There. Topic created. Unfortunately, that's about all I can do for now. This is for the seeming soon to be second story line in the IC:Post Phase 2 World. I'm not sure how any cross-overs will work, but here it is. Gotta go.

And so...It begins...

Enter: The local boy.

A figure stepped out from the main Inn of the town of Eastridge and turned towards the lake that was a short distant away. The boy of 16 years had just picked up a special order of sweet wheat bread that his cousin's bakery was known for. Rufus, the Inn Keeper, had made quiet a spectacle of him when he went after an ex-stablehand and her companions with a meat cleaver. Reginald, the captain of the guard, had strongly suggested that he do something help the town forget about his little escapade with the cleaver. His answer as to have a small festival at the Inn celebrating small, obscure fact about the town.
   Dalton knew that whatever Rufus did, it was just going to be an act. He was well known for less than polite manner at the Inn and his drinking didn't help matters. It would just be a matter of time before he did something like this again and end up in the same hole he had dug for himself just a short time ago. But if it meant a bit more coin for the bakery, Dalton was more that capable of dealing with it.
  As Dalton approached the edge of the lake, he took the beautiful sight before him. The lake was almost as smooth as glass and the brightest starts of the night sky could just be seen reflecting in the waters. This had a deep calming effect on him. Not that he really need to be calm, but the past few years had been intense at time and he never passed up a chance to relax and forget about past events. However, as he scanned the lake for anything interested, one of those intense moments decided to show itself. It was the school.
   It was just a short year ago that he was attending the prestigious school for adventurers. It had been his greatest wish and even now, having quit, he could still feel the walls calling out to him. Before he knew it, he was walking up the lake shore towards the school. As he did, the memories of learning how to cast powerful runes and healing the injured came flooding back. And so did the incident. It was the Winter Ball. It had ended with a free for all by the Thief Majors that left the dance hall looking like a war zone. But that in and of itself wasn't the problem. It was the nightmares of another terrible event a few years earlier that it had triggered that was the problem. So much so that he couldn't sleep or sleep. After a week of this, he just had to get away. But the only way to do that was to quit. And so he did.
   At that thought, Dalton stopped and looked around. He was surprised how far he had come. The walls of the school were standing tall in front of him and he could see all the way down to where the walls turned. He ran his hand through is short, dark hair and shook it out in attempt to push out the bad memories. He had better control over himself now, but he still didn't like dwell on the bad stuff. He looked back up at the walls. He still had hope that he might find a way back into the school to continue his studies. But with each passing day, those chances seemed to get smaller and smaller. With that last thought, he started to turn around when something caught his eye. Down a ways, there seemed to be a small group waiting just in front of the main entrance to the school.
    "What's going on down there," he said to himself as he tried to get a better look. It was unusual for anyone to try and enter Eastridge at this time of night because the school usually locked up for the night just after dusk. He had never heard of anyone getting after that unless they were very important people or it was a real emergency.
    Dalton continued to strain his eyes to see who was there. There seemed to be four of them and it looked like they were talking about something. He curiosity had just about got the best of him when the group suddenly split up. Two of them seemed to walk off alone the wall while the other two just stood there. One of these people seemed to be having trouble standing. He once again was about to walk up but stopped himself before he had taken a step. It wasn't his concern. And besides, he had to get Rufus's order to Troy, his cousin's husband, so he start preparing the order. And with that, he turned away from the school and walked briskly back down the lake shore toward the bakery and home.
   The bakery was not actually in town but a little ways outside of town alone the road to Port Lynn. This gave him a bit of time to reflect on the past again. Not so much about the school, but about someone who was attending it now, his friend Stephon, or Step as he was now called. He had met Step on the Eastern SeaMage on his final run from Saiyu to Lynn. But it wasn't until after they got off the SeaMage that they really had started to talk. Captain Seestran had asked Dalton to do him one last favor: escort Step to Eastridge and make sure he got the Inn without any trouble. It seemed to be a reasonable request and since he was already going to Eastridge, there didn't seem to be a reason not to. And so began a most interesting friendship.
   Dalton now walked away from the lake and picked up the road. He was well south of the town but only a few minutes from home. As he walked pass the row of structures towards home, he reflected on some of the more unusually aspects of his friend Step. But of all of them, the one that stood out above the rest was Step's seemingly impossible ability to sneak in and out of Eastridge undetected. Sure, it could be done, but the frequency and coolness that he had about it was just about unheard of for someone of his school level. There was definitely more to this Mage Major, Warrior Minor, than met the eye. As Dalton came up on the bakery, he half expected Step to be standing there, waiting for him with a mage textbook in his hand. As it was, the only this visible was a light coming from the back room of the bakery. As he walked through the gate on the side of the building, he paused for a moment to look over Rufus's order. It looked like is was going to be a busy morning for all involved. And with that, he turned the corner and walked through the back door of the bakery.

"...With fire and brimstone and the hellhound's growl,
Green earth is scorched along the demon king prowl.
Dark Lord Alenth comes 'long, wearing magic cape and cowl.
He faces the king, stares death in the eye.

The two hellion giants charge, bringing their blackened swords to bear,
Dark Alenth loses a hand, but doubles his efforts, and does not care.
As the battle goes on, blood falls like rain, each looking worse for wear,
Who would win no one knew, but one would surely die..."

A lass in her late teens is surrounded by lordlings, and a few older men straggling from their work, telling them a story in exaggerated tones and gestures. Two orbs of light, one red, one purple, 'fight' above their heads, flashing brightly as they impact each other. It is punctuated by occasional cavernous lupine growls that cause a nearby horse to become skittish. She's sweating as she flaps her cape, enacting both parts herself as well as having been telling tales and singing songs for the entire morning with her magic, and after a few more stanzas, the lights wink out, to the disappointment of the crowd.

"Thank you, the conclusion will be told eventually, once the scripts are translated. Retelling the myths of old accurately is very difficult, and any donations to the cause would be verymuch appreciated. Pandora is always willing to educate and entertain the lords of the future." She holds out a leather bag, and a few of the audience drop in some coppers. Not as much as she would hope, but enough to get through two days and a bit more without additional working. A good thing, since she would collapse unless she got something to eat. Thus, it was fortunate happenstance she was performing in front of a bakery. Pandora enters the front with an inviting smile, as she is wont to do, picking up a large crusty roll and bringing it to the rotund baker.

"I still don't know why they didn't let you in that school, with the stuff I see you do outside every day." He comments, taking a copper coin from her bag. "Still, you get the passing nobles to stop by, so I get more sales. You want to use the firewood shed again tonight? It's going to rain." He picks out another copper from the bag, a token charge more than lodging fees. "I have a feeling some of your fans are here for more than your stories, though." He adds, looking her sweating form over. 

Pandora catches her breath, her performing nonchalance lost by exhaustion, and speaks between bites of bread. "I aim to entertain, if they're entertained by heavy breathing and clinging tunics, they're still happier than when they arrived... You seem tired, up early doing a big bulk order?" She follows her nose towards the door leading to the back room, where he would on occasion store sweetcakes for special orders, she accidentally bumping into a boy walking in from the back door.

Dalton had just finished up hitching the horse to the cart they had and was walking through the doorway that led to the front of the bakery when he ran into something. He looked down and saw a pair of blue eyes looking up at him.
   "Sorry," an embarrassed voice said and the girl who the eyes belonged to quickly scampered out of the way. Dalton flashed her a quick annoyed look before turning back to the front of the store.
   "Troy?" he called out.
   "Yea," Troy replied and Dalton turned to face him. He was hunched over a counter looking at the order that was going out to the Inn.
   "Sophie is all hitched up. Do you want to bring her around to the front or do you want to load up in the back?"
   "Let's load up in the back."
   "OK," Dalton replied, but after a second, he stepped up closer to Troy so he would not be over heard. "What is she doing here?" he asked at a near whisper. Now it was Troy's turn to be annoyed.
   "Its probably going to rain later on today and she needed a place to stay," Troy answered in a matter of fact tone.
   "Are you sure that's all?" Dalton asked. "I mean, when I asked if Step could stay with us you ma-". Dalton's rebuttal was cut off by the angry look that now occupied Troy's face. Dalton's relationship with his cousin's husband had never been very good. There were times where they almost went to war with each other. But recently, things had been getting a little better and he didn't want to ruin this good trend over something that seemed to be just annoying him.
   "I would never do anything to hurt your cousin," Troy said in a harsh whisper. Dalton knew this to be true. In all the time he had stayed with them, he never saw Troy deliberately do anything to hurt his cousin. "Besides, she's only staying in the wood shed and she helps bring in customers."
   "If you saw so," Dalton replied, " but I would still be careful. If my cousin starts to think there is something going on, you may find that precious rolling pin of your stuffed in a place you won't like." For a moment, Dalton saw the expression on Troy's face drain away as he contemplated that scenario. but it was only for a moment.
   "Just start loading Rufus's order, will ya," Troy finally said. "Its on the shelves near the ladder. I'll be out in a minute." Dalton nodded his acknowledgment and turned around and headed to the back room.
   The back room was actually separated into two halves by a thin wall. On one side was the common room, which doubled as a kitchen. There was a table and some old chairs. There was also a set of stairs along the side wall that led up the bedrooms and such upstairs. Dalton walked to the other side, which was the store room for the various wares the bakery sold. Two large, wood burning ovens were located along the back wall and it looked like they were still in use. The other walls had shelves were the various breads were placed after they had been baked. In the center was a table for rolling and cutting the dough. But before he walked over to where Rufus's order was waiting, Dalton walked down and opened the large door that led to the outside.
   As the door swung open, Dalton saw that the bakery's guest was standing next to the horse giving it some attention. The annoying feeling that he had before started to come back. But before it could take hold, he turned and walked over to the shelves. He had more important things to do than think about this girl. He grabbed a large plate of bread off the shelf and walked out to the cart.
   As Dalton approached the cart, the girl looked away from the horse and towards him. She had a sheepish grin on her face. Dalton didn't pay much attention as he walked to the back of the cart and slid the plate in. As he turned to walk back, he saw that she was still looking at him. To Dalton, there didn't seem to be anything special about her. In fact, with that patch work cloak of hers, she looked a bit run down. But her face always seemed to light up whenever she smiled and she did seem to know how to entertain the kids.
   "So, I hear you will be staying with us again," he finally said, breaking the awkward moment.
   "Uh huh, " she replied, starting to look away a bit.
   Dalton stepped forward a bit and propped himself up against the side of the cart. "You know, you don't have to stay in the shed. The stable would be lot better".
   "I know, but I like the shed."
   "Well, suit yourself. But if you changed your mind, I don't think Sophie will mind." And with that he turned back toward the door and walked off to get another plate of bread. Dalton grabbed the next two plates of bread and pastries and loaded them on the cart without saying anything to the girl. But she didn't seem to mind as her attention was once again turned back toward the horse.
   As Dalton came in for the last load, he saw that Troy was finally there looking over the last plate. His cousin Martha was with him.
   "That's the last one, right?" Troy asked as he pointed to the last plate.
   "It should be, unless I missed something."
   "Nope, that should do it," Troy replied as he looked over the order sheet one last time. After the once-over, he folded it and handed it to Dalton, who put it in his pant's pocket. "Make sure you get the full amount for all this. Don't let Rufus talk you into paying you later."
   "Don't worry, Troy. He won't get a single slice until the coin is in hand." Dalton replied sternly. Rufus had a history of trying to split up payment and then pretend that he had already paid the other half. Needless to say, Dalton's opinion of him, and Troy's for that matter, was not very high.
   "Maybe you should ask Pandora if she would like to go along," Martha chimed in. That annoyed look on Dalton face returned. He could see that matchmaker look in his cousin's eyes. "Oh, come on. It wouldn't hurt to ask. I don't think she has anything else to do today. It will give her a chance to get out."
   Dalton looked at his cousin again. Maybe there was something else on her mind. "OK, I'll ask. But I am not going to promise anything or force the subject." Martha just smiled at him.
   With that, he picked up the last plate and walked out. As he walked out the door, he could hear his cousin and Troy walk up to the doorway. An awkward feeling came over him. It was bad enough he was going to ask this girl to go with him, but having an audience looking on while he was doing it was making it even worse. As he approached the back of the cart, he tried to calm himself down.
   He slid the plate into place in the cart and then looked over at Pandora. She was too focused on the horse to notice him looking at her. Now was as good a time as any. "So, do you have plans right now?"
   "No, not really," she said looking over to him, a little surprised.
   "Would you like to come along?"

Pandora gives a once-over on the man intruding on her when he entered the stable. Lightly armed at best, and not the quickest colt in the combine, at least as far as she could tell. A good thing, in her mind, since that meant he wasn't a threat and she could continue coddling the dappled mare as he went about his business. She hums a cheerful tune as the coach-boy asks her out.

"My, my." She gasps theatrically at his offer. "Are you an admirer? You may think you know me from my performances, but you should really ask a girl's name before you get her to elope with you. Common niceties."

It is fairly obvious she is teasing poor Dalton, for the benefit of the audience in the doorway, and he is annoyed with Martha's suggestion already. Still, he blushes in response to her words, though more of mutual embarassment from her saying it so plainly. "That's a no then? Good." He states, glad to be easily rid of the burden.

"Oh, I didn't say no. I just like to know names. Part of the trade. There's a folktale in the south about a fox-god that takes the form of a beautiful young lass who aids a cart-merchant gain profits, you shouldn't turn down help so quickly." Thus explained, in an amazingly sage voice, Pandora cheerfully vaults on to the cart, skillfully avoiding crushing anything saleable.

Dalton is about to make a pithy remark about young lasses when she cuts him off. "And by the way, everyone calls me Pandora." Her eyes then meet Martha's, and unheard words pass between the two in mere moments. She comes to a conclusion, and adds "...And you still haven't given me your name, Roadrunner."

Dalton didn't know what to make of the glance exchange between his cousin and this girl, but he was sure he wasn't going to like it too much. And then when she called him "Roadrunner", his annoyance level started to spike. As he closed the gate on the cart, he tried to calm himself down. He did invite her to come along, after all.
   "First off, the name is Dalton," he said over his shoulder as he climbed up on the bench seat on the front of the cart. " And I prefer it if you would sit up here. This cart is not the smoothest way to travel and the last thing I need is for you to fall over and land on the stuff back there."
   He looked back to see the look on Pandora's face sour a bit. She was about to resist but she could see by the Dalton's look that he was being serious. Not wanting to causing anymore trouble, she carefully made her way forward and hopped on the bench. She sat down still feeling a bit disappointed. She really wanted to ride in the back.
   As Dalton looked away from her, he saw that Troy had moved from the doorway to the gate on the side of the bakery. Troy undid the latch and as it slid away, he pulled the gate open. Dalton saw his cousin and Pandora exchange another set of glances and wonder could they be saying to each other. Whatever it was, it was time to break it up and get going.
   "We shouldn't be long," He finally said.
   "Take your time," Martha replied in a cheerful manner. "We going to open up a bit late today so there is no hurry to get back."
   "Try not to hit too many big bumps," Troy added, "I'm not sure how much that old cart can take."
   Dalton nodded back to Troy. He then slapped the reins lightly and commanded, "Let's go Sofie."
   The cart lurched forward as the old draft horse took a step. Dalton guided the old girl out the gate and onto what passed for a road out in front of the bakery. The trip to the Inn would be a short one but it could still be a pain the backside. And with precious cargo in the part, he thought it best to take it a bit slow.
   Pandora seemed to be content just watching the world pass slowly by. She also knew that the Inn was not far, but it was nice not to have to walk, even if there were a few bumps along the way. Still, the trip was a bit too quite for her, and as she stared out looking for the lake, a thought popped into her head.
   Turning to Dalton, she asked, "Can I ask you something?"
   Dalton heart sank a bit. He was hoping it would be a quite ride to the Inn, but not wanting to be rude, he replied, "sure. Go ahead."
   "Why do call your Dad by name?"
   Dalton almost busted out laughing. "What? He's not my Dad." Dalton turned to look at Pandora and say a very confused look on her face. "Martha is my cousin. And Troy is her husband."
   He started to chuckle when he saw her face turn red with embarrassment.
   "Well, I didn't know!" was all she could say.
   "I would think that would have been obvious. Did you ever hear me use 'Mom' or 'Dad' when you have been around?" All she could do was shake her head.
   "You know, you should always be aware of your surrounding," he added, remembering what Step had told him a few days after they got to Eastridge, "Even when you think you are in a safe place."
   She had no reply to that, but she did have something else. "So where are your parents?"
   In an instant, Dalton's mood went dark. "They...passed on," he said as he turned away.
   "Sorry, I wa--," she tried to reply, but Dalton cut her off with a hard look.
   "I don't like talking about," he said coldly. Pandora jumped back a bit in her seat, a fearful look flashing across here face. Dalton quickly realized what he had done. "Sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Its just a very personal thing for me. Something I like to not think about."
    That seemed to relax her a bit, but he could tell he needed to do more.
   "How about this," he finally said, "I'll give you a quick tale of my history. You can ask any questions you like as long as they are not about parent. Deal?"
   "OK," she replied, starting to warm up again.
   "Ok, where should I start," Dalton started as he thought about his recent past. "Well, first of all, I'm not from Eastridge. I'm from Port Lynn. After my parents," there was a short pause, "I moved in with my cousin after that because she was the only relative I know about. I was planning to goto the Eastridge Academy so coming here seemed like a good thing. After I got accepted I--"
    "You got into Eastridge?!?" Pandora yelped, cutting off Dalton." What was you major? How was it? do anything interesting?"
Dalton started to get annoyed again, but remembered that he did say she could ask any questions she wanted as long as they were not about his parents. He could also see she had stars in her eyes.
    "Well, I was a mage and cleric double major. One of only two people I knew of," he started, "It was fine, up until I quit."
    "You WHAT?!?", Pandora exclaimed, the stars in her eyes shattering.
    "I quit," Dalton said like there was nothing special about it. He then took a deep breath and started up again before she could ask any more questions. "Everything was pretty much going fine up until the Winter Ball. Its this big dance thing they have about this time of year to allow the students to work on there "social skills". Well, there was an indent at the end of the Ball. The indent itself was not big deal, but I started having trouble sleeping after it. It got so bad that I was waking up in a cold sweat and couldn't focus on my studies. I thought that if I could get away from the school for a little while, that things would smooth out and I could get back to studying. Well, I went to ask for some time off and they said that the only way I could get time off was to quit. I didn't want to do that, but after a few more sleepless nights. I packed up my stuff and walked out the gates."
   Pandora could see that it was a difficult thing for him to talk about, much less do, so she held off any questions she might have had. After another short pause and dodging a big pothole, Dalton continued.
   "Well, after that, I went back to my cousin's. Now you may have noticed that Troy and I don't get along sometimes. I guess he held back alot when I first time I came there because of my parent's thing, but this time he didn't hide the fact that he was not too happy about me being around. After about a week of this, I told my cousin I was leaving. At first, she protested, saying I was too young or I was in no condition to be on my own. But I just couldn't take it anymore. I needed to get away to someplace a lot less hostile to sort myself out. So a few nights later, I slipped out and took off. I later heard that cousin almost buried that rolling pin of his up his backside when she found me missing. Anyway, I made my way to Port Lynn and hired on as a deckhand for a cargo ship called the Eastern Sea Mage under Captain Seastran. I never thought of myself as being a sailor, but I knew it was the quickest way to getaway. And you know what, I actually had a good time. Now it wasn't all smooth sailing, but I think I learned more on that boat than anywhere else, even at Eastridge. However, after about 6 months, I was starting to long for home. So when I heard we were making a run from Saiyu to Lynn, I told the Captain it was going to be my final run. So I came back to my cousin's place and started working at the bakery. And that's what I have been doing ever since."
   Dalton took in another deep breath. He hadn't talked that much in one go since the last time Step came to visit. He looked over at Pandora and found her just staring at him. For a moment he thought he had put her to sleep. She soon blinked but continued to stare like she was waiting for the story to continue. Problem was, that was all he wanted to say. They were about half way to the Inn and since there didn't seem to be any questions coming, he decided to flip the table on her.
   He canted his head a bit, put on an evil smile and asked while avoiding another hole in the road, "So, what's your story?"

Pandora frowns for a split-second, thinking Dalton wasn't a very good storyteller. Luckily he was navigating a pothole at the time, and missed the expression. Then again, he was probably learning fire magic while she was learning iambic pentameter, so she didn't dwell on it too much. Still, he requested a story, from a bard, so she felt obligated to answer his question in full form.

"A story... Hmm... Well lets see... Deep in the past, longer now than it seems, lay a newborn girl upon a straw bed, begat of Messir Pandoran and Missus Erebos, a pairing of bulterian lineage and servitude, this thirdborn seemed destined for mediocrity, but fate would have a different idea in mind..." Pandora moves one hand to begin illustrating the tale with lights as she had earlier in the day, but seems to think better of it quickly, catching herself from falling off the cart in a dizzy spell. Spellcasting had taken a toll on the lass already once today, and she pushed her luck nearly too much trying again. Her professional smile quickly returns and she shakes her head to clear it. Dalton turns at the pause in time to see her shake her head, but saw the beginning of the rune in front of him. He raises an eyebrow to her in confusion, which she cheerfully disregards.

"Guess not. Anyways, this girl was given the name of the shining moon. By her fourth summer, she had already taken up the family business, being the handmaiden of a young noblewoman. Indeed, her life continued for scores of moons as such, until her mistress visited with a much more sinister noble clan, dark and hateful in their fiendish delights, bringing the young girl for the trip, introducing her first experience with magic and... Ehm... Mm... Lets skip this part of the story, it's boring anyways." Pandora mentally berates herself, her own story turning out to have more plotholes and skipped points than his. Dalton can tell that point of the story, even without her tone of voice, would be anything but boring. However, he did nearly the same in his tale, and knows a sore spot on the past when he hears one. Unlike her, he also had something he liked to call Tact, and so waved her on to continue.

"...And the seraphic beauty of a holy ascetic was first in her vision as he freed her. She learned an important lesson there, one she would never forget." Pandora continues in her tale so fluidly it is as if the interruption never occurred. "Disobedience is not a good thing among royal servants, you know, and this epoch of her life finished with thirty-one lashes because of her absence and disobedience of a noble. The last was a lash of poppy milk, for her mistress knew no wrongs were done. Exaulted nectar it is, I'm sure you've tried some while a deckhand." The boy nodded, though he was never injured enough in those 6 months to need the powerful drug, some was kept belowdeck just in case.

"Her second life began then, a formal indenture for her Mistress as first handmaiden. They were near the same age, and when done up, looked nigh identical. Her first major test was an assassin, who declared his intentions beforehand, coming after the Lady." Dalton's attention is drawn away at just the wrong time, and the cart bumps harshly. The horse whinnies, but after a moment, he determines everything in the cart is fine. She continues once things settle.

"Yes, a genius assassin, she figured his plot, and took her Lady's place. Some may call it duty, others destiny, that it would be so. And in the dead of night, she challenged the would-be killer to a duel. A duly devilish duel, some would say, one impossible to win, and impossible to lose. Within the confines of their arena, the silk and lace bedroom of her Mistress, rapier wit matched daggers sharp, the exchanges going back and forth. As the minutes stretched into hours, both fighters exhausted, the guards stormed the room and forced the killer away. Of course, he still walks free, some say he even now hunts the only one to escape his sights." Pandora stops for a moment to wave at a few onlookers travelling alongside the cart, the road getting slightly busier as they entered the town proper. She notices what must be the inn, and decides to finish quickly.

"And eventually a year or so after that, she was excused her indenture to go to Aundair Bardic College, and took on the name Pandora as her father's namesake, the 'all-giver', got to third year, always top five in her classes, won a few awards, decided to take a few lessons at Eastridge, was denied, and started meeting Thief majors after-hours for little lessons in spite of it." The last long sentence, taken in one breath, finishes as the horse comes to a slow in front of the inn. She takes a deep breath, a fresh glance around, and stretches behind her back, pulling a long knife sheathed along her spine, smiling at a street urchin scampering away from the goods in the back of the wagon, then puts it back beneath her tunic.

Dalton wasn't sure what to make of Pandora's story. It sounded more like a performance than a short story of how she ended up in Eastridge. Still, it was good enough to cause him to miss a few holes in the road. Now that they were finally stopped at the Inn and she had assumedly finished her story, he turned to her to ask a few questions. But what he saw caused him to hold them. Pandora was looking towards the back of the cart with a smile on her face, her hand coming back from her back. He wasn't 100% sure, but it looked like she may have been reaching for weapon of some sort.
   He had never thought of Eastridge as being a bad place. But after those days spent with Step before he entered the Academy, Dalton realized there was a lot more going on than he thought. Step had told him to always be aware of what was going on around him. Step had taught him what to look for and where to look for it. He had even been able to show him some examples in the town's own market place. Now what he saw the girl next to him doing caused his paranoid level to jump. As he turned around to look in the direction that Pandora was just looking, something in his head screamed at him that something was going down.
   Dalton could see that one of the plates of extra rolls had slid back to the tailgate of the cart, probably after hitting one the potholes in the road. This was not what had him worried. It was the seeming two missing rolls off the plate and a shady looking person walking straight away from the back of the cart that had him going. He knew he had to act fast or the would-be thief would get away. He twisted around as he stood up on the driver's bench of the cart and yelled out to the retreating figure. Unfortunately, this only confirmed his fear as the thief started to bolt. Unfortunately for the thief, that caused Dalton to leap, quite literally, into action.
   Pandora started to turn back towards Dalton when his sudden standing up startled her. She could see that he was looking behind them and had a pretty good idea what he was looking at. As she looked back, she saw that the person she had just smiled at was running away from them. Then the cart suddenly heaved and she looked over to see Dalton jumping off the bench and into the road. As he landed, his left hand went inside his shirt and reached for something on his right arm. He then quickly straightened up and moved, to her surprise, out further into the road instead of after the thief.
   Dalton knew there was no way he could catch up to this fleeing person before he rounded the corner of the Inn and disappeared. He had to stop him before he could get to the corner, but he needed something that would cover an area. As he landed on the ground, he reached inside his shirt and tapped the Shield Rune tattooed on his upper arm. He felt the surge of rune energy course through him and he started to manipulate this energy as he started to pull his hand out. He moved quickly further into the road to get a better angle on his target. As soon as hand came out from underneath his shirt, he flipped it out and sent the now modified rune on an intercept course towards the fleeing robber.
   The thief thought he had it made. He only had a few more long strides to make it to the corner of the Inn. Just then, something shimmering flew past his head. As he instinctively looked back to see what else might be coming his way, his turned head and shoulders ran full-speed into something solid. His lower body and legs, however, didn't know that his head and shoulders had come to a sudden stop and continued on their way, cause the fleeing person to be flipped on his back and slammed into the hard, dusty road.
   Pandora watched on in awe. She had never suspected than Dalton could do rune magic, much less use it in the manner he just did. And what did he reach for inside his shirt? It had to be something rune related to be able to just toss it out like that. She then looked over at his target. This person was definitely down after his run in this Dalton's shield rune and he didn't look like he was moving. She was about to climb down to get a closer look when she heard Dalton's rather stern voice.
   "You stay right there and make sure nothing else leaves the cart," he commanded. Then to the horse he added, "Sofie, stay!"
   Sofie seemed to acknowledge Dalton's command with short winne and a head nod. Pandora just popped herself back down on the bench and looked at him with a very disappointing look. She really wanted to get a better look but thought that it might be better just to following instruction after what she just saw. Dalton didn't really care how she felt. He wasn't sure how Pandora fit in to all of this but as long as she followed what he said, he would be willing to give her some leeway.
   Dalton turned his full attention back to the thief and started to walk over to him. He could see that the thief was starting to come to and not wanting to experience anymore surprises, quickly but carefully traced out the Hold Rune and tossed it at the thief. Since the thief was just lying there, the rune easily hit it target and froze him in position. It took just a short moment for Dalton to walk up to his adversary.
   As he looked down, he could see that this guy was really a street rat. His clothes were all tattered and frayed. His face was a bit dirty and his hair could definitely do with a wash. Dalton could also see, even though he was stiff as a board, the fear in the guy's eye's. He could see that this guy thought he was really going to get it. But that was not Dalton's thing. The law would decide what to do to him. Dalton just wanted to recover his lost merchandise and turn him over to the guard. Dalton patted down the guy's shirt and quickly found the two rolls he had pilfered from the cart. They were a bit crushed but still eatable. As Dalton stood up, he took some pity on the thief.
   "You know. If you had just asked, it probably would have gone a lot better for you," he said after shaking his head.
   "Hey! What's going on over there?" came a booming voice from the direction of the Inn. Dalton snapped his head up and looked in the direction of the voice. Some people had filed out the Inn when they heard the commotion outside. Standing in front of everyone was Reginald, the Captain of the Guard.
   "Just recovering some stolen merchandise, Reggie." Dalton replied, taking a few steps back toward the entrance of the Inn. "It seems we have a new rat in town."
   "Oh, you mean that guy?" Reginald commented, pointing in Dalton's direction.
   Dalton tuned back to find the thief not on the ground, but up and running around the corner of the Inn. Evidently when Reginald called out to Dalton, it had distracted him enough that the Hold Rune weakened and the thief was able to break free and make a run for it. Dalton took a step towards the fleeing thief when he realized that with a roll in each hand, there was no way he could cast a rune before the thief disappeared around the corner. All Dalton could do was watch helplessly, cursing under his breath. After the thief was good and gone, he turned back toward the Inn and walked up to Reginald.
   "Well, I guess that will be more work for you," He said to Reginald. Just then Rufus came stomping out of the Inn.
   "What's going on out here?" he asked in his usual rough tones.
   "Nothing much. Just stopping someone from getting some of you goodies," Dalton casually replied as he started to unlock the tailgate of the cart.
   "WHAT?!?" Rufus exclaimed.
   "Don't worry. He didn't get anything," Dalton replied, now staring at Rufus.
   "Well, if I was out here I would have--"
   "What? Gone after him with a meat cleaver?" Dalton said, cutting the Innkeeper off. The crowd that had gathered at the entrance to the Inn started to laugh and Rufus's face instantly went red. Dalton knew there was very little the Innkeeper could say to that.
   "Just get that stuff inside, will you," was all Rufus could manage. He then turned around and stomped back inside the Inn. Dalton and Reginald looking at each other for a moment, then started laughing themselves. They both knew Dalton had stung the Innkeeper pretty good.
   "So what are you doing here anyway?" Dalton finally said to Reginald after another moment.
   "Just making sure things don't get out of hand," Reginald replied, trying to stop laughing. "I was also hoping someone was going to show up here at the Inn, but he hasn't arrived yet. I'm not sure he even going to."
   Dalton just gave Reginald a confused look. He didn't know what to say.
   "Well, I better get back inside," Reginald finally said, starting to walk back inside the Inn, "And try to leave the thief catching to me, OK?"
   "Awe, what's the fun in that," Dalton joked back," A boy's got to have a hobby. Hey Reggie..."
    As Reginald turned around, Dalton tossed one the reclaimed rolls at him. Reginald easily caught it.
   "I wish you would stop calling me Reggie," he said half seriously, shaking a finger of hand that had the roll in it at Dalton. He then turned and took a bite out of the roll as he walked inside the Inn. "Hmm. Good stuff."
   Dalton smiled and turned his attention back the last lock on the tailgate, undid it and dropped it down. "Here," he said as he tossed the other roll at Pandora who was now standing at the back of the cart. He had noticed while he was talking to Reginald that she had slid off the bench and slowly walked back to them. Tossing the roll at her was just his way of letting her know that he had noticed. Plus, he needed both hands free. Pandora didn't seem to be surprised and easily caught the roll. She was about to say something when Dalton interrupted.
   "You can have it. Its one of the extras Troy added to the order," he said casually as he pulled the roll plate onto the tailgate. Then he looked at her with a serious face and continued, "And so, what's the deal between you and that street rat? And please, no epic tales. Just a simple explanation if you don't mind."

"Kids hide on the road... Past days to steal one bread loaf. Folly if I hear it." Explained Pandora, in a condescending haiku. She ripped open the bread, to pick at the centre as she spoke. She rested her hand against the back of her neck, near both the hilt of her blade and her rune. She did not yet bring the food to her lips. Pandora paused, and looked at the sky, to see a crow flying by, the movement of darker clouds pushing lighter ones against the blue sky, and listened to the ambient city noise. And yet, only three seconds had passed as she took this in, she spoke again, feeling the need to expand her answer due to a glare from her audience.

"I have neither means nor motive to start this affair. Of course, someone here does." She pointed her bread, in spite of his desires, theatrically at Dalton. "You! While I was seen miles from here every day and night, you were no where to be found, likely making deals with street rats, and you just had a disagreement with the baker as you left, giving you motive as well, to want the delivery taken unlawfully." Pandora rubbed the back of her neck just as Dalton was about to explode from this accusation against his honour, but though he felt his words leaving his mouth, he couldn't voice them. Her own rune, pulled and altered behind her back, made with a few additions a quieting rune meant for crowd control in theatres, and sapped Dalton of any denial power.

"See? It isn't nice to be accused of wrongdoing when you didn't do it. What ever happened to gallant knights? I apologize, but I needed to prove a point. You should apologize too." She let go of her quieting rune, but kept a hand against her neck. Though Pandora did not want to admit it, even that much magic drained her of all the energy she regained resting in the wagon. She figured she could send a thunderclap or banshee shriek out with her remaining magic, but nothing offensive should her moody companion choose to attack, only enough to gather a good crowd to witness it, since even pain is a stageplay to her.

Dalton just stood there. A swirl of emotion raced around in his head. On the one hand, he was a bit steamed over being accused of wanted to see the order stolen. Why would he want that? Hurting the bakery meant hurting his cousin. This girl had only come around the bakery a few weeks ago. She had no idea what it was like with Troy before. Things were better now. Not perfect, but better.
   But that paled in comparison to the shock he felt when she used a Silence Rune to deny his the ability to rebuke what she was saying. He could feel that there wasn't much on it and for a fleeting moment he felt like just busting through or counterspelling the rune and firing off a few of his own. But what would that do? Nothing. And even though she wasn't answering him directly, she was giving him an answer. So he let the weaken rune take effect.
   Now that she had finished her short performance and dispelled the Silence Rune, she also just stood there, leaning up against the cart. Dalton guessed that she was waiting for that apology she mentioned. Well, she wasn't going to get that. Instead, he waited for a second to calm down and clear his head. Then he shook his head slightly with a disappointing look, reached around for the plate of rolls on the tailgate and walked them into the Inn without looking back. There was no point in continuing the conversation and just walking away seemed to be the best way to end it to him. Plus, there was work still to be done.
   As he walking into the Inn, Dalton was assaulted by the sounds and smells of the festivities going on inside. He looked over and walked up to the bar with the plate of rolls. As he approached, a cheerful voice came from across the bar. It was the Innkeeper's wife.
   "I can take that for you, deary," she said. She was a bit short and a little heavy set. Kind of what you expect an Innkeeper's wife would like, dressed in brown dress and an apron stained with one thing or another. What she lacked in looks she made up with charm and personality. It was a wonder that she and Rufus could stay married, given Rufus's volatile demeanor.
   "Here you go," Dalton replied and he set the plate down and gently push it towards her. "Unfortunately, I'm going to need to take the plate back with me when I go."
   "Its OK, deary," she answered. "I'll be back with it in two shakes."
   "OK," he agreed, but then added, "After what just happened outside, I'm going to bring in the rest of it as quick as I can so nothing else can walk away. I'll place then here on the bar."
   "Oh, alright", she replied. She then picked up the plate of rolls and walked then down to the other end of the bar when she called over one of the barmaids to give her a hand.
   Dalton turned back towards the door and started to walk out when he noticed Reginald standing just inside the doorway looking out into the street. As he came even with the Captain of the Guard, he comments, "I was going to ask you to keep an eye on the cart while I brought everything in."
   "I kinda figured," Reggie said as he took a quick at Dalton. He was looking outside at the girl still leaning against the cart.
   "I can't figure her out," Dalton said after a moment. The Captain chuckled.
   "You think you have problems now. Wait until they get a little older and they realize you can't figure them out," Reggie said, still chuckling a little. Dalton looked back at him with a slightly confused look, but before he could inquire more about what he just said, Reginald continued, "So what do you know about her? I haven't seen her around until recently."
   "Well, she showed up at the bakery a few weeks ago like any other customer," Dalton started. "But every time it looks like its going to rain, she shows up looking to spent the night in the woodshed." Dalton paused a moment to gauge Reggie's reaction, which was one of confusion. But before he could ask anything, Dalton contiued. "I know, its what I thought to but that's where she likes to stay. Anyway, she seems to be a storyteller of some sort and she does these performances in front of the store whenever a family or group of kids comes by, much to the approval of Troy. But I have no real idea what her story is. I'm having a hard time believing what little she has told me."
   "Like what?" Reginald inquired.
   "Something about being connected to some noble and being chased by some assassin." Dalton replied. Reginald's eye lit up a bit when he heard the word "assassin".
   "Do you want me to do some checking?"
   "Do what you want, but don't put yourself out too much. I think it was just another one of her stories. Plus, I have a feeling she won't be around much longer," Dalton said. Again, Reggie became curious but Dalton continued before he could ask anything. "Well, I better get that stuff in. Thanks for keeping an eye out." And with that, Dalton walked out the door.
   Over the next few minutes, Dalton brought in the rest of the bread order. He didn't pay much attention to Pandora as he went in and out. She too, didn't seem to be paying much attention to him but there was more than one occasion where he thought he felt the heat of her stare as he walked back into the Inn.
   As he brought in each plate, a barmaid or the Innkeeper's wife would take the plate from him and carry in off to another part of the Inn. He could see that a stack of empty plates was slowly growing on the bar. Finally, he brought in the last plate bread. After the plate was taken from him, in looked around the common room of the Inn and took in the scene. The festivities were started to pick up. I few more people had come in while he was bring the order in. Even though it was hard to do, he could pick up bits of the many conversations that were going on. Most seemed to be about the incident outside. He thought he heard from one corning of the room someone talking about someone breaking into the Academy last night. He tried to focus on that conversation more but it got drowned out by a conversation about the weather. Then he heard something about the Dance Hall at the Academy getting almost completely destroyed at the Winter Ball two nights ago. Dalton wanted to hear more, remembering what it was like at the end of the Winter Ball last year, but his attention was drawn to the heavy footfalls coming up behind him. As Dalton turned around, he saw Rufus coming up from the backroom of the Inn. He had a money pouch in his hand.
   "So, that's 2 silver, right?" Rufus tried to confirm as he reached into the pouch.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid its more like 2 silver and 3 copper for the delivery," Dalton corrected, watching Rufus's face twisted a bit. He half expected the Innkeeper to protest, but he didn't. Rufus just seemed to rummage around in the pouch to find the extra coin.
   "Right...and three copper," Rufus finally said, setting the coin down on the bar next to the empty plates. Dalton quickly counted the coin and when they came out to the correct amount, he scooped them up off the counter and into his pocket. Dalton was starting to feel a bit uneasy about Rufus. He had never been this cooperative in the past. Maybe it was because of all the people in the Inn, he thought to himself. Just then, a barmaid came with the last empty plate and added it to the stack. She then turned and went back to the backroom.
   "Well, thanks for the business, Rufus," Dalton said as he grabbed the stack of empty plates.
   "Sure," Rufus replied a bit half-heartily.
   Dalton then turned and headed for the door. As he passed Reginald at the door, Dalton looked over at him said, "See you around Reggie." Reginald just nodded back to him.
   As he walked outside, he saw that Pandora had walked over to Sofie and was giving the horse some more attention. He was a bit surprised that she hung around while he off-loaded the order. Now the question was what was next? He needed to take the cart and Sofie back to the Bakery and drop off the coin from the order. If she wanted to stay in town, that was fine, but he didn't want to just ride off and leave her there. It would have been a bit easier on him if she had just taking off. But the fact that she was still there meant he had to at least ask what she wanted to do. But would she even listen to him after their little spat earlier. Well, he thought, there's only one way to find out.
   He hastily slid the empty plates into the back of the cart and closed the tailgate. He then walked around, got up onto the driver's bench and sat down. Grabbing the reins, he looked over at the her and said, "I need to go back to the bakery and drop off everything. What would you like to do?"

A long moment went by. Dalton figured that he would get a quick answer, but it never came. The girl just stood there, playing with the horse. It was like she was waiting for him to do or say something she wanted to hear. When his patience ran out, he decided to press the matter.
   "Well?” he asked, trying to use as neutral of tone as possible, but not quite succeeding. Her response was to stop playing with Sophie and just look up at him. The look on her face pretty much told him what he wanted to know.
   "So, I take it you are going to stay then", he confirmed. She simply gave him a short nod.
   "OK," he replied. As he tightened his grip on the reins, she stepped back away from the horse. He then gave the reins a small flick as he called out the horse, "Let go Sophie."
   The cart started with a slight jerk. Dalton guided the cart away from the Inn and back towards the Bakery. As he turned away, he could feel the Pandora's stare on the back of his neck. He resisted the temptation to look back, for it would really serve no purpose. She made her decision. It wasn’t his place to convince her otherwise. Plus it would put some space between them and hopefully cool down the tension as well.
   As he moved further away, he suddenly felt the stare go away. Curiosity suddenly got the better of him and he glanced back over his shoulder. But Pandora was gone. Well, that was that. Nothing more he could do about it now. He brought his attention back to the front and gave the reins another flick and the horse picked up the pace. As he made his way home, Dalton started to think about what had happened at the Inn. Had he done the right thing? Had he let his prejudice of Pandora cloud his thinking. These questions would nag at his all the way back to the Bakery.
   When Dalton got back to the Bakery, Troy was there to meet him. As Dalton brought in cart in and started to unhitch the horse, he explained to Troy what had happened at the Inn. At first, Troy was a bit surprised, but that quickly turned to disappointment. Dalton couldn't tell whether he was disappointed at him, Pandora or the situation in general, for he never said anything that would indicate what it was. After returning Sophie to the barn and stowing the cart, Dalton handed over the coin from the order. But he was surprised when Troy told him he could keep the copper. Usually, Troy took in all the money from a delivery. This was definitely going to be a day to be treading carefully around Troy.
   As it turned out though, the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon, things at the Bakery pretty much went the way they usually did. If Troy was still bothered about the morning’s events, he wasn't letting it show much. About an hour or so after lunch, Martha suggested to Dalton that he should run down to the Post Office to see if they had any mail. Even in a place like Eastridge, unless it was urgent, you were someone of importance or apart of something like the Academy, you had to go into town to check your mail. After a little prodding from Martha, Troy let Dalton make his mail run. Dalton was tempted to ride Sophie into town but then thought walking would be better. A good walk always seemed to clear his head and the exercise couldn't hurt either.
   It didn't take long for him to get back into town proper. As he walked away from his favorite trail next to the lake, he looked over at the Inn. The celebrations seemed to be in full swing. He walked up the road that separated the village from the marketplace. The Post Office was about two-thirds of the way up on the left. As he passed, he started to scan the marketplace. He was starting to feel bad about what had happened between him and Pandora. He didn't understand why he felt that way, he it did. So as he walked on, he looked and listened for any signs of her. But there seemed to be no sign of her in the marketplace. By now he had reached the Post Office and it looked like his quest to find this girl had also come to an end. He turned and walked into the Post Office and up to the clerk at the counter.
   "Hi there", Dalton said, greeting the clerk, "Do you have anything for the Bakery?"
   "Let me see", the clerk replied as walked back to the almost never ending rows of cubby-holes set against the walls of the Post Office. After a short pause, the clerk called up, "Yup. I've got two here. And they both seem to be for you, son."
   There was a surprised but excited look on Dalton's face as the clerk came back with the letters. It was rare for the Bakery to get any mail. It was even more rare for Dalton to get anything. He cheerfully took the letters from clerk and thanked him. The clerk just smiled and nodded back. The clerk then turned to write something down in the ledger underneath the counter. Dalton took this as his cue to go and turned around and walked back out of the Post Office.
   The top letter was smaller than the other and looked to be more of a note than a letter. So he tucked into his pocket to look at later. The other letter looked more official. As he flipped it over, is saw it was sealed with the seal of the Academy. His heart skipped a beat. Could this be it? Could this be the answer to his request to be re-instated to the Academy? There was only one way to find out. With much vigor, he tore open the envelope to get at the letter inside.

And then Delen killed everybody with a very badass roundhouse to the face.

You assume Delen can get that close to Dalton. I see that all the IC:Post Phase 2 stories seem to be dead. I will try and add something in the near future. Until then, Delen kill no one!

    Dalton had managed to walk out of the Post Office and a step or two in the direction of home by the time he actually got the letter out of the envelope. In his excitement to get it out he had almost dropped it twice. But now that he got it out, he stopped in his tracks and started to pour over the first lines of the letter. However, by the time he had gotten through the first line and a half, his excitement had turned to disappointment. He struggled to continue reading but only got through the next line before his disappointment and frustration got the better of him and he stopped. He then let is arm drop still clutching the letter and just stared out blindly, his vision blurring and distorting as it loss its grip on the passage of time. He had a lot riding on getting back into Academy. What was he going to do now?

   Dalton stayed in his daze until someone bumped him a bit as they walked by. He had no idea how long he had been just standing there, but the shock of being yanked back into reality cause to double check where he was and what he was doing. He didn't even hear the apology from the passer-by. However, when looked down and saw the letter, he knew he hadn't been dreaming. He brought the letter back up and was tempted to read it again just to make sure he read it right. But he quickly realized that reading it again was not going to change what it said. He cursed his luck and with a bit of anger, stuffed the letter back its envelope and jammed the whole thing in his pocket.

   He started to think about what he wanted to do next as he stared again off into the distance again. When he caught sight of the Academy walls in the distance, he started to think about Stephon. Step was the only real friend he had that was near his own age. Talking with him was definitely something he wanted to do, but getting into the Academy to see him was next to impossible and in his present state of mind, probably not the bet place to be right now. He really didn't want to go back home but as he went through his options, returning to the Bakery seemed like the only thing to do. So with his destination set and a heavy heart, he started back home.

   He hadn't gotten but a few steps when he thought heard a familiar voice coming from the market place across the road. He quickly scanned the stalls until he found source of the voice. The clothes looked right. The hair looked right and cheerfulness of the voice was definitely right. It had to be Pandora. But before he set off across the road, he thought about what he was about to do. She wasn’t exactly the best choice to go talking to about his woes with after happened at the Inn in the morning, but it was a better choice to just going home. Plus it would give him a chance to try and smooth things out between them. So convinced that he was making a good choice, he started across the road.

   But before he could take a step, a slow moving horse and cart came by and cut him off from crossing the road. His frustration quickly jumped as he waiting impatiently for the cart to pass. He tried to see if Pandora was still at the stall but the cart completely blocked his view. A bit of panic was starting to surface and as soon as the cart passed he darted out into the street. But he only got a few step out when saw to his dismay that she was gone.

   Not wanting to get tattooed by any horseshoes or cart wheels, he continued to sprint across the roadway. As soon as he was clear, he started to scan for the girl. But she was nowhere in sight.

   “Now where did she go?” he thought to himself, “There is no way she could have walked off that fast.” But sure enough, she was no in sight. He started to think about what he saw. Was that really her or just someone who looked like her? Was his mind playing tricks on him? Or maybe it was just his mind’s way of telling him it was a bad idea. Whatever the case may be, going through the marketplace was not something he wanted to do. So after a moment, and with his depression returning, Dalton turned in the direction of home and walked off.

   As he walked away, a face peered out from behind a stall a few rows up the street. While using the stall as cover, she watched him disappear down the street. He was not someone she wanted to deal with right now after what had happened earlier in the day. But as she looked up at the light starting to fade and the clouds starting to close in, she knew she might have to deal with him that night. Maybe she would get lucky and he would be too pre-occupied to notice her return to the Bakery and the shed that was going to be home tonight. He did seem to be troubled about something and for a moment she wondered what the problem could be. But that moment quickly passed and she turned towards the marketplace, wondering what other interesting things were there to discover.

Elsewhere near the market district...

A crash of a hammer upon the anvil resounds though the courtyard. Felix straightens up and wipes the sweat from his brow. 'And the old man always made this look easy!'
   "Hey! Part-timer! Did the foreman say you could take a break? No I didn't! Get to it! We need a new batch of blades for those pups up at the school...petulant snots. You still have till sun down to meet your quota!"
   "Yes Sir!"

  Dalton took over an hour to get home. He would have been longer but storm clouds were rolling in and he didn't feel like adding getting soaked to his misery. Plus, the day's light was quickly fading and he knew his cousin would be worried. As he approached the bakery, a flash of lightning in the far distance caught is eye. It looked like this storm might have a little power behind it.

  He walked up to the gate at the side and walked through, careful to secure it behind him. He could tell that one of the kitchen lanterns was lit. He walked slowly around the side to the back door, thinking about what he was going to tell them. He really didn't feel like talking but he knew had to say something. It was going to be awkward. But before he could organize his thoughts, a voice called out.

  “Dalton, is that you?” came his cousin’s voice, laced with a bit of anger, “ Where have you been? I thought you would been back ages ago.”

  “Yeah, it me,” was all he could manage as he walked through the door, “Sorry.”

  As he walked into the kitchen, he saw that the table had been set and dinner was just about ready. Troy was sitting at his usual spot, looking up at him with a very unhappy look. Martha had just put down a pot of stew on the table and looked like she was about to let him have it for been late. But both their looks instantly evaporated the moment they saw the expression on Dalton’s face. It spoke volumes of what was going on.

  “What’s wrong D?” Martha asked, with genuine concern in her voice now.

  “Its nothing,” Dalton replied in a low monotone voice.

  “Don’t give me that. I’ve seen that look before.”

  “Its nothing that you can help me with.” And with that, reached inside his pocket and placed the contents in an open spot on the table.

  Troy was about to say something when Martha started talking again, not really looking down at what was on the table. “ Whatever it is, I’m sure you will…”

  “I know this is rude,” he said, cutting her off with the same monotone voice as before, “But can I skip dinner tonight? I really not hungry.”

  Martha was taken aback by Dalton’s request. But after a quick moment, she gave him a quick nod and he immediately started for the stairs.

  “Hey!” Troy exclaimed, but Dalton completely ignored him. Before Troy could continue, Martha gave him a glaring look that told him not to. Together they watched Dalton make for the stairs and go up. They then looked at each other for a moment and then to the items on the table.

  Martha walked over and picked up the items. They looked to be letters of some kind. One was more of a note than a letter. It was unopened so she returned it to the table. The other was larger and more important looking, although it was a bit hard to tell given how wrinkled it was. It had been torn open and there was a piece of fine, wrinkled parchment inside. She pulled it out and started to try to read it. She was not a strong reader and after a few attempts to read the fancy writing, handed it over to Troy, who’s reading skills were much better than hers, and asked him to read it. Troy already had an idea of what the letter said before she handed to him. He had recognized the seal on the envelope and given Dalton’s mood, it couldn’t be good news.

  Martha gave him a few moments to read the document before asking, “So what does it say?”

  “Well, to put simply, “ he replied, “he didn’t get in.”

  Martha let out a sigh as Troy continued, “ Its better for him anyway. Now maybe he will see that there are other important things he can be doing with himself.”

  “Don’t’ you DARE say that!” Martha exploded, “He had his heart set on that! It’s the reason he came back here.”

  “I’m just saying…”

  “Your just saying how much you hate him going to that school!” Martha fired back before Troy could finished. She had heard more than a few times about how he felt about Dalton going to the Academy.

  “I’m just pointing out that there are things he can be beside some silly adventurer.” Troy added, waiting for a verbal retort from her. But all he got was a hard stare. The awkward silence when on for a long moment before the noise of movement upstairs snapped them out of it.

  “Well, maybe you can go up and talked to him about it”, Martha finally said.

  “He’s not going to listen to me”, was Troy anger laced reply.

  “Well then maybe you could convince him to come down have a little bit of dinner. I know he will feel better if he does”.

  Troy was about to refute that statement too when he saw look on her face. It pretty much said “Get up there or you will be sleeping somewhere else besides our bed tonight”. Sleeping out in the barn was not high on his list of thing to do tonight, especially with a storm rolling in.

  “Fine, “ he said as he put the letter back in the envelope. He also picked up the note that was addressed to Dalton. He figured he might as well get that off the table and up to Dalton’s room where it needed to be.

  When he got to the stairs, he looked over at Martha. She looked to be back to her cheerful self again. Like nothing happened. He shook his head and looking up the stairs. Now it was his turn to feel awkward.