[RPG] [BT][Rio] Delvin Anaris ~ An Unexpected Reunion

[Timothy Collett]

Delvin sighs as he finally enters the park, just a few minutes' walk  
from the busy market section of Athol Margos.  The cool, dappled  
shade of the trees never fails to relax him, no matter how crazy and  
stressful the pressures of guiding Riombara become.  Walking among  
the trees, the sounds of the city fade to a dull buzz--in the center  
of the park, they're completely inaudible.  A soft smile curving up  
the corners of his lips, Delvin walks around more or less aimlessly  
for nearly an hour, before coming to the center of the park.  There,  
where almost no one else ever comes, he has built a tiny shrine to  
Arelien, and one to Kemi, Goddess of nature and woodlands.  He sits  
down in front of the shrines, leans against a tree trunk, closes his  
eyes, and just relaxes.

After about twenty minutes, he starts to get a feeling that someone  
else is nearby.  His hand goes slowly to the twin curved blades at  
his hip, and his eyes open a crack, darting around to see who is  
moving around, sounding not quite like an animal.  Gradually, he  
stands up and slips around the other side of the tree.  From there,  
he surveys the surrounding area with the eyes and ears of one born in  
the forest.  He moves swiftly and silently a third of the way around  
the shrines, and leaps around a tree, drawing his blades in one fluid  
motion.

His blades ring against a sword, held up in a blocking position above  
the red-crowned head of a striking young woman....then fall from  
Delvin's suddenly nerveless hands.  His mouth works for several  
seconds before any sound comes out.

"Ph--Phoebe!  By Arelien and Kemi, what are you doing here?"

Phoebe, grinning from ear to ear, sheathes her sword and flings her  
arms around Delvin.  "I came to see you, of course, you great lout!"  
she says into his chest.  "You didn't come back, and didn't come  
back...we were going to go become officers of the Acoranth together!   
So I found my way here.  There were some great monsters to fight,  
too; this continent is teeming with them!"

Delvin takes her by the arms and holds her at arms' length, looking  
at her.  Her fiery red hair, hanging just past her shoulders, is well- 
brushed, and her bright green eyes sparkle in her brilliantly smiling  
face.  She is wearing fine, if somewhat rumpled, clothes, but her  
boots show signs of significant wear.

At last, Delvin finds his voice again.  "Phoebe...Gods, I don't even  
know what to say...where to start!  I...I'm not sure it's a good idea  
for me to be seen with you much, here; they have much stronger  
prejudices against lowborn people than back home.  I'll have to find  
some way to smuggle you into the palace...once you're there, I should  
be able to find some way to disguise you as a noble...maybe..."

She shakes her head.  "No thanks, Delvin.  I'm here to fight the  
monsters and undead, not just be a pampered royal mistress.  I'm  
happy to see you--and I'll probably pop up now and again--but I don't  
want to be cooped up in some palace, pretending to be something I'm  
not.  It's incredibly free here; not like at home, where you always  
have to worry about Darkmoon and his raiding bands.  I'm having the  
time of my life...I just wanted to make sure you were OK.   
And...you'll see me around!"

She kisses him firmly on the lips, then, before he has a chance to  
recover from his startlement, she is gone.

--

"The only thing you can't trade for your heart's desire is your heart."
  ~ Miles Naismith Vorkosigan

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