Vesta sighs heavily and attempts a smile, though it comes out strained, the corners of her mouth pulling upwards in something that is almost a grimace. “Well hey,” she says, trying for brightness. “With Nill here, that gives us extra hands, which puts us closer to waking Saige up, right?” Nill nods twice without hesitation.

“I will do the helping with the waking of Saige.” Vesta gestures towards her in confirmation.

“See? There you go.” She folds her arms loosely, then lets them drop again. “Extra hands also means I will not die quite as often, ideally. And I am sure everyone would appreciate far less complaining from me in the process.”

She attempts a laugh, but it comes out thin, her expression flickering in a way that does not quite match the humor of her words.

“In the meantime, Volaire’s baths aren’t terrible.” She waves one hand casually. “You could take Nill over there for a bit. I would recommend bringing your own soap though. Theirs is… adequate, I suppose, but nowhere near my standards.”
Nill tilts her head slightly.

“What is the bath being?”

Vesta places a hand dramatically over her chest and closes her eyes for a brief moment.
“Stars help this one…” she mutters in Tovi under her breath. Then she stands, brushing down the front of her skirts to collect herself.

“Well,” she says briskly, “If there’s nothing else pressing at the moment, I should really get to setting up camp properly here. There is quite a bit to do, chimes to hang, pillows to fluff, you know the routine.”

Read More...