Insert Title Here - an Epic Tale by GreenApple

[Greenie]

"Oh, since we were this high." Rinata chuckled as she held her hand just a couple of feet above the ground. "Rendas was first though- makes sense since he spent more time outside with our brothers. We lived in a forest near a pack of wolves, that's where Moonbeam comes from." She looked to Ran with a small grin. "You don't have to worry about him bitin' you or somethin'. Think of him as a really big dog."

A twinge in her stomach reminded her she was hungry so she paused in her chatting and took a piece of jerky for herself, stuffing it in her mouth as she set the back down between the two.

"People thought we were just making stories at first," she continued after a while, looking out at the people passing before them. She didn't expect Rendas to be back for a while, but maybe he'd find a good deal quicker than they expected. "They realized we were telling the truth eventually..." Shrugging lightly, she grabbed some more jerky, deciding eating was a good substitute for talking.

I suppose life could be worse, she thought to herself, her green eyes resting on a group of sultry women laughing and calling at passing by men and at times women. Could've ended up like them.
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[Applo]

For a while Rán sat and thought about what Rin had said; chewing on the tough jerky in companionable silence with the woman as the denizens of the city went about their lives in front of them. She didn't have the heart to tell her that it didn't really help to think of Moonbeam as an oversized dog. Regardless of how friendly the wolf seemed, it still looked like it could rip out a throat with barely a thought should the mood take it, besides Rán wasn't particularly keen on dogs either. If anything dogs could be more vicious than wolves.

When she ran out of jerky Rán turned towards Rin to tear off another piece but stopped when she saw the woman's face. It wasn't true to say that Rin had a face like thunder, but the face that had mostly been full of warm little smiles now seemed set in a look of extreme disapproval. It didn't take much for Rán to figure out why. Following Rin's cold gaze she saw a group of woman who her mother would have described as no better than they ought to be and made Rán blush a crimson red as embarrassing memories pushed their way to the surface.

"Perhaps we should go back to where we last saw your brother" Rán mumbled with her eye's glued to the floor to avoid the unlikely chance of catching the bold ladies gaze. "Maybe he is back by now."​

 

[Greenie]

"Perhaps we should," Rinata agreed, her gaze breaking free from the group of women. She looked over at Ran and blinked. The other woman sseemed rather flushed, though she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Had she remembered something? Did she do something that Rinata hadn't seen? Or perhaps she was unusually hot or somehow managed to get drunk without drink? The latter thought was foolish, she knew, but it was in the list of maybes.

She stood up and stretched before putting away the rest of the jerky. "Hopefully he found a nice wagon. My brother is nice and smart... but maybe a little too nice." While Rinata usually kept her wits about her and didn't necessarily succumb to a sob story, Rendas was easily swayed by his sympathy. She wouldn't put it past him to sell two good horses for a less than mediocre wagon if the seller was an old woman with shaking hands.

Meanwhile...

Rendas was whistling a tune as he made his way back to his sister and their more more quiet companion. In his opinion, he had gotten hold of quite the lovely deal. Sure the wagon he had bought was quite old, and one of the boards on the flor was missing, but they could always but something over it. At least he got to keep the two horses. Both of them together pulling the wagon would be much easier than just the one. All in all, he was quite proud of himself

"Rin?" he called as he entered the vicinity of where he had left the two. "Ran?" That was her name, right? His grin widened when he spotted the two in the distance, and he beckoned them over enthusiastically. "Over here!"

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[Applo]

As the pair started to move away from the fountain they had been sitting on, Rán found herself compelled by some unknown internal force to take one last look at the vibrantly dressed women. She regretted her decision almost immediately when a one of the ladies who was clad in a blue dress, locked eyes with Rán and blew her a little kiss before beckoning her over. Embarrassed at having been seen to be looking, Rán turned on her heels and almost ran after Rin whilst desperately trying to ignore the raucous laughter that she knew she had caused.

By the time she caught up with Rin, Rán was able to see Rendas waving to them from the driver's seat of what looked like quite a battered old wagon. The closer she got to the wagon, the more of its little defects Rán started to notice, not that she cared much. If she was going to be traveling with the twins, it was better than trying to keep up with horses on foot and while she wouldn't have minded walking, a wagon at least meant somewhere to sleep other than the dirt and bushes.

The one thing that did puzzle Rán about the wagon Rendas had acquired was the horses pulling it. Rán was in no way an expert on horses, but even she could see that the two horses linked up to the front of the wagon had been the same two the twins had owned earlier.

"I thought you were go…" Rán paused, aware that her words were barely audible above the noise of the street she tried to swallow the lump in her throat and tried again. "Where did you get the wagon?

 

[Greenie]

"Yes... and why are those two horses still here, Rendas?" Rinata raised her eyebrows, her arms akimbo as she stared up at her brother.

Rendas seemed to be able to easily ignore the grueling look his sister was giving him, turning to look at Ren, a friendly look in his eyes. "Oh, an old lady sold it to me. It's got a few things needing some fixing, but it can certainly take us where we wish to go. Didn't even have to sell the horses!" One the said horses seemed almost appreciative, bumping the man's shoulder with its head.

"And how much was it?" Rinata further inquired, clearly not about to give the matter up.

"Hm, well, a little less than twenty gold-"

"Rendas, that was supposed to last us a while!"

"True," the brother agreed. "But look!" He waved his arms in the direction of the dragon. "Now we can all ride in comfort! Besides, if we get this quest done, we'll have enough gold to last a long, long time." He beamed at the two before pointing eagerly to the wagon. "So, who wants to step up first?"

Sighing, Rin looked to Ran. "Go ahead, I'm going to buy some rations and return."​

 

[Applo]

While Rin departed on her errand, Rán slung the small backpack that contained her worldly possessions over the side before putting her left foot on a mostly horizontal wheel spoke. As she pulled herself up, Rán saw the truth in what Rendas has meant by a few things needing fixing. There were several gaping holes in floor of the wagon where time and poor maintenance had defeated the old wood. As if to reinforce the point, the board she was using to steady herself crumbled under the weight of her hand.

"I...I...I found something that needs fixing." A weak smile rippled across Ráns face as she held the almost powder wood remains up for Rendas to inspect before tossing it over her shoulder. "I think that old lady did very much better out of the trade than us. Once she had fully clambered inside of the cart, Rán sunk to the floor with her back against the front of the wagon. In spite of her rather minor complaints, she didn't actually mind the run down condition of the cart. She had stayed in inns that were in worse repair.

"If we can find the materials I ..." Rán paused for a moment to look at the cart and it various defects again. "I could maybe make some repairs." She knew she was no genius with a hammer and chisel but life on the open seas had given her more than a little practice and replacing broken and rotten wood boards.

 

[Greenie]

Rendas couldn't help but chuckle, still a little sheepish, but for the most part content with his purchase. "It's true," he agreed with a nod, looking to the once wood in Ran's hand. "I probably overpaid her, but I could tell she needed the money." He shrugged as he moved back, green eyes gentle as the looked to the two horses. "She'll appreciate the gold, probably more than someone'll appreciate these two, seeing they're quite old."

Interlocking his hands and resting the back of his head against his as he stood in place, he smile at Ran. "This whole quest's about helping the King, right? Might as well help out an old woman while I'm at it as well. As for materials, I'm sure there's plenty to be found." He let his arms drop, one to his side while the other reached out, patting the rickety wagon. "Should survive 'til Seaspur at least. I'm expecting there should be more than enough material there." It was, after all, a trading port, full of ships that probably needed some repairs of their own.

It would be somewhat clear at that point that whilst Rendas seemed much more impulsive and spontaneous that Rinata, there was definite thought behind his actions, and he didn't just do things on a whim...

Or if they were on a whim, there was always good couple of excuses that would excuse what he'd done.

"So," he resumed, leaning against the opening of the wagon, sweeping away the wood dust with his hand, "looks like you can fix things up too then, eh? Aside from just diving?"​

 

[Applo]

"Like I said I was a part of a ships crew a couple of years ago. I had to help with pretty much anything that needed doing and I picked up a few things." Around them the flow of city life had adjusted to the presence of the cart and people and goods poured past it like a river round a large boulder.

"Your sister said that you and her have done quests like this for people before. Do you think that's why the King sent for you?"

 

[Greenie]

Rendas blinked a little at her response before chuckling sheepishly. "Oh, I figured," he replied, scratching a little at his beard. "I was joking for the most part." He realized that he'd probably have to be a bit more careful in how he said things, seeing Ran wasn't familiar with him as his sister and animal friends.

Speaking of, Velasco had flown off to follow Rinata; Moonbeam on the other hand had been sitting by the horses. He now stood up and walked over to Rendas, tail sweeping the air gently as he panted happily. Rendas reached a hand down and patted the wolf's head before responding to Ran's last question.

"Nothing as profound as this I'm afraid. Most of the the adventures we would head off on were for things we knew about, information and whereabouts. This however... is rather different." He shrugged his shoulders before smiling. "The library can help at least."

It took a few minutes wait until the Rinata and Velasco returned, a sack slung over her back. "Alright," she said as she dropped the sack into the wagon. "We should be ready to go. Seapsur isn't getting any closer. With luck we should reach their tonight. Hopefully there aren't any vampires or werewolves lurking about."

And so, once the trio along with the wolf and the crow were settled in, their journey to Seaspur began at last.
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