Hey guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! You know the drill - review time!

Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee (Aw, thank you! And yeah, poor Therion keeps getting roped into these traumatizing missions with Cyrus, haha XD) and Guest (Thanks! Honestly, Cyrus and Therion's interactions are surprisingly fun to write!) for reviewing!

With that, on with the tale!

Relevant Events: None

18. Rainbow

Trekking across the whole of Orsterra was an arduous task, and one that came with its fair share of trials and tribulations. Monsters roamed the wilds, harassing the eight intrepid travelers along their way, and often, what they found waiting for them in the towns they traveled to was hardly respite from their troubles. Truly, they all faced their fair share of excitement and thrill (not always in a positive way) along the road, though such happenings were not constant.

Indeed, there were long stretches of time when they had no monsters to face, no villains to confront, no painful memories to dredge up. For much of the time between towns, their journey consisted of walking, walking, and even more walking, along quiet roads that held not much of anything of interest, save for perhaps a nice view. Traveling the continent could be surprisingly boring when all there was in front of them, as far as the eye could see, was an endless dirt road.

As a result, the travelers were often desperate for conversation, and said conversation often became a bit strange after long hours of boredom.

And it was during one of these stretches of uneventful travel that Tressa suddenly blurted out, "Hey, have you guys ever noticed that we're all sort of dressed like a rainbow?"

The merchant's loud inquiry instantly drew the attention of all seven of the others, and the looks on their faces indicated that they were all equally confused by the abrupt question.

"Well, would you look at that," Therion deadpanned. "Looks like she's finally lost it."

"Don't be mean, Therion," Alfyn sighed as Tressa turned to glare at the thief.

Therion shrugged. "What? Didn't you hear her? She's talking crazy - clearly we need to get her out of the sun."

"Oh, ha ha," Tressa retorted reproachfully. "I was just bored, that's all! So I started looking around at all of us, and, well…we're kind of dressed up in a rainbow pattern!"

"Perhaps an explanation on your part is in order, dear Tressa?" Cyrus chuckled slightly.

"Fine then! Here, so Primrose is dressed all in red, right?"

The dancer nodded. "Mhm…indeed."

Tressa grinned. "See? So we start with her, and then we go to me - the feather in my cap is yellow! Then Alfyn's jacket is green, Olberic's tunic is blue, and and Therion's shawl and scarf are purple!"

"That…certainly does make a lot more sense," Olberic said with a nod. "I hadn't quite realized it myself, but I suppose we do make for a rather colorful group."

"You missed orange," Therion pointed out dully, earning himself another scowl from Tressa. "As well as a whole three people."

"Well I did say we were sort of dressed like a rainbow…" Tressa grumbled. She shook her head. "Cyrus and Ophilia wear black and white, so I guess that's not really part of a rainbow, but…"

"White is the combination of all colors in terms of light," Ophilia added helpfully. "And I believe the same is true for black in matters of art? So in a way…both black and white could be considered related to a rainbow, at least."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Tressa exclaimed brightly. "Thanks, Ophilia! Now for orange…well…I guess H'aanit's hair kind of looks orangish in certain lighting?"

H'aanit arched an eyebrow. "That…soundeth like a bit of a stretch."

"It's kind of the best I've got," the merchant said sheepishly. "Though parts of your clothes are brown, which is a little like a dark orange…? So maybe that could count!"

"I can't believe," Therion said, rubbing his forehead, "that of all the conversation topics in the world, this is the one we've settled on."

Cyrus smiled goodnaturedly and put a hand on the thief's shoulder, though it was swiftly brushed off. "Oh come now, Therion, it was merely an amusing observation. These roads are long, you know, and one could certainly use a bit of lighthearted small talk every now and then to lift the spirits!"

"True, a bit of fun never hurt anyone," Primrose agreed, tossing a wink in Therion's direction. "There's no harm in lightening up a bit, Theri."

Therion's face reddened momentarily before he dipped his chin further into his violet scarf, grumbling something unintelligible. Still, he raised no further objections.

"I, for one, like the idea of us being a rainbow," Ophilia commented with a smile. "They're a sign of the sun peeking through storm clouds, aren't they? Something beautiful, full of light and color appearing after the rain. All of us have had our struggles to face, but…at the end of the day, so long as we remain here for one another, there's always hope that the sun will eventually cut through the clouds again and create a beautiful display for us all."

"Aww," Alfyn said, grinning. "Shucks, Ophilia, that was real pretty, you know that?"

The cleric merely blushed and giggled shyly.

"A wonderful sentiment indeed," H'aanit agreed warmly. "I know that I am grateful for all of thy presence here with me. I doe not think I wolde have comen this far without all of thee."

"Just so," Olberic concurred. "The road is a far more pleasant place with the eight of us to share it."

Tressa beamed. "I'm so glad you all agree! Honestly, I don't know what I would've done without you all…you've all been such good friends, and even someone as grumpy as Therion has his moments sometimes!" The merchant pointedly ignored the thief's offended glare. "And I really like the way Ophilia put it. We're a bunch of different people from a bunch of different places, wearing a bunch of different colors and going on a bunch of different journeys…and we're all way better off together than we would be alone. So…I'm happy to be a part of our little rainbow!"

"That was, without a doubt, the sappiest thing I've ever heard in my life," Therion muttered. Then, he sighed, shaking his head. "But…sure, I guess it's nice to be part of a group for a change. It's a lot more efficient, and…safer, anyway."

Primrose chuckled lightly, patting the thief on the shoulder. "You're not quite there, but at least you've got the spirit," she said teasingly. "We'll get you there in time. In any case, I agree as well - I am beyond grateful to have such wonderful friends as the seven of you. Truly, it means the world to me."

"You won't find me disagreeing with that!" Alfyn added. "You're all real good folks, and I couldn't've asked for a better group to go travelin' with."

H'aanit smiled. "Thou wilt hearen no objections from me."

"Nor from I!" Cyrus put in, grinning, as Olberic nodded his concurrence as well.

"It seems we're all of like mind, then!" Ophilia giggled. "Though…I suppose we should be hurrying along. The sun is setting, but if we move quickly, we should be able to reach the next down before dark."

None of the travelers found themselves disagreeing with that sentiment either. Thus, the eight of them hurried along the winding road, moving ever closer to their next destination. They could not be sure what difficulties they would face there, but as long as they stood by one another's side, it was all but certain that they would all pull through.

I'll see you guys next time for Tale 19: Gray!