Hey guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! Before we do anything else, let's take care of reviews!

Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee (Poor Therion's regretting all of his life decisions while Alfyn's just constantly like ":D" lmao XD) and Guest (The storm cloud and the ray of sunshine is a truly wonderful character dynamic, haha! XD) for reviewing! Glad you guys have enjoyed so far!

With that, on with the tale!

Relevant Events: None

30. Under the Rain

Tressa groaned, hugging her backpack close to her chest as she hunched over it to protect it from the relentless shower of rain that had suddenly come upon her and her two companions. "This is the one thing I don't like about the Coastlands…" she grumbled, the yellow feather in her cap drooping down far enough with the moisture to stick to the side of her face. "These storms just spring up out of nowhere, whenever they feel like it! It's like the weather's specifically out to ruin my merchandise…"

Ophilia smiled sympathetically, placing a hand on the young merchant's shoulder. "Now, now, Tressa, I'm sure that's not the case. Besides, your items are tightly wrapped even inside your pack, right? I'm sure they'll be just fine."

Tressa sighed. "Still…I don't want to take the risk!" She frowned, glancing sideways at the cleric. "And what about you? Aren't you worried about your flame going out before we get to Goldshore?"

The cleric shook her head. "Not in the slightest," she said, lightly patting Aelfric's Lanthorn, which hung at her hip. "The Lanthorn has a wind guard for a reason, after all. That should be more than enough to keep it safe from a bit of rain."

"I guess so…" Tressa glanced down at her pack again, contemplative. "I hope my bag's enough to protect those herbs Alfyn wanted too…or that they're allowed to get wet, at least."

"Hmm…I'd assume that they are," Ophilia said thoughtfully. "He tends to mix most of his salves with a bit of water anyway, so they make a good paste, rather than just a handful of crumbly leaf bits. A little dampness wouldn't hurt them, I should think."

"If anything," Primrose cut in from where she walked beside them, her head tilted back towards the sky, "the water may even perk them up a bit." A soft smile came to her lips as she closed her eyes, allowing the raindrops to brush her face. "I know I certainly feel that way."

The merchant blinked. "Wait, you mean you actually like walking in this rain?"

"Of course I do." Primrose took a few steps ahead of them, gliding along the ground with all of her dancer's grace. She spread her arms and breathed deep, as though the path that was steadily turning to mud beneath their feet was instead an elegant stage upon which she was set to perform. "Living all that time in a shaded desert city…it dries out the spirit, one might say. I hadn't quite realized until now how much I've missed the rain…"

"Well, um…I guess that makes sense," Tressa conceded. "Though honestly, I'd rather be curled up inside under a blanket during a storm than actually out under the rain…what about you, Ophilia?"

The cleric smiled. "Sorry, Tressa, but I'm afraid I must side with Primrose on this matter." She lifted a gloved hand, watching as droplets coalesced upon the smooth fabric. "We don't get much rain up in the Frostlands, either…usually, it doesn't get warm enough for anything besides snow. I don't actually mind the cold much, but I have to admit that a nice, warm rain is surprisingly refreshing."

"You can't be serious…I'd much rather have a bunch of snow over a bunch of rain!" Tressa protested. "At least snow is fun! I mean…you can't build rainmen, or throw rainballs, or make rainangels! Sure, it can be a nice sound to listen to when you're indoors, but that's about it!"

"Now there's a Coastlands native's opinion if I've ever heard one," Primrose chuckled lightly. She still walked a few steps ahead of the other women, occasionally wheeling around in a slow turn mid-stride, as though performing a subtle dance. "Have you spent too much time being waterlogged, Tressa?"

"Ugh…now you're just making fun of me."

The dancer gave a small smile and shook her head. "I don't really mean to tease," she assured the young merchant. "It's just that…well, it's all a matter of perspective, is it not? The showers that irk you so would be a welcome boon in more arid regions. Meanwhile, the snow you so admire may be little more than an annoyance to those who constantly have to clear their towns' paths of it up in the Frostlands. 'The grass is always greener,' as they say…"

"She's right, you know," the cleric added with a nod. "You're fascinated by snow because it's a novelty not often seen here in the Coastlands. Meanwhile, frequent rain serves the same purpose for those of us who either came from or spent a lot of time in the Frostlands or the Sunlands."

"You…okay, I guess you might be right," Tressa admitted, sighing. "I see what you mean…and I get it. I'm sorry, you guys - I didn't mean to bring your moods down."

"Tressa, dear, you did nothing of the sort," Primrose assured her. "Though I must confess that I was wondering what happened to your usual, chipper self. Was there something else that was bothering you?"

"Aw, no, nothing like that. I really was just worried about everything in my bag…" Tressa frowned, pulling her backpack a little closer beneath her chin. "Especially the notebook, you know? I don't know what I'd do if it got ruined by water damage!"

"I see…" The dancer nodded. "There's no shame in that, of course. It's only natural that you'd want to protect such a precious possession."

"Yeah…"

"Well, then we'd best hurry along," Ophilia said decisively. "The boys and H'aanit are waiting back at the shelter for us, and there should be plenty of cover there to prevent your bag from getting soaked. Alfyn will be wanting those herbs soon, anyway."

"Indeed," Primrose agreed. She glanced at Tressa and smiled. "Perhaps once your belongings are safe, you'll be able to better enjoy this weather?"

Tressa mirrored the other woman's smile with a grin of her own. "Well…I guess I wouldn't say no to splashing around in some puddles!"

Ophilia giggled slightly. "You know what? I may just decide to join you."

"And I'm sure we could convince a few of the others to do the same," Primrose added, smirking.

"Yeah!" Tressa still remained hunched over her backpack in order to protect it, but there was a distinctive spring in her step as she marched along the muddied path between her two fellow travelers. "You know, I never thought I'd say this…but I hope it keeps raining all day!"

See you guys next time for Tale 31: Flowers!