The guard was asleep when they made their way up the stairs, and so regaining both the weapons and the animals was not a problem. The horses were still stabled at the inn; Odin and Trax had been placed in one of the stalls. No one bothered to question the escapees as they tacked up their mounts and led them out into the yard. "Doesn't anyone ever watch of their things here?" Chewie grumbled. The Wookiee Lord was no longer drunk; human drink never lasts long on Wookiees. He was, however, decidedly hung-over, and more than a little grumpy.

Xepher grinned at him. "It don't seem like it. We could just walk up to anyone and steal anything from them. Sounds like my kinda place!"

Xicanti had to agree with his brother, thought not because of the easy pickings. :I liked having people watch me perform,: he told Dom'asa. :And I liked seeing that they liked what I had to show them. Are people like that everywhere on this world?:

:I haven't done that much traveling,: Dom'asa replied, :but I'd think they would be. People generally seem to be interested in many of the same things, you know. Must be a species trait.:

Carefully, the boy urged his mare up next to Cahra's Ironrose. "Hello," he said conversationally.

She looked over at him and smiled. Xeph smiled back. He had come to like the girl very much.

"I thought I'd come up an' ride with you," he went on. "It's pretty boring to ride all alone, ya know?"

She nodded. "I know."

Xeph took a deep breath. How do I start this off so she'll understand without suspecting? Act like I know everything, maybe? That shouldn't be too hard for me. Rettar always said I acted like I knew all there was to know, or at least thought I did. Taking another deep breath to calm himself a little, Xepher began. "I've come to talk to you about Xicanti."

Cahra nodded knowingly, and a little nervously as well. I think I might've hit on it! Xeph thought excitedly. Now I can warn her and not give me dear bro away! "I know you two are just friends and all," he continued out loud, "but just in case it ever gets to be more 'an that, I want ya to know that I love my brother a lot, an' I don't want anyone to hurt him." He snuck a quick look at Cahra, but couldn't read anything in her features. "He's not as tough as he looks," Xeph went on. "He's just as susceptible to that sort of thing as anyone else. Maybe a bit more. When the two of us were growin' up, all we really had for family was each other an' a few foster brothers. Rettar taught us that the world was out to get us, an' he was right. Everyone who ever grew up on the street wants to be important someday, and if that means getting rid of everyone else, any one of 'em would do it in a heartbeat. Me an' Xic, we looked out for each other, made sure those sorts of people didn't affect us too much." He looked over at Cahra again. She seemed to be understanding him.

"So ya see, I've seen stuff, an' I don't want my brother gettin' hurt. It's nothin' 'gainst you personally, or anything havin' to do with anything like that. It's just one brother stickin' up for another who might not be able to defend himself in this sortta thing, that's all."

Cahra looked over at him. "Don't worry, Xeph," she said softly. "I wouldn't do anything bad to Xicanti if my life depended on it."

Does that sound how I think it does? "You wouldn't?" he asked carefully.

Cahra shook her head. "No, I wouldn't. I care about him a lot. As a friend, and maybe as more." She looked up at him quickly. "But you can't tell him that! It's very important that you don't. It'd ruin everything!"

Smiling inwardly, Xeph nodded. "I won't," he promised. "An' you can count on me for that. I may be a thief, but that doesn't mean I'm not just as honorable as any other fifteen year old guy."

She grinned at him. "And how honorable would that be?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe as honorable as a wamp rat; maybe a bit more."

Xepher spent a few minutes more with Cahra, making idle conversation. He soon blathered out some sort of excuse, and headed back to talk to his brother for a while. How in hell am I gonna keep from telling him? he wondered to himself. Damn, I wanna tell him! I promised both of 'em, thought, an' I've gotta keep both promises. If only I were a dishonorable thief!

:He doesn't suspect that I don't need it loosened at all,: the voice came into the young thief's mind. :I've kept myself puffed up all morning just so he wouldn't have to bother with it. I could've dumped him off a thousand times along the road, but I wouldn't do that to him. He's okay, even if he is a big lug of an elf who can't ride.:

Xicanti smiled as he headed off towards the pool Araphos had assured him was just through the trees. He wanted to get there quickly, before Lowie hand a chance to apprehend him.

He didn't make it. "You hold it right there!" the little Wookiee's voice came from behind him. Cursing softly under his breath, Xicanti turned to face his friend.

"What'll it be today, oh great and wise Master Lowbacca?"

Lowie glared at him. "Nothing too hard. I'm just gonna teach you how to project your emotions through your eyes. It'll only take an hour, at most, and that's assuming you've suddenly become very slow."

The Wookiee-who-was-not led the way to a small stump about as far away from the promised pool as it was possible to be without leaving the grove. "I'll take the stump," Lowie announced, seating himself. "You have more to learn, so you can levitate yourself for practice."

Xicanti did as his friend instructed, levitating himself easily up upon a bed of Force. He crossed his legs and sat exactly as he would have on the ground, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "So?" he asked impatiently. "How'm I supposed to do this emotions projection thing?"

The procedure was quite simple. Over the next fifteen minutes, Xicanti learned how to use his mind to draw emotions out and show them to whomever he pleased by way of his eyes. He caught on quickly, erasing the need for extra practice time.

"That'll be all for today," Lowie announced, hopping down off the stump. "You're supposed to get strenuous training, but I really don't know how to do that sort of thing. I'm only eleven." With a shrug, the little Wookiee headed off to see his father about some matter or another.

Xicanti watched his friend go. It's still strange to see him an' Chewie without all their fur on, he decided. I guess they look pretty much the same as they would if they'd been shaved, though. Minus the noses and ears, of course.

Having completed his lesson, Xicanti headed to the pool. Large amounts of water in one place - excluding bathtubs - had always interested him, and he was eager to see this one for himself. According to Araphos it was naturally warm, and was referred to as a hot spring.

It was every bit as beautiful as he had imagined it would be. The area around it was hilly, making for a small waterfall at the head, around which many plants grew thickly. The water was crystal clear, displaying all that dwelt beneath its surface. Content, Xicanti walked over the edge and peered in. Glassy rocks made up the bottom; plants along the sides, and in choice spots amid the rocks. A small dip of the hand proved that it was, indeed, a hot spring, just as Araphos had promised.

He found Cahra off to one side, peering down into the depths. Xicanti walked over and knelt beside her. "What do you see?" he asked quietly, peering down in exactly the same manner as she.

The girl shrugged. "I'm not too sure," she replied, lifting her gaze from the water to his eyes. "I just know it's beautiful. So perfect, and natural. I wish they had these sorts of things on Coruscant."

Xicanti smiled at her. "So do I," he replied softly. "Coruscant's okay an' all, but this is the most beautiful place I've ever been in. One hell of a lot nicer than any of the parks."

Cahra nodded, not taking her eyes from his. Almost unconsciously, Xicanti tried his new love projection on her. He sent all the love he was now sure he was feeling for her into her by way of her eyes, hardly able to stop once he realized what he was doing. It was with great difficulty that he removed his eyes from hers, breaking the contact.

She has to have some sort of bad reaction to that, the young thief thought bitterly to himself as he glanced over at her. She knows now. She can't not know from that. Oh shit, what have I done?

Cahra did not seem upset at all. She must think it's just her imagination or something, Xicanti thought with relief. She doesn't know! He gave a quick glance back at her and thought longingly, it'd be heaven to kiss her right now.

"You know what'd be nice?" he asked, the words coming from his mouth without his prior consent.

"What?"

Oh, shit, I can't say what I was actually thinking! "To -" Xicanti hit upon the most obvious solution. With a lopsided grin, he grabbed onto her, and flipped her into the pool. "- go for a swim!"

Cahra shrieked as he catapulted her into the pool. She came up sopping wet, and glaring at him. Swimming to the edge of the pool almost too casually, she announced, "Well, if I have to go for a swim, I'd rather not do it alone." Before he had time to brace himself, she grabbed onto one of Xicanti's arms and yanked him in after her.

He had been completely unprepared. Yelling nearly as much as Cahra, he toppled into the pool, head first. The sudden gush of water into his lungs, entering through his open mouth, gave him more than enough cause to curse as he broke the surface.

"But I can't swim!" he cried, making for the edge of the pool. "I'll drown. You wouldn't want me to drown, would you?"

"Oh come on!" Cahra swam in front of the edge he was aiming for. "You're a fast learner. You'll get it before you drown yourself, now won't you?"

"I might, but I'd rather not find out just now!"

Cahra grinned and steadfastly refused to leave the area between he and the edge. It was not until he attempted to put his feet down and found no bottom that Xicanti realized he'd been swimming back and forth the whole time.

"You tricked me into learning!" he exclaimed, mock glaring at her.

"Well what else was I supposed to do? You weren't listening to me!" Cahra shot him another grin, then dived under the warm water. Xicanti followed close behind, this time holding his breath he went under.

Beautiful as the pool had been from above, it was doubly so from within. Row upon row of a brightly colored, porous substance had formed along the edge near the waterfall, wondrous plants sprouting from its many holes. The young thief explored them all, only rising to the surface occasionally for air. He found that it was equally as pleasant to spend time under water as it was to walk upon the land.

The two spent no less than an hour romping about the pool, splashing each other and exploring the underwater reaches. At long last, their play was interrupted by Xeph, who had come in search of them. He stood leaning against a tree, arms crossed, laughing his head off. "What's so funny?" Xicanti demanded as he hoisted himself out of the pool.

Xepher grinned and let out another chuckle. "You aren't supposed to swim with your clothes on!" he told them, shaking his head. "You either wear a swim suit or nothing." He eyed the two up and down, taking in their sopping wet clothing and hair, then burst out laughing again.

Xicanti glared at him, then lifted him up into the air with a practiced amount of grace. Xeph, used to his brother's pranks, ceased his laughter and began to glare. He let out a small shout as Xicanti dumped him into the pool, and came up yelling. "That was mean!" he cried angrily. "Now I'm all wet!" He glared at his brother as he struggled to keep his head above the water.

"That's kind of the point," Xicanti replied with a small smile as he reached in and yanked his brother out of the pool.

"Chreshs?" Chewie looked up from his meal. "What're they?"

Araphos shrugged. "Chreshs? Oh, they're the native inhabitants of this region of the continent. Very class-oriented people. Everything's about status to them. If you're a lord or a king or some such thing, you're automatically in their good books, no matter what you've done in the past. But if you're a commoner, you could have saved the world and they'd hate you all the same.

"The Chreshs build massive cities all over their country. We'll likely pass through the capital, Chresia, within the next week or so. It's near the outer rim of their territories, which is where we are right now. A lot of this area is just forest; they haven't gotten around to 'modernizing' it yet. Personally, I hope they never do. The cities are beautiful, of course, but they tend to focus more on power and wealth than on the world itself.

"The elves, now, they'd be good rulers for this forested area. All their cities incorporate the natural elements into them. They even go so far as to build cities around their more permanent sand dunes, in the desert regions, or up in the trees in the forests. I've visited many of the forest-based Elven communities, but never been the deserts. Only about a handful of non-elves have ever been there, and they won't speak of it. Strangest thing you've ever seen. No one even knows what the bloody place is called!"

Chewie leaned forward. "So," he asked carefully, "no one really knows too much about these desert elves? Not even what their country's called?"

Araphos shook his head. "Only the few merchants who've been let in, and they aren't talking."

Chewie began to grin. "And status makes you important here in his Chresh place?"

"Chresia, it's called. Yes, very important. Like I said, kings and lords can get away with anything."

Still grinning, Chewie queried, "Is Tatooine an elfish enough thing to call a desert?"

Araphos shrugged. "I suppose so," he replied. "Most of the Elven cities have musical names, but I suppose something harsher would suit a desert land better."

Chewie leaned back against a tree stump. "So," he mused, "if I were to go around telling everyone that I was the Wookiee Lord of Tatooine, the Elven desert, and that desert elves call themselves Wookiees, no one would question me?"

Araphos finally caught on. "Probably not," he replied. "No one would be stupid enough to make up a story like that, so it'd be believed with very little trouble."

"In that case�" Chewie leaped to his feet with a flourish. "We should save ourselves a hell of a lot of trouble and pretend to be these desert Elven people!"

Han glanced at friend. "You might just have somethin' there," he said thoughtfully. "It'd sure beat gettin' thrown in a jail again and having to listen to you snore. But you've got one problem with it. You an' Lowie look enough like elves, and Xicanti could probably pass if he keeps his ears covered, what with his eyes and all, but the rest of us are pretty human looking."

"But we wouldn't all have to be elves," Chewie countered. "We'll just say that you and everyone else are lords from other countries or something, and that you're coming with me and my son to see the High Council of Mages in session. That'd work. Like Araphos said, no one questions the word of a lord or king."

Araphos nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that would work," he mused. "Desert elves might be shy about leaving their sandy region, so you could say that you had to fall back on humans of lower status than yourself to aid you in your travels."

Chewie was pacing around the fire now, scratching his chin. "Yes, yes, that'd work," he murmured. "And these Chreshs would believe us. Very silly thing to do, considering who we are. Very silly indeed. But let's get this all planned out. I'll be the Wookiee Lord, of course, since that's what I am and I'm the only full grown sentinent who resembles an elf at the moment. Lowie'll also be himself, Wookiee Prince of Tatooine. Araphos can be a mage who we picked up along the way somewhere, just like he is, and can agree not to perform any more magicks which might get us into trouble again." He sent a glare in the mage's direction. "If we stick to who we really are, we should be able to get through it okay. It's when you make up a really complex lie that you start to trip over everything. Keeping it simple and mainly truthful's the best way to go at it. Araphos, what's the country we were in when you magicked us here?"

Araphos looked up at him sternly. "It's called teleported, not 'magicked'," he said hotly. "But we were in Bloran, then. A nice little place. Mostly small towns, with just one larger capital city."

"Is the route from the desert to Chresia anywhere near there?"

Araphos scratched his head. "Unless someone's changed the geography, it's directly in the way of the route."

"Then we can say that the rest of you're nobles or something from this Bloran place, and you decided to come along on the trip for kicks or something like that. It should work. Like Araphos said, no one'd be stupid enough to pretend at this sort of thing, so we'd be pretty much home free to get to the High Council place."

Surprisingly, everyone agreed to the idea. Even little Icky, who was very tired from being locked up in a cell and then spirited away in the middle of the night, thought it would be fun. "We important!" he announced, pounding one of his little feet into the ground with glee.

Having settled that, the little group of travelers spread out their blankets and went to sleep, leaving Xicanti to stand the first watch. He watched the embers of the fire die, marveling at how they cracked and sparked. Ever since that day in the Hero's Conquest, he had had a deep love of fire. "It's wonderful," he murmured to Trax. "How can anyone hate it?"

:It can be nice, but it can also hurt things a lot,: the monkey replied. :Just remember the number one rule of life; people are stupid. They look only at the darker aspects of fire, without even bothering to scratch the good parts.:

"They should really try to look deeper," Xicanti replied. "You can't judge everything by what damage it can cause, or how painful it can be."

:Try telling that to the next few people you meet,: Trax grumbled as he ran nimbly up a tree trunk to find a perch for the night. :A hundred to one only a couple'll actually listen to you.:

Xicanti didn't bother to reply. He knew that his friend was right. "Problem is, no one looks at anything for themselves. All they do is listen to what other people say about a certain thing, and latch on to that idea like it's their own. Trax's right. People are stupid."