::Kari looked to Olivia as they stood at the washtub cleaning the plates:: Olivia...how long have you lived here?
::The woman smiled softly:: All my life. I met Jack when we were in our teens. He was the blacksmith's apprentice, I was a waitress at the pub in town. A few years later, we married.
::The elf-maiden smiled, looking over at Lily, playing on the floor:: And your children... They are so precious... ::She turned back to Olivia:: You are truly blessed...
*Sane looked at the ground, he felt saddened by this tale. Yet he knew that Ice was a bandit so he knew he couldn't trust him too much.*
"That's sad... I would slit the bastards throat." Sane says
*Ice nods*
"I would except I have a price on my head." Ice mutters.
::Jack and Ben returned from outside, taking off their boots and jackets as they stepped inside the house. Kari and Olivia had just finished the dishes and were drying their hands. Jack sat down in a chair and pulled Lily into his lap. Ben sat down in a chair beside his father as Olivia poured a few mugs of hot cider. The two women sat down opposite Jack and his children. Ben whispered something to his father, who replied:: I don't know, Ben, why don't you ask her?
::Hesitantly, the boy turned to Kari and spoke quietly:: Trynn? I wondered if, being and Elf and all...if you could make lights?
::Kari eyed the child curiously:: Lights? How do you mean?
::He tried to explain:: Like...like stars...except, in your hands....
::Kari straightened in understanding, a small smile crossing her face:: Oh! Like this? ::She set her mug of cider down on the table and held out her palms, whispering quietly in Elvish before revealing a handfull of glistening white lights, which proceeded to swirl about above her hands as the children watched in delight and awe::
*Sane shakes his head, he smiled as an idea formed in his mind. He looked at Ice and nodded.*
"Ice I think I foudn a solution to your problem. You said you couldn'y go back to your home. You were alone back then yet look at you now... You have a small army of men that follow your every order. If you woudl go back now to that village where your mother resides and you were to attack your uncles stronhold you could easily defeat him with your men's help. Think about it Ice instead of this profession you have now... You can go back to being a noble, you can make things right in your province... You've seen the poor towns... you could make them better." Sane says excitment in his voice.
*Ice looks at Sane an insane look coming to his face. He jumps up and grabs his sword.*
"Damn it Sane you're right! I should have thought of that long time ago... Tomorrow we forget about pillaging the damned village... No instead we shall march past it and go to my Uncle's fort... I shall take back my family's honor!" Ice exclaims the bandits around them looking at him raising an eyebrow.
*Sane laughs and nods.*
"Sure Ice now listen we all need sleep before we set out tomorrow..." and with that being said Sane closes his eye and drifts off into a deep sleep.
::Kari entertains the children for a while with handfuls of Elvish magic and stories of her travels. Finally, as the night grows late, Olivia speaks up:: Alright, you two, off to bed. It's past your bedtime and you know it.
::Both children moaned in complaint. Ben stood hesitantly, turning to Kari:: Trynn, will you tell us more stories?
::The Elf-maiden smiled gently, roughing his hair a little:: Tomorrow. ::She gently touched Lily's cheek:: It's late. You two should rest. I'll see you both in the morning.
::The children hurried off to bed, Jack close at their heels, and Olivia smiled across the table to Kari:: I'm afraid we don't have a spare bed. We do have some blankets, though.
::Kari grinned kindly back:: That's just fine, I can sleep in front of the hearth.
::Olivia pulled out a few spare blankets from a cabinet and handed them to Kari, who made her bed in front of the fireplace and bid the family goodnight before falling asleep::
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