Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!
The sky shone brightly over what seemed like endless fields of bright green grass. Bees buzzed from flower to flower, collecting pollen. Purple mountains loomed out in the distance, protectors of this beautiful countryside. Birds sang from the trees that lined the dirt road that wound its way through. And where was Evvy on this beautiful day?
Stuck in meditation, that's where. She sighed and looked out the back of the wagon at the almost story-book-like scenery, until an extremely vexed and, therefore, sharp, voice called her attention back to the task at hand.
"Evvy! For the last time! CONSENTRATE!" her teacher, Briar Moss, exclaimed. Evvy looked at her pahan, trying to make up a good come-back. She had it.
"I was concentrating! Just not on meditation," she shot back. Briar threw up his hands in despair, told her to get out of his sight for the next half- hour (not an easy task when you're both in a wagon) and grabbed a letter he had been trying to find the time to read for the past two days. Evvy wasn't about to allow that!
"What's that?"
"A letter."
"Who from?"
"None of your business."
"I've never heard of them. Are they nice?"
"Evvy," Briar said in a too patient voice, "Would you please do me a favor and stop being you?"
"Okay. Who would you like me to be?"
"EVVY!"
"Yes?" Briar glared at her. "Well, if you'd just tell me who the letter's from…"
"You don't know them, okay? Can I read now?"
Evvy looked at her teacher, decided she'd pushed him far enough, and nodded her consent. She then looked over the countryside again.
It had been a year since Evvy had left Chammur with Briar and Rosethorn. Now, they were on the road somewhere from Yanjing. Probably just to annoy her, Briar was being very mysterious about it and she had yet to find out where they were going. She sighed and picked up a book about gems and their uses.
Evvy, by this time, had learned to read and write in Imperial fairly well. She could usually figure out what the author was trying to say, and her handwriting was pretty neat, if she did say so herself. This book, however, had a lot of words she hadn't even heard in Chammuran or the language she had spoken with her family. Therefore, she had only reached the second chapter after a month. After battling her way through a paragraph, she decided it was time for a break. That meant her stones.
She looked over at Briar, to make sure he was still absorbed in his letter, and reached for the now full crate of stones she had collected in Yanjing. Suddenly, a potted plant next to her reached out and wrapped around her wrists.
"You're not allowed to touch those," Briar said matter-of-factly without even looking up from his letter. "They're for your lessons."
"Fine, fine." Evvy grumbled. She crossed her arms across her chest, after the plant released her, and turned away from her teacher in a huff. It was going to be a long day.
The sky shone brightly over what seemed like endless fields of bright green grass. Bees buzzed from flower to flower, collecting pollen. Purple mountains loomed out in the distance, protectors of this beautiful countryside. Birds sang from the trees that lined the dirt road that wound its way through. And where was Evvy on this beautiful day?
Stuck in meditation, that's where. She sighed and looked out the back of the wagon at the almost story-book-like scenery, until an extremely vexed and, therefore, sharp, voice called her attention back to the task at hand.
"Evvy! For the last time! CONSENTRATE!" her teacher, Briar Moss, exclaimed. Evvy looked at her pahan, trying to make up a good come-back. She had it.
"I was concentrating! Just not on meditation," she shot back. Briar threw up his hands in despair, told her to get out of his sight for the next half- hour (not an easy task when you're both in a wagon) and grabbed a letter he had been trying to find the time to read for the past two days. Evvy wasn't about to allow that!
"What's that?"
"A letter."
"Who from?"
"None of your business."
"I've never heard of them. Are they nice?"
"Evvy," Briar said in a too patient voice, "Would you please do me a favor and stop being you?"
"Okay. Who would you like me to be?"
"EVVY!"
"Yes?" Briar glared at her. "Well, if you'd just tell me who the letter's from…"
"You don't know them, okay? Can I read now?"
Evvy looked at her teacher, decided she'd pushed him far enough, and nodded her consent. She then looked over the countryside again.
It had been a year since Evvy had left Chammur with Briar and Rosethorn. Now, they were on the road somewhere from Yanjing. Probably just to annoy her, Briar was being very mysterious about it and she had yet to find out where they were going. She sighed and picked up a book about gems and their uses.
Evvy, by this time, had learned to read and write in Imperial fairly well. She could usually figure out what the author was trying to say, and her handwriting was pretty neat, if she did say so herself. This book, however, had a lot of words she hadn't even heard in Chammuran or the language she had spoken with her family. Therefore, she had only reached the second chapter after a month. After battling her way through a paragraph, she decided it was time for a break. That meant her stones.
She looked over at Briar, to make sure he was still absorbed in his letter, and reached for the now full crate of stones she had collected in Yanjing. Suddenly, a potted plant next to her reached out and wrapped around her wrists.
"You're not allowed to touch those," Briar said matter-of-factly without even looking up from his letter. "They're for your lessons."
"Fine, fine." Evvy grumbled. She crossed her arms across her chest, after the plant released her, and turned away from her teacher in a huff. It was going to be a long day.