"OOOOooooooo, my achin' legs!! Ryan loves, loves, loves bumps, so we skied bumps aaalllll day. And I'm talkin' huge bumps, big as me bumps. Yeah, I seriously doubt you people care.YEAH, I SKI LIKE A GIRL, YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Riiiight. Ok, that's my motto. Great, isn't it?

Ok.I had several requests that someone associated with Alanna should sponsor Robin. Weeeeelllll... I don't want Robin guessing too fast who her mother is (but funny how if something is staring you in the face, you usually miss it???) but maybe it would be a good idea, because a bunch of people mentioned it..

Disclaimer: Okay doke. You know the drill. Robin is mine. The rest is Tamora Pierce;s. I'm not putting up the person who won, 'cause I want it to be a surprise, but I will put it in my next chappie. 'Course, it should be obvious, right?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Who will sponsor Chassie?"

"Sir? If I may?" It was a tall, black-haired, black-eyed boy. Something deep inside Robin stirred, something Robin had banished there, something she was scared of. It rose up, and greeted Scott, reaching out to him. Something of the same substance was in him, it, too, greeted Robin's.

"Yes, Scott, you may sponsor Chassie." The tall man turned on his heel. "Dinner, boys!" He called over his shoulder.

"Hi, I'm Scott, if you haven't noticed already. I'm Daine's son. And Numair's, of course." He was looking at her, as if he wanted to see into her very soul. Robin closed up. The only thing she knew about this boy was that there was something familiar in him. Something Robin didn't want to know.

"Right. Of course. Who else's could you be?" Robin said.

Scott play-punched her in the shoulder. "Hey, you'll catch on pretty fast." He said.

"I'll take that as a complement. Do you have wild-magic like yer mum?" Robin bit her lip as the street-cant slipped out.

Scott pretended not to notice. "Yep. I can talk to horses, and a few other mammals. No reptiles at all. Or amphibians." The something in Robin flared up again, and for a fleeting second, Robin felt that she, too, could talk to horses. Not just horses, any animal, anything in her reach. Robin was getting freaked out. Usually, this something in her stayed down where she commanded it, but it was unbound now, and Robin was scared.

"Something bothering you?" Scott asked, looking down at her.

"No, nothing. Just nerves, I guess." Robin grinned up at him, and Scott grinned back, unconvinced. Then he stopped grinning; the grin just dropped off his face.

"What? Something bothering you?" Robin teased.

"Y-your eyes. They're purple." Robin made a face.

"Listen," she hissed at him. "Just don't mention anything about that to anyone. I'd change 'em if I could, but I tried to make myself taller, once, and I'll never do that again. I can't change who I already am."

Scott looked surprised. "You have the Gift, too?" He asked.

"No, what do you mean; too?" Robin demanded. She didn't have the Gift, she knew that. Or did she?

"Nothing. Just forget about it." Scott said, and continued walking down the corridor.

"Okay, I have to go meet some friend, want to come along?" He asked.

"Sure. Who are your friends?" Robin asked, glad to have the attention taken away from her.

"You wait." Scott turned into a room. "This is the library," he said.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Soooo, who are Scott's friends? I already have one of them planned out. A couple others would do nicely. And what's up with Robin and the "something" inside her??? And does she have the Gift? Maybe. Maybe not.