Aria woke slowly for once, a pleasant change from the abrupt awakenings her night terrors usually caused. She had been so exhausted the previous night that she supposed she hadn't had the energy to dream.

She glanced over to her bed stand and quietly hissed out her annoyance. Her journals were gone. Although Alder had told her to leave them on the table in the commons room, she had taken them to her dorm with her in the hopes that she would be able to catch Alder sending them off. She really wanted to know how he planned on delivering them.

She poked her head over the side of her mattress to look at the bottom bunk. She had been sharing the room with another woman, a knight, but apparently knights have to get up pretty early. She was already gone, bed made, armor missing.

She glanced at her bed stand again, pouting.

Like the freakin' tooth fairy. She sighed, yawned, then swung her legs over and jumped to the ground.

She bent her knees to absorb the shock, but the slight impact made her fall completely to the floor. It felt like an electric current had shot up her legs, and her feet were prickling. Aria let out a grunt of discomfort. She sat there for a few minutes, waiting for the pain to dissipate.

The last two days had taken a bigger toll on her than she had thought. She was extremely sore.

She stood up, wincing, and hoped that there wouldn't be any surprise footraces today. As she looked around the room, which had been too dark to see the previous night, she noticed that there was a change of clothes on a chair opposite her bunk, as well as a small pouch and a bag with a strap. Her interest piqued, she went over and looked through the supplies, which seemed to be meant for her. The pouch contained a small amount of money, as well as a note explaining how currency worked and how not to get cheated out of it. The bag had a sealed inkwell, quill, more parchment, a water canteen, and a small hunting knife. The clothes were fresh and clean.

Ok - less like the tooth fairy; more like Santa.

She shrugged off her own clothes, which were starting to smell pretty bad. She would have liked to have some fresh underwear, but hey, use what you've got. She slipped on the new leathers, noticing as she did that there were loops around the waist, perfect for slipping a belt or strap through. After monkeying around for a few minutes, she managed to strap the bag around her waist, letting it rest against her left thigh. Just like her fanny pack.

She sat on the floor for a few minutes, going through some stretches. She was normally very flexible, but her muscles were so tight she could barely move. As she moved to downward dog she pondered what to do with her day. She brightened up when she recalled that she had another Traveler on her side now, and that she would probably be meeting up with her uncle soon. That in mind, she really relaxed and got into her stretches.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Aria called out ambiguous permission to come in.

The door opened and a knight poked his head through, eyebrows shooting up when he saw Aria. She was leaning forward at an unnatural angle, and had both legs crossed behind her head. Feeling self-conscious, she finished her stretch, untangled herself, and stood up. "Er, hi. Just stretching. Keep the muscles loose, and all. Don't want to get cramps." The knight didn't look much older than she was, and seemed a little bit awkward. He just stared at her vacantly for another moment, then spoke.

"Alder wished me to leave you a message. He said that he would be back around midday. He is going up to the Bedoowan village to find your uncle, as he wasn't at the inn last night." He thought for another moment, then finished, "He advises that you go out to gather more information, and meet him at the memorial around noon."

Aria's stomach sank. A little desperately, she asked, "He's not here?"

The knight shook his head, and Aria let out a small sigh through her nose. She knew it wasn't a big deal, but she was hit with a pang of disappointment. Gather more information? On what? From whom? Where should she go?

Before she could ask anything else, her stomach rumbled. The knight suddenly smiled, as though glad to have something positive to say. "That I can fix! Come with me, I will get you some breakfast." With that he turned around and began bouncing down the hall.

Aria sighed. At least one of them was in a good mood.

Grabbing her money-pouch, she followed the knight. Most of the doors were closed, and she wondered vaguely how many were occupied. The knight led her to the commons room where a fire was once again going – or perhaps had never gone out. He motioned for her to wait while he went off to get food.

The couch was empty, so she drifted over there, pulling up the same small table she had used the previous night. As she sat, her legs protested. As helpful as her stretches had been, a walk would really do her good.

She felt a pang of longing for her IPod. And for her gymnasium. And her shower at home. And her cat, Loki, who always accompanied her in the shower.

By the time the knight returned with her food, she wasn't feeling very hungry. He set a bowl of that strange, nutty orange porridge down in front of her and was about to speak when he noticed her expression.

He stood awkwardly for a moment, as though wanting to say something. "Er, please, let me know if there is anything I can get for you."

Aria looked up at him, gave him a small smile, and nodded. "Thanks." He returned her smile, a bit uncertainly, then left.

Aria picked up her spoon and began poking at her food. She twirled the utensil around, making shapes and hills and valleys in the foreign dish. She made a painstakingly detailed formation, moving the last orange grain into place with utmost precision, then swiped the concave wood across the whole mess, flattening it out and starting over.

The porridge was getting cold. She still didn't feel much like breakfast, but she forced herself to eat. At the rate things were going, she figured she would need the energy.

As she finished the last bite, a few knights came in from the dorm hall. They seemed to be in a foul mood, and one of them had bandages on his face. It was widely bruised, as though he had been hit with something heavy, more than a fist. They were walking over to where she was sitting when the injured one noticed her. The other two saw her and scowled. She shifted awkwardly, and quickly grabbed her things and stood up. She took the bowl and slinked to the side of the room, giving the three knights enough room to pass. The bruised one stared coldly at her, then walked brusquely over to the couch and sat down. The other two followed suit.

What was their problem?

Aria shrugged it off, quickly and quietly moving through the door she assumed led to the kitchen. There were a few doors along the hall, but she quickly found the one she was looking for. A room which was clearly meant for cooking, with pots, pans, a fireplace…even what appeared to be stoves, and a sink. Apparently they were advanced enough to have indoor plumbing and gas of some sort. When she was done marveling over the almost modern-looking kitchen apparatus, she noticed that it was stacked with dishes.

She went over and automatically started filling one side of the sink with water. She looked around for some soap and a sponge. When she had what she needed, she washed her bowl, and began working on the rest.

She started to relax; she had always enjoyed cleaning. It was a simple task, yet rewarding; watching the grime and stains disappear, things being returned to their rightful place. People appreciated it. It made a difference.

Not for very long though, she had to admit. An organized desk would become messy, a clean room would get dirty. It happened eventually. She didn't mind cleaning up. It may have been a losing battle, but it was rewarding to fight.

As Aria made her way steadily through the large pile of dishes, a female knight walked in. She froze when she saw Aria. A series of expressions flitted across her face – surprise, suspicion, confusion, more suspicion. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. As all of this happened, Aria watched the knight with some trepidation, worried that she may be chastised for having wandered around. Her hands, however, had experienced no such trepidation, and had continued washing dishes.

Finally, the knight looked at the sink. She frowned, walked over, and began drying and putting away the now-clean dishes.

Aria relaxed. They worked in relative silence until they were done, then, in non-verbal mutual consent, began cleaning the rest of the kitchen.

Finally she put away the last utensil, and turned to the Bedoowan woman. She was somewhat short, but strongly built, with short blond hair going just past her ears. She had piercing blue eyes, and large ears. She was dressed in full knight apparel, sans one helmet. She even had her sword on her hip, though Aria wasn't sure why. To fight off the ravenous dust-bunnies, maybe.

The knight turned to her, hooking a long soup-ladle on a peg above the stove, and raised an eyebrow. Aria shifted a little uncomfortably, cleaning-serenity fading.

Aria smiled tensely and said, "Thank you for the help."

The knight didn't respond for a few moments. Then said, "This place needed a good cleaning. Who are you?" She leaned against the counter, taking on a more relaxed posture.

Aria didn't have anything comfortable to lean against, so she stayed upright. "I'm Aria. I'm just here visiting. Alder brought me in last night, I was in –"

"I know. You were in my bunk."

Oh. That's who she had been sharing a room with.

Aria continued awkwardly. "Err, yeah. Hope I didn't bother you. I'm pretty sure I'll be staying at the inn tonight, so I won't be getting in your way."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "It's not like it's crowded. I normally have the room to myself."

"You don't have a roommate?"

The woman snorted. "Hardly. There aren't a lot of knights like me around, are there?"

Aria was confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

This time the woman raised both eyebrows, looking at Aria like she was a little stupid. Aria felt self-conscious. It wasn't like she was familiar with the general Bedoowan Knight Demographic. How was she supposed to know what was normal or not?

The woman continued staring, and it finally clicked. "Oh, you mean girls?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. Apparently she didn't like being called a 'girl'. Aria hastily corrected herself. "Women, rather."

The knight glared for a moment more, when shrugged it off. "There are only a few of us in service, and I'm the only one in the village. I'm Talrind, by the way. Call me Tal."

Oh, thank goodness. Wouldn't want a name with more than one syllable. "Nice to meet you, Tal." Suddenly Aria realized that this woman may be able to help her out a bit. "Say, I need to get going pretty soon. I don't suppose you could point me to the market place, could you?" For all her wandering around yesterday, she was still hopelessly lost. A guide would do her a world of good.

Tal seemed to think about it for a minute, then asked, a little suspiciously, "What are you looking for in the market place?"

Aria was getting exasperated at this point.

What is it about me that screams, 'potentially dangerous subversive' to you?

"Uh, I just want to walk around, talk to people. Maybe pick up some food." That was hardly a lie. Then she remembered Alder's message and added, "Oh, and I need to find the 'memorial'. Do you know where that is?"

The woman looked surprised. "The memorial? You don't know where it is?" Aria shook her head. Tal continued. "It's in the center of town…" Comprehension dawned in her eyes then. "You aren't from this village, are you? Or from ours, for that matter."

This time it was Aria who raised her eyes. She had assumed that Alder had told this woman who she was sharing a room with. Apparently not. "No. I'm from a village over the mountain. I'm here visiting with my Uncle Press."

Tal raised an eyebrow. "Press is your uncle?"

"Uhhh, yep. I take it you know him?"

Tal nodded enthusiastically. "Sure. A lot of people do. He's a good man. You should have said you were related."

Aria replied a little sarcastically. "I'm not really used to introducing myself as 'Press' niece'."

Still, it was good to know that her uncle was on good terms with these people. She wondered why he hadn't mentioned that.

Tal continued. "I've got training pretty soon, but I can point you in the right direction. Are you ready to go now?"

Aria considered whether there was anything else she needed here. She had her bags with her, and she didn't really have anything else except for the dirty clothes she had left in her – or rather, Tal's – bunk. She wasn't eager to leave, since this was the first place that had held any stability for her, but she at last had to admit there was nothing else she needed here. She nodded, but added, "I did leave my change of clothes in your bunk…"

Tal waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it; I'll take care of them." She grabbed a couple of apple-looking fruits out of a bag near the door, tossed one to Aria, then said, "Let's go."

Glancing around once more, Aria followed Tal out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and through the commons room. The knights were still at the couch, and they glared at Aria once more as she passed them by. If Tal noticed their hostility, she didn't acknowledge it.

When they got outside, Aria realized why she had missed the barracks on her search yesterday. They were in the forest, not really connected to the actual village. Tal took off in a seemingly random direction, and Aria followed along. They walked in silence for a few minutes, passing between the large trees, and within a minute they were in sight of the rest of the village.

Aria was looking around intently, trying to ingrain the location into her head in case she needed to come back later. That's when she noticed Tal was staring sideways at her.

Aria glanced over at her, waiting. After a moment, Tal spoke. "So, those knights who were giving you a foul eye. They give you a hard time while you were here?"

Aria replied quickly. "No. They just glared at me a bunch when I saw them earlier. What's up with them? Did I do something offensive? Was it something I'm wearing?" She glanced down fretfully at her outfit, making sure nothing inappropriate was showing.

Tal laughed a bit, and said, "No. They probably just assumed you were Milago." They passed by the stables Aria had run through yesterday. One Milago was leading a horse around the corral, but the rest seemed to be stabled.

Aria scrunched up her eyebrows and said, "Er, isn't it the Milago who are supposed to be upset with the Bedoowan? Not the other way around?"

Then she realized that, as a Bedoowan, Tal would probably be offended by that. Aria immediately felt like an idiot, and wished she could snatch the words back. Luckily, Tal didn't seem bothered. Looking straight ahead, she replied levelly. "That's the general atmosphere at the moment. Lot of talk about oppression going around. But here's a question for you – you've met a few knights by now, right? Other than those three back there, have they seemed like bad guys to you?" They passed by a small clearing where some children were playing with a small leather ball.

Aria thought about it for a moment, going down the list of knights she had met, in reverse order. There was Tal, of course, whom Aria found she rather liked despite her mild paranoia. There was the peppy one she had met that morning, the one who had given her the message from Alder as well as breakfast. And there was Alder, himself, whom Aria was already fond of.

She also recalled the knight who had escorted her and Press to the inn their first night in the village. The gesture had been more polite than oppressive, coming off as a protective measure rather than an intimidating one. And finally, while the knight who had initially found them that night had been gruff and suspicious, he hadn't been over hostile. Mostly just cautious, and perhaps a bit irritated at the disruption.

Altogether, Aria had yet to meet a knight that really matched the descriptions that the Milago villagers had given her…except, maybe, for the three she had encountered earlier.

Aria's thoughtful silence seemed to be enough for Tal, who continued. "Just bear in mind that while the Milago may have some bones to pick with some of the guards, not all of them are anything like the picture the villagers paint. Not by a long shot. The injuries you saw on the big guy – his name is Bron – were from a brawl with a Milago. The Milago in question walked up and began picking at Bron's squire. When Bron intervened, the incident escalated. The Milago threw the first punch."

At this point Tal's face had a stormy look to it, and Aria simply nodded, remaining silent and processing the information. Bron had assumed she had been another Milago who wanted to give him a hard time. She guessed she could understand the frustration on his part. It would be pretty infuriating to be treated like some unwanted oppressor when you haven't done anything to deserve it, and Bron had just been defending his squire - presumably. Unlike Bron, she tended not to make assumptions, and as such didn't believe a story completely until she had gotten both sides of it. Still, Tal's word seemed trustworthy.

"So basically," she said after a few silent minutes, "The Bedoowan are fed up with the Milago for being fed up with the Bedoowan." They had grown close enough to the marketplace that she actually recognized where they were. Though she thought she would be able to find her way there on her own, she wanted to finish her conversation with Tal. Aria looked at the knight to gauge her response. She didn't want to imply to the knight that it was all the Bedoowan's fault.

Thankfully, Tal didn't take it that way. She smiled grimly, the expression nearly a smirk, and said, "That's it for a quill."

Aria wasn't sure what she meant by that, but it sounded synonymous with, 'in a nutshell'. She shrugged as they rounded the corner of a small building, and came out in the marketplace. Aria turned to Tal and said, "Thanks a lot. I guess I'd better get…" She almost said, 'digging for information,' but recalled that Tal didn't know why she was really here. "…shopping," she finished lamely.

Tal seemed to notice the pause, and the good old paranoia kicked back in. Her eyes narrowed, her arms crossed, and she paused, staring at Aria for a long moment before relaxing a bit. "Glad to help. Good luck with…" She trailed off, shooting another suspicious glance at the nervously smiling Traveler. "…shopping."

Aria nodded vigorously, and whirled around towards the clearing that was already beginning to seethe with people. Suddenly, Tal called out from behind her. "Hey! One more thing."

Aria turned, listening.

One side of Tal's face turned up in an odd, nearly sardonic smile. "A friend of Press is my friend, too. If you need my help, don't hesitate to drop by." With that she gave a short wave, turned, and walked jauntily off.

Aria smiled. She hoped she wouldn't need it, but it was reassuring to know she had one more person she could go to for help.

She glanced up to see where the suns were. They were still quite a ways apart, so she probably had a few hours to go until noon. She sighed, adjusted her new packs, and started looking around for someone to talk to.