The sun was high and bright in the sky as a caravan trundled down the road. It was pulled steadily along by a papaomus, gentle clinking sounds issuing from behind the curtains as the pans and equipment inside tapped together when the track was bumpy. Beside the papoamus walked two Clavats, a boy and a girl. The boy, with messy blonde hair that spiked up into an unruly calf-lick on his forehead, wore an outfit of white and green baggy breeches and was gesturing comically with one hand while the other held a sword over his shoulder. Laughing at his joke was the girl, with long brown hair pulled loosely back. She adjusted her white tunic, loose like her hair, then her delicate little fingers went back to the handle of a similar sword hanging at her waist.

Beside the walking pair the papaomus grunted contentedly; holding the reins and occasionally flicking them lazily was a tiny Lilty boy with bright orange bangs. He seemed uncomfortable in his highly polished silvery armour – the weather was warmer than normal and he was obviously hot. However, his pride wouldn't allow him to remove it. The fourth and final member of the caravan was laid out on top of the caravan, in the alcove where the two metal arches of the roof met. It offered some protection from the sun and was far cooler in the shade than the rest of the caravan.

"I don't know how you get away with stuff like that," the Clavat girl said, smiling. The boy punched her playfully on the arm. "It's cos no one can avoid my inescapable charm."

"Charm?" At this the Lilty boy leaning against the caravan doorway almost dropped the reins because he was laughing so hard, "Ciaran, I know rocks that are more charming than you!"

Ciaran put of an expression of mock hurt, "I'm charming. Aren't I, Mioko?"

The Clavat girl nodded, playing along solemnly, "I've never met a more charming young gentleman in my life."

Ciaran bowed cheekily to her, and which the Lilty exploded into giggles again. Mioko leaned over and rapped on his breastplate, "Cool down, Kass, or you'll boil in that tin can."

"Hey! This armour's never let me down in my life. Good quality too. Tin can my striped apple!"

Ciaran was crafting a comeback for the Lilty when the voice of Sera Li the Selkie sounded from the top of the caravan.

"Bandits, you guys," she said, sounding not in the least bothered. She hadn't even bothered sitting up. Probably hadn't even opened her eyes.

"We're on it," Mioko called, and drew her sword. Kass tied the papaomus reins to a hook and disappeared into the caravan; there was the sound of rattling as he secured everything, then he hopped onto the little platform at the back wielding a lance twice his size easily. Quickly, he pulled a screen up to cover the back opening to the caravan.

"How many, Sera?" asked Ciaran, looking round.

"Don't know. Three, I think."

Usually when Sera said she wasn't sure she meant she knew exactly what she was doing. That meant there were three.

"Three?" Kass grinned, "There's four of us. This'll be fun. Can I have one to myself?"

"Kass! Bloodthirsty little thing."

Kass frowned at Mioko, "Small boned, not little."

"Behind those trees," Sera said. She'd dropped her voice so as not to give away the fact the caravanners knew exactly where their stalkers were.

"I see 'em," Ciaran acknowledged as the trees shook a little, "Mi, hop up on the backboard with Kass and sit casual."

"Gotcha."

Kass offered her a gauntleted hand and Mioko scrambled up beside him and sat, dangling her legs over the back, looking perfectly innocent. Ciaran went back to the front of the caravan to check the papaomus.

"Let us know if they make a move," Kass said eagerly, "I wanna stick one with my lance."

"KASS!"

"Oh, alright…"

Ten minutes later, Sera's voice reached Ciaran.

"Here they come. I'm not here, OK?"

Ciaran didn't reply, stopped the papaomus and went to the back to join Mioko and Kass. The Lilty was up and practically bouncing, pointing with his lance.

"There!"

"Off you go, Ciaran," Mioko said, smiling. Ciaran winked, then, brandishing his sword just so it caught the sunlight dramatically, took a deep breath and yelled.

"Hoi, bandits! We can see you! Get your sneaky behinds on the track like decent folk where we can see you! See this sword? It'll gut ye in less than a second if you don't come out!"

There was a rustling from the bushes, and a whispered conversation. A second later, another voice hailed Ciaran.

"We ent decent folk, you fool, we're thieves. Now, caravanners, you're surrounded. Unload everything and do it quick!"

"Surrounded?" Kass exploded, "You cheeky liar, there's three of you!"

Pause.

"There are ten of us," the voice proclaimed a second later, undeterred, "And even if there was only three of us, it's quality that counts, not quantity."

Mioko raised her arm so her long baggy sleeve hid her amused face. Up on the caravan roof, Sera Li smirked, though not unkindly. She recognised the voice.

"Ask him," she thought, "Go on…"

Below her, Ciaran sighed.

"Look, thief, just who in the name of miasma do you think you are?"

"Who do we think we are?" another voice exclaimed, a shriller one than before, "Boss! They don't know who we are! Tell 'em!"

The bushes shook again quite violently and a reddish-pink haired Selkie boy leapt neatly onto the path, landing in the middle. He stood dramatically, arms folded, and glared at them.

"Don't think you can order us about and insult us! We're the Striped Brigands! Fearless fighters and rogues! Hand over every single scrap of treasure you've got or –"

He stopped, becoming aware that all three visible members of the caravan were suddenly in hysterics; the Clavat boy was hanging onto the side of caravan for support, the little Lilty was flat on his back and waving his arms and the girl was red in the face. Slightly puzzled, he went on, " – or you'll feel our wrath! None have skills like us! You might as well try to catch smoke! Born of wind and lightning and driving rain we roam the lands stealing and plundering – we – we – "

And then it suddenly became apparent to him that another voice was saying the words along with him, as if they knew them off by heart. It wasn't one he immediately recognised, but it was doing a passable imitation of him, if not a mockery. He scowled and banged his foot.

"Who's that? Who's making fun of the Striped Brigand leader? Who thinks they're so clever that they can mess with me? Me, Bal Dat?"

Sera Li silently congratulated herself. Her mimicry had been even better than usual. Still grinning, the wolfie Selkie pushed back her hair, adjusted her skirt and got up.

"Hello, Bal," Sera said brightly. Bal Dat looked up at her, stood nonchalantly on the roof with her yellow skirt and ruffled blue-grey hair, and recognised her instantly.

"Sera Li. Ah damn…"

Behind him, an elderly Selkic man and a moogle appeared.

"What's up, Boss?"

Bal Dat raised a hand to his forehead in disbelief, covering his face. He'd just realised he knew the faces of the other travellers too.

"We just, uh, hijacked that caravan AGAIN…"

Sera hopped gracefully down from the roof to join the others, who were still giggling.

Bal Dat and his Striped Brigands had been known to the four caravanners since they had banded together three years ago. One day in their first year they had been surprised to discover half their food supplies missing, and then several of Kass' metal samples had vanished the next day. The following morning the group had been held up on a narrow road between the Mushroom Forest and Marr's Pass. Rather inexperienced, they had given up a couple of their belongings – until a younger Bal Dat had shown his lack of knowledge in the thievery process. It had suddenly become painfully obvious that he was just as new to his game as they were to theirs.

Kass had been all for attacking him there and then, but Sera Li, with a little smile on her face, had told her friends to play along. So they had out of, for want of a better word, sympathy. Bal Dat had realised just before he made off with his plunder what had happened, and had been so embarrassed that he'd vowed never to come near the caravan again.

Unfortunately for him, in the following three years Bal had come across the same caravan another record twenty four times. Every encounter resulted in hilarity from the caravanners at his expense; it had become excruciatingly painful.

Sera Li had developed quite a soft spot for the Selkie boy, so every time he made an appearance she made a point of talking to him. Had Bal Dat ever stopped to think about it, he might have vaguely understood she might just consider him a friend.

Artemicion the moogle hopped over to his boss.

"Now what? Do we just go ahead with it?"

Bal groaned.

"They'll laugh. They always do."

"They aren't so bad, Boss…"

Sera was waving.

"Aren't you going to say hello?"

Bal Dat flushed bright red and muttered, "Hello, Sera…"

Sera nodded to Ciaran, who managed to gasp in a breath, straighten up and make a beeline for the papoamus. Kass followed.

"What are you doing?" Bal asked suspiciously.

"Oh, we're going," Sera said cheerfully, "Cathuriges Mine. Duty calls and all. You're welcome to walk with us for a bit."

Bal Dat smacked himself in the forehead. She didn't take him seriously.

"LI! We're thieves! We'll mug you and run off with all your stuff!" he exclaimed desperately. Sera raised an eyebrow. Behind her the caravan started to inch forward. The wooden wheels turned; Kass leaned round the side of caravan from where he was holding the reins and blew a raspberry at the Brigands. A moment later Mioko's sword hilt whacked him over the head.

"Don't be mean."

"We're still going," Sera pointed out helpfully. Meh Gaj, the older Selkie, spoke for the first time.

"What we doing, Bal?" he muttered as the caravan drew away. That Selkie girl was still watching, hands on hips and grinning.

"Uh…"

Then, as if suddenly bored, Sera Li dropped her arms, turned and started to follow the caravan. Bal shrugged rebelliously.

"Who needs their junk anyway?" he called, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Who indeed?" she called back, "Kass, can I have, I don't know… a striped apple?"

There was a deadly silence from behind her. Sera Li fought to keep her face straight, knowing the Selkie would not be able to resist.

Then, all of a sudden, Bal appeared beside her.

"We'll walk with you. For a bit."

Sera bit her lip to stifle a laugh.

"Just, uh, make sure all your stuff is locked tight," Bal added quickly.

"What kind of Selkie would I be if I didn't?"

Kass passed the reins over to Ciaran so he could get a drink. Mioko passed him a wooden beaker and poured an equal measure of milk into both his and her own tumbler. The Lilty and the Clavat were extremely close, best friends within the camaraderie of the caravan. Mioko often privately thought of herself as the older sister Kass didn't have, his guiding influence and advisor, while Kass often daydreamed about being Mioko's appointed bodyguard; often in the heat of battle with bigger and meaner monsters it would be the Lilty who dived into the fray to save his friend from peril. Mioko jokingly called him her knight in shining armour and ruffled his unruly bangs whenever he did.

Ciaran gave the reins back to Kass when the Lilty had finished drinking and accepted the proffered beaker from Mioko, taking a swig of the milk himself. As the oldest, Ciaran had appointed himself unofficial leader – it seemed natural to the others to do as he suggested, as his friendly demeanour, common sense and humorous manner made him immediately likeable. He seemed to radiate responsibility, even though he personally didn't like the thought. More often as not, he found it amusing.

"Sera's sure quiet back there," Ciaran commented, passing his tumbler back to Mioko. The Clavat girl giggled as she stowed it away neatly.

"Oh, come ON. Poor Bal's smitten with her. The reason you can't hear her is because he's doing all the talking to impress her."

Kass glanced back but couldn't see either of the Selkies.

"Hope you're right, Mi," he grinned, "Either that or Bal's kidnapped her, cos I can't see anything."

"Kass," Mioko said despairingly, "Don't be so negative."

"I'm only saying!"

In front of them, the papoamus grumbled in what could be taken for assent.

"See?" Kass said triumphantly, and ducked automatically to avoid Mioko's swat.

"See what?" Sera's voice asked. Ciaran looked up and saw the Selkie girl silhouetted against the sun, standing as she was on the roof of the caravan.

"Uh…" Kass floundered.

"Marrs's Pass," Ciaran improvised. He had a sharp wit and was a convincing fibber, something honest to the core Mioko took him to task about. Sera frowned.

"Where?"

Ciaran gestured vaguely. To his relief, there was the shape of the small village somewhere on the near horizon, "Kass was just saying he could see it but Mi couldn't."

"Ah," Sera promptly flopped down onto the caravan roof and crossed her legs.

"Bal?" Mioko inquired innocently.

"Oh him," Sera grinned wickedly, "He's gone. I, uh, accidentally left the smallest bag of unwanted spoils just hanging over the backboard when I climbed up onto the roof. In plain view with easy accessibility. Plus three striped apples. At least he thinks he's gained something out of this."

"You're too soft on him," Kass predicted darkly, little face evil with mischief, "One day he'll come along de road and demand our money or our lives and you giving him pressies won't stop him poking you with that stick he calls a sword and then you'll be sorry - "

"Kass!"

"Alriiiiight, Mi…"

After a brief stop in Marr's Pass, the caravanners selling all their loose items, stocking up on food and making a small profit in the process, the papoamus trundled out of the village and up the short mountain track to the Mine of Cathuriges.

"Here we are," Ciaran announced, hopping down from the driver's seat. Tethering the papoamus to a stunted nearby tree, he patted its head affectionately and turned to his companions.

"Same as usual?"

Over the years the group had adopted some sort of tactic whereby Sera, as the fastest and most sure-handed, would carry the crystal chalice, easily avoiding pursuing monsters while keeping her friends within the safety of the crystal glow; Mioko, who had studied magic from the alchemist family at home from an early age, would stand a distance away – as far as the chalice allowed – and cast a variety of spells upon attackers; Ciaran, the most comfortable and skilled with a sword, would rush in to dispatch any monsters he could as well as directing attention away from both girls, while Kass would alternately aid Ciaran, covering his back, or run to defend Mioko, who was vulnerable to attack while preparing to cast. Although a little rough round the edges sometimes, especially when the group was taken by surprise, the ploy worked very well and the group rarely had to flee a skirmish of any kind.

"Of course," Mioko said, buckling on her sword. Sera jumped down from the caravan, chalice tucked under one arm, the single drop of myrrh they had already collected swilling round and leaving a sparkling rainbow trail where it had been. Despite her casual movement, Sera was being extremely careful not to spill the precious substance. She got a firmer grip on it.

"Ready ready ready?" Kass asked impatiently. He was easily excited by the prospect of battle; his hotheaded streak was taking over, "C'mon, I wanna get some monsters!"

Mioko cast him a fond look.

"We're ready. Let's go, everyone."

There was a second where the four of them lingered, enjoying the last touches of the sun on their skin. Then Ciaran beamed, unsheathed his sword and ran ahead into the shaded gloom of the mine. Kass, yelling excitedly, ran after him.