==>

Reese: Oh, no, Veli just said I was working super hard so he wanted to let me play.
Inalia: That's nice.
Reese: Yeah, it is, but, are you okay?
Inalia: Me? Of course I'm fine! Kenik's a jerk anyway. He called you something nasty. Are you okay?
Reese: Yeah. But I hate him, and you think he's all collected and stuff, and it hurts a lot more when Veli says mean things to me than when Kenik does it, so I just thought it would hurt you when Kenik said all that.
Inalia: Nah, I'm all good. If anything, that just showed me that, man, you were right, he is not cool. I am over him, and if I'm not over him, I will get over him. I don't need him when I've got a collected person right here!
Reese: Ok, if you say so :)
Inalia: Yeah, oh! Did you hear?
Reese: Hear what?
Inalia: About Reese.
Reese: What?
Inalia: You know, that thing Reese did.
Reese: ???
Inalia: You haven't heard? Apparently she exposed a Ralen spy (I think he was posing as a merchant?) and when he tried to escape, she had already coordinated the royal guard to cut off every route he could take!
Reese: I'm confused.
Inalia: Ohhhhh, I'm talking about Princess Reese! Not you, dummy.
Reese: -_-
Inalia: (hehe)
Reese: Ok, well fine, that's really cool I guess. Not that I care about her.
Inalia: What? How can you not care about her? She's like, the coolest woman in the entire realm and she has your name.
Reese: So? It's not like she's sign of the Traveler like I am.
Inalia: Yeah but, oh whatever. Look. Don't you see what this means? She exposed a Ralen spy!
Reese: Oh, so we're mad at them now or something?
Inalia: Oh yeah, super mad. I think the Prince is going to confront them about it since the King is too old, but honestly, I don't know why they don't send the Princess.
Reese: Well aren't the Ralen from the north?
Inalia: So?
Reese: Well the north is where all the nomads are, and don't let women lead or do anything. So they can't send the Princess or else they'll just ignore her.
Inalia: Really?
Reese: Mhm. I read it in a book about all the people around us. To the east is the ocean, to the north are the nomads, to the west is the plateau (there's also nomads there but it's really mountainy so it's different somehow), and to the south are other farmers like us!
Inalia: Wow.
Reese: Yeah! And I say us but we're actually already basically in the south. I think we're in a big basin between mountains and north is the kingdom and south are the other people.
Inalia: And so the Ralen are nomads right? So then why would they put a spy? Why care?
Reese: I don't know. He was a merchant, right? Maybe he wasn't actually a spy, or maybe that wasn't, like, the point. Maybe he really was a merchant that just did spying at the same time. The north people really like to raid us and steal our stuff so maybe he was just trading right now and secretly trying to find good ways to attack us. Well, not us because we're really far south, but like, the north part of the realm.
Inalia: But if he was a rich enough merchant to be in the court, then why would he need to raid us?
Reese: I dunno. The book says the nomads are really savage, so maybe they just find it fun or something.
Inalia: Huh. That's strange. I guess the people in the caravans are really different from us though, so it makes sense.
Reese: Yeah.
Inalia: Wait, Reese, are you gonna join up with the caravans? Or, like, travel or something?
Reese: What do you mean?
Inalia: When you get older! You're sign of the Traveler, it's like, the whole reason you exist.
Reese: That's silly. I also exist because my mom loves me, and I need to help her. And also, if the signs were the only reason to exist then what would you do?
Inalia: I mean... Okay, but like, you're lucky because you have a sign. You're supposed to travel, or at least do travelling-type things like, I dunno, write poetry. Or, wait, your family are hunters, so you need to travel into the forest to hunt!
Reese: That's ridiculous. I don't want to do that. I love my mom and brother and I like playing with you and- wait! I wanted to tell you! Do you remember CG and how I write to him under the house and how he writes under the house back to me and we talk and it's like whatever Marek does with his cousin?
Inalia: Yeah, pen pals! I remember.
Reese: Well, ok, you aren't going to believe this, but I think he's a wizard.
Inalia: A wizard?
Reese: Yeah. I'm like, really sure.
Inalia: Are you? That doesn't seem likely.
Reese: Well if Princess Reese can find a spy then normal Reese can find a wizard. Like, I mean...
Reese: Can I tell her?
Reese: No way.
Reese: Think about it! A few weeks ago, the night my mom got the Starfall, when I was fighting with Kenik and he threw me down, I looked under my house and saw someone holding one of my books! They disappeared and the next morning, BOOM, words right in there. And think about it: only witches and wizards are awake at night. But I think Illvirki is a boy name. So he has to be a wizard!
Inalia: Hmm. I guess that makes sense? But Princess Reese is way cooler than you, normal Reese. Sorry, but it's just the truth.
Reese: >;(
Inalia: Oh come on, don't give me that.
Reese: >;((((((
Inalia: Okay, okay, I was just teasing, I didn't mean it!
Reese: >:)
Inalia: >_>
Inalia: Wait, you said you wanted to play, right? What did you want to play?
Reese: Oh! I was thinking we could play tag, or hide and seek, or you have your knucklebones right?!
Inalia: I do have my knucklebones. Do you want me to go get them?
Reese: Yes!

<==

==>