"Not really, Valeria. How 'bout you, Syl? You up for anything? Valeria's going to Gregminister tommorow, and she wants to know if you want anything from there. Otherwise it'll be another pointless trip, and we're just wasting her time."

Glad to know he knew that. Valeria was so deprived of things to do these few days, but even then, she would rather be at her new castle, Pannu Yakuta, which she graciously relieved Kwanda Rossman from. Thank the 108 Stars of Destiny, for if they hadn't come along, she would probably be out of a home for the third time. Sure, Kwanda could've probably come back for it if he really wanted it, but SHE was the mediator for the elves, while he was not, so technically this castle belonged to her.

"No, dear! Valkrye can go without obligations for us. We have everything we have here!"

"Um, that's VALERIA, you-"

"This audience is at a end. You may now leave this meeting place. Have fun in Gregminister, Valeria. I know I would." Kirkis was just trying to make her lighten up. Unfortunately, she was too tired to be cheered up.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later." Valeria's enthusiasm was in the soles of her boots by the time she left the Great Tree.

Now she had matters elsewhere that were pressing, like the duty of making the trip north to Gregminister to report that there was nothing new to request for the elves, like last month. This had been going on for a year, now! Nothing was really important now, like if this wasn't done, someone would die. There was no action around here! If only she had something to do! She almost wished there was war in the Toran Republic, now. Almost. Already she could feel the pangs of bloodlust coming back to her in waves, and decimating more trees just didn't cut it anymore! She hated to destroy the forest with her practice, and trees didn't really fight back that well either. . . .

She uneventfully made the trek north, through the Great Forest, while saying hi to Kuromimi and the other kobolds in the village. Of course, she wanted to see if Fu Su Lu was there, at least he wouldn't mind going a few rounds with her, in drinking or duelling. With luck, he was there, but once again had to owe the Kobolds huge amounts of Bits just to get his tab paid.

"Hey. Hey! Fu!! Get your head off the table! Come on, big guy, talk to me!" Valeria pleaded with him, as she ALWAYS had to wake him up from the drinking binge he had the night before.

"UUUUUhhhhhhh, wha, what is it? I'm Fu Su Lu, I'm as strong as one hundred-"

"You're as strong as a hundred men, but you can't drink as much as they can. C'mon, Fu, perk up! I need a companion to travel with me to Gregminister, and I'll also need someone to talk to on the way, so get up! I'll put your bill on my tab, so don't worry about having Kuromimi sending a whole army looking for you again. Otherwise, you can spend the rest of your days stuck here, working for what you owe, and when you're THAT much in debt, you'll never leave this place again!" Actually, Valeria also wanted someone to spar with, because her sword skill had been rusty lately.

"Huh? What? You'll pay for my bill again? What kind of job do you want from me? The last time someone paid for my bill I had to work in some army for the next year at Toran Castle! You can't just want me to come along. 20,000 bits IS a lot of money, after all."

"Ahh, it's nothing. Just come along. I'll need someone to watch my back, that's all. Once I get there you can come back and get yourself wasted on Kobold beer again, but please come with me! It's SOOO boring to go so long." A minor fib, she'd tell him about the practicing her swordsmanship on him. . . .After he decided to come along.

"Alright then, you will be proud to have helped Fu Su Lu out of the hole. You will be proud of yourself to have the common sense to hire a true warrior such as myself. Why, when I was a cub, I took down a bear with my own hands, and then when I . . . . . . . . ."

"Miss, that will be 20,000 potch. Will you be staying this evening as well?" The innkeeper was already trying to sell her a room. But, saying nothing between the innkeeper's sales pitch and Fu Su Lu's gloating, she decided she wanted to pay his bill and get to Gregminister ASAP.

"Are we leaving already, Valeria? Well, then! I am sure we will have a glorious adventure trekking through the plains of the Toran. It has been two years since I have ever been on a journey like this! It was so different, because you always had to live in fear of running into ther Imperial army, and those guys, let me tell you. . . . . . . . . . . "

Valeria was already leaving him and his rantings behind. She tried to listen to his "words of wisdom" before, but they were just so irregular, and strange, that she just gave up after the first time. Trying to tune Fu Su Lu out, she concentrated on her own thoughts. . .