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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 5, 2009 13:01:54 GMT -5
"I think they make the trail down an easier climb than the one on the way up. It should just be getting dark as we get to the bottom." he agreed with her, nodding and strolling over to the blue flag, not seeming bothered at all about looking straight down over the edge of the Peak and into the tiny town below them, vague little figures moving around which could possibly be people... or even carts. "That way we'll have enough time to get our stuff, grab something to eat and find a cart to hitch a ride on." he smiled, passing the blue flag and stepping down onto the trail which would lead them back to the base of the Peak. It really was straightforward, and they were going downhill, which helped. Even Phoenix wasn't looking forward to climbing any more, not after getting all the way to the top.
"Hey, you can say you've done this now, Rory." he chuckled, winking to her as he began to lead them down, "When people talk about Angel's Peak, you'll be able t'say you climbed all the way to the top, an' was lucky enough to see the sunset." he nodded, stretching his arms above his head as they walked, peering to their left over the side as they wandered back down... everything looked so small from up here! If Phoenix had been able to read he'd probably have liked to find a little bit more about how the Peak first appeared... but as it was, he'd just have to find out by word of mouth. Reading was over-rated anyway, especially when only nobles and wealthy people could do it. The majority of the world was made to cater for illiterate people, anyway.
He patted the pocket of his waist-coat as they descended further back down the cliff, reassured to feel the little stones which would enable them to collect their things. As he looked towards the cross-roads which led to Ilyria, he smiled faintly at the sight of a dozen or so carts getting slowly ready to leave. So that's where they'd be heading after they retrieved their things.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Feb 5, 2009 13:48:47 GMT -5
Rory would have pointed out that it was probably just easier because they were going downhill, and that had nothing to do with how the path had been constructed, but she thought better of it. She didn't want to get into a confusing conversation about paths and walking up or downhill. She was too tired for any sort of intelligent conversation anyway, and hungry. Walking was surprisingly draining, especially when her feet were hurting so much. She had to admit that the thought of getting to the carts that would take them to Ilyria and curling up to go to sleep was a rather appealing one right now. Maybe when they got to Ilyria they would be able to pay for a room in an inn for a day or two? Until then she didn't really mind sleeping in the back of a cart, she was just worried that she would end up smelling because she didn't have time to wash or change...
She wasn't as couragious as Phoenix when it came to looking down at the town below. She knew that if she looked straight down she would start to feel all light headed and ill, and the irrational fear or falling over the edge would take over her...and Phoenix would have to spend a long time reassuring her and trying to coax her the rest of the way down the rock. It was much safer for her to watch the sky grow dark or to watch the ground to make sure that she didn't trip up, or even watch Phoenix; anything was better than looking over the edge.
"I can. I have a story to tell about my travels. Well...really I have quite a few stories that I could tell, but this will be one about somewhere that other people have heard about." She smiled to him and nodded, still seeming excitable about being out there exploring, even though she was tired. She wouldn't just have to listen to everyone else's tales about traveling and what they had seen, she now had one of her own to tell, and by the time they returned to Cressa she was sure that she would have many more. "I think that climbing all the way to the top of Angel's Peak and watching the sunset is a suitably adventurous."
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 5, 2009 14:44:12 GMT -5
"Nuh uh, Rory. Adventurous would have been climbing it without the trail." he teased her playfully, but nodded nonetheless, "You'll be able to tell people about it when we get further away from here; you'll be a die-hard adventurer in no time!" he chuckled, winking to her and seeming rather relieved when they got to the bottom of the Peak. Phoenix had to admit that he was feeling rather hungry as well, and since the market would be packing up soon it would be best to get some food now. "Here, Rory..." he took a few coins out of his waist-coat pocket, "You think you'll be able to go and pick up a few things to eat from the market while I go and get our bags?" he asked, "There's hardly anyone about for now, and I'll only be where the blue flag is - you'll probably be able to see me from where you are." he assured her, offering her the coins.
He didn't mind if she couldn't, or didn't want to do it, he just figured that it would cut down on their time considering that they had to get their things and find a cart to sneak onto the back of before the entourage left for Ilyria. He didn't really fancy walking the distance and he could bet that Rory didn't either. Hopefully once they were there, as she hoped, they could find an inn to stay in for a day or two in order to rest up and think about where they could go next. Travelling was beginning to take its toll on the thief as well, even if he didn't show it as much as Rory did because he was used to walking long distances and conditions like this. He just wanted to sleep at the moment; to eat and then sleep and wake up and be in Ilyria.
Even Phoenix had heard things about the beautiful city from within the slums, and he found himself getting excited by the idea of going there. The people fascinated him more than anything else - and besides that, where there were new buildings and expensive architecture, there was treasure. And Phoenix liked treasure.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Feb 5, 2009 15:31:17 GMT -5
"It's adventurous for me." She pouted at him and nodded. "When was the last time that you saw a Princess climb up here? Using the trail or otherwise?" She questioned with a smirk, as if that proved her point perfectly. This might not have been adventurous by normal standards, but it was by Rory's standards. Then again, how many people could say that they had run through a collapsing tunnel while being chased by guards? Now that was something which was really adventurous, even though she hadn't done that by choice and would never ever do anything like that ever again. No, Rory may not be an adventurous person, but she had a nack for getting herself into adventurous situations.
She tilted her head at him as he asked her to go and get them something to eat, tilting her head at him for a moment before glancing around. He was right, it wasn't very busy now, and he wouldn't be hard to find again. She had been out that once on her own in the slums, she was sure that she could spend five minutes away from him to buy food. "Sure." She nodded to him, sounding a little uncertain. "Is there anything specific that you would like? Or should I just buy anything?" She asked him as she held out her hand for the money. She would probably just end up asking the stall owner what she could afford with what Phoenix gave her.
Rory was excited about going to Ilyria, but at the moment she was excited about everything, wasn't she? She had heard so much about the city, and seen paintings and read books about the buildings. She wanted the see the sights, and she hadn't yet realised that the people would be any different in the new places that she visited.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 6, 2009 7:15:54 GMT -5
He smiled and passed her over the money before resting one hand in his pockets. It would be good if she got more confident dealing with people and walking alone, even if Phoenix never had any intention of leaving her by herself for too long. Life, he learned, tended to throw a spanner in the works at every opportunity, so it was best to be prepared for anything, even if 'being prepared' just meant that Rory could buy things and walk around by herself. He looked thoughtful as she asked if he wanted anything specific, eventually shrugging and chuckling to himself. "Something hot would be nice, but as long as it's edible I'm not that picky." he smiled to her, glancing over his shoulder at the blue flag and drawing the two patterned stones from his pockets. "Anyway, I'll see you in a couple of minutes." he nodded to her.
He had to admit it felt weird walking away from her as he wandered towards the hut. Phoenix was getting too used to Rory being around, he already knew that, but when you were kind of... on the run from everything it was impossible not to get used to her being there. That and the thief was very protective over her, even if occasionally he might get a little distracted by an expensive, shiny object or a pretty face. Phoenix wasn't exactly responsible, but he did his best. It didn't take long for him to retrieve their things from the hut, darkness now falling heavily around them as the sun finally descended below the horizon. Angel's Peak cloaked them in darkness rather than in shadow now, but the townspeople had obviously catered for this, considering bright torches were slowly being lit up everywhere.
He wandered to the side of the hut that faced the market to wait for Rory, near to the blue flag with both bags hoisted up on his shoulder. He scanned the crowd intently to find her; even on her own he wouldn't keep her out of his sight. Not yet, anyway. Some might think him paranoid, but the idea of a princess in the middle of a town she didn't know, especially one as good natured and naive as Rory, was a frightening thought.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Feb 8, 2009 12:18:44 GMT -5
It would be good for Rory to become a little more independant. She couldn't expect Phoenix to always be able to escort her around, even though she would have preferred it to be that way. She simply disliked being on her own, especially after being caught the last time she had ventured out alone (granted she had ventured out alone to steal medicine from the palace, which had more to do with her being caught that being alone had). When she was alone there was a greater chance that something bad would happen and that she would have no idea how to react like Phoenix did. She would probably just stand there, unable to work out what to do, and end up getting herself hurt or dragged back to the palace.
It didn't take her long to find the food stalls, remembering passing them on their way to the place that they had left their bags. The whole market seemed to be set up around that one, long main road anyway, stalls lining both sides of it with other merchants wandering up and down the street selling their wares from their bags. Rory called at the first food stall that she came to. A large metal pot was set in the middle of the table, the contents still steaming, this was surrounded by a variety of different breads, only scraps of the most popular ones left seeing as it was coming to the end of the day.
Rory walked away from the stall five minutes later, smiling to herself proudly. The old man who owned the stall had been very helpful, and had even left Rory buy their dinner at a discounted price because it was coming to the end of the day. Her change jangled in her pocket as she walked back over towards Phoenix, carrying what looked to be two long wooden cups, both of which had a lump of whole grain bread balance on the top. The cups were filled almost to the brims with warm soup. The man had told her that it was a potato soup, good for keeping travellers warm and giving them enough energy for whatever they had planned for the day, which made this soup sound perfect for her and Phoenix. "I got us soup." She smiled to him and nodded, sounding pleased with herself. She was strange, wasn't she? Not even a child would feel so pleased with themselves for managing to buy soup on their own, would they?
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 8, 2009 17:51:29 GMT -5
But then again, most children hadn't been brought up in a palace where all of your needs were catered for and you rarely got to talk to strangers, merchants and vendors and the like. Most children went out to buy food for their families at least once a week, but nonetheless Phoenix couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped his lips when she looked so proud, and he nodded to her encouragingly. "See, Rory? You'll be independant in no time." he winked to her and smiled, reaching out to take one of the cups from her so she wouldn't have to carry it, and slowly leading them away from the hut with the blue flag and down the main road. The town below Angel's Peak seemed rather haphazard, considering that it had no boundaries... almost as though it was just plonked there, in the middle of nowhere.
Which explained at least, why there were so many entrances and exits - wherever the many winding roads reached the crossroads of the Angel's Peak, an entrance to the town was made. Phoenix was leading them towards the far end of the town, opposite to where they'd first come in, to the road which would hopefully lead them to Ilyria. If you managed to find a high enough point in the city, people said, you could see the border between Avalas and Marmosia. Although that may have only been from the large white tower, he didn't know. Perhaps he and Rory could climb a tower while they were there, too, so they could see for themselves whether they could spot the border. Phoenix had never been anywhere near Marmosia before, he was looking forward to going everywhere now that they were out of Cressa.
The thief shifted the bags on his shoulder before starting to eat his soup, figuring that if they took it slow then they should be able to finish eating and jump onto a cart before any of them left. It was common place to see people hitching lifts from carts when many of them were leaving from the same point, so he wasn't surprised when travellers, some not that much different from themselves (despite the fact that he was a wanted criminal and she was the Princess of Cressa) wandered along around them, heading in the same direction. "Looks like we're not the only ones heading to Ilyria." he smiled faintly as he watched the people around them, "Doesn't look like there'll be many going the whole distance, though. We'll not have to fight for a lift." he murmured.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Feb 8, 2009 18:20:45 GMT -5
His comment about her independance made her smile. "You are right. Soon I will be that good at travelling that I won't need you anymore." She joked with him, seeming to be in quite a good mood despite how tired she was. Even if she did become fully independant, she would still want Phoenix around; she suspected that travelling alone would be lonely, and she enjoyed Phoenix's company. He was her best friend, nothing could make her leave him. On the other hand, she doubted that she could ever become as street smart as Phoenix was, that would take a lifetime to master, and in all honesty she didn't think that she had the right personality to be as street savvy as him. She was trusting by nature, and that would always be one of her biggest downfalls.
She put her bag over her shoulder as she took it from Phoenix before cupping her hands around the wooden cup, blowing lightly on it's contents for a moment, to make sure that she didn't burn her lips, before sipping at the soup experimentally. It tasted good, and was thick, which meant that it would leave them feeling full for quite a while. The best thing about it though was that it was warm. The air was growing quite chilly now that the sun had set, and the soup left her feeling pleasantly warm on the inside. Unfortunatly, Rory guessed that was a feeling that wouldn't last long, hopefully the temperatures wouldn't drop too much tonight or they would freeze on the back of one of those carts.
She glanced around as Phoenix mentioned having company, smiling a little. Knowing that quite a few other people hitched lifts made her feel better about doing it. "Company is good, though I don't think that I will be able to stay awake for very long..." She murmured, hiding a yawn behind her hands before rubbing at her eyes. Yes, the day of travelling was catching up with her now, and the Princess was exhausted; at least it shouldn't take long for her to fall to sleep, even in the back of a cold and uncomfortable cart.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 9, 2009 14:29:06 GMT -5
"You won't need me anymore? I may be a little upset by that, so you know." he pouted at her playfully, finishing his soup in no time and looking around as they neared the edge of the town. She was right, it looked like Autumn was closing in fast, the remnants of Summer bleeding away into breezy days and chilly nights. When they reached Ilyria he'd have to make sure they invested in some warmer clothing, because if they were going to be travelling the last thing Phoenix wanted was for Rory to get ill. Not that they'd be able to travel very much when Winter really took hold of them, but he planned to find somewhere warm to stay during those months... well... he hoped to find somewhere. Back in Cressa he could have called in a few favours had things gotten really bad, but out here he wasn't nearly as well known, and his resources were rather limited. For now, anyway.
Phoenix took the cold months seriously, it was one of the few things he did choose to think about without a hint of humour. He'd seen too many people in the slums die of cold and hunger in the Winter, not to mention the desperation that took over people when they had nothing to feed their families. Perhaps, in that case, it was better they were out of the slums for a while. "I don't think you'll be the only one who'll fall straight to sleep." he smirked over at Rory, as if to force those thoughts back where they belonged. It was true, the majority of the travellers moving with them towards the entourage of carts looked almost dead on their feet, and even the thief was starting to feel the pressure of travelling. The fact that he was effectively off the chicory probably didn't help his stamina, either.
When the first carts came into view a bright smile flickered across his face; it was completely dark by now, the only light coming from the torches of the posts around them and from the front of the carts where the drivers would sit. There were ten or twenty getting ready to leave currently, some carrying haystacks like the one they'd hitched a ride from that morning, others with animals or crates and such things. Phoenix looked about for somewhere suitable to climb on, the few travellers soon catching up to them to sneak on themselves. "If you see anything that looks promising, tell me, 'kay?" he smiled a little to the princess, before continuing his search.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Feb 11, 2009 9:10:56 GMT -5
"Just because I might not need you doesn't mean that I would ever stop wanting you around." She pointed out to him with a smile and a nod of her head. Rory could be fully self sufficent but she would still want Phoenix around; travelling must be lonely on your own. Imagine all those long hours on the back of a cart alone, or all those amazing sights that you wouldn't be able to share with anyone. She doubted that even a view as magnificent as that from the top of Angel's Peak would mean very much if you saw it alone. She had noticed that travellers did seem to be in groups of two or three though, she had seen one group that had to have at least ten people in it, though she guessed that they were all bound for the same destination with the same purpose.
In truth, the winter had never really worried Rory. Locked away in the palace the cold was only an annoyance which meant that you had to bundle yourself up in furs all the time. The foods were still laden with food and fires still roared in the fire places. Then there was the snow, which the childen loved. It totally changed the gardens as it blanketed them with white. Her eldest brother had once brought her a sleigh home with him from one of his adventures, the wooden type with eleborate carvings along the sides which was pulled by a sturdy horse. She had loved that. They had wrapped themselves up in blankets and furs he had taken them around the garden in the sleigh. She had only been young then, and since then her brothers had no time to go out in the sleigh with her when the snow fell, which meant that it was left to gather dust in one of the stables.
The Princess arched an eyebrow as she spotted the carts, surprised by how many there were. Maybe they travelled together for safety? Especially at night. They must travel at night to avoid the traffic on the roads through the day. She wrinkled her nose up as she spotted the animals though; she refused to travel in the back of a cart with smelly pigs or sheep. That was out of the question. In fact, she looked almost relieved as she pointed out a cart that looked to have enough room on it for them. Boxes of fruit and vegetables were stacked neatly in the back of the cart, secured by ropes, enough room for both of them to sit there comfortably. "How about that one?"
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 11, 2009 10:05:07 GMT -5
Growing up, Phoenix hadn't quite viewed the snow in the same way that Rory had... sure, as a kid he'd been just as awed by the blankets of white that bloomed across the city like fields of icy flowers as any other child, but after a while the novelty of snow began to wear off. Snow was dangerous stuff; of course, some elements of it were beneficial; it chased away any disease that was kicking around and some of the more desperate slum dwellers even used it as a water supply. But the cold was deadly, and it killed just as many as it saved... not to mention the hazardous ice it left behind when it began to thaw, and the mush that clogged up the gutters. But perhaps now he would be able to enjoy it for what it was, even if he would no doubt, at some point, feel guilty that the slummers were still stuck in their icy prison, like every Winter.
A bright smile flickered across his face as she spotted the cart, and he nodded. "That one seems perfect. Let's climb on before someone else gets to it, eh?" he told her, watching the rider tend to his horses and finally mount the cart with some curiosity, before leading them quietly over to it. It was one of the carts nearest to the back of the entourage, so they'd be unlikely to be spotted by another cart travelling behind them. Not, he thought, that the cart drivers would care, they must be all too used to people hitching lifts. Usually, they had been just as tight for money as the travellers at some point, and had probably hitched a ride or two themselves, so they couldn't very well object to it. Soon they were in the midst of the entourage, and Phoenix had reached their cart.
Without a word he hoisted himself up onto it and clambered inside, holding out his hand to help Rory get up. He got the feeling that he'd fall straight to sleep tonight, and hopefully the cold wouldn't be too bad to wake him up before sunrise. He really would have to start thinking about getting them some Winter clothes before they left Ilyria, if they were going to leave at all. If the cold got worse while they were there (they said it got colder as you went further south; in the southern parts of Marmosia it was meant to even be arctic) then he got the feeling they'd be sticking around until the weather broke. But Phoenix would have liked to get a little bit further from Cressa and its guards. Ilyria, being the city nearest to Cressa, would undoubtedly have a lot of links with it. It would be best that they moved on after about a week...
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Post by Angel ♥ on Feb 12, 2009 17:28:44 GMT -5
Fatigue had chased away all lingering caution from Rory, so it really was a good job that Phoenix was there to look after them. She followed him closely as he lead them between the carts, having reached out to gently hold onto his wrist as usual to make sure that she kept up with him. Her feet were starting to hurt now, and the closer she got to the cart the more she felt the pain, it was almost as though knowing that she was almost at the cart made her realise just how tired she was. She needed to get used to this travelling business faster than this or she would be worn out by the end of the week. Maybe she would feel better if she could have a good nights sleep, not that she would be getting one of those tonight. Sleeping in the back of a cart wasn't the most comfortable of experiences, but it was better than nothing.
She took Phoenix's hand as he offered it to her, letting him help her up onto the cart, shuffling so that she was safely on. There wasn't very much room for the two of them, not as much as she had expected anyway. Oh well, at least they had room to sit down, hopefully she would be able to sleep sat up without falling off the cart. If not it was tough luck because it was doubtful that she would be able to keep her eyes open for very much longer. That climb up Angel's Peak had sapped the last of her energy, and she was sure that her muscles gave a sight of relief as she sat down. That was the problem with travelling; you got so excited about trying to see everything that fitting sleeping in became rather difficult.
"Would you mind if I took my shoes off? My feet are hurting..." She asked as she crossed her legs, gently massaging her feet through her shoes. Without the shoes on there would be less pressure on the blisters, which she hoped would help them recover. Oh, she hoped that her feet would forgive her for all this walking that she was making them do.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 16, 2009 7:55:59 GMT -5
He smiled a little as she moved to sit down, following her lead and sinking down into the little gap between the crates and the end of the cart. It was rather small, but if they stayed sat up they could be at least a little more comfortable when they slept than if they were crammed somewhere else. "Of course you can. Your feet must be screamin' at you by now anyway." he smirked at her and nodded as he settled down against the crates, placing his bag next to him and resting his head back against the wood to watch the darkness around them and the flickering torches as the rest of the entourage got ready to leave. He spotted a few other travellers clamber aboard their carts, the thief brushing his hair out of his face and hiding a yawn behind his hand. He had to admit, he was much more tired than he'd expected. But at least they could sleep now.
A few minutes later, the carts began to move and Phoenix, who had been pretty close to dropping off to sleep, jerked awake again, rubbing his eyes as they creaked forwards, the trundle of wheels around him reminding him just where they were. He found himself being relieved that he was used to noise and interruptions, otherwise he'd probably never get to sleep with this row around them. Sighing, he glanced across at Rory for a moment and gave her a soft smile. "G'night." he murmured, folding his arms and shifting a little against the crates to get more comfortable. "See you in the morning, hopefully it won't get too cold." he murmured, letting his eyes finally slip closed.
He would have liked to stay awake to keep an eye on Rory for a while; he guessed that if anyone would find it hard to sleep with the noise of a dozen carts rumbling around them it would be the Princess of Cressa, but he found himself dropping off to sleep before he could process the thought. Hopefully she'd be able to sleep okay, and she wouldn't get too cold. It was only one night, right? Then they'd be at Ilyria, and they could find an inn.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Feb 17, 2009 15:43:24 GMT -5
She smiled to him gratefully as he said that he didn't mind her taking her shoes off. His comment was actually pretty accurate really, her feet were screaming, and she had to clench her teeth as she eased her boots off to stop herself from whimpering from the pain. Once she had got them off, she placed the boots next to her and glanced down at her feet, dismayed as she studied the bandages. They were spotted with blood here and there where her blisters had rubbed more and burst; it would probably be best to remove the bandages too, at least while they were on the cart, that might help to dry up the blisters. It was worth a try. She winced as she unwound the bandages, having to carefully peel the bandages from where thet had stuck to her skin over the blisters. Oh, owch. Her feet felt raw, and they looked dreadful.
She tucked the bandages inside her boots before relaxing, her eyes feeling heavier than ever, the Princess struggling to keep them open. She was glad that they had finally paused to rest, any longer and Phoenix would have had to carry her, and she doubted that he would be very pleased by that, especially with how tired he seemed to be himself. She had never been this tired before, and every muscle in her body was aching. That climb up to the top of Angel's Peak had been more tiring that she had realised, and now she was feeling the consequences.
"Night Phoenix." She mumbled to him, hiding a yawn behind her hand as she gave up the fight and let her eyes closed. Nothing would stop her falling to sleep tonight; not the noise from the cart nor the discomfort nor the motion of it, not even the cold. In a matter of minutes she was asleep, hugging her bag. Her head flopped to rest on Phoenix's shoulder, the Princess seeming most comfortable sat like that. She was a million miles away from her life at the palace, and from the peaceful expression on her face and her faint smile, she couldn't be happier.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Feb 20, 2009 16:34:33 GMT -5
Phoenix slept peacefully for the most part, he thought; only the slightest shades of a nightmare disturbed his slumber, and that was as the sun was beginning to rise anyway. He opened his eyes blearily to look at the vibrant pink sky, wonder briefly where they were or why they were moving before he drifted off again, the thief shifting a little to get more comfortable against the crates. It had gotten colder during the night, a chill sneaking over the entourage and drifting across the land to show that Autumn really was upon them now. They could expect the full bloom of crimsons and oranges as the trees began to shed their leaves, and undoubtedly there'd be a festival or two in Ilyria to celebrate the harvest and the turn of the season. Hopefully they'd be there to see it, but if the worst came to worst and something happened, then they'd have to continue moving away from Cressa.
He didn't stir again until mid-morning, when the light had chased away the frost and the bright sunshine was somewhere above them. The thief hid a yawn behind his hand as he began to wake, rubbing his eyes and blinking a couple of times as he came around. At first he sat in a daze, letting his brain wake up for a while before he looked around. They were still moving, he noticed, but he couldn't really be bothered to see just how far away from Ilyria they were at the moment. That would involve moving, and he didn't want to occupy himself with that for now. Phoenix was becoming his usual, morning-hating self again, and with the lack of caffeine in his system and without the Knights on his case for getting up early, he'd undoubtedly be rather grumpy in the mornings for a while, at least until he adjusted to it.
Slowly, squinting in the light, he sat up a little, brushing his hair out of his face and glancing around. The rolling countryside that had surrounded them when they'd left Angel's Peak had been replaced on their right by a distant high mountain range, still too far away for him to pick out any detail, but it still surprised him - it seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere in his eyes. This must be the very fringes of the Grand Mountain Range, he thought... they had to be somewhere near Ilyria then, if they were that close to the borders of Marmosia.
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