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misslisterkeepsajournal · 3 years

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1831 Friday 7 October

6 55/.. 10 25/..

Fahrenheit 67°. and fine sunny but windy morning now at 7 35/.. - breakfast at 7 55/.. - pretty damp little place - au 1re [premiere] in front - but ruz de chanssée at the back - single house - the 2 windows opposite each other shewed the inequality of the ground - pretty rustic verandah in front and windows opening on to the ground -

Off from Freshwater gate Inn at 8 40/.. very steep up the down - all walked - I took George and close along the edge of the cliffs and walked 40 mins. [minutes] before we turned inland to the top of the down and the carriage came up with us - the white Freshwater cliffs (white and high and precipitous) are certainly very fine, but not so fine as the Dover cliffs - sea very rough - wind very high - had it been to the sea instead of from it, there would have been no walking on the seaward declivity of the down -

Drove along the open down as far as just turning down upon the little scattered village of Brook - left a little below us (right) at 9 50/.. a good looking brick house inhabited by Mr. Howe, Lord of the manor, and there seemed to be a few straw thatched cottages - all the village that we saw - at Mottiston at 10 - neat brick farmstead and 5 or 6 straw thatched cottages and a picturesque wood? steepled little old church -

At Brightstone or Brixton at 10 1/4 - very scattered pretty straw thatched well-gardened village - stopt at the neat yellow-white washed Inn to water the horse at 10 20/.. - neat little church just beyond the Inn, and a few neat cottages for small gentry? there seemed a neat good brick Squire's house at a little distance (left) a little out of the centre of the village - far the prettiest village we have yet seen, and really pretty - walked round the little churchyard and off again at 10 1/2 - the coast seems low from Brook to some distance beyond Brixton - St. Catherine's hill, the highest land in the island stretches finely ahead of us like a long barrier against our getting any much farther - the preventive watch tower and the light house look like 2 great gate posts as we rise the ground out of Brixton -

At 10 40/.. Westcourt a large brick gable ended ivy covered house, and Shorwell picturesque good little village with neat little old church - alight at the neat little old church of Chale at 11 3/4, and, leaving the carriage to go over St. Catherine's hill and thro' the village of Niton, took George and a young woman guide and turned down the cliffs and to Blackgang chine at 12 - merely a little cove or circular hollow in the black indurated clayey cliff - the little stream or ripple that falls from the top lost in rain before it gets to the bottom, tho' the depth it falls may be 60 or 70 feet Brannon's guide says 70 feet (the girls father says 55 feet) instead of 500 feet according to one of my guide books - really Blackgang chine is no great thing - but taking the whole height of the cliff to the top of St. Catherine's hill above the broad shelf or undercliff in which the chine is worn (and the water only runs over the chine) the height cannot be above 500 feet if so much - for it is not the highest part of the hill that is over the chine - Brannon mentions Chale and walpan chines as partaking of the character of Blackgang chine - Chale the girl said was nothing not near so big as Blackgang and walpan above a 1/4 mile to the westward quite out of our way and we must go along the sands to see it, and the water was too high and the sea too rough to admit that - besides the cliff was lately so fallen away the chine was nearly destroyed -

Blackgang Chine c1910, the chine has since been destroyed due to erosion [Image Source]

We then walked along the cliffs to the aluminous-chalybéate spring called Sandrock spring - really a pretty strong chalybéate [according to Wikipedia: “waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron”] and plenty of the water - the present building over it quite new - the old one fell away last winter by the slipping of the cliff - then to the neat little cottage above the spring (a sort of dispensary) just under the Sandrock cliff - would not live there - there may be another land-slip as in 1799 - the Sandrock cliff begins a very little to the westward of this Sandrock spring cottage - the cliff very curious - in their horizontal strata where rooks and ravens, sea gulls, and falcon-hawks build their nests - fine, sea views - a little too hazy for the peep of Portland race from the point between Knoles and Buddle's farm -

We passed along there and came out upon Sandrock hotel at 1 - very pretty 2 story house with rustic jasmine and ivy covered verandah along the ground story, windows opening on to the ground - the house too on an eminence with very fine sea view - the prettiest hotel I ever saw anywhere - my Leghorn bonnet hat being all blown out of shape - my false hair taken off and put into the crown of my Leghorn - the driver having gone at once to the stables, and neither of my servants being in sight I can imagine the people wondered what I might be - I did not think them civil enough - looked about - wrote my pencil notes and walked off - went down to the stables to speak about the road etc. wanted a guide - the ostler would recommend a boy (who it turned out was his own son and I afterwards had him to a little beyond Mirables cottage, but he wanted me to pay the ostler, and I would have nothing to do with paying ostlers, so walked off - and at a little distance some neat little Lodging houses, and a few good comfortable cottages -

The village of Niton 1/4 mile off - but not worth going so much out there and back out of my way, so took the boy and walked forwards along the undercliff carriage road - soon came to the Orchard general Sir Willoughby Gordon - approached by a sunk road about 4 feet high rough large stone walling and top-planted slopes above - (there would be something of this sort on entering trough of bolland wood to Shibden) - the house a modern gothic 2 story high with a small castle tower or 2 quite in a hole - invisible till quite upon it - would not live there for all the island - but must look prettily upon the sea from the other side and may have pretty little grounds like Mirables, Mrs. Arnold's very pretty cottage which we soon afterwards turned down to see - she being gone out, a man we found in the grounds shewed us over them (very pretty - bowers of magnificent ivy growing over old shrubs and scraps of wall), and the neat little dairy, and the house too - really a cottage - some of the rooms surely not more than 7 feet high - very very low - but verandahs, and ivy covered covered windows and gables, and really very pretty - but no such cottage for me to live in - give me loftier and larger rooms - more elbow and more breathing room -

Sent back the boy a little beyond Mirables, and sauntered on (Cameron and George and I) by ourselves - just peeped in at the windows of the very small church of St. Lawrence not more than 20 feet long by 12 broad probably the smallest church in England - and the carriage over took us at 3 about a mile from Ventnor, and we all got in - Steep hill at 3 1/4 - we all walked up the hill -

St. Lawrence Old Church - built in the 12th century and considered the smallest church in England until a 10 foot chancel was added in 1842 [Source]

Ventnor hotel at 3 23/.. - a neat, new, remarkably comfortable tidy-looking house, 2 storys, the lower 8 windows in front the 4 lower opening upon the ground - the house on high enough ground - not much wood about it - but beautifully diversified hill and down, and very picturesque pretty little scattered hamlet - the curious sandrock cliff seems to end at Ventnor, and a very high steep down to fence off the more irregular sloping undercliff - horse tired - so that we do not get on very fast - at 3 40/.. St. Boniface cottage (left) very pretty straw thatched gentlemans cottage - from here go down a steepish hill into a deep beautiful finely wooded dell or valley and come out upon the pretty little village of Bonchurch at 4 -

Go into the little church which Andrews (large guide page 96) thinks one of the oldest in the island or in England 'the entrance of the church is a beautiful and perfect Saxon arch; the portico is clearly of Norman architecture, being added after the conquest' - the church is not much larger than that of St. Lawrence - from this church walked the land slip (another land slip, a sort of chaos prettily and picturesquely planted with forest copse wood) to Luccomb chine which was shewn us by the proprietor of one 1/2 of it who happened to be standing by - has a neat little cottage (Luccomb chine cottage) 2 little sitting rooms and 2 bedrooms and 2 servants ditto and little kitchen stable and barn for coach house and a nice little pretty garden at the head of the chine with private way down it to the sea, - that he would let for 20/. a week now, and lets in the season for 50/. a week - season from May to now - but bad carriage road to it thro' the farm yard of a farm belonging to Mr. Atherly M.P. for Southampton - the front door of the cottage opens into Mr. A-'s [Atherly's] property that is entailed and cannot be sold - the man calculates his cottage at £22 a year has above 20 acres land with it and some cottages that altogether bring in above £40 a year and would sell the whole for £1200 - all these cottages too poky and stuffy for me - the Chine merely a pretty cleft in the cliffs down to the beach, - green and pretty well wooded - but really these Chines do not deserve to be made much fuss about - they are convenient passages to the sea - a sort of large Lord Bute's gaps as at Highcliff - the chine a mile from Shanklin -

Luccombe chine in 2008 [Image Source]

Walked up the hill to meet our car - could not find it - walked to Shanklin there at 5 20/.. and the carriage not being arrived had to send after it - the very pretty Inn quite full - but Mrs. Williams very civil and got me a little lodging near - very comfortable - very pretty picturesque village - a good deal taken with it - could not resist going down to see the chine - a pretty wooded glen - prettier than Luccomb because topped by the neat gable ended white house of general Viney, and a pretty little bay and good sands below - fine hard sandy clayey cliffs shut in the bay - the winding down to it in traverses is pretty, and altogether Shanklin is a pretty little -

Met a couple of men who had been digging up sand eels - bought the whole lot of one of them (2 or 3 score, I think at least) for 6d. [pence] - gave him 6d. [pence] additional and he took them to the Inn and I ordered them for supper - back at 5 50/.. 2 basins (above 1 1/2 pint) of boiled milk but ate merely a mouthful of bread at 6 - then settled accounts and began this journal of today - at 7 my sand eels ate 5 or 6 and 20, and drank as much boiled milk as before with about as much bread and then finished journal of today -

The 5 miles walk from Sandrock hotel to Vintnor along the undercliff is really very fine the perpendicular wall of sandrock cliff left - the sea right - the gentlemens cottages and grounds - the finely varied prettily wooded and undulating undercliff, form a charming whole - once or twice looking only at the Sandrock cliff and the planting along I was reminded (a very miniature likeness) of the Gorge d'ortessa - but altogether, sea and all, I doubt if there are many finer walks in England or anywhere than these 5 miles of undercliff - the chaos from between Bonchurch and Luccomb chine and the copse wood among it reminded me for a moment (miniature likeness) of some of the tremendous chaos on descending the Splugen towards Chiavenna -

Gorge d’Ordesa in the Ordesa y Monteperdido National Park, Spain [Image Source]

We met a Lady and gentleman at Bonchurch just returned from the chine of whom I inquired the way - the lady's ecstasies about the beauty of the wood leading to it - never saw anything so beautiful - I should be well repaid etc. etc. made me think how well it is to enlarge on ideas and accomplish one faculty of admiration by sights on ampler scale than we can have at home - very fine day - had just finished the above of today at 9 10/.. - came to my room at 9 35/.. - Fahrenheit 69°. now at 9 50/.. -

[Margin] From Ventnor to Bonchurch very pretty especially from Bonchurch cottage thro' the wooded valley -

Reference: SH:7/ML/E/14/0129 - SH:7/ML/E/14/0130

#anne lister #anne lister code breaker #gentleman jack #1831 #southern england tour #isle of wight #shanklin

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cloud8andahalf · 5 years

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Well. Here’s another thing from my story Untitled. I don’t like the prologue I posted for this a few days ago because now if I follow it directly with this it’s going to be really weird with Robyn changing personalities with absolutely no explanation for a while. Or maybe I can roll with that since I’m trying to be cliche. I mean I’ll be honest the first three parts of this will have characters changing personalities a lot because it makes sense to. There’s also a lot missing in terms of some explanations I think since I don’t want to overdue exposition but I am starting this story in the middle of a whole lot of things that are actually slightly relevant. Words: 10,053 This was written over two days while I’m stressed about a recording and an article so some of it is just going to be straight up bad, but editing is not for now.

Fourteen years later

Robyn sat at the simple vanity in her house and just stared at the person in the mirror. She absently played with her simple brown curls and glared with dark brown eyes at the tan skin on her face. Her eyes shone for a moment with magic and Robyn sat back happily as she saw the slight shimmer of magic flow about her. “That’ll do for today.”

Robyn stood up and patted down her vest embroidered with the insignia of West Brightstone that marked her as part of his library. She didn’t normally wear his insignia, but he was being excitable yesterday about some circus and guests in town that might stop by his esteemed library. She moved her long hair in front of the insignia over her heart. Robyn played with another strand to cover her left ear and hide the machine inside her ear.

Once she was happy with her appearance looking very plain and simple, she walked down the stairs of the middle-class house and sat at the table across from her mother. Her Mom looked up from cleaning a crystal ball and frowned, “Robyn, I hate it when you use magic like that.”

“Why? It keeps me out of trouble. I haven’t been beaten up since I started using it.” Robyn spread some jam on the bread at the table and took a bite once she finished her retort.

“Yes, but you’re out of school.” Her mother responded blandly, “I believe it’s high enough time you stop using your magic to divert attention off of you. There’s no reason for all of that, and do you know how special of a device you have in your ear, why not show it off?” Her Mom leaned across the table and tried to brush Robyn’s hair aside.

“Mom.” Robyn fixed her hair and blocked any further attempts for her Mom to grab at her hair, “We can fight about this all day if you’d like, but I’d much rather just get to shelving books at the library.”

“That’s another conversation your father and I wanted to have with you.” Her Mom covered the crystal ball and attached it to her belt, “You’ve been working for West Brightstone for three years now and I’m glad that he’s at least become a friend for you, but your father works for the King. Head Soul Catcher is nothing to sniff at, darling, he can get you any job you’d like within the court if you set your mind to it. That magic could get you an important job among royalty. You’re quite smart too, darling, why not work in the King’s library as a scribe? You’re wasting your talent shelving books and no one will remember Robyn Soulseer the book shelving girl.”

“Good.” Robyn shrugged, “I’m not looking for fame, Mom. I’m plenty happy being Robyn Soulseer the book-shelving girl who isn’t remembered. I think it’s a pity that more people in Belor aren’t happy with just a normal life. All this nonsense with adventures and how that’s the best thing you can have! Ugh…” Robyn made a scoffing noise and looked at her Mom annoyed, “I don’t need some adventure. You and Dad can have them if you want, but the line of fame stops here. Have fun at work, Mom! Remember, only lie about the future to the bad people.”

“Robyn!” Her mother called after her annoyed as Robyn ran out the door into a large crowd.

Robyn Soulseer was one step away from nobility and lived a very comfortable life in Kite thanks to her father’s fame as the head Soul Catcher to the King of Pine. Pine was a simple country located in the middle of Belor. The residents were generally human, but since Pine was a trading paradise due to its location, many different races came through all the time. Pine was one of the few countries that only spoke the common language because of that. There was no reason to have their own language when so many different cultures and languages were constantly melding with theirs. The King of Pine was a kind man who had actually gone on an adventure with Robyn’s father, Travis Soulseer, at an early age.

The two of them had searched throughout Pine and parts of the southern Belor for the missing souls of the Pine royal lineage that were still haunting the lands stuck within different places of great battles both won and lost. They had helped each soul move on and the King had taken all he learned on those journeys to become a better King. In fact, he was the first country in all of Belor to ban the slave trade eleven years ago. Unfortunately, none of the other countries wanted to follow. Human run countries were fond of the slave trade it seemed. They didn’t view the decimation of an entire town through a slave dispute as the same tragedy that Pine saw. It was a shame, but Robyn was just happy to live in the country that got it right. She enjoyed not having to see those awful slave wagons going through the town anymore.

As for Robyn’s mother, April Soulseer, she was a seer of sorts. While many seers were known for seeing the future, Robyn’s mother could only see the present and the past. The future never was shown to her, no matter how much Robyn heard her mother cursing the spirits about the lack of sight they had granted her. Despite her struggles with seeing beyond she made a decent living in the court as a finder. If people were missing loved ones they went to Robyn’s mother with some sort of personal material of the missing loved one and April was able to find them by calling upon the spirits to show her.

Robyn had been offered jobs in the King’s castle for the past three years. Except she had spent most of her life trying to be unknown and unseen, she did not want to work in the King’s court! When she was fifteen she was still hearing about West Brightstone, who had moved to Kite two years prior and immediately started telling tales of how he had collected the sorcerer stones and been granted with the power of storytelling magic. Robyn had found that a bit odd, but she knew that if she found someone who had quickly made himself famous like West Brightstone she could stand in his shadow and never be noticed. So she got a job at his library. Technically West was part of the King’s court, he just preferred to live in the town instead of the noble court area. He was the royal storyteller and took a lot of pride in the job. Robyn had no pride showing off her magical skills or putting herself in the spotlight, she just wanted a normal life and did everything in her power to avoid the call of adventure that seemed to plague the town.

Robyn had lost count of the number of adventures she had dodged. Her parents and West laughed when she claimed she had dodged away from adventures, but she assured them she knew how each of those seemingly harmless requests she refused would have led her into trouble. She still wasn’t happy that she had once given West directions when he was sixteen and she had been nine. West hadn’t been famous at the time and had actually been in the middle of his adventure, but Robyn had given him directions to Clairvoyance Street while she was hiding from bullies at school. She had thought West odd back then to be traveling with a donkey and had almost refused him directions, but she had gone against her gut instincts and given him the directions. She still regretted that. Sometimes she wondered if she was working for West because of that. Perhaps she should think of another job. She really didn’t want this job to devolve into some adventure.

She pushed her way through the crowd down four different crowded streets before she could turn into West’s library. Almost as soon as she walked in she had to slam the door shut as an entire shelf of books made a beeline for the door. She magically held the door shut and glared to see West laughing and a confused customer staring at the books. Robyn grabbed one of the books and smacked the covers as a few of them tried to bite her, “Stop that! Naughty books! Get back to your shelves! Get in order!” She magically sent them back in line and looked at the customer, “Do you have magic?”

“Er…no.” He responded sheepishly.

“Do you read?”

“Ah…yeah.” Now the guy was very embarrassed.

“Don’t touch the magical books unless you have the magic to control them. That’s clearly in five different languages right there.” Robyn unlocked the door and walked towards the counter, “Control yourself, West.”

West pushed a long lock of stark white hair from his face and grinned, his bright blue eyes twinkling with humor, “Cheerful and talkative as always, darling!” He swept towards her, his slightly over extravagant blue robes billowed about him as he leaned on the main counter, “Your magic is strong as ever too. Too bad it doesn’t work on close friends.”

“I wish it worked on you.” Robyn responded, only partially joking. She enjoyed West’s company, he was an extravagant sort of guy, but she knew he was often just putting on a front since a lot was expected from the mage who woke the seven sorcerers and freed their spirits. He had a lot to prove too since people often whispered about him serving a greater purpose than what he was doing. West had ventured around Belor for ten years gathering sorcerer stones, she was pretty sure the guy deserved whatever break he wanted from serving Belor. His adventures had turned his hair from a deep black to the vibrant white that it was now. Whenever people asked about it he would run his hands through it with a dramatic sigh and say It’s a parting gift from my dear Kyjes! The white sorcerer, you know?

Robyn was positive there was more to every story that West told about himself, but he refused to tell stories that ended badly or with slightly bittersweet endings. He wanted to spread hope and good will so he’d tell his stories to do that. Though Robyn was next to positive that West’s travels had been quite far from good travels and happy times and he had gone through incredible hardships, many more hardships than he shared. She refused to pry though and just let West be his extravagant happy self around her, which he appreciated.

“Cold as ever.” West smiled, “You working on the shipment we have to send out?”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure everything is properly inventoried so Soul’s library won’t complain. We’re rather thorough in what we do. I don’t see why they complain every time we send it.”

“The three of us are amazing workers.” West assured her and turned to go back to working. He paused and smiled with a wink at Robyn, “Do me a favor on this letter, Robyn, could you sign it with your name?”

“My name?” Robyn frowned, “But Lexton is in charge of this.”

“Research!” West winked again and walked off in his usual billowing robes.

Robyn just watched him frowning. So that’s what he thought this was about. Fine, she’d sign it as her name, but she’d rather not. She doubted this had anything to do with Lexton’s lineage and everything to do with those snobbish librarians at the Great Library believing they were better than they actually were. She had heard one of their messenger boys whispering to his friend that the librarians at the Great Library believed that West was a fraud and never actually woke the sorcerers. West might be overly dramatic about everything and it might be strange that he wished to be the greatest storyweaver in Belor, but Robyn had no doubt that he was telling the truth that he did once hold the power of seven sorcerers. There was a power in the way he held himself that suggested he once possessed more power than any of them could imagine.

“Robyn.” The door opened and closed quickly and she looked up to see the other owner of the librarian and West’s very close friend, Lexton. He shuffled back and forth on his hooves as he wiped the on the front mat. Lexton was from mixed parentage, something that was often frowned upon in Belor. His father had been a satyr and his mother was a fairy. As a result Lexton looked like a satyr with the goat legs and goatee, but his sharp facial features and pointed ears were completely fairy. He also could easily use fairy magic and was often found floating above the bookshelves sipping at his tea with his hands and using his magic to continue his scribe work around him. Robyn sometimes could swear she saw fairy wings when he did that, but they were so faint she was never sure if he had them or if he just had very powerful magic. Even full-blooded fairies were said to be able to hide their wings whenever they wanted. Lexton was often a bit embarrassed about his lineage though he refused to hear a bad word about his parents. It didn’t help that the green sorcerer Kutrix, two hundred some years ago, had cursed Lexton. He had wished for immortality from the sorcerer. Kutrix had granted him the wish, but he had turned Lexton into a donkey calling him ‘a despicable ass that could live out his immortality in his true form’. Lexton had lifted the curse after meeting West and traveling with him for ten years. Before Kutrix was fully freed he had lifted the curse and the immortality, but left Lexton with donkey ears and a donkey tail as a reminder to curb his attitude. Lexton was certainly a strange sight no matter where he went, but Robyn was pretty sure he actually like the ears and tail.

He walked towards Robyn and looked over the list, “Did West tell you to sign it under your name?” He lowered his glasses slightly and frowned at the list.

“Yes. You’re agreeing to this?”

“Yes. Easily. I’ll follow West’s whims.”

“To the ends of the earth, I’m sure.” Robyn rolled her eyes, “You’d follow him over a cliff.”

Lexton smiled and looked at Robyn amused, “You disagree with the decision then? Our dear little Robyn, studious in her research on adventures and all that involve themselves in the act, refuses to let us have a little bit of research ourselves?” He laid his hand over his chest as if she had deeply offended him.

Robyn took the paper from his hands and pursed her lips together tightly, “Have your fun with your research, but mine is very important despite you and West constantly laughing about it.” Robyn took that research very seriously! She knew it was important and the reason she was still firmly seated here safely in Kite. “Speaking of that jokester that runs this library.”

“Oh dear.” Lexton smiled and raised his ears slightly, “What has he done to annoy you now?”

“The magic books got loose when I came in and he was just letting them fly about! I opened the door and they nearly made an escape. Those things are hard to replace. Could he at least pretend to take proper care of his own library?” Robyn crossed her arms and glared at Lexton.

He waved off her concern, “If those books made it outside West would have easily retrieved them. He has no trouble retrieving magical items.”

Robyn rolled her eyes, “Lex.”

“Robyn.” Lexton laughed, “Don’t lecture me! I’m nearly ten years older than you!” He pushed her lightly, “Look, West was having a bad day, I’m glad he got some entertainment watching you fight with those books. You probably made him much happier.”

“Ugh…why does making him happier involve my misery?”

“It’s incredibly entertaining.” Lexton smiled.

“I’m getting a new job.” Robyn pouted and went back to the inventory.

“You love both of us too much to ditch us here to bicker alone!”

“Your bickering is the worst!” Robyn smiled now, “But the perks of having you two around making me look incredibly boring is too good to pass up.”

Lexton’s ears twitched and he rolled his eyes, “No friendship involved, I’m sure.”

“We’re friends?” Robyn pretended to play dumb.

Lexton laughed and patted her shoulder, “Finish up the inventory and we’ll send it out tomorrow. Did West tell you he wants to head to the circus?”

“That’s why I’m wearing his insignia today. He wants to show off at the circus and get more people to come in here and increase the loans and use of books. Something about fighting illiteracy in one of the most literate cities in Pine.” Robyn spoke easily as she magically moved books in front of her face and just wrote their title and author on the list before placing them in a neat pile to her left.

“He was illiterate till he was twelve.” Lexton pointed out, “Give him a break.”

“He was raised in Vassar. That’s not a surprise.” Robyn rolled her eyes, she couldn’t be more obvious in her disdain for that country. It was far too backwater for its own good. It believed magic was an actual substance that could be found in the blood of the user. There was no magic in Vassar since it had been cursed millennia ago for its people killing all the dragons in Belor.

“That wasn’t his choice.” Lexton reminded her, “Just as much as it’s not your choice to have been born in Kite, or mine to be born in Asmen, it’s just where we’re born. We’re all in Kite now though and West is the greatest storyweaver in all of Belor. Don’t dredge up his lineage like it’s something to be ashamed of.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Robyn knew she sometimes was a little too quick to shame people, “I didn’t mean it that way, Lex. You know the Vassian sorts that come to Kite just bug me sometimes. West isn’t like them though, I know that.”

“I know what you meant, but one of these days you have to learn to hold your tongue before you offend someone and get yourself into trouble…or worse an adventure.” Lexton spoke kindly, and a little jokingly, even though he was clearly lecturing her like a parent or older sibling might.

Robyn just pouted a bit at his tone. She was quickly smiling again though as he teasingly rearranged her books in her piles out of alphabetical order.

“Glad you’re coming with us to the circus. I almost thought you might find it too close to an adventure.” Lexton walked off happily. Smacking a running child with his tail as he walked down the shelves.

Robyn sighed and rearranged her books and worried about how much trouble this circus might cause her. On one hand…it was just a circus, people went to circus like things all the time, but on the other hand West was excited about it and he had a horrible taste in activities that could very well catapult somebody onto an adventure. One of these days she was going to have to get those insufferable men to see her point of few on adventures. They were not what Robyn wanted for her life!

Towards mid-afternoon West and Lexton closed the library and West happily twirled out into the streets as Robyn signed her name at the bottom of the inventory list and wrapped all the books into a net for easy traveling.

“So, Lex, do you know the delivery team?” Robyn asked with a smile as he locked the door.

“I’m not quite sure which boy they’re sending.” Lexton responded with a shrug and turned from the door. He noticed her smirk and his ears lowered as a scowl spread across his face, “No, Robyn, I don’t know the donkey that is going to pull the cart.”

Robyn laughed and patted his arm, “Not an old friend of yours?”

“West is the only old friend of mine.” Lexton rolled his eyes, “But your jokes are starting to grow old, girl.”

Robyn shrugged and smiled, “Payback for your teasing.”

“Alright, alright.” Lexton smiled again and walked beside her so she was between him and West. “You in enough shadow for your liking?”

“Yes, thank you. Speaking of that subject, you two aren’t seeing the obvious again so I figure we’re going to prove some of my research on the way there, got it?” Robyn held up a finger and glared at both of them, “Just watch, on the way there I’m going to show you five different people who are about to go on an adventure, and time will show you that I’m right!”

“Ooh, I like this. Please point out the next juicy stories for me to weave into beautiful tales!” West clapped his hands together.

Lexton just rolled his eyes clearly not believing Robyn’s claim to know adventures based off one social interaction.

They walked into one of the main roads and Robyn grabbed their sleeves, “There, see?” She pointed to an old woman holding a wilting rose, “See her?”

“Yeah…old woman with dead flower.” Lexton looked unimpressed.

“Ah! No!” Robyn shook her head, “Not at all! Watch, watch, see she’s watching that guy who is crossing the street. Oh, now their eyes have met! He recognizes her and boom!” She clapped her hands as the woman took off leaving the rose behind and the man quickly grabbed the rose and stared longingly into the crowd. “Adventure!”

“What?” Lexton frowned and just looked at Robyn for an explanation.

“Okay, the woman left a clear way for the man to follow her, whether it was purposeful or on accident is beside the point. That guy is going to go to my Mom or someone else and have her found. He’s going to go through anything and everything to find her because she’s either someone who knows something he needs to know, or perhaps she’s a cursed loved one? Who knows! But it’s the start of an adventure.” Robyn crossed her arms and shrugged, “Don’t believe me? Just wait and West will have a request for the man’s story to be told once the adventure has passed.”

“Hm…” West tapped his chin smiling, “I hope so, that sounds like a wonderfully romantic story if that was truly a cursed lover.”

“Cursed loved one. I didn’t say it had to be a lover.” Robyn rolled her eyes.

“Okay, that’s one, you owe us four more.”

“Fine, easy.” Robyn walked between them watching the streets. She stopped them after about twenty feet, “Hold it. Look in front of us, see the little urchin boy?”

“The one begging?”

“Yup. He has a friend across the street trying to pickpocket, see?” Robyn nodded to another little boy running about cutting coin purses and grabbing what coins he could. She could tell something with those boys was about to happen, though she was waiting for the big event. It came in the next moment when a horse broke free with a cart and barreled towards the little boy in the street cutting purses. A royal guard quickly grabbed the child out of the way. The other little boy ran towards his friend terrified and Robyn watched the boys give the money back looking ashamed, but cheer up as the guard put his hat on the younger cutpurses’ head and said a couple encouraging words to them. The boys smiled and ran off into one of the alleys talking quickly.

“Adventure.” Robyn stated simply.

“How so?” West was intrigued now.

“Because that guard just changed the boys’ views. He just changed their dreams of simple survival to becoming beyond what their lineage says they can be. I bet you’re going to hear about them struggling through the guard academy till they become royal guards themselves. Maybe it’s not a huge story that West could tell, but it’s an adventure for them because it’ll be a struggle.”

“Hm.” Lexton just nodded and started walking again.

Robyn turned a street and sighed, “Oh my god…not again. Look, those two at the fruit stand, see them?”

“Yeah, what about them?” Lexton sighed.

“Listen.” Robyn just waved her hands towards them and they heard the boy shout.

“What!? Are you serious? That means we’re siblings! We’re twins? I knew you had to be out there somewhere! Now we can finally avenge our parents!” He grabbed the hand of the similar looking girl at the stall.

Robyn pretended to gasp and looked at her friends, “Could it be…adventure?”

“You said not again…how often do you see that happen?” West asked confused.

“A lot.” Robyn sighed, “I don’t understand why twins keep getting separated. I feel like the King should be concerned with parents not being able to keep control of two babies at the same time or something.”

West smiled and just patted her shoulder, “Alright, we’re up to three.”

“Four.” Robyn pointed to a bored looking merchant boy who was approached by a man in robes offering him a feather. The boy took the feather confused and a moment later the feather was floating and the boy’s eyes were shining with magic. The wizard patted the boy’s shoulder probably assuring him that he would guide him through these newly awakened powers.

“His powers woke rather late.” West noted, “It’s good he has a teacher though. I’m happy for him.”

“It’ll be quite the adventure.” Robyn responded and started walking down the street.

“Okay, okay, so you’ve shown us a couple interactions, but you fear every day conversation as simple as saying hello to someone.” Lexton, as always, stubbornly refused to believe Robyn’s research.

She sighed and scanned the streets as they walked, “Ah, got it, five.” She pointed to two young adults, one a man and one a woman, who appeared to have simply run into one another.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry.” The man held up his hands.

The woman gasped and grabbed his hand, inspecting what to anybody else looked like a normal birthmark on his right hand, “You’re him! You’re the one I’m supposed to find! You have to help me! My village in eastern pine has been ravaged by raiders and our seer said I must come here and search for the man with the mark of a bear on his hand!”

“Me?” The man looked at his hand, “You mean me?” “It has to be you! Please, can’t you help me?”

The man’s cheeks turned slightly red as she begged him, “I…I suppose I can’t deny such a request, but-“

“Oh, thank you!” She hugged him and dragged him off.

“Simple conversation gone wrong.” Robyn pointed out, “You have to be careful with every person you speak to!”

West smiled and shrugged, “She has a point with that! I think there are a few issues we could have avoided if we hadn’t talked to certain people, Lex.”

“Like what?”

West started counting on his fingers, “Newt, Rext, uuuh what was that goblin’s name? Or maybe that guy who told us that we definitely had the warmest warm gear created by any sensible dwarf right before we both almost froze to death?”

“Alright, alright. I did freeze to death…twice!” Lexton grumbled.

West just smiled, “I think Robyn’s research may be onto something, though I think she may need to calm down in her avoidance of all human interaction out of fear of adventures. They’re not that bad, Robyn.”

“They’re all bad.” Robyn responded, “Let’s just go to the circus and I’ll avoid the dangerous interactions and let you two wrap yourself into trouble.”

West laughed happily and walked off towards where the circus was supposed to be set up. It was another two streets down towards the main gates of the city. There was a large field in the wall that was used for this sort of visiting entertainment troop. Robyn paused at the gate and frowned at West, “This was the circus troop you swore up and down to the King was a great show?”

“Your father did too.” West added, but he looked unhappy as he read the sign, “This doesn’t seem the same though.”

“Is this supposed to be the same circus my Dad took me to when I was eleven?” Robyn put her hand on her hips, “I don’t remember much of that show, but I know it wasn’t called Wessel’s Freak Show.”

“I can’t say I like the look of this.” Lexton wrinkled his nose in distaste, “Anything called a freak show by a human owner is no entertainment to me.”

“Fair.” West nodded and continued to inspect the tents and gates. There was laughter from people echoing, but Robyn still wasn’t sure she wanted any form of entertainment this place offered, “Well, I’m intrigued to see if it’s under different management!”

“West…” Lexton sighed, “I’m going to wait here.”

“Of course, friend, I wouldn’t want you to step a hoof in a despicable place like this! But I must investigate a story!” West smiled, “I doubt I’ll see a single freak within…unless I meet the owner.” He winked at Lexton and looked to Robyn, “Joining me?”

“I’m regretting all of this.” Robyn wasn’t sure which decision would be worse at this point. Standing here with Lexton and possibly being mistaken as part of the show, or following West inside and submerging herself into a cesspool of possible adventures. At least if she followed West there was more of a crowd to hide herself in. “I’ll go with you, West. I don’t trust you not to cause trouble otherwise.”

“Good plan. I was planning on shrinking and waiting elsewhere.” Lexton nodded to her thankful that she was joining West.

Robyn and West paid far too much to enter the ‘Freak’ show and started wandering around. West looked disgusted by the entire affair. “This stinks of some small-minded human.”

“Yeah?” Robyn looked towards a tent labeled as ‘Beautiful Sights of Eslil’ and there were three nymphs sitting out front smiling and waving at passerby males. Their outfits even made Robyn blush. West diverted his attention away from the nymphs and walked towards a sign that said it was “Gerur the Beastly Beast Tamer.” A scaled lizard-like man was smiling and beckoning in customers, “Hello! Hello! Come see the fearsome child of the West! Keep your children close and don’t look too closely at him! Something more fearsome than even I awaits beyond this curtain!”

“He’s an Argonian.” West informed her quietly.

“Argonian, really?” Robyn gazed at him curiously, “They don’t come here to Pine a lot for trade.”

“No, they’re a very proud species, I can’t imagine why this young Argonian is lowering himself like this to call himself a beast.” West almost looked angry with what he was seeing.

Robyn was intrigued what the Argonian could reveal that would shock a human crowd who had seen nearly every species of Belor at some point. The Argonian grabbed something beyond the curtain and pulled a disgruntled teenage boy with fiery red hair from behind the curtain. Robyn inspected the seemingly human boy intrigued, he had to be just human, what were they trying to pull? Though, his ears were pointed and when he raised his lips a bit in a snarling gesture she could see very prominent canine teeth. His eyes were an unnatural shade of fiery orange and yellow as well.

“Oh, yes, I see your disbelief, but he’s no normal child! He’s a beast disguised as a harmless child! Don’t believe me? Watch as I burn away his façade!” The Argonian struck a match against his own scales and held the flames to the boys arm. Sure enough the kid’s arm changed to brownish-gold scales that splotched about randomly on his skin.

“What sort of magic is that?” A man in the crowd shouted. His accent suggested he wasn’t actually from Pine originally and must be a traveler, “What is that child? Is he cursed?”

“Oh no! He is simply a beast that I have tamed!” The Argonian smiled, “He’s a beast of the West! No need to fear him, his sort only attack if provoked and he’s quite well contained by me right now.” He patted the boy’s head.

A man threw a rock at the boy and a loud snarl escaped the kid’s mouth. To Robyn’s amazement there were a few flames that escaped as well. He could breath fire? What was that boy?

“How in the world did they capture him?” West whispered and stared at the boy worried, “That has to be against some sort of law.”

“What?”

“I suggest you not anger him, sir!” The Argonian growled, “And perhaps the show will be more entertaining for you and less deadly!” He glared at the man to be sure he stepped back before continuing with his side show and harmlessly hitting a whip against the ground as the partially scaled boy breathed fire into the air and spoke with a strange growling language that Robyn had no clue what it might be. It truly seemed like the kid was just a beast in human form.

At the end of the show another rock was thrown and the Argonian actually grabbed the boy forcefully as he spat fire above the heads of the crowd snarling as he was thrown back behind the curtain with a few short words from the Argonian tamer in Argonian. The tamer resurfaced smiling and took a few bows motioning towards the hat to collect tips. People threw a few silver in there before walking off mumbling about dangerous creatures in their walls. The Argonian sighed and grabbed the hat before ducking behind the curtain speaking quickly in his own language. There were equally heated responses coming from a younger voice.

“An act.” West sighed after hearing the younger voice, “Who would throw rocks at a teenage boy? And why does a place like this have a shifter?”

“Wait…seriously? He’s a shifter?” Robyn had only ever heard stories of shifters. They lived within closed borders in the West. No other race was allowed to enter Rarck due to laws they had placed long before any human history could remember. Robyn was pretty sure she had read an old text that said the death of the Dragons had something to do with it, but she couldn’t quite remember. Shifters were never seen outside their country and anyone foolish enough to try and enslave a shifter or fight them usually didn’t live to tell the tale. In fact, next to nothing was known about the race except that they appeared mostly human, but they could shift into any animal they wanted to.

A scaled face poked out of the curtain and studied them. He smiled and played with his feathered hair, “Er, side shows over for the day folks, we’ll be back for the big tent stage in an hour, until then…I could use a break? Yeah?”

“Apologies, sir.” West bowed slightly with his hands clasped in fists to his chest, “We were simply talking about your show.”

“Hm.” The Argonian frowned and studied him, “I appreciate the gesture, but you should only use your dominant hand clasped in a fist over your heart if you wish to do that custom correctly.”

“Ah, thank you. It’s been many years since I traveled to Argonia!” West laughed and turned a bit red.

“You’ve been to Argonia?” The tamer smiled with interest, “Can’t say I’ve talked with many humans in the past few years that have actually even left their village, let alone their country. Though Pine is always well educated, I enjoyed our stops here in the past.”

There was a response in the hissing and slightly gutteral language of Argonian from behind the curtain.

“You name is Gerur?” West motioned towards the sign.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“What’s your shifter friends name?” West asked.

“Well, he’s not dumb.” The curtain moved slightly and the red haired boy spoke in an entertained voice, “Maybe we’ll get a small break in Pine.”

“You still got a rock to your head.” Gerur reminded him, “I don’t call that a break.” He spoke quietly, but his concern was clear for the teenager. He spoke up and turned to West, “This is Tabor, he’s my partner in this show. An old friend of mine, like a little brother of sorts and just as troublesome.”

Tabor shrugged and didn’t deny the accusation.

“How did a shifter and an argonian come to be in a show like this?” West asked as kindly as he could.

“Bad luck.” Tabor responded and spat a few small flames for emphasis.

“Nowhere else to go.” Gerur shrugged, “It’s a job and we’re alive because of it. A couple demeaning shows and a little laughs from humans who don’t know better. It’s better than what else might be out there.”

“I see…I could have sworn this circus was different than this though. Who’s the manager here?”

Gerur and Tabor shared a look before Tabor shrugged and motioned for Gerur to answer. Gerur responded in an equally flippant manner, but there was something in the way he narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth a bit too much as he spoke that suggested great dislike as he said the name, “Wessel Sweet.”

“Wessel? Hm…I’m sure I’ve never met a Wessel.”

Tabor and Gerur shared another tired expression.

West sighed and raised his hand, “I’ve bothered you enough, I’ll be on my way.”

“Nice seeing an educated guy. Come by the real show if you want to be insulted.” Tabor smirked.

“Tabor!” Gerur growled a warning, “You might enjoy the show, you never know.” He forced a smile.

“Perhaps.” West responded kindly, but both Robyn and West had seen about enough of this place.

They were heading towards the exit when a little boy, who looked anywhere between eight and ten, selling sweets bumped into Robyn, “Oh! Hey! Sorry about that!” He smiled happily, “Wanna buy something? I’ve got lots!”

“Is that a selling tactic? Smack into your customer and try to get coins?” Robyn looked at the kid unimpressed.

He just smoothed his messy blonde hair and just continued to smile, though it didn’t really reach his eyes and she could tell the kid was a little con. “Ah, no way, I’m just a clumsy little kid selling sweets to help out Mr. Wessel! He lets me stay at the circus and keeps me off the streets with the other urchins!”

“Robyn, buy a cake.” West threw her three coppers.

She sighed and let the little conman have his copper, “You actually part of this freak show? You look normal enough to me other than your conning abilities.”

“I’m normal enough.” The boy happily took her money with his pale hands, he must be from the countries farther north they were all pale skinned. His blue eyes shining at the triumph of getting the money though, “Just your run of the mill little ten year old boy! I just love being useful!”

“You sound possessed. Work on your acting.” Robyn told him with a frown.

The kid started laughing and ran off to con someone else.

“I think I found a freak.” Robyn stated dryly.

“Desperate urchins don’t count as freaks.”

“They do when they’re that weird about things.” Robyn grumbled.

“To me he seemed like a smart kid who was purposely trying to unnerve you since he figured you knew he was already conning you.” West pointed out, “Come on, I’ve got to warn the King to cut this show short. It’s not the sort of entertainment he should host.”

“Good.” Robyn grumbled.

“West Brightstone!” A man with slick black hair and rich velvet clothing walked towards West smiling, “I had heard rumors such a well known man lived in this town, I simply must introduce myself to someone of your reknown. I’m Wessel Sweet, the owner of this wonderful bunch here!” He motioned towards the tents.

Robyn noticed the little boy watching the interaction from afar and then quickly duck away when he saw Robyn’s stare. He was running towards the big tent. This place was giving her all sorts of warning signs to leave. She’d be lucky to get out of this with pushing the call to adventure onto someone else!

“I am certainly who you believe I am.” West responded formally, “I gave the King information about this circus I believed to be true. My mistake, I suppose. I was under the impression the owner was someone very different than you, sir.”

Wessel’s mouth twitched slightly in his smile, but it didn’t disappear, he just laughed lightly, “Ah, yes, I know of the former owner, but we came to an agreement that he sell the show to me four years ago! Quite an agreeable man. I’ve heard great tales of your ability to enrapture an audience with your stories, I’ve got quite the same skills in persuasion.” He smiled, “I have the curse of being a good politician with the mind for show business.”

West smirked, “Quite the curse.”

“Indeed. Now, I can’t have you ducking away from here just yet. The big show of the night has yet to play and I am eager for the approval of West Brightstone.”

“I’m sure you are since I’m the man that will tell the King whether or not you’ll stay here tomorrow.” West told him easily, “You think there’s something in that tent that will be convincing towards your great show?”

Robyn looked towards Wessel to see how he’d respond to West’s insults. Wessel kept his smile and just nodded, “Of course! I’ll give you the best seats I have! With any guests you’d like at your side.” He winked and spoke quietly to West, but Robyn still easily heard the next offer, “And I can even finagle one of my beautiful nymphs to sit beside you if you’d like.”

West looked uncomfortable, “I’ll pass, thanks. How about you give my friend and I whatever seats you deem your best and we’ll see what opinion we come to.”

“Oh.” Wessel looked towards Robyn just noticing her standing there. At least she knew her magic was working. “Of course.” He smiled and put his arm around West.

Robyn sighed and removed the man’s hand and smiled at him with her best fake charming smile, “Hands off, please.”

West wasn’t really the sort who liked people being too familiar with him. Lexton and Robyn often inserted themselves between West and whatever person was being too close. Robyn would prefer not to make herself known, but she would do it for the sake of West being comfortable.

“Right, apologies. I didn’t realize that I was invading your territory.” Wessel backed off.

Robyn turned red and looked at West clearly unhappy with that assumption. He just raised a hand and mouthed, “Thank you. Sorry.”

Wessel continued his schmoozing though and led West and Robyn into the big tent. It didn’t start for nearly an hour, but seats were already starting to fill. They were led to some roped off seats in the middle and sat there. Wessel continued smiling, “These are the seats fit for nobility and the esteemed. I hope you’ll find the show enjoyable.”

“Me too.” West responded simply, “How many others will be sitting here?”

“Any other esteemed individuals I find from the King’s court wandering here.”

“Then we’ll wait for their company, I’m sure you have a show to prepare for.” West waved in a clear dismissive gesture.

The man just nodded and smiled before walking off. Robyn watched him and saw him grab the little blonde-haired urchin boy and walk off dragging the kid with him. Robyn could see anger in Wessel’s face as he ordered around the kid.

“Should we bother to expect anyone else?” Robyn asked, her voice tinged with the annoyance of having to stay for this main show.

West pulled a sending stone from his pocket, “I don’t think a second opinion would hurt.” The quartz stone shone with magic, “Lex, we’re staying for the main show. Full details to the King, you know? Can you grab Travis and send him this way?”

“Sure.” Lexton responded, “What’s your opinion of the place so far?”

“Cesspit of problems that I want no part in.” Robyn grumbled.

West looked amused and laughed slightly, it disappeared as he spoke to Lexton though, “It’s nothing I want to see stay here. Looks a little too close to forced work from these actors and anything that slightly resembles slave work will not be tolerated by the King or his people.”

“Well, if the troop is in Pine and performing they have to follow our laws, and we say no shows with workers bought in the slave trade. Though, unfortunately unless they were captured and bought illegally in Pine you know there’s no way to free them, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” West sighed, “It’s annoying.”

“I’ll send Travis your way. Perhaps I’ll join.”

“If you want, but this isn’t your sort of place, I think.”

“It’s not yours either.” Lexton responded simply and the stone’s light died down.

West pocketed the stone and looked at Robyn with a small smile, “Well, this is more than we bargained for, huh?”

Robyn stared at him and scowled, “If I get pulled into any adventure because of this…I’m quitting.”

“You threaten to quit every week, darling.” West smiled and pushed his hair back and started to tie it up.

“Yeah, well, this is the day I quit this week.” Robyn responded and rested her chin in her hand as she stared down towards the stage below. There were wooden rings set in the dirt and a trapeze and high tight rope set up without a net below it. That had to be dangerous, but there were probably enough magical folk about this circus that they didn’t actually need the net and could add the extra “danger” to their show.

West looked about the show as well as people started to walk in, “You know, Lex and I were a side show for a circus once.”

“Yeah?” Robyn would let West indulge in a story.

“I was quite the hit.” West rubbed the front of his shirt smugly, “And I only had two sorcerer stones at the time, so most of it was pure talent.”

“What’d you do?”

“I told stories about the lore of the sorcerers, of course!” West laughed, “I had a bit of help to make sure I was telling the story correctly.”

“West Brightstone, you fraud.” Robyn rolled her eyes, “What’d Lex do?”

“Oh, I would purposely say things wrong and I let my ass correct me. Added a bit of comedic effect, I think. It helped that I was a cute little kid still.” West smirked. “Though I’m still quite handsome, I believe, so I can still easily call attention to myself.”

“Is that why Wessel bothered us? Because you’re so handsome with that old man hair?”

“Why must you insist on wounding me?” West clutched his chest, but he quickly started laughing at Robyn’s tease.

The two of them calmed down a little and Robyn raised her hand as Lexton walked towards them with her parents following. Robyn’s father sat on the other side of her and frowned looking towards the stage, “This place seems different than how I remember it.”

“That’s what West and I said.” Robyn shrugged, “Change of management probably. I’m not going to bother with it, but you and West should probably nip this at the bud before the King is too offended.”

“Well, we may as well see how different it is.” Robyn’s mother leaned forward looking a little excited, “We don’t go out to shows like this as a family much anymore!”

“Mom, if you want to do something as a family, can we do something less…offensive?” Robyn asked looking around nervously.

“Oh, darling, perhaps there’s just a few bad shows. I remember it being quite nice.” April assured her.

“If you say so.” Robyn rolled her eyes and turned towards West and Lexton who were talking quietly about the show.

“Hello again!” The cheerful cry of a little boy broke through their conversations as little con from before appeared, grinning ear to ear. This time he wasn’t selling sweets though, his box was full of odds bits of wire and gears. Though there were a few candies still.

“Uh, what’re you trying to con us into selling this time?” Robyn asked.

“Robyn! Don’t be rude!” Her father hit her shoulder.

“Yeah, Robyn, just a little kid looking to earn his keep.” The boy winked and held up one of the gears, “Our show is known for some top notch dwarven and gnomish technology! One of the humans here works with our resident dwarves and gnomes to create contraptions that can move all on their own! We call them robots! They help move lights and set pieces when we’re short on hands. Look out there now! See?” The boy motioned towards the stage where there was indeed a strange contraption pushing a pedestal out towards the middle. It looked like it was moving all on its own even though it was just a metal box with arms and wheels, plus there was a black, shiny top to it.

“Oh! I’m always amazed by dwarf and gnome inventions.” Robyn’s father sat forward.

“I’m selling robot seeds.” The boy flipped the gear in his hand, “Plant these in the ground and you’ll soon find yourself with your own little helper around the house!”

“Oh?” West laughed, “Is that so? Do explain that one to me, kid.”

“Easy!” This kid would not give up on the ruse, “You put the gear in the ground, water it daily, and after a year the robot will grow and assemble itself through advanced gnomish terraforming techniques. After a year you dig it up very carefully as to not scare it away. If it’s not there, that means you either didn’t care for it correctly or it ran off because you weren’t careful.”

“Well, you cover all grounds there for why it’s not going to work, huh?” Lexton’s ears lowered as he spoke dryly, “Perhaps you should try that ruse on people who aren’t part of the King’s court and obviously educated.”

The boy flipped the gear again and laughed, “Alright, alright, so it doesn’t grow robots, but it is a cool looking gear. Come on, who doesn’t like shiny stuff?”

“How much?” Robyn’s Mom asked.

“Are you serious?” Robyn sighed.

“Oh shush, Robyn, how much, dearie?” She smiled at the boy.

The kid smirked, “Five silver.”

“Silver?” April asked lightly.

“Yup.” The kid nodded.

“How about five copper?”

The kid shrugged, “That’s about all that’s its worth, so okay.”

“Who’s in charge of you?” Robyn asked as the kid happily traded the useless gear for five coppers.

“Me.” He laughed, “But I’m backstage crew and in charge of selling treats. Everyone has to earn their keep and I can’t afford to lose this job, as I told you before.”

“Hey! Peter!” There was a sharp shout that Robyn almost couldn’t understand through a thick Avarian accent, “Get backstage, the show is about to start!”

The boy, who must be Peter, gave them a little salute before running off and sticking out his tongue at the Avarian who had shouted at him. There was a slight ruckus of the kid probably running off before he could get hit or kicked by the bird man.

A moment later the show finally started. The fires that lined the walls of the tent actually dimmed down, much to everyone’s amazement. They must have some mages on staff, either that or some very talented inventors. A fire was lit and the light was directed towards a thin man in the center of the stage. He smiled a joyless smile and motioned around the empty stage, “Welcome good ladies and gentlemen of Kite! My name is Wessel Sweet and I am overjoyed to be in your esteemed city to show you the amazing, the frightening, and the strange sights of our continent! Keep track of your loved one, you never know what sort of dangers lurk in the corners of Belor.” He pulled a golden cloak about him in a shimmering turn as he diverted attention towards a parade of performers.

Robyn looked towards West and Lexton as the lights illuminated the performers. This was nothing like she remembered. There were the three nymphs still scantily clad leading the parade and waving, winking, and blowing kisses to men in the audience. Robyn saw the youngest nymph with pink hair look towards their direction and wink at them before diverting her attention elsewhere. Following the nymphs were five satyrs. Three of them were playing pipes as all five of them skipped about in a dance. Lexton made an annoyed noise, which suggested that wasn’t an actual dance of his people.

A fairy flew between the satyrs and a large troll with a glittering trail of magic. The troll had chains on his feet and arms and appeared to be led through the parade by three regal looking elves. There were two gnomes with ridiculous looking contraptions on their heads, a centaur woman, an avarian, some goblins, a tauren, lycaneon, orcs, and even a kappa and a selkie. At the rear of the performance after the kappa giggled and ran between the orcs and selkie playing little tricks, there was Gerur the Argonian. He was holding a chain connected to a muzzle and collar on a continuously shifting beast that must be Tabor. Tabor was changing between different fearsome beasts and lunging at the audience with Gerur pulling him back.

When the performers were done circling the stage they went backstage and Wessel moved on with show. Robyn watched as the centaur woman jumped about through flaming hoops, the goblins had daring high wire, acrobatic swordfights, and the two orcs, the tauren, and the troll showed off their brute strength. Each group seemed to be playing towards what would be expected for them to do. The gnomes and the kappa seemed to make fools of themselves in a comedic act where the gnomes kept trying to show off their contraptions, but the kappa would sneak in and steal something and retreat into his shell before the gnomes could get it back. The elves told old lore tales and after that the nymphs came on stage with the selkie. The selkie surprised them by singing in a language that Robyn had never heard before. The song sounded sad, but very beautiful. The three nymphs were performing acrobatic dances to it. The youngest nymph was high on the tight rope easily bending backwards onto her hands and performing in a handstand. It was all very impressive, but the selkie actually just looked miserable, and Robyn’s face was slowly growing warmer as she watched the nymphs dance.

A few more acts passed by before Wessel twirled onto the stage in his golden cloak to announce the final act, “For this final danger we look to the west! In the deep forests lies the most dangerous creature to walk Belor! Countless humans have tried to brave their territory, but have met their end to the violent claws to these beasts of the West! Only a fellow beast can tame such a treacherous creature! I give you Gerur the beastly beast tamer!” He motioned towards where Gerur was smiling and walking out of the back tent closely followed by Tabor. Tabor was just scowling and looked like his normal redhead teenage self. He wasn’t shifting into fearsome beasts at all.

Wessel walked close beside both of them and Robyn saw Tabor’s eyes flick towards the ringleader for a moment before returning to inspecting the audience. Gerur patted Tabor’s shoulder heavily as he started his show. He was doing the same thing he had earlier where he introduced Tabor as a fearsome beast. He went an extra step this time where he pushed Tabor away from him and cracked a whip loudly against the ground. Tabor leaped forward and turned into a snarling jaguar. Gerur started lighting wooden rings on fire and rolling them towards Tabor. With each crack of Gerur’s whip, Tabor turned into another dangerous animal. Tabor was soon circling around Gerur just shifting into a bunch of different animals. He roared as a lion and shifted in the air until he was circling Gerur as a hawk and diving towards him.

Gerur easily dodged around the attacks and laughed, “So you want to fight, beast? Let’s fight! You can’t be much more fearsome than a bird, huh? Dive at me now!” Gerur winked at the audience as he stepped in front of a target board.

Tabor gave an angry cry and dove towards Gerur with his beak aiming first. It looked a bit unnatural, Robyn was pretty sure that hawks dove with their feet first. Gerur dodged out of the way and bowed a bit as Tabor got his beak stuck in the board.

“You’re not much of a fight there, beast! I’m the great beastly beast tamer after all, you can’t outsmart me!”

There was an angry cry as Tabor freed himself and started flying towards the top of the tent growing larger with each flap of his wings. Robyn’s mouth fell open slightly in awe as a dragon was soon tightly circling the top of the stands. Tabor sent flames towards the middle of the stage where Gerur was standing. Gerur moved out of the way and shouted, “No worries, ladies and gentleman! One of our elvish friends left a bow out here. I may not be an archer, but no beast has ever gotten the best of me!”

Tabor flew towards Gerur, who let an arrow fly. It hit Tabor in the chest and bounced back towards the stage burrowing into the ground. While it didn’t look like it did any damage, the dragon roared as if it’d been mortally wounded and started falling towards the ground and shrinking in size until an orange tabby kitten landed on Gerur’s circle with a pitiful mewl. Gerur bowed as the audience gasped and cheered at his achievement.

Robyn looked towards West, Lexton, and her parents. All four of them looked unhappy with the show. Wessel bowed his way out still giving them a joyless smile as the show was wrapped up with a few words. West stood up once the fires roared back to life, “Alright, well, that’s enough of that nonsense. Travis, is that enough to let the King know we made a mistake?”

“More than enough.” Robyn’s father stood up watching Wessel walk off. “This is a joke and an insult to the intelligence found here in Pine. I say we ban this insult from the country.”

“Please.” Lexton’s ears were back and his tail was twitching as he stood beside West. “Pine is attempting to be inclusive towards the non-human species, especially the natural folk after hundreds of years of slavery. This will not help mend any bridges.”

“There we are.” West nodded a few times, “Lexton speaks for his natural folk heritage and I’ll just tell the King that it must be bad if a Vassian such as me is offended.”

“Oh please, we all know you’re far from Vassian.” Travis snorted, “Where you were born has nothing to do with who you are, West.”

“Allow a man a joke.” West rolled his eyes and patted Robyn’s shoulder with a smile, “Well, any adventures budding from this?”

“You better hope not.” Robyn warned him, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll hire you again tomorrow! You’ve quit until then I believe!” West laughed and walked off with a disgruntled Lexton.

Robyn shook her head and turned to her parents, “Let’s go.”

#story: untitled #original story

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