on the causeway - monday evening - 04/26

[new_to_liirness]

Hurly burly, twisting, whirling
Like some river through the land he's been
Flying, spying, learning, trying
To be half of what deserves his kin.It was almost a different boy who came down the causeway. He was still a boy, though the lanky frame had filled out some, the potential of the father's form come true in hard work and happenstance. No

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[flowering_mind]

Ino had been mostly flying around just for the sake of... being up in the air where absolutely nothing mattered but the air and Staffy beneath her.

Of course, that did not stop her from being totally lacking in situational awareness, no.

Which meant she spotted Liir and Makejoy and had drifted close enough for her ears to catch his latest comment.

"I could drop somethin' on you," she said brightly, from above. "If it'd justify your fears and all."

[new_to_liirness]

Liir looked up at the voice and his eyes were bright. He was smiling with the kind of abandon that he couldn't have managed before.

"Ino! Nameless Name, you're a sight for the sorest of eyes! Beat me to a pulp, only come down and let me hold you a moment!"

[flowering_mind]

She pretended to think about that for all of... .2 seconds, before swooping down easily, landing lightly, and flinging herself at him.

For a hug. For now.

Lecturing came later.

[new_to_liirness]

So many little things were different. His skin was darker, his arms were stronger, his hug was tighter, almost too tight, as if she might go away at any moment. He wasn't shaking, though. He was steady. Perhaps more steady than he'd ever been.

[flowering_mind]

It was almost funny how she was getting used to nearly too tight hugs.

Easy enough to guess what was behind the hug.

"I," she informed him, still hugging but looking up at him now and noting the darker skin and how he seemed more... grounded. "Am going nowhere."

... That was both a dig and a reassurance. Ino was gifted that way.

[new_to_liirness]

And Liir was gifted to listen, to hear. He heard both and both made him smile because they came from Ino.

"That makes two of us, at least for a time. I swear it. I've had quite enough of travel, a bellyfull and then some. As has poor Makejoy."

Though Makejoy had spent a significant portion of the time at Kiamo Ko. Thankfully.

[flowering_mind]

"Poor Makejoy, indeed," she scolded. "At least she got to come and had more than a note to work with. I think you totally lose all right to complain about my disappearances for a goodly while, you."

[new_to_liirness]

"Yes, not that it's going to stop the looks."

He smiled at her again, as if he was making up for all the smile he hadn't been able to give her.

[flowering_mind]

"Oh fine," she sighed, but was grinning. Hard not to grin back when he had a smile like that on him. "I'll deal with the looks."

Probably a fair bit.

"What were you up to?" Ino asked because, clearly, his life was more exciting than hers.

[new_to_liirness]

He lifted a finger and scratched at his cheek.

"Well, there was nearly being captured by the Gale Forcers. That was interesting. I don't think Makejoy much liked her experience on the broom, suffice to say. Then there was the time with the Animals and may I say that while Badgers might be difficult to warm to you, they're utterly loyal after you have."

He leaned his head back.

"Then there was the time with the Arjiki. Very interesting. I've been talking to myself as I walked to hopefully return my accent to it's usual sound. The Arjiki variant is a bit hard to parse for someone who didn't grow up with it."

And fairly enough, there were a few odd intonations in his words, consonants blurring in places where they hadn't before.

[flowering_mind]

"You've got a bit of a way to go before you sound like you did before," she noted. "Though you're fairly understandable."

Of course, Ino was fairly good at listening closely when she wanted to be, so...

"And dare I ask what you accomplished during all of this?"

[new_to_liirness]

"Accomplished? Absolutely nothing, of course. Not a whit. But I did manage to discuss any number of topics with a league of Animals, learned of a certain banking venture starting up to return a significant portion" though by no means the full amount "of Animal funds to their owners, and went through something of a ceremony with the Arjiki people that they might consider me a man."

He scratched at his jaw this time.

"There's the matter of the Birds, of course, and I seem to have something of a spy in the Emperor's ranks now, though Trism is being careful and they're no doubt being careful with him. But skill conquers all concerns sometimes."

He shrugged.

"But nothing 'accomplished' so to speak, no direct action. Just the groundwork."