*In the Samp's Mugs' kitchen waiting for a loaf of bread to cook, he brings out his book and begins to write, remembering the last couplde of days*
I feel sort of foolish... about running from Miss Ophelia that one day, I realize I should have just enjoyed the evening and then decline her offer about... desert... in a more frontal way instead of turn tail and running...
*looks down as one of the inn's cook comes in so she cannot see his burning, embarrassed face*
I have made good friends with Keppli and Rockhead (Rocky for short). We have been doing alot together. Their personalities are... wild, not
too wild, and light for Rocky and soft and mild for Keppli. I was changing my new set of armor and I didn't know what dyes to choose, and Keppli arrived. She wears bright colors as well but more of greens and browns like Caerwyn and other rangers... so I decided purple since, not to many wear it and I want to see people's reactions. Ben didn't like it to much, he said it gave "us rogues" a bad name... I'm not a rogue, once agian, I am a "scamp" as Tugs puts it. I kept the purple for a couple days and went back to the darker blue and black. Rocky gave Keppli an apple that I gave him and she wanted to know where to find the apples. I offered to take her to the trees that are located past Mariner's Hold. We walked to Stone, it is a beautiful place and being there with her is better than alone. We walked the cliff face and I could sense and tell she does not like hieghts by the way she was hugging the inside of the trail. She said she wasn't afraid, but I know she was... not alot, but maybe but some. We did make it across alive and well and we went to the Sun Castle. She hadn't seen that flag before and it was good to be of some help besides just showing the way to the apples.
We left the castle and cross the cliff once more, she did go on a slightly faster pace. I advoided the cougers for her even though I need the meat and skins. We went through Wolfswood ranger's camps and around that hill with the giants camping on top. We came to the bridge that had the gap and branched off slightly to show her the pears. We left the pear trees after the giants came close enough to see us but I am glad they have poor eye sight. We jumped the bridge and went after the almonds Goldy wants so bad. We were doing good at staying low and hidden, I had gotten the last almond and I heard a twig snap.. not the logs that the giants were stepping on but a tiny twigs that splintered under a small foot... I turned back and giant started his way straight forward to Keppli. I ran up behind once she brought it away from the rest of the giants and I reach up as high as I could and stabbed the back of it's leg and twisted as hard as I could. Better he to get away but I meant to disable it but sticking one of it's arteries but it turned on me. The only though I could think of was to stay and try to kill it but it's axe.. sort of had it's own mind on killing me. Keppli did get away and I got hit on the shoulder and the both my legs after jumping away a few times. I jumped the gap and was suprised that it didn't jump too. It spotted me once agian and started to throw whatever giants throw... I think axes. The giants didn't throw one right but it did it me in the back with the flat side of the blade... I just about made every bit of air in my body force it's away out of my mouth and nose, but I did get away but with a massive black spot on my back. I had to wait for the giant to leave and go pick it's nose so I could get to the glass lake to check on Keppli. It left a half hour later I guess, wasn't to long but it seemed like hours since I could not cross. I slept during that time and felt a little better, my back ached something aweful and my legs wasn't feeling any better. I did make the jump, wasn't too hard, and I found Keppli only because she wanted me too. She was hiding somewhere, don't know where, I couldn't see her and she appeared behind me, and for a second I was afriad a giant was sneaking up on it's toes and I just about lept back and swung blindly... glad I didn't. She didn't look too good since she got hit as well, I bet I didn't look much better myself. *touches a bruised arm and winces* We rested and bandaged each other up and headed torwards the grove. The river's atmosphere was perfect after that little incident. It was calm, quiet, water was running and birds were heard. The trees were dotted red, it was a good day for picking. I climb the first couple of trees with little difficulty, sometimes missing a branch or two and slipping but catching hold on a branch a little ways down the tree. I dropped the apples down to Keppli below and we gathered quite a few. She wanted to climb one but warned she was clumsy... aren't we all? She went to jump, but miss stepped and didn't jump quite high enough and fell straight on her stomach... Once she stood, (I guess I should have helped her up, this is where I miss up alot with any woman) I cupped my hands to give her a lift but she still didn't quite make it. She did say she was rather clumsy and she was emberrassed I'm sure... I got a running start and made to jump for the same branch but I missed stepped as well and fell straight onto my stomach. I wasn't trying to make her feel better for falling as well... but her face wasn't as red after I got up. We climbed or shot the apples down on the last few trees and she had to leave to go find Lythar (her wolf friend, I wouldn't mind having a wolf around).
*turns the page to another sheet and begins to write about the next day*
I was... what was I doing? I was doing something and both Keppli and Rocky showed up. I think I was baking like I am now and they showed up in the kitchen or something... but anyway. They looked rather bored I guess, I asked what they wanted to do. They didn't really have any ideas and Rocky headed me an apple to eat since I was hungry... He said he wanted to go to the apple trees since I showed Keppli and that's what we did. It was a good day to get apples once agian. We headed torwards the ships and bought the tickets. I bought enough for all of us and handed Rocky his and Keppli hers... she gave me gold saying she didn't like charity, I was trying to be nice but I think she intrepreted as me saying she didn't have enough gold to buy her own tickets... they were eighty coins, not sixty, but oh well *grins* I showed Rocky the Sun Castle and Keppli asked for rope and she tied it around her waist... I'm not sure how it would help her if no one held the end so I took the loose end. Her face was pale as we walked the cliff face once more. Rocky read the flag and wrote it down. I took them to the other side of the water falls and found this tower that I never saw before. We climb the stairs inside and we were a couple hundred feet over the ground when we left the top door. I was even frightened when I looked over the edge and Keppli glanced over and her face went completely pale... if there's something beyond pale, then that is the shade. We left soon after and went through the woods, around the hill with the giants, got the pears and jumped the bridge. I said I would get the almonds alone since I wouldn't have to worry about a repeat of last time. I wish I didn't say that with way Keppli looked all of a sudden. I snuck up behind thetrees and scaled them quickly and snatch the almonds and I jumped off one and Keppli
and Rocky were right behind me! I didn't really want to yell at them or get onto them so I just let them come along, praying to whoever will hear me that the giants wouldn't spot one of them. I was about to pass out from worry when we left the almond trees. Keppli did too with the she was pale and shaking and Rocky looked fine with a big grin on his face. We ran around the lake with Keppli staying behind to handle a stag that decided to take a shot at her with his antlers. I was up in a tree when Rocky came up and rammed his head into the trunk. I started laughing as the tree swayed a little and I yelled that he was shaking the whole tree. He replied, "That's the whole idea right?". He made two apples drop. I guess that's how he got his name Rockhead. *laughs, scaring a maid that arrived to pick up someone's soup* I climbed the next tree and I slipped. Keppli ran up underneath me and tried to catch me. I ended up squishing her while she caught me and I got up saying she made a nice cushion (I said it jokingly...). I'm glad I didn't weigh anymore than thirty to thirty five pounds... not sure now since I eat so much. We got all the apples that I thought was any good, the rest had holes, bruises or had fallen aready and trampled by deer and bears. We ran
all the way back to the Hold and sailed to Hempstead. I was beat and they were too. They went off to do thier own thing and I fell asleep right there on the dock...
*after making a pause to check the bread, he sits back down on the box to finish up*
I was fixing my armor agian back to the blue form purple, and Keppli came up saying he had something for me. I looked up form the hundreds of dye bottles they keep there to her and she held out a bright purple tunic and pants. She told me to put them one since Miss Essa invited both her and Rocky to be the entertainment at her party. I pulled the tunic over my head and I looked... I don't know, bad I guess. She explained that Rocky got all of us one and she pulls off her armor to reveal hers underneath. I have to admit she did look nice in the purple with her hood down and hair up. She looked guilty all of a sudden saying that she left Rocky in the mountians past Vhel saying she escaped, and not sure if Rocky did from the yetis. We left the hall after I finished up dyeing my cloak and went to look for Rocky. He came from around an oxe and he looked banged up. He replyed he just came from the bindstone and that all he could remember is killing four and having the last three kicking in his face. I don't see how he could have killed four since I can only kill one but he said he tripped them up and shot them with his cross bow... I was impressed. He asked Keppli if she gave me my costume and he pulled off his tunic to show his own. I pulled of my coat and we were standing there all in purple. We thought of several names and Rocky's the only one that came up with one that was half-way possible. "Two-halves and a Pint*. Niloc came up from behind and said, "How about the Three Stooges?"... I don't know what a stooges is. We agreed that the Two halves and a Pint will do and Keppli said she will be doing flips or "tumbling", Rocky will be playing instruments and I will be juggling. Rocky had to leave for a little bit so we went to a patch of grass to try flips. I tried what Keppli called a "backflip". I started off bad and landed on my stomach, thankfully not my neck. she did a cartwheel or two and Niloc did a a little bit more of a backflip than I did but landing on his hands and knees. Glad he landed on anything but his neck too. I said we could use those couch cushions and Niloc said we could try to do a backflip off a tree by getting a running start and flipping backwards. So I lined up several chushions before a tree and run up and did almost a perfect backflip (from what a nearby lady and her child with her eyes wide said... she recommended to not do agian with children around.). Keppli and Niloc left and I put the cushions back to the couch. I hate seeing people leave even if it's for a day or two.
That's all I have for the moment, alot has happened.
-Fellow