We're SO back people, and with a BIG one!

Chapter 6: Learning and Teaching

One week has passed since Jin's announcement speech. Most of the Gerudo population knew of his arrival. The few that didn't lived in the furthest corners of Hyrule. The couriers had most likely delivered their letters announcing Jins arrival to the various races of Hyrule, and were now returning with their replies.

Speaking of Jin, he continued to spend the week studying under Riju. His arm was fully healed, and they were making plans to travel outside of town to practice magic together. However, that day would not be today. In fact, today was an unusually slow day for the two.

"Quiet day today. I'm guessing that doesn't happen too often," Jin remarked.

"You are correct, it doesn't," Riju confirmed.

Jin pondered for a moment, "Since we have time, mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead,"

"Well, during a couple conversations the name Vah Naboris was mentioned a few times. Now I've gathered that whatever it was, it clearly wasn't good. Mind sharing the details?" Asked Jin.

"Right," Riju said, putting her hand to her head, "I forgot that you weren't here for all of that last year. It's a bit of a story, but we clearly have time."

Jin chuckled, "We sure do, and if we have to pause the story, well we can always pick it up later."

Riju would have smiled at his eagerness were the subject not so serious. "Right. It all began over 10,000 years ago, with an entity of malice known as Calamity Ganon."

"Wow, that far back?" Jin asked.

"Yes, that long ago. The Shiekah, a race that serves the Hyrule Royal Family, built four massive weapons known as divine beasts. Vah Naboris was one of them." Jin nodded, confirming he was listening. "Calamity Ganon was stopped then, but about 100 years ago a prophecy warned of its return."

"You said Vah Naboris was a massive weapon? How big was it?"

"Taller and wider than our very town," Riji answered.

Jin seemed to pale at the thought, "And I thought that molduga was big."

"I can show you a drawing of it sometime, that should help put it into perspective."

"Sure, but let's get back to the story. What happened after this prophecy was delivered?" Jin asked with curiosity.

"Plans were made to excavate the divine beasts, and four champions were chosen among Hyrules races to pilot them. As such, the Gerudo representative chosen to pilot Vah Naboris was Urbosa, my ancestor."

Jin whistled, "Well, seems like being a good leader runs in your family," he said with a friendly smile.

Riju smiled, appreciating the compliment, smiled back, "Sarqso, Jin, but I still have a long way to go before coming close to how great and beloved she was…anyway we're getting off topic," She waved her hand, as if trying to dispel her self-doubt.

"Despite everyone's efforts at the time, Calamity Ganon was about to escape its seal and corrupt the divine beasts, killing Urbosa and the other champions in the process, with Link being the only exception." Jin wanted to ask who Link was, but said nothing. If he was important then Riju would tell him. "Princess Zelda was able to seal Calamity Ganon away, sealing herself as well in the process. During this time Link was also sealed in a chamber in order to heal from grievous wounds he received in battle…Oh! I should probably explain who Link is."

"I'd appreciate that, I was going to ask who he was, but didn't want to interrupt the story," said Jin.

"My apologies, he's a legend here in Hyrule, but I seem to keep forgetting you aren't from here," Riju admitted.

"It's OK, nothing worth worrying over. I just need to keep learning, and eventually you won't even remember I'm not from around these parts," Jin said enthusiastically.

Riju nodded, "Your eagerness to learn is refreshing." She cleared her throat, "Can I assume you know about the Hyrule Royal Family?"

"I know enough. Like their habit of naming their daughters Zelda," he answered.

"That is correct. Link is Princess Zelda's chosen champion, he protects her with his life. Both he and Zelda survived the battles over 100 years ago, and Link awoke from his hibernation last year."

Jin was in disbelief, "The two of them are over 100 years old?!"

"Technically speaking, yes. But do keep in mind they were in stasis for that time, they didn't age like everyone else did."

Jin stroked his chin while nodding, "Ok, I guess that makes sense, sorry for the interruption."

Riu smiled, "That's quite alright, I was quite shocked myself when we met last year. That said, he wasn't the only thing to wake up last year…"

"Let me guess," requested Jin, "Calamity Ganon," It was more of a statement than a guess.

"Exactly, and with him, the divine beasts also awoke, causing devastation across all of hyrule. Vah Naboris roamed the desert, causing storms throughout. Eventually, Link came to help us stop it. Working together, we were able to get him to Vah Naboris where he was able to wrest it from Ganon's control."

Jin nodded, "Ok, that puts everything I've heard into perspective. Now I see why everyone seemed on edge whenever it was mentioned. Considering it only happened a year ago, I can't blame them."

"It was very stressful, especially since I was still new to being the leader of our people," Riju admitted.

"Well no worries there, you've been doing a great job since, isn't that right Buliara?" Jin asked her ever present guardian.

She nodded, "Yes your highness, she is an excellent leader."

Jin flinched, he still wasn't a big fan of being called 'your highness', "Buliara, you know you don't HAVE to call me 'your highness', right?"

"Don't bother Jin," Riju interrupted. Jin turned to look at her "she insists on it, just like she does for me. You won't get anywhere with her, even if it's a direct order."

He turned his head back to Buliara, "Is that so, Buliara?"

She nodded to confirm, "Lady Riju is correct, your highness. There is nothing that will change my mind on this matter."

Jin sighed, "I appreciate your dedication Buliara, but I think you need to take a page out of Ripps book here." He said, motioning to his bodyguard, "You understand I prefer to do without the fancy titles, right Ripp?"

Ripp smiled innocently, "I sure do, your highness." Many of the guards listening either laughed, or tried to contain their laughter.

"Oh come on, that's just not fair!" Jin shouted, his laughter clearly heard in his words.

A guard entered the room and spoke, "Lady Riju, there are two Gerudo here that wish to see Jin."

Riju answered, "Please send them in,"

The guard bowed, and left the room.

Jin, following decorum, stood in order to greet his guests.

"Jin!" Kalani and Makure both shouted as they charged straight at him. While normally the guards would have stopped such actions, they both knew the children were harmless. They jumped at him, and he caught them in his arms before falling down in a heap. "Why didn't you tell us you were our cousin?" They both shouted.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but Lady Riju gave me strict orders not to tell anyone, and I can't go against that, right?" He tried reasoning as he sat up. The two of them getting off of him in the process.

They both pouted, but eventually Kalani spoke, "Fine, but you have to come visit us for dinner again soon, Ok? Promise?"

"Promise?" Makure echoed.

Jin stood up again, "I promise I'll be by to visit soon. I can't say no to a home cooked meal and good company."

The two girls cheered at their plans "success".

"Yay! We'll see you soon Jin!"

"See you soon!"

The two of them ran off almost as fast as they had arrived.

"Well, that was something," Jin remarked.

"They're sweet," Riju commented, "It must be nice having a family like that."

Jin sat back down in his chair, "It is. A good portion of the best moments in my life involve my family. Well, I guess it's 'families' now."

Riju merely hummed. She wouldn't, couldn't admit it, but she was jealous. How could she not be? She lost her mother, had no siblings, and was too young to think of having children. Meanwhile Jin has his aunt, vaba, and cousins, not to mention his father and that side of the family somewhere in the world.

'There's nothing I can do about it. Just ignore it Riju, just ignore it' She told herself.

The rest of the day had passed uneventfully. The duo had retired to their room. Riju was reading another book, when Jin spoke up.

"Hey Riju, do you have different books over there? None of the ones on my side are really speaking to me at the moment."

"I do, you can come over and look," she answered.

"Sarqso, most everything on my side are old log books and military statistics. I might read the trade reports another night, but I'm not feeling it at the moment," she heard Jin saying as he made his way over to her side of the room.

"Understandable, what type of book are you looking for?" Riju was curious to find out.

"Not sure, but anything is better than what I've got here at the moment." Having walked around the divider, Jin pushed the curtain aside as he entered her side of the room. "Pardon the intrusion," he said.

She waved her hand, "Think nothing of it, you asked, and I gave you permission. Just make sure to always ask first."

He nodded, and walked over to the shelves to began browsing. Riju noticed that, like herself, he was still in his day clothes. She took a moment to study him, to really look at him. While doing so, a question came to her mind. She had thought of it before, but never had chance to ask it based on everything that was going on.

"Hey Jin, how old are you?"

"Turned 19 shortly before coming out here. Dad figured it was a good enough age for me to head out on my own. Guess he figured I'd turn out like him and make a bunch of traveling companions," he answered, as well as provided her with additional info.

"I see, you seem to hold your father in high regard."

"Sure do, he taught me everything I know about running a business, but I started out polishing shoes."

"Polishing shoes?"

"That's right, I think I was about eight or so. Taught me how to interact with people, not just customers, but people in general."

"Hmm, I can understand that somewhat. Given my position, I too was taught from a very young age. But I assume your father knew when you were ready for the next step up from polishing?"

"Right again. Had me running the storefront under supervision at 12. After a few months he saw I had a handle on it and let me run it unsupervised. That said, I did still go to him for dealings that were above my pay grade. Business dealings and the likes."

'To be running a business from such a young age…why do I keep seeing so many parallels?' Riju thought to herself.

"But enough about me, how about you Riju?" Jin asked

"Huh?" The question broke Riji away from her thoughts.

"Well, it would help if I knew a little more about my own 'second in command'," he made air quotes with his fingers while chuckling to himself "Granted, I'll make sure to be a gentleman and NOT ask a vai her age."

Riju, not quite understanding what he was referencing about age, decided to answer, "I'm 16."

Jin stopped browsing the books, and turned to look at Riju with complete shock, "Say what now?!"

His shout shocked Riju. Not because of the volume, or even because he shouted. No, what shocked her was how he sounded when he shouted. His voice sounded different than normal. He seemed to realize it too, as he cleared his throat.

"Here I thought you were about my age and just on the smaller side," Jin spoke in a much softer tone than before, his voice back to how she was used to hearing.

Riju wasn't sure how to feel about that, "I don't know if that was a compliment or not. Are you saying I'm short?"

Jin quickly shook his head and waved his hands, "No no no, of course not! What I meant was, I thought you were around my age because you seem so mature."

"Oh, so that's what you meant."

"Yeah, but still, to find out you're 16 and have been ruling since before then? I gotta admit, I'd already thought highly of you, but you've got my respect AND admiration."

Since the incident with Vah Naboris, Riju had grown accustomed to compliments, both real ones, as well as the "sucking up" kind. She could tell Jin was serious.

"Sarqso Jin, although I'd be lying if I said it was easy."

"I could tell just from the one week I've been here. Well, at least I know now I have the best teacher I could ask for," he said, giving her a grin.

"I appreciate it, but flattery will get you nowhere," she said, giving him a grin in return. They both enjoyed a good laugh. "Jin, what happened to your voice earlier?"

Jin grimaced, "I'd…rather not talk about it if that's alright. It's nothing serious but…it's a little embarrassing."

Riji nodded, "Very well, I shan't inquire any further, but perhaps I can ask a different question in return?"

He sighed, "Sure, might as well. I did say we should get to know each other better."

"Alright then. May I ask about your name? Jin isn't really a Gerudo name, so can I assume your father named you? Or perhaps you're named after someone from your family."

Jin started to chuckle, having paused his search for a book "Well, Jin is the nickname that my father gave me. The story goes that my mother became a gibbering mess when she found out she had a boy…in retrospect I now see why that is…anyway, when the doc asked her what my name was she just started talking in Gerudo and eventually strung together a name…"

"...and what was the name she gave you?"

"Ji'norru Barriolo Stragada"

"..."

"..."

"...that's…quite the mouthful."

"Yeah, leave it to ma to give me a name lengthy enough for royalty. Again, it makes sense looking back on it. Haha, I was told when dad heard my name he said 'How the heck am I supposed to pronounce that?!'," The two of them laughed at Jin impersonating his father. "So my dad called me Jin for short. Hmm, I wonder…did ma ever tell him about what me being born truly meant for the Gerudo?"

Jin clearly wasn't expecting Riju to have an answer, but she still responded, "Whether she told him or not, it's clear she wanted you to grow up knowing nothing about it. Honestly, I'm conflicted. Professionally, I can't say I'm proud she went against the Gerudo norm; but personally, you seem to have turned out to be a great person, so I can't fault your parents for how they raised you."

He laughed at her comment, "Well thank you kindly, I like to think I turned out alright. I can tell your mom raised you well, and I imagine she was just as pretty as you," Jin froze as soon as he finished talking, realizing what he had said.

While Riju hadn't been certain earlier, this time she was certain it was a compliment, and it definitely sounded flirtatious. Jin spoke up before she could say more.

"Damn it, I relaxed and slipped again." Jin sighed. "Ok Riju, I need to be honest with you here since we'll be working together. For starters, I have to apologize. I have a bad habit of flirting with pretty vai."

'How am I supposed to respond to this?' She thought to herself, 'This isn't an issue I'm familiar with…I'll just have to go with my gut.'

She cleared her throat, "I accept your apology. However, this is something you'll need to work on. It wouldn't reflect well if our king flirted with every vai he saw."

"I know, you're completely right. I need to get it under control."

They were both silent for a few seconds.

"Ok Riju, here's the deal. Right now you're currently acting as both my teacher, and once I start as king you'll be my right hand vai. We need to get to know each other in order to work together efficiently, but we also need to maintain a level of professionalism."

'He's right,' thought Riju, 'Given our current roles, it's imperative that we remain as professional as possible.' She wasn't sure why, but the thought slightly disappointed her. She took a deep breath, "I agree with your assessment so far, but what can we do to try and curb your bad habit?"

The two of them thought for a minute before Jin broke the silence.

"I'll be honest, I don't know at the moment. But for now, maybe you can just, ya know, nudge me or something? Let me know if I'm starting to stray again? When I'm focused it's not an issue, but when I'm relaxed then it just sort of…happens."

"It happens when you let yourself relax?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I guess it IS a good thing that I feel relaxed when I'm with you though."

Riju thought over his words for a moment, "So I just keep an eye and ear out for your words and actions? Like a teacher watching their pupil?"

Jin shook his head, "Save the teacher pupil stuff for when you're actually teaching me. This should be more like…watching out for a friend."

The word "friend" gave Riju pause, "I'll admit, since I took the role of Chief so early, I haven't exactly had time to make friends. Buliara is the closest person I have to a friend, other than maybe princess Zelda and Link."

Jin smiled, "Well then, I'd be honored if moving forward you could continue to be my teacher, Chief, but also my friend," he held out his hand. "So what do you say? Friends?"

The gesture was not lost on Riju. 'A friend. An actual friend. I know I'd consider Buliara my friend, even though she never seems to want to let go of that last bit of formality between us. I'm not sure why but this feels…this feels different.'

She reached out and shook his hand, "Friends." They both smiled, enjoying their newfound friendship. Then Rijus smile got mischievous, "So, how's it feel having friends in high places?"

Jin returned her mischievousness with one of his own, "It's pretty good, how's it feel being friends with a king?"

Riju put her finger to her chin, "Hmm, it's pretty good, although it seems he's a terrible flirt."

Jin mocked surprise, "Oh no! Is he really?"

Riju feigned looking exasperated, "Oh, he truly is. He even flirted with ME once, can you believe that?"

Jin put his hands together as if in prayer, "Oh please, no matter what he does, promise me you won't fall for his devilish charm."

Riju stood, as posed triumphantly, "Fear not, for one such as I would never fall for such an evil scheme."

After a few seconds, the two burst out into laughter.

"Man, I needed a good laugh. Thanks fer-" Jins voice had changed again, but he caught himself and cleared his throat, "Sarqso, Riju."

"Sarqso Jin, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Maybe next time you'll tell me about your voice changing?"

Jin reached and grabbed a random book from the shelves. "Maybe next time, I think I've gotten enough excitement for one night. Sav'orr, Riju," he said, heading for the exit.

"Sav'orr, Jin" Once he left to his side, Riju lied back down on her couch and grabbed a nearby sand seal plushie. She squeezed it happily. 'A real friend…it feels nice.'

Two days after the pair shook hands, they were finally able to make time for training. Given what happened against the molduga, they opted to train just outside the town's walls.

"It's just a precaution in case you blow yourself up again," Ripp teased.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up. I DID overdo it, so I understand the precaution," Jin relented, "Last thing we need is me blowing a hole in the wall." Jin looked around, noticing the distinct lack of…well, everything. "So, how exactly are we gonna do this? Just throw magic into the empty space around us?"

Buliara spoke up, "Don't worry your highness, there's a nearby rock formation that you can use for practice," she said, pointing to some rocks not far from their current location, "Since you said that your issue was control, I thought it best for you to practice with rocks. That way it minimizes the possibility of others getting hurt, and we don't waste training dummies."

Riju spoke up next, "I'll also be working on my control, but aiming is also a concern of mine." The four of them departed, heading towards the rocks Buliara mentioned.

"Hey Jin," Ripp began, "I know you can use fire, but what else are you capable of?"

"Oh, well, I was taught a little of everything, but my go-to is fire. I like its versatility," he answered.

Riju spoke up, "You had someone to teach you magic?"

Jin smiled, "Sure did. A friend of my dad's was a professor for a long time. He taught me how to use magic, but even he lamented my lack of control."

'Hmm, I wonder if my lack of magical proficiency is due to my lack of teachings? I never did have a proper teacher after my mother…' Riju shook her head.

"Jin," Riju spoke up again, "After my mother passed, I never had a proper teacher to show me the finer points of magic," she held her right hand out, and focused. Small sparks of electricity could be seen forming in her hand, "My main affinity for magic is lighting. I don't suppose you were taught about lightning too?"

"Lightning eh? That's a fun one that has plenty of uses. If it's your main affinity then you'll be able to do some amazing tricks that I can't, once you start mastering it," Jin looked impressed.

Riju looked optimistic, "Do you think you could teach me more about magic?"

"Hmm," he thought for a moment, "I've never taught anyone before, but I'm willing to try if you're OK having me as a teacher."

Riju didn't show it, but she was very excited at the prospect, "Yes, that is fine with me."

'Any teacher is better than no teacher,' she thought to herself.

It didn't take them long to reach the rocks. While the two bodyguards remained a slight distance away, the two leaders got up close to one of the rocks.

"Alright, might as well start here. So like I said before, I prefer fire, right?" Jin asked, to which Riju nodded in confirmation, "Well, fire feeds off of oxygen which is all around us. So if I want a simple attack," he faced the stone and pulled his fist back, "I just need to start with a small spark and pull in some air!" He threw a punch at the rock, at the point of collision a small burst of fire scorched the area around his fist, leaving a small black stain. "Ow," he shook his hand, some soot could be seen on his knuckles, "See, I aimed small and still put a bit too much power into it. That's my problem right there. I use too much and end up hurting myself since I'm not properly prepared for the amount of power being released."

Riju listened, but thought she saw a potential solution, "Couldn't you always prepare for the highest level of potential…I guess we could call it feedback?"

Jin shook his head, "I could, but that's still part of my problem. Balancing the amount of power I want to use to attack while balancing the amount of power I need to protect myself is my current weakness. It's all about my lack of control."

"Hmm," Riju thought for a moment, "Is it possible that repetition is the key? Just like learning to wield a blade or play an instrument?"

"Oh absolutely it is, it's just something I haven't done. Between learning about business, swords, and everything else, magic is probably the thing I focused the least on…if you don't include archery," he said with a grimace.

"Then we should make time to do this every week. Even if it's only for an hour or two. Practice will eventually make perfect," Riju said with determination.

"Couldn't agree with you more. How about we schedule about two hours each weekend?"

"Excellent, I'll make sure to work on our schedules to free up the time," Riju would gladly set that time aside for the two of them to work on their skills.

"Alright! So for now, let's do some basic theory and you can show me what you've got. That sound good?" Jin asked, Riju nodded with excitement. She couldn't help it, she was truly excited to get started. "Ok, so, your element is lightning, sometimes called thunder depending on where you're from. So lightning can also be started with a spark, like how I demonstrated earlier. You can also use the air to your advantage, but due to being in the desert it's gonna be a little harder."

"How so?" Asked Riju.

"Normally, you'd be able to use the humidity in the air to help guide your strikes. Little humidity here in the desert, so I imagine aiming is going to give you trouble."

Riju couldn't help but cringe, "That's…"

"Exactly the problem?" Jin guessed. Riju nodded, disappointed. "Well, no worries. You'll be able to work around that. It'll take some time, but I think we can have you work on it like everything else. But for now, show me what you've got."

Riju turned to face the stone Jim had punched. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then raised her right hand into the air. She started sending small amounts of electricity into the air. Then…

"Yah!" She swung her arm down, and a small bolt of lightning struck the rock. About three feet up from where Jin had punched, a small chunk of rock had been chipped out. The area was also black from being scorched.

"Dang, that's pretty darn good," Jin remarked.

"...I was aiming for the same spot you hit," Riju said dejectedly, "I also can't strike very far. The last time I tried I think I hit maybe five feet away from me."

'Well, that explains her insistence on improving,' Jin thought to himself.

"I wouldn't fret, we both have areas we need to work on. For today. Let's just keep practicing what we just did. Should also help build our endurance, don't you think?" He asked.

"Very well, I'm going to keep trying to hit that spot," said Riju. Knowing she wasn't alone in her magical struggles made her feel slightly better about the whole thing.

"Alright, and I'm gonna go punch this other rock while trying not to blow up, hehe."

Jin wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of a bath house. He'd heard of them, sure, but he'd never been to one. However, even if had planned a visit, he never would have expected it to turn out like this.

"This is kinda strange, but it certainly beats the awkwardness that would have been the alternative."

Jin had the whole place to himself. They closed the place down for an hour specifically for him. The solitude was weird, but in his opinion, definitely better than if he was the only male in the room surrounded by naked women of all ages.

"Especially if any of the Gerudo from the other night saw me," Jin resisted the urge to shiver, "They would have eaten me alive, wouldn't you agree?" He shouted to the only other occupant in the room.

Ever present, but her back turned, Ripp responded, "I don't know what looks they were giving you. Care to explain?"

"Oh yeah, you weren't there. Well, they were looking at me like they were ready to make a vehvi right then and there," Jin was blunt. She heard the sound of water behind her.

"Oh, THOSE types. Yeah, now I know the stares you mean. I've seen them at Kara Kara Bazaar on occasion. Akin to wild wolfos that just found their prey," Ripp was also quite blunt.

"That sounds about right. Man, am I glad I have you here to keep them away."

"Protecting you is what I agreed to. That said, I'm sure you could take out anyone who tried to attack you."

Jin scoffed, "Yeah, and take down the building with us. I'd rather not risk using magic on others if I can avoid it, I'd most likely end up killing them."

"What if they were outsiders attacking us?" Asked Ripp.

"We talking like a small group, or full on war?"

Ripp thought for a moment, she heard him shuffle around behind her, "Do both."

"Well, I'd like to avoid it if it's small scale. Try to capture and see WHY they're attacking, ya know what I mean?"

Ripp nodded, even though she wasn't sure he could see her do so, "A good thought, and what of a large-scale battle?"

Jin sighed, "There's no avoiding it in that case, right? I'd do what I have to do. Granted I'd have NO trouble doing so if they were actual monsters attacking. I've killed monsters and killed for food before, got no trouble with that." Ripp hummed, it was a reasonable response. "Hey Ripp?"

"Yeah?"

"...We never went out for dinner. You still interested?"

"Wha?!" She and Jin had teased and joked together before. They usually ended with either a laugh or a groan if the joke was bad. Whether this was a joke or not, it was the first time Jin had made her flustered. For a moment, she almost turned around to face him, but caught and stopped herself from doing so. "Jin I…I can't tell if you're being serious or not."

She heard Jin moving around, and what sounded like him getting dressed.

"I'm being serious. I invited you to dinner, and you said 'only if we survive this'. Well, we survived, still up for it?"

More ruffling could be heard, it definitely sounded like Jin was getting dressed.

"Can I ask you something first?" Ripp needed to be sure before agreeing.

"Sure thing. Also, you can turn around now."

Ripp turned to face him. He was clean and dressed, only his damp hair proved that he had recently washed. For a moment, she was almost disappointed that she didn't turn around.

"This dinner, would it be as king and bodyguard or…something else?" Having said it aloud, Ripp could feel the heat building in her cheeks. It didn't help that Jin put on a very charming smile.

"My dear Ripp, I invited you to dinner before this whole king business came into play. I'd think it's only fair that this date be, as you said, something else."

Never in her life did Ripp expect to be in this situation. Sure, she had always hoped to meet a voe that was interested in being together with her, but this was her king, and based on his voice and mannerisms it certainly seemed like he was interested in her.

"Sa'oten, I…I don't know what to say."

Jin continued to smile, and Ripp couldn't help but find it attractive, "For starters, how about yes?"

Ripp took a few deep breaths, "Yes. Yes, I'd like to go out to dinner with you."

He clapped his hands together once, "Then we can make some plans.

I came back with a long one! Well, long by my standards anyway. I've already got a good idea of where I'm taking this story so look forward to it.