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They slept peacefully for what remained of the night, even after Nayeli and Oro rejoined them. By the time they gathered with Lord and Lady Hope for breakfast, though, the Rabbit was in his typical mood again. "Eat and pack up quickly," he told them firmly, out of the blue, as soon as everyone was seated, "We're leaving. I'm about sick of being half-asleep and entirely pissed off every waking hour in this place."

"Please don't take offense at that," Nayeli quickly assured their hosts, "He only ever says such things about peaceful and comfortable places, where he cannot sate his hunger. The scent of so many Ferruda everywhere in the house is also making him groggy."

Sarahi sighed as if she'd been expecting this for a while. "Yes, it is difficult to linger in pleasant places with him," she agreed, pulling a folded and sealed bit of paper from her pocket, "Before we leave, can I ask you to have this sent back to the capital for us? It needs to reach my father, so it will be quicker to come from a personal messenger."

"Absolutely," Lord Hope nodded, accepting the letter. "I do wish you could stay longer," he added with looks particularly to Tuli and Nayeli, "But I understand. You do have other business waiting in Coras, after all. We will have your carriage brought around and fully supplied."

"Thanks, Dad," Tuli smiled, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Oro rolled his eyes, poking disinterestedly at the food on his plate. "Whatever. Just get us out of here. Fast."

Lady Hope nodded quietly. "Naturally. But if you ever find yourself in Nazeen with time to spare, please do visit, regardless of the hour. Our house will always be open to you."

Absently touching her throat, Tuli nodded gratefully to her mother. "I don't know how long the Wind will be with me. But as long as she is, she promises to bring messages if you send them, so don't hesitate to call out if you need us for anything."

"Of course," her mother agreed, though she sounded more than a little dubious about how reliable that would be.

They finished eating their breakfast, and spent a little time gathering their personal effects from Tuli's room while the carriage was being prepared. Lord Hope was waiting to see them off when they arrived in the courtyard...looking, oddly, half-prepared for battle, with a spear in his right hand and a fine, silver-lined shield on his left arm. Behind his heels lay a couple of folded bundles and one long one wrapped in cloth. "I hardly feel I've had time to get to know any of you properly," he admitted to them in greeting as the family approached, "Much less time to acquire proper gifts. But please accept these tokens of our goodwill for your marriage and coronations," he bowed respectfully, holding the spear out toward Sarahi with a chuckle, "You'll forgive me for divesting the heavier ones first, I hope. There's nothing particularly special about the spear, I'm afraid, but it is stout and well balanced. The shield will be far superior to what was among your belongings, and lighter too. I would offer you proper armor, but we've no time to fit it, and poorly fit armor may be worse on the field than no armor at all."

"You have already been too generous to me," Sarahi smiled, accepting the spear and shield from him gratefully, "Thank you, once again, for your hospitality and indulgence."

He smiled at her, then motioned the twins closer. Getting down on one knee to be on their level, he pulled a sleek, stylized mask of ivory out from inside his vest. It was the half-faced kind, designed to ride across a muzzle and conceal the eyes and cheeks more than anything, with the overall shape suggestive of a wolf's eyes and ears. "This...I am returning to you," he declared solemnly, holding the mask out to them, "There isn't time to tell the story, but suffice to say it was taken from the remains of a Runepaw. I am told it bears a powerful enchantment, but that enchantment seems bound to that house and lineage. It's been little more than a conversation piece to me, and I'm sorry to say I cannot tell you more of its abilities. I hope you may discover them, and that they serve you well."

Kylan accepted it...cautiously. Diya looked a little disgusted by it. "Thank you," the patchwork halfbreed said politely, "Are you sure you want us to have it, though? Anything 'bound' to our lineage is likely to mean trouble, at the least, and we aren't even schooled in how to handle sorcery."

"Well, it's been no trouble to me in all these years," he sighed sympathetically, "And I hope you will accept my apology if it becomes so to you. But you are the only two I believe I can entrust it to with confidence, so use it or destroy it as you will." With understanding nods, they stepped over beside Sarahi.

Still keeping his knee, Lord Hope quirked a brow at the kobolds waiting dutifully by the carriage, well separate from the rest of the family. "Will they understand anything I say to them?" he asked Nayeli, who was standing closest to him now.

The Ferruda blinked in surprise, then laughed in delight. "You even prepared something for Grik and Gaki? Bless you, you are kind," she smiled, waving to get the pair's attention and beckoning them over. After a brief, whispered prayer, she gently coaxed them toward Lord Hope. "They will understand you now, briefly."

"Well, it's not much, but thank you," he smiled up at her, then pulled two small, fur cloaks from behind his heels. "These were made from the fur of a young dragon-eater. It is said that the creature's famous courage and tenacity is imparted to whoever wears them. Whether you believe that or not," he chuckled, handing each of them one of the cloaks, "They are certainly fire-proof, and the most fitting thing I could think of for those who serve a dragon."

Both of the little kobolds ran their fingers appreciatively through the fine fur with wide, excited eyes, and quickly tied the cloaks around their necks despite the warmth of the day. "Thank," Grik said firmly. The way it was pronounced hinted that it was not Nayeli's blessing that had translated the word, but that the kobold had actually spoken it in their language...a gesture which surprised even Nayeli. The kobolds were more attentive than their family had realized, perhaps.

Lord Hope chuckled again as the pair scampered off to their stations once more, beaming pride in their new attire. "Now," he said, getting back to his feet and bringing the longer package with him, "My daughters have already received their gifts, so that only leaves--"

"You've got nothing I need and probably less I want," Oro waved him off, "Except to leave, while you still have all your servants."

"Yes, you are quite the independent man," Lord Hope nodded agreeably, having already gotten a feel for how to approach the argumentative Rabbit, "Even so, will you at least accept this, as a belated wedding present to my son-in-law?" he asked, offering the long, cloth-wrapped bundle to Oro, "Just as I am sure that humble blade has served you well over the years, I am also sure this one will serve you better."

Oro snorted as he took the gift. "You're sure of a lot of things you know nothing about," he sneered, but unwrapped the offered weapon to at least judge its quality by comparison. What met his eyes pleased him more than he expected. The blade was long and narrow, single-edged with a subtle, continuous curve from the cross-guard to the tip. The metal seemed strange to him, too light for the steel he was used to, but sturdy and well balanced. The hilt, as he spun it in his fingers to test that balance, looked to be made of something like ivory, but as black as that material was known to be white.

"It's of Oskelgard make," Lord Hope explained briefly, "Star-iron blade and a drake's claw hilt."

Sliding the blade back home in its scabbard, Oro immediately tucked it into his belt. "Your old man knows how to pick a gift, I'll give him that," the Rabbit smirked to Tuli, who grinned in answer.

"Yeah, he's always been pretty great with that," the Lioness agreed, stepping passed him to give her father a tight hug and one more kiss. Then she joined Sarahi, Diya, and Nayeli in climbing into the carriage.

The kobolds passed the stepping-stool in and then climbed up onto the roof to ride among the luggage, keeping watch from between the bags and boxes. Kylan, about to follow his sister into the carriage, was surprised when Oro caught the back of his neck and lifted him up to the driver's seat before climbing up next to him. "Even a pipsqueak can do this," the Rabbit growled, dropping the reins into his lap, "Whip 'em to make them go faster, choke 'em to make them slow down. Simple." Kylan quirked a brow at the instructions, but nodded, and shook the reins to get the horses moving.

"You know," Tuli tapped her chin thoughtfully, looking out the window at the passing orchards, "It didn't occurr to me until Dad called both of us 'daughters', but if my father is also your father, then we're half-sisters, aren't we?" she looked a little anxiously at Nayeli, who was giving her a surprised stare, "Does that mean we can't...you know...do that, anymore?"

In response to that, the priestess leaned over and pulled her into a firm, tongue-tangling kiss, while their companions laughed at the busty Lioness' slow up-take. "What's done is done, and not all the power I possess could undo it," the priestess told her softly when they broke, "No, I will not be shy of your touch, or refuse your pleasure. I was already aware of our new relationship coming to the stables last night," she noted with a chuckle, "Besides, I already live in heresy under the Order's teachings. The situation can hardly be made more abominable than what I have already accepted. Please continue to love me and to touch me as you desire."

The orchards soon gave way to crop fields, then to woodlands, and soon the strange family was once again on the road through wilderness and wonder. Coras lay three days to the West, Corruscant another week beyond that in good weather, and though neither of them let on any hint of it, both Oro and Nayeli knew better than to think they would arrive in such good time. Adventure had a habit of interrupting such journeys, especially for the likes of them....