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I feed him crickets when I find them."
*brrruuuppp*
"And that's enough out of you for now," she says, chastising the amphibian and returning him to her pouch.
"Hello Mr. Jenner," she returns as the dwarf introduces himself. "Pleasure to meet you."
As the phantom howls at Jenner, Tettia takes a step back.
"Does he do that a lot?" she asks nervously.
Wearing nothing but breeches, a soaking Aurelian wanders up the beach, pushing his hair back out of his face.
"Ah, Jenner, you have Aurelian's sword? He has been unable to practice his forms while you worked on it," he says.
His eyes fall on the newcomer.
"Ah, the ship, Aurelian knew it would be bringing supplies, but he did not know it would also bring such beauties with it."
He takes the woman's hand and brings it up to his lips, grasp lingering as he gives an elaborate bow over the appendage.
"Aurelian Fache, the finest swordsman in Talmandor's Bounty. And who might you be?"
Tettia lets out a nervous giggle as the handsome man takes her hand.
"I-I'm ... Tettia T-Tuditanus," she says, her freckles standing out as her face turns a flaming red.
She giggles again.
"My friends call me Teddy," she adds shyly.
"Then Aurelian Fache shall call you 'Teddy,' a beautiful name for a beautiful man or woman," he replies with a warm smile that somehow manages to convey invitation without being at all lecherous. "For all people are Aurelian Fache's friends ... unless he must fight them! Come, Aurelian Fache will show you things you have never seen before..."
Teddy's eyes go wide and she pulls her hand back to join the other one crossed over her chest.
"Umm... we just ... we just met. You're not suggesting ... ?" she manages as her face goes even redder if possible. Her eyes quickly go to Sarine and Ashlyn for support.
The blushing girl takes a step back.
"I ... I need to see Ramona. Where can I find her?"
Ramona is found, as she often is, in the town hall. She looks up when you arrive and is obviously fairly stressed. "Before you say anything else, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to keep Evie from the rest of you a while longer. There's so many records left over from colony one and what with the new colonists, reports back to the Bountiful Venture company and so forth Perrell and I are swamped. We need Evie to help out. I'm sorry but its just the way"
She seems to realise that there is a new person in the room, wipes her hand to try and remove the ink stains and advances around the table.
"Hello, I'm Ramona Avandth, Mayor of Talmandor's Bounty. You must be one of the new arrivals, welcome! As you can see we're a work in progress, but I like to think things are going well." As she shakes hands she leans in slightly and say, not all that quietly. "Watch out for Mr Fache, he's absolutely charming and a very experienced swordsman, if you take my meaning." She does wink at Aurelian however, the jibe is clearly not meant to be serious.
"So, what's your name and what were you planning to do around here?"
Aurelian smiles at the praise.
"You are as kind as you are beautiful, fair mayor," he says jauntily.
Tettia looks nervously at Aurelain, hoping she was misunderstanding the innuendo she was hearing before clearing her throat and responding.
"My name is Tettia Tuditanus," she says in her most professional voice before handing the letter she received to the woman.
"They asked me to come and assist in the study of the Azlanti ruins."
With less confidence she continues.
"There wouldn't be an inn or ... or something like that around here where I could ... " she looks again nervously at Aurelian before leaning in closer to the woman. "get a bath."
"Round here that's called swimming, Miss Tuditanus." Ramona says gently. "I'm afraid conditions here are likely more primitive than you're used to. But you've come to the right place for ruins - we've found quite a few thanks to these good people." She looks up and studies the group for a moment.
"Ashlyn, I'd like you to look after Miss Tuditanus here. Show her around, get her acquainted with people and help her settle in. Then maybe you could start showing her some of the new sights you've discovered. Lyra, Evie and Perrell are going to be busy for a while so it would be good if we could get a headstart on cataloguing them before the weather turns."
"Swimming." Tettia echoes before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
She finally sighs and turns to Ashlyn.
"Let's go," she says with resignation. It seems her situation is finally starting to sink in. "Just, please tell me that I'll at least have a bed to sleep in?" She glances again at Aurelian. "By myself?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Oh, yes, there are many beds here," Aurelian assures here, "and most of them are very comfortable. If you do not wish anyone's company in bed, you just tell Aurelian Fache, and he shall stay with you to make sure no one tries to disturb your slumber!"
The swordsman smiles at his offer to make sure the newest colonist feels comfortable.
Tettia looks around at the others as if looking for a clue whether she should take Aurelian seriously or not.
She give a slight shake of her head.
Realizing that a simple gesture like that might not be sufficient, she clears her throat. "No, thank you," she says. "I'm quite capable of sleeping by myself ... " She looks confused for a moment before finishing her statement. "By myself."
*brrruuuppp*
She glares down at her belt pouch. "You be quiet," she snaps.
Ashlyn takes Tettia's arm then blushes brightly. "Now, Aurelian, from what I've heard... and Elizar was kind enough to explain... your bed is rather full without adding our new friend to the... uh... mix." She blushes even brighter.
Tettia looks nervous as Ashlyn takes her arm.
"No ... I really ... I'd rather not be a part of a ... a mix," she says looking from Ashlyn to Aurelian and then back. "I ... I don't ... mix. I'm much happier solo." Her eyes widen. "I mean ... "
She squeezes her eyes shut and takes a deep breath.
"I just really want to see the ruins," she says in a quiet voice.
"No, no, Ashlyn," Aurelian reassures here. "Even if there is no room in Aurelian's bed, there is always room in his heart for more. And the floor, or wall, can make up for a full bed, so that is no worry.
He smiles at Ashlyn and Tettia.
"But it sounds like there may be time for that later," he reassures the clearly upset women. "Come, Aurelian can escort you safely to the boring statues, so you can spend days there listening to them."
"A wall? How would...?" Ashlyn looks confused.
Elizar gives Ashlyn a pointed LOOK. Although he doesn't speak, it's clear he communicating with her in some way.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Suddenly Ashlyn's eyes widen and she blushes brightly. "Oh! My... Uh..." She fans herself with her other hand and clears her throat. "Right... I'll just, uh... THE TOUR!" She back up with Tettia. "You need a tour before we head out to see those ruins. And to eat! The statues go on forever. You'll love them."
Ashlyn escorts Tettia through town, showing her the many (not many at all) sights of Talmandor's Bounty. As she shows her around, Ashlyn also introduces her to the colony's residents.
"This is the group housing. Oh! And this is the house I share with Jenner and Sarine! That over there is the storage room, and over there is the garden -- there was giant bugs there when we arrived, but they're gone now. OH! And there's the church! Rayland killed the original colony's priest there, poor fellow. He was so sad! Haunted the place for weeks! Luckily we put him to rest. You'll meet him later. Rayland, that is, not the ghost!" she laughs at herself. "Oh, but don't worry! Rayland was possessed by someone called the master at the time. He's not usually a mindless murderer."
Ashlyn nods in a reassuring fashion -- clearly believing she's doing a great job with this whole 'tour' thing.
"Oh! And look! Over there is the beach! I go fishing and pearl diving there in the mornings. Although Aurelian also swims around..." she looks around nervously, leans in and whispers, "...nude." Then she goes back to speaking normally. "So you might want to find a different time to go for a swim. Or not, I suppose. I like it in the mornings."
Suddenly her eyes widen and she blushes brightly. "THE BEACH! I like the beach in the mornings. Not, you know, Aurelian naked. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that or... Uh..." She trails off into a stream of stammering nonsense.
"Do you have any questions?" she suddenly asks.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Tettia remains silent throughout Ashlyn's tour, although her eyes are wide, taking in the information. When she gets to the part about the bathing schedule, the young girl's face goes crimson.
"Do you have any questions?" she suddenly asks.
"Ummm ... " Tettia umms, looking around nervously as if someone might overhear. She leans in a little closer. "I wouldn't want to ... I could never ... naked. But ... is he handsome? I mean ... there ..." she says quietly with a giggle as her eyes look downward meaningfully.
She looks around again.
"I've never actually seen a man. I mean ... I mean a naked man. My sister's told me about her fiancé. I didn't believe her at first; I thought she was exaggerating, but ..."
The girl shakes her head and slaps her face with her hands.
"What am I talking about? One of the reasons I came here was to get away from silly things like that."
She looks back at Ashlyn with determination.
"So where am I sleeping and how soon can I see the ruins?"
Ashlyn blushes brightly. "Oh! I... Uh... I don't really have anything to compare him to... Elizar's always with me and he scares off all the boys. Always has." She leans over and tells Tettia, "Elizar's very possessive, you know."
Then she straightens up and giggles. "Of course he usually scares off all the girls, too. I didn't really have friends until I came here."