Notes: A continuation of the oneshot story "Travels of a Ryassophore". I would suggest reading it to get a basic gist of how this'll be going, though it's certainly not needed.

Warnings: This story contains various plot devices, and if it ends up being continued/finished... There will be eventual slash. While it will not be hardcore anything (a kiss and hug at most, surely), be forewarned. Any criticisms of this or flames will be looked at and promptly posted for others to mock at.

Finally, any reviews are appreciated, especially those which contain constructive criticism. Thank you!

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The Land of Furrows

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A Friend

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/Travels of a Ryassophore/

The train whistled shrilly as it neared the station, the smoke billowing from its stack as the machine shuddered to a halt. The wheels squealing in protest, there was a final loud thump as it gave one last jerk as vapor poured from both sides of the engine. And finally, all was still for a few seconds.

The second carriage from the back opened it's doors with little aplomb.

The Ryassophore stepped from the locomotive, steam billowing out his long, plain robe. Squinting, for not only was the sun quite bright despite the clouds, but the vapor was also still very hot. He coughed lightly and stepped forward, wiping at the condensation that had formed on his cheeks before surveying the land around him.

It was not unlike his own homeland: grey-colored skies, the air cool with mist floating haggardly about. Of course, his home was certainly not this guarded and closed. As far as the eye could see was slate-grey crags and piles of ragged rock with little but thin tree-stalks dotting here and there, not having any greenery to color their blackened bark. Behind him, the engine slowly began to pick up steam and puff its way forward, leaving the brown-robed man alone on the simple platform that was the same grey as all else.

He turned around to see if the other side was any less gloomy, to no avail.

Despite the dreary countenance, he smiled lightly and made the Holy Sign with his left forefinger and stepped forward to continue along his way. The path before him was level, though slick from the damp air and the crinkly red moss that grew on the stones didn't make it any easier to walk without slips.

Rubbing a sore hipbone from the latest fall, the Ryassophore grinned forcefully and wished, not for the first time, that he had thought to get a cane. He had meant to follow the railway, but the path immediately twisted into a stony land with rocky ravines and sharp edged cavernous walls and cliffs. Wincing as he hunched over against one of the many black, leafless trees that grew low along in the long sheets of stony ground, he rubbed his hands together.

The sun was just visible through the cloud cover, settling into the 40th line which meant there was still a good hour and a half until twilight set in. It was already chill with all the moisture hanging in the air, so without the meager sunlight it would be very cold indeed. A fire was in order, though making one was probably going to be a problem, as everything seemed heavy with wetness. It would be a miracle to start any flames and keep them alive.

Or perhaps...

It was rare to be in a land without people. Surely he'd be able to find someone living in this dank landscape. Even if there wasn't, the God would provide what he needed, so there was nothing to fear. Of course, he would need to hurry in his search, as he was loathe to travel in the dark without a light. It was difficult to see his surroundings as it was, as the mist that seemed to muffle all sound and light had grown thicker and thicker as he progressed. The last crevice he had to creep past was quite deep, and would be a terrible challenge to escape from if the fall didn't kill him outright.

Hope burning anew in his heart, the Ryassophore stood, though his hip still was sore, and his robes were now quite wet. Ah, and it seemed he'd cut the palm of his hand when he straightened. How bothersome...

As he continued to walk gingerly, as his boots had not been made for the sharp-edged stones that made up the ground beneath his feet, he made the Holy Sign once again. He would be provided for.

He was provided for. While there hadn't been a building to be found, he had found a relatively dry enclave merely a few feet from the path. He tested it with his hand gingerly, for while it had stopped bleeding, it still hurt amazingly. The moss was stiff and wiry, but free of the damp that soaked into everything else.

He pulled out his small knapsack that he carried inside his robes and took from it a small bandaged and salve. It was always best to take care of wounds and injuries as soon as possible. After that, he pulled out a bit of hard crusty bread. Biting into it experimentally, he found the wheat concoction rather hard. Luckily there was a small pool of water caught just outside the shallow cave. After a good soaking, the bread was edible.

With a soft sigh and a full stomach, the Ryassophore laid down his head and quickly fell asleep, nicely dry as a soft drizzle began to fall outside.

Waking to a soft light that lent a warm amber to the surroundings, he blinked awake, sitting up slightly and bumping his head on the enclave roof. He muffled a cry of pain and quickly rubbed his head. Peeking outside showed that the sky was clear. The rocks were already warm from the morning light, and a short stocky lizard scrambled away as the Ryassophore crawled from his shelter.

He popped a wrist gesturing the Holy Sign as thanks for his safe slumber and began to travel again. It was truly amazing what warm, cheery sunlight could do to what had previously been such a cold and unforgiving landscape. He couldn't help but smile contently as he continued along the stony path. As he topped a small hill, he noted thin streams of smoke in the far background, just beyond a tall line of rocks. A bit of a skip in his step, he quickened his pace and made it to the fence soon enough.

The difference was enough to take his breathe away. The path suddenly dipped down and turned to a gravelly sort of dirt, a bit of browny grass lining the sides before dipping into vast trenches of water that linked with more and more as far as the eye could see, separated only by thin walls of stone. Just beyond them sprouted the shady outline of small, low grey buildings with figures moving about just along the limits.

Allowing himself to slow his walk to enjoy the scenery, the Ryassophore gazed at the trenches around him. They were of varying depths and widths, some very long and deep, others squat and shallow. The bottoms were either stone or grey silt. Were they for water-based plant, perhaps? Or fish even? Or were they even man-made? There were certainly many of them if it were true that they were naturally-made.

As he looked back in front of him, he noticed a figure rushing towards him. Preparing for whatever may come, he spread his arms wide in the universal peace gesture, and slowly continued forward, wondering what would happen when he met with this small town. While outright hostility was quite rare, he had only had that happen to him once, it was not something he relished in being a part of again. Though it reassuring to know that he could run quite fast when properly motivated.

As the two got closer, the Ryassophore noticed that the figure was that of a child, or a very short adult. One could never assume these things, after all. However, it was a safe bet that...

"I greet you, my child, as one who spreads the love and kindness that is only right and proper to share." He smiled warmly, dimples forming.

The child, it was difficult to tell with the hair and stocky figure whether it was male of female, doubled over and gasped raspingly from the run. "You're a stranger!" The child finally cried, having caught its breath.

"I suppose we all are at first," The Ryassophore hunched some to look at the child directly. "But we don't have to be for long."

"I'm s'pose to tell you that we don't buy nothing from strangers, 'less they're from the Red or Blue bands."

"Oh? Well, I do not sell, but instead give freely."

The child pulled away, staring at him suspiciously. "Nothin's free."

"Well, I'm sorry that you think that. Will you allow me into your homes for a night's lodging?" He stood.

Given the question, the child puffed up impressively with authority. "I don' know..." It pretended to think for a long while before sighing heavily. "I guess you can, if'n my Ma says it's okay."

The Ryassophore smiled and ruffled the child's shaggy dark hair. "That's a good child. Would you escort me?"

This too was given some thought. "I guess it's 'kay..."

"Alright then. Let's be off then."

The walk over was quick, as the child was intent on speeding up the process by tugging on his arm whenever it was deemed necessary

"I-" The Ryassophore forcibly smiled, as the pulling had made his hip and his shoulder hurt some. "Where are we (ow!) going?"

"My Ma works the boardin' house. You have to go there. Come on."

"Now, now, patience is a virtue." To his relief, this got the child to stop tugging quite as hard. It also allowed him to look around. For the most part, few of the people walking in the cobbled streets gave him any heed. the buildings seemed mostly grey stone in making, probably from the trench-making, and slate tiling for roofs. There was little color beyond the clothing that was worn by the woman. Gaily colored in royal blues and purples, they rather hurt to look at after traveling in such a bland environment all yesterday and morning.

"This is it."

'This' was a near identical building as the rest, except for the bright red-painted door that marked most hostels. He was guided into the building and pushed to the front desk before the child scurried off into a side door.

"Ah..." The Ryassophore blinked curiously at the desk, bare but for a small copper bell and book and pen. Cautiously, he picked up the bell and rang it, the sound sharp and echoing against the stone walls.

Nothing happened for a while other than the distant sounds of talking and movement from adjacent rooms until a man stepped in through a doorway. He looked to be just barely old enough to be considered a man with bright, curious blue eyes. Some type of dull, bland-colored cloth was wrapped around his arms and draped over his shoulder to keep the excess from touching the ground. Locks of golden-brown hair went in every which way, though none fell in his face thanks to a simple clothespin. There were a couple other such pins attached to his left sleeve for easy access.

"I'm sorry. Ya've caught us right in the middle of launderin'." He set the bundle of clothes on the desk and stood on the side opposite of the Ryassophore, smiling at him. "What do ya need?"

"Greetings my child. I was hoping to gain a night's lodging. I have no money, but would gladly work off my debt." He smiled in return. What a nice young man!

"As long as you don't cause trouble, it's free." He opened the book and lifted the pen to the first blank spot he found. "I just need a name for our records, if you don't mind..." He glanced up as he trailed off, smiling and waiting for the reply.

"Oh, of course." The Ryassophore wiped the grim from his hands and gripped the pen, scratching out the loopy name of 'Al'.

The man nodded and closed the book. He picked the bundle of clothing back up, but didn't move from where he stood, turning his smile back on Al. "If'n you want t'rest now, I can take ya to the sleepin' quarters, or ya can come with me and meet th'others."

He nodded congenially. "I would be most happy to meet your kin."

"All right, then just follow..." He paused to shift the bundle to free up a hand, which he held out in greeting. "My name's Cole, by the way." After shaking hands, he turned and started toward the doorway he had come through. "Oi!" he called into the other room. "We've got a newcomer, so put on a nice face!"

There were only a small handful of six people in the room, five working on cleaning and scrubbing, while one helped Cole with hanging up the clothes and sheets to dry in the middle of the room. Cole turned his head to grin almost sheepishly at Al. "It's kin'a old-fashioned, but it saves on money, y'know?"

A couple of the older women smiled before returning to their quiet whispers of local gossip. The fifth person who was hanging clothes up was a middle-aged woman who walked up to Cole and Al. She was a rather round sort of gal and grinned happily. "Well, would ya look at this! We haven't had none of your folk 'ere before! What brings ya to this town?"

While the woman spoke, Cole quietly snuck away to get back to work, though he made an effort to hide that he was eavesdropping on the two.

"I am but a traveler of the world, trying to learn about how it works while spreading the kindness and love to all which live, as they so rightly deserve." Al stepped to the side, straightening his brown robe and tightening the belt. "And I am most gracious of your kindness, but I feel terrible for taking it freely. Surely you won't begrudge me the work to pay for my room?"

The woman laughed heartily. "Trust me, you don't wanna pay for sleepin' here! We do our best, but you'd be better off and more comfortable findin' some moss or clover." She gestured with her thumb toward one of the gossiping girls. "And they make the food, an' no one in their right mind would pay for that." She clasped her hands around one of his. "You just keep doin' what you do, and we'll do what we do. Did Cole show you to where you can sleep?"

He laid his free hand on hers and squeezed gently. "There is no need, I assure you. I am not a betting man, but I would be willing to say that any bed is much softer than any moss." He pulled away. "Though I would like to continue imploring you for some way alleviate my lodging, I would enjoy touring your town. I find it fascinating to gain insight on how the world works, on all levels."

The woman nodded and inclined her head toward Cole. "Ey, boy! You heard what the man wants. We'll take care of the rest!"

Cole looked a little startled at this, but finished putting up a sheet and put the rest of his bundle in a basket. He walked over to the two, unclipping all the clothespins, including the one in his hair, and handed them to the woman. "All right," he turned to smile at Al. "there's not much t'see, but let's be off!"

"You're much too kind." The Ryassophore followed the young man out of the building and into the street. "It must be difficult living here." He said. "Having traveled myself for a short distance through this area, it seems quite sparse and lacking."

Cole grinned and shrugged. "We make do. Lived here long 'nough to know that we should leave, but too long to want to, an' all."

Al laughed merrily as they strode along the cobbled street. They were all cobbled, Cole said, with the same stone that seemed to make the land everywhere. While there were legends as to why this was so, but the exact reason was unknown. Perhaps an ancient storm was the cause, he was informed.

To continue traveling in a westerly direction would lead to a long narrow inland sea and it was common for fierce gust-storms to travel the length of the water, bringing in winds and waves which inundated the vast flatlands.

It was equally common for a wall of water to rush along the lake and come rolling in along the plains, topping off the trenches with fresh water and various water-life. After such a wave, all wandered out to go search for new finds. It was common to feast well that night.

Of course, it was not uncommon that the wave was high enough to wash through the town, though it had caused damage only once a long time ago, according to the old stories. This was helped by the fact that the town itself was actually movable to a degree, as it sat upon a thin plate of rock balanced neatly atop the furrows.

It was that interesting quirk that gave the town it's name: Brendalston, which, it was generally agreed on, was a bastardization of the original title, Brindle's Stone, named for the first family that had began the community. There was a secondary story that Brendalston was actually an old description of the rock, 'brittle stone', as the edges had worn away, causing minor collapses in the past, though this had not happened recently. Of course, the former reason was most frequently agreed on by the town citizens.

"No wonder your homes are built so sturdy then, to survive such terrible storms." Al commented in amazement as they came to the end of the town limits, the stone jutting out over the long, irregularly shaped trenches with a small stone wall lined up trim against the edge to prevent any mishaps. It was indeed balancing itself above the water! The man, as he looked out at the relegated water, fancied he saw a small fish in the furrow nearest them.

Cole smiled and started toward one of the trenches, gesturing Al to follow him down a small gated stairway that lowered to a shallow shelf balanced itself on the trench's dividing wall. "Aren't they cute?" He crouched down and pointed at some of the fish that were visible in the water. "Only the big ones get eaten, so these little guys get to swim 'bout all they wan'. Kin'a gives the place some life, I think."

"Or it does until they grow big enough to eat." The man laughed and squatted down beside him. "But life must go on, so I am sure they harbor no bad feelings on the matter."

Cole touched the surface of the water with his fingertip thoughtfully, watching as the fish scattered and disappeared into the darkened depths. "Well, we feed 'em while they're in 'ere..." He paused and quickly jerked his head up, frowning and adding, "Not t'plump 'em up or anythin'! To be nice, an' all..." He looked back at the water's surface, feeling a little stupid at being careless with his words like that.

"Really? You have good intentions then." Al straightened and leaned against the stonework. "I wonder if I would be able to keep from fattening them up myself if I lived here." He paused at his own carelessness. "Of course, I do find a strange sort of beauty here, and my own home was in this sort of place, though it was much more soft as we had peat moss instead of stone." He smiled lightly. "That was how my family made their living."

Cole inclined his head, smiling up at Al. "It's nice to be provided for, isn't it?" He looked out over the horizon thoughtfully. "I wouldn't mind leavin' here." He stood up and clasped his hands together, reaching back to rest them against the back of his head. "Life's kin'a borin' once ya see all a place has to offer. I think so, anyway..." He looked back at Al with a boyish grin. "You kin'a understand, since yer a traveler, don't ya?"

Al's responding smile was much more soft. "I do enjoy it, I will admit... However, there are advantages in having a place to call home." He gazed out along the trench-marked horizon. "Though if I did have a home, then I would never see such amazing places." He fell silent for a long moment before turning to town. "I shall have to travel past your sea, if only to assuage my own curiosity. If anything, that is my most terrible flaw." He laughed absently.

"Everyone's got one, so it's good to have one that's not bad." He smiled as he passed Al, starting toward the town. "Are ya hungry? I can see if there's anythin' ready right now."

"Actually... I wasn't going to, but... Would I be out of my place to ask for a bath?" The Ryassophore grimaced. It pained him to ask for such a expensive boon, as it was not considered humble to ask for such a thing. In fact, it was typical for his fellow siblings to go without such luxuries for long periods at a time. Regardless... He had never been one who enjoyed being unclean. "I'm amazed that no one has pushed me into one of these trenches for the smell."

Cole laughed as he waved a dismissive hand. "We've smelled worse, so I don' think anyone noticed ya. Yeah, come on, there's a bath at home that ya can use. Will ya want someone to wash your back or anythin'?" He looked upward some, frowning as he thought. "I'm sure one of the girls wouldn't mind..."

The man colored and jerked away. "N-no! I could never ask for a woman to tend to my needs! Please don't even suggest such a thing!" He hunched over, staring at the stony ground. "Such a bold thing... I could never!"

Cole turned a raised eyebrow on him, but smiled softly after the initial moment of questioning. "Sorry, sorry... It's my fault. I spoke without thinkin', an' yer a holy man an' all, so o'course ya wouldn't want that." He looked back at the path ahead. "Forget I said anythin', 'kay?"

Al smiled weakly as he started to walk down the street. "No, no. I apologize for my outburst. As a mere Ryassophore, I am required to be virginal, or to at least refrain from such behavior until I gain enough enlightenment to become a Krestonosets. At that time, I would be enlightened enough to be able to take on such responsibility of marriage without allowing it to replace my life's mission."

Cole nodded as if he understood. He did, just only about half of it. "So, ya can't even have a relationship?" He whistled appreciatively. "That's a lot of dedication ya got... I'd get lonely if I were in yer position, but..." He laughed. "I guess that's why I'm not and you are!"

"Oh, it's rather easy." The man smiled. "I'm solitary by nature, so it fits me, so I'd like to think."

The other nodded slowly before standing with a grin. "Come on. Let's get your bath started!"

Cole tapped on his chin thoughtfully with a pen, tilting his head to the side. "Mm..." He furrowed his brow before he stood. "Well, it has been a while..." He wandered into the launder room to grab some linens, stopping along the way to the bathing room to look in a mirror and make sure he was somewhat presentable. He had spent his time cleaning and doing various chores, which always made his hair into a wild mess. After smoothing down the stray locks, he knocked on the door. "Ryassophore?" he called. "May I come in with some towels and linen? I won't look or nothin'."

The door opened, Al standing just inside. "Oh, come on in." He smiled and walked back over to the tub, sliding back into the hot water with a sigh of happiness. "I hope you'll excuse me for my behavior, it's been awhile that I've had such a luxury. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed this during my travels."

Cole smiled and started to set the bundle of things neatly on a table, pausing to separate them. "Take all the time ya want. No one's gonna be usin' it tonight, so it's all yers." He turned to bow politely and caught a small glimpse of Al's back. Though it was brief, it was enough to make him look back up, since Al was facing the other way. Huh... He pursed his lips, jerking his attention away and back to the linen. He felt all flustered at the sight of that bare skin (as he had had his eyes downcast earlier, when Al opened the door)... it was nothing like whenever he had been on duty to scrub backs for other people. He wanted to touch it, though why, he wasn't sure. "Is there anything else ya need?" he asked, his voice not even suggesting a hint of the uncertainty going through his mind at that moment.

Al smiled as he turned around to look at him. The poor thing looked terribly nervous. Why was that? Ah, perhaps it was that...

"You may leave if you're uncomfortable. The people here are quite pale-skinned, probably due to the climate. I've been to places that considered my current skin tone taboo, so I'm certainly not offended if you find my color strange or unsettling." He laughed. What a nice young man! To have tried to be kind and not called attention to this problem. "I tan quite easily, I've found."

Cole shook his head and turned his head just enough to glance at Al out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm not uncomfortable." Through sheer will power, he kept his face from showing any of his mixed emotions. "I jus' didn't know if you'd be." He turned completely, smiling gently at him. "It is interestin' to see someone with a tan, though. I didn't know it was possible t'get that dark..."

The man grinned, suddenly looking much younger. "One time, when I was traveling with a caravan through a vast desert, I saw whole tribes of people who's skins were sun-darkened to the color of redwood. They were possibly the kindest group of people I've ever had the fortune to meet. I spent an entire week with them, discussing their gods and religion. I was very saddened when I had to finally leave them."

Cole looked up at the wall with slightly widened eyes, imagining someone with that dark of skin. He moved over to the tub and sat down on a stool. "You're so lucky..." He rested his chin in the palm of his hand. With wide, curious eyes, he looked like an overeager child. "What else have ya seen? I'm so jealous!"

Making himself comfortable and resting his chin on folded hands, Al nodded cheerfully, happy to talk about his travels. "Well, at one time, I got invited to see a local girl bring the dead back to life. It was actually on the outskirts of a large city, so I considered myself very fortunate to find out about it.

"I was led by a tall thin woman behind two parents who's child had recently died. Before them was the child in his coffin, freshly dug up only a hour previous. Taken into a plain, rather seedy sort of building, we were all guided to a small backroom.

“The walls were filled with shelves upon shelves of items and talisman and fetishes, drying plants hanging from the ceiling beams and in the middle was a large earthen pot filled with a dark colored sand that had smoking sticks poking outwards. The smoke slithered through the air like serpents and dulled all of our senses. Even the parents ceased their weeping as the air filled with the smoke.

"Then, as we looked on, the coffin was set beside the smoking pot and a girl was carried in, as I was latter old she was born crippled. She was splendidly dressed, her eyes half-lidded and painted bright red, as were her lips. Set down on the floor, she crawled forward to the coffin, her dress dragging and shimmering behind her like colored water.

"As she balanced herself before it, the lid was raised, causing the parents to begin weeping anew. However, their tears soon lost their sadness for, as soon as the girl pressed her lips upon the dead boy's lips and blew... his chest began to rise, and his eyes fluttered open! Why, I was so surprised, I fell to my knees in wonder!"

Al laughed softly. "With her grandmother I did talk for a long night, trying to get her to share the secret with me, but to no avail. I had tried to speak with the girl, but she was soundly guarded and I was tossed out like bad rubbish." He laughed again. "I have also seen a medicine man speak to snakes, but the girl was certainly the most interesting I've ever experienced."

Cole's mouth hung agape. "No..." he finally managed, his voice hoarse some. "... no way! That's so cool!" He leaned back, clasping his hands behind his head and whistling appreciatively. "You're so lucky... the only thing I've ever seen that was outta the ordinary was one of the storms that came through... it brought some kind of machinery with it. None of us knew what t'do with it, so we pawned it off when trading season came about..." He grinned, holding up his hands to show how large it had been. "It was this big round metal ball, with markin's all over it, and it made a whirrin' noise. It was made outta gold, so it fetched a good price... I wanna know what it did, though." He sighed, lowering his hands, and looking at Al with a soft smile. "It must be embarrassin' to see all these amazin' things, then come to a borin' place like this..."

This earned Cole a confused frown. "What do you mean? This is one of the most curious places I've ever been. You have no idea how shocked I was upon seeing a land made entirely of water-filled furrows!"

Cole wrinkled up his nose, then grinned. "Well, it loses its appeal after a while, but if you leave soon enough, there won't be 'nough time for that shock to go away." He stretched before leaning forward some. "Do ya want anythin'? I can wash your hair, if ya want. It's nothin' fancy, but there's some shampoo 'round here somewhere..."

"Oh, I can wash my hair, so there's no need to bother." Al twisted around to sink down to his nose.

Cole nodded, secretly disappointed, though this made him frown lightly. "Hmm..." He directed his attention into finding the shampoo. "I'll find it for ya, then I'll leave so you can enjoy your bath." He crouched down and set about searching through some cabinets.

"You're much too kind." Al burbled from the water.

Cole politely excused himself after placing the shampoo on the stool, stretching on his way out. Once he shut the door, he let out a heavy sigh and practically dragged himself back to the bedroll he had been lying on earlier. He picked up his pen and paper, staring at some mathematical equations he had scribbled down, though he had no interest in thinking about them anymore, and instead thought of Al.

How could he, a simple villager, look at a someone like him, a Holy man, in such a way! Honestly. He puffed out his cheeks in irritation. It was true that he was good-looking... kind... and was everything Cole wanted to be... but it was pointless. Al was totally untouchable.

He dropped the notebook, giving up on feigning to care about the writing on it, and rolled over onto his side on the uncomfortable bedroll. He had no business being attracted to someone like him... it wouldn't work, anyway. He repeated this last bit to himself like a mantra as he closed his eyes and nodded off, replacing the mantra with the image of Al's bare, tanned back.

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"I thank you for all of your kindness." Al bowed his head at everyone. "I can only hope that one day I will be able to repay you for everything."

The women all gave small parting gifts to Al (a small wrapped bag of cookies, things like that) and sobbed while Cole stood behind them, offering a gentle smile and a wave. He wanted to say or do more, but he didn't have any trinkets, and the women were babbling without pause for interruption.

"Just visit us if you're ever in the area!" one cried.

"Promise to be safe!"

"We'll definitely miss you!"

The Ryassophore smiled calmly, as leaving came easily to him, but still stepped forward and took Cole's hands within his own. "Perhaps, when the God decides to allow us to meet again, then I hope you will have your own stories to tell me."

Cole grinned and lifted his shoulders in a light shrug. "Don't count on it too much, Al." He gave the other's hands a light squeeze. "But that'll just open up more time to hear your stories, so I'm lookin' forward to it, too."

"Then, until we meet again. May you all be blessed in your lives." With a final bow, he turned and ambled out and away, disappearing into the misty morning air.

/from the traveling diary of a wandering Ryassophore/

...to be continued as we please (signed, kris-et-dan)