Two days passed over the travelers as they neared another town. Even from a distance it was obvious this one was nowhere near as large as Atlas had been. As far as Tabby and the others could see, there might not even be an inn in this town. However they continued toward it hoping they were wrong about that thought. It would not be much longer until they reached it.

Tabby suddenly noticed Gourry deep in thought. She made her way through Amelia and Lina and pushed up next to him. "Something wrong, Gourry?" she asked.

The blond swordsman sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, Tabby, I was just wondering... What is it this journey's for again?"

It dawned on Tabby then that she should've just kept her mouth shut, as she sweatdropped and caught Lina snickering. She winced, but thought it might be best that she explain so he wouldn't have to wrack his brain too much. So as the town loomed in the distance, Tabby reiterated the purpose of the journey and repeatedly asked Gourry if he understood it after that. Thankfully, he said "yes" and didn't ask anymore rather mindless questions. Afterwards, Tabby dropped back into her position near Valgaav just as they came upon a sign claiming, "Noralia, ahead."

"Noralia?" Zelgadis wondered aloud. "That's not on any map I've seen."

"That's probably because it's not even big enough for three people," Lina exaggerated. She huffed a bit but otherwise kept silent then. "Hope they've got some good food there though."

"Lina, you always hope they have good food." Zelgadis gave her an exasperated look

The short, redheaded sorceress rolled her eyes at him and said nothing in reply.

Upon entering the town, they found there was an inn, although it did not have its own restaurant like the one in Atlas. Instead the restaurant was a separately owned business next door to the inn. It was then that Tabby told the others she had a bit of shopping to do, and that she'd meet them back wherever they wanted.

"Well, here at the restaurant is fine," Lina nodded, casting a look over her shoulder at the small establishment.

"I'll go with you, Tabby," Valgaav said, much to everyone's relief. He knew it would only cause tension for him to go with the others. So did Tabby.

"Of course," she nodded with a smile. Then, after bidding farewell to the rest of her companions, she motioned to Valgaav and they started off.

Because the town was so small, it took no time for Tabby and Valgaav to find the only store there that didn't sell food items. The small establishment housed a seamstress, an antique section and a small collection of books. It was to the seamstress that Tabby ventured. She was a small lady with pale blond hair and eyes as green as emeralds. A warm smile passed over her face as she looked up at her potential customers. "Anything I can do for you?"

Tabby smoothed a few wrinkles in her clothes before nodding. "I was wondering how long it might take you to repair a cloak? And how much for that matter."

"Well, sweetie," the lady began, "a few hours at the most, and five silvers."

"Wow, that's pretty cheap."

"I don't like to overcharge people." She smiled at them again, "Is the one you're wearing the one I'm going to be repairing?"

"Actually, it is. Do you mind if I leave it here now?"

"Not at all. Give me two hours, time enough to match the threads and then get them sown in."

"Sure thing. Come on, Valgaav, let's find something to do while we wait."

* * *

Later on, Tabby and Valgaav met the others back at the restaurant, where they shared a rather scrumptious dinner. Even though the cooks were unhappy to have to make all that food at once, the owner had no problems whatsoever. The more food they ate, the more money they paid. So, the lot ate their fill and soon set out.

The travelers walked through most of the night and the next day, only stopping for short naps here and there. It became clear, through Zelgadis's handy knowledge of maps, that Rorfinia was closer than a month's traveling. In fact they would reach it within in a manner of two weeks rather than four. This news was welcomed by all, especially as the days dragged on.

It came to pass that they traveled clear through Telmoord, one of the more prominent towns of the empire Lyzeille. Tabby's urging had caused them to do this, because she knew if they even thought of renting a room there, they'd stay for over a day. To Tabby, that was just too much time to waste. And on they trekked, through the vast expanses of the land.

* * *

While inside the confines of the Velbeakin, the small town they'd entered only a couple of hours before, the group once again split up. However, this time Zegladis opted to go with Tabby and Valgaav, who had decided they wanted to check out the local antique shop. Thankfully the others conceded to this, even though Amelia looked a little disappointed about it. Tabby likened it to Amelia's obvious fancy of the chimera, and at times she even found herself contemplating on the contours of his stone face and the waves of his silvery lavender hair. However, she was happy to have along the both of them as they neared the shop.

It rose up from the street, stopping at three stories. Tabby guessed the owners must live above the shop on the second floor and the third story would be for guests or storage. The bottom floor that they now faced was bustling with customers, something a tad bit unusual for an antique shop. The three nudged their way through the crowd and into the shop. Inside there seemed to be a running auction for some sort of spellbook. From her position between the two males, she tried to catch a good glimpse of it, but there simply was no way for her to see over the heads of the crowd. At this she lost all interest of it and continued on towards the back of the stores.

"Anything in particular you're looking for, Tabby?" Zelgadis asked, his voice was barely audible above the sounds of over a hundred people yelling, laughing and talking all at once. He had laid his hand on her shoulder so not to lose her in the sea of bodies. A look at Valgaav had shown that he'd done the same.

"Not really, but the good, useful stuff's almost always in the back," Tabby replied as loud as she could without screaming, or letting herself sound like Lina. It had only ever been demonstrated once, but when Lina and Tabby yelled it was almost impossible to tell their voices apart. Her fuschia eyes darted around the shelves that she could see from behind people and once or twice to the two male hands resting on her shoulders. It almost made her laugh.

As always Valgaav was rather quiet, but he too gazed sharply around the shop. That moment, he saw someone he thought looked familiar. "Tabby, Zelgadis, hold on a moment." He stopped the two of them in their meandering quest. "Is that Filia over there?"

Tabby strained to look through the crowd, but she couldn't be sure. She even gazed along the path Valgaav's pointing made across the room. That did as much good as trying to see over people. For a few seconds Tabby cursed her short stature and then said to Valgaav, "I can't see anyone that looks like her, Val. You sure you saw her?"

However, Valgaav's reply was not verbal. Rather, he grabbed her around the waist and suddenly lifted the shocked sorceress onto his shoulders. "Can you see her now?"

Even Zegladis looked surprised at that, and he too joined the search for Filia. She would be just a bit taller than Tabby, with flowing blond hair and large, bright blue eyes.

"Val!" Tabby moaned in protest before she finally submitted to searching the shop from the half Dragon's shoulders. Finally her eyes landed on a familiar looking face. "There she is!" And before Valgaav could set her down himself, she'd wriggled down his back and had begun pushing through the throngs of customers.

When Tabby reached the Golden Dragon priestess, she gave a hearty hello and the two hugged. They'd seen each other a bit more recently than the last time Tabby had traveled with Lina, in a port city closer to the capital of the Coastal States Alliance. Filia was always happy to see the much more laid back relative of Lina Inverse. "How have you been, Miss Tabby?" she asked, her smile brightening when Valgaav and Zelgadis arrived to stand behind Tabby. Before the sorceress answered, they too greeted one another.

"I've been doing great, Filia," Tabby replied with a warm grin. "What are you doing here in Velbeakin, so far away from home?"

At this Filia laughed, a merry little sound that made even Zelgadis smile. "Well, I've been looking around vases and other antiques to put in my own shop. I don't believe I told you last time though, I'm going to open up a chain! In fact, I was going to converse with this store owner on the matter once I finished looking at his vases." To emphasize her point she put down the large, oblong shaped vase she'd been holding. It was painted of the most brilliant blues with flecks of gold and silver here and there. Filia looked as if she especially liked that one, but she turned her gaze away from it and faced the others. "What brings you here? And where's Lina, Gourry, and Amelia?"

Relaying the information Filia requested, Tabby and the other three talked for a few more minutes before they decided to walk around the store together. As they did so, the other patrons began to file out. Gradually the place became quieter and the man who'd been running the auction headed into the back with his portable podium. Tabby eyed some things on a shelf above her head. Biting her lip and looking back at her companions in embarrassment, she asked, "Could one of you get that for me?" The item she pointed to was a little statuette of a water fairy carrying a vase that would be filled with water. It was supremely detailed, from the curves in the fairy's body down to the very lines in her knuckles as she gripped the vase near her stomach.

Valgaav took the pleasure in doing this, while Filia turned to Zelgadis and said with a grimace, "You're not still traveling with that namagomi, are you?"

Turning the statuette over in her hands, Tabby looked up at this remark. Filia rarely ever spoke ill of someone, and namagomi (a foreign term for "raw sewage") was definitely not something Tabby had ever thought would be in her vocabulary. She watched as Zelgadis shook his head in a quick, almost violent jerk and Valgaav's placid look suddenly flared.

"Namagomi?" Tabby questioned, feeling left out all of the sudden. One eyebrow quirked in inquiry as she stood there, one hand curled around the figurine and the other placed almost delicately on her hip.

"No one," Valgaav answered for Filia. The scowl that had possessed his face was very nearly frightening and enough to tell Tabby not to press the subject.

Instead the sorceress bit her lip, shrugged and turned her attention back to the little fairy in her hands. "I think I'm going to buy this one," she announced as if it might matter to everyone. However, it seemed to soften Valgaav's expression and he nodded slowly.

"A wise choice, Miss Tabby," Filia replied with a smile. She too eyed the statuette. "It looks like it might be genuine orihalcon." Orihalcon was a sort of rock, almost like marble, used in making representations of sacred beings or objects. Priests and Priestesses often used them in ceremonies or objects on their altars.

Tabby thanked the Dragon, then beckoned them all to follow her to the front counter where she greeted the man and told him she'd like to buy the statuette. Thankfully, it was priced cheaply, and even if it weren't real orihalcon, it was still worth the money paid for it. Once it had been paid for, Tabby placed it into her bag which hung at her hip. She supposed, with an unconscious toss of her long red hair, that they should be getting back to Lina and company and she voiced this to the others. They too agreed with a general nodding of heads.

"It will be so nice to see Miss Lina again," Filia smiled happily.