On the road again...

Kallista stretched her legs and back with a slight grimace after finally getting her tent set up for the evening. She looked around at the host of adventurers, diplomats, soldiers and others who were all milling about getting things secure for the night. She reflected on how much different this felt from what she remembered of her past adventures. For one thing there were a lot more people. For another, she didn't remember her bones and joints hurting this much after a day of walking. Whether it was because of her recent long infirmity or just that she was beginning to show the wear and tear of thousands of miles and dozens of battles, she wasn't sure.

At least she was experienced enough to get her tent up quickly and with minimal effort, which was more than she could say for a few of those who were travelling with them. She saw with amusement that Len in particular seemed to still be having a bit of a problem sorting out cords and poles and getting them all upright, and she ambled over towards his area with a polite smile.

"Need some help pitching your tent?" she asked.

Len glanced up, pushing his hair out of his face with a grin. "Oh, I can manage it on my own, but if you're offering a hand, how could I say no?"

Kallista grinned and reached down to help with one of the poles, holding it steady while Len tied it down.

"So look at you, all official and shit. How does it feel to be an actual adventurer? And what has your mom said about it?"

He gave a shrug as he pulled the cord tighter. "I doubt she's ever going to be thrilled about it - she's not thrilled about Aleyn going back to it either, for that matter. I think she was hoping he was settled down for good. But she's come around to understanding that there's nothing I want to do more, at least for right now, and that she can't badger me into finding a different job just because it would make her happy. As for how it feels... I guess I had a pretty realistic view of what it would be like going into things, from having talked to my brother and people like you. So it's about what I expected - lots of stuff that's boring, or gross, or terrifying - but it's still great," he added with a smile. "I'm really glad I - we, I mean - got to come on this. It's such a cool opportunity, besides being a good stretch of steady work."

Kallista grinned at Len's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, from what Vedran and your brother have been saying we're gonna be out here for a good long while. You guys might gain two or three levels outta this. Maybe more."

Kallista glanced over to where Iona and... she couldn't for the life of her remember the Eladrin's name. Mirronee? Marionee? Something like that... were setting up their own tent. The half elf said something with a grin and the eladrin returned a hesitant smile to her teammate.

"How's your party working out? Everyone meshing pretty well? They seem like a decent bunch."

"Yeah, we get along fine, for the most part," he said. "I mean, like anyone you spend a lot of time with, there are disagreements once in a while, but so far we've always managed to sort them out. Most of the time we have a lot of fun, which helps get through the crappier parts of adventuring, and we work well together in a fight."

"Good, good." Kallista nodded.

"I'm glad you guys can sort things out. It always helps to be flexible with your teammates. Everything else just takes time. Trust me, pretty soon they'll be the best friends you've ever had."

"Oh yeah, definitely," Len said, trying not to be too obvious about ogling Kallista as she bent over to dig a tent peg into the ground. "Flexibility is important." He pulled his attention back to the conversation with a bit of an effort. "We've been working together for about a year now, so we're already pretty good friends."

Kallista shoved the stake into the hard dirt and hammered it into place with a loose rock. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw Len staring at her as she bent over. He quickly looked away, a blush rising in his cheeks, but the tiefling just grinned to herself.

"Good," she said, standing back up and brushing off her hands, "It can be hard at times, but your party gets to be like a second family, you know? Or I guess a first in my case."

Len didn't know a whole lot about Kallista's background, and he figured the stuff they put in the novelizations was probably made over-dramatic in order to sell copies, or to create a more exciting story. "That doesn't sound too good," he said cautiously. "But I guess I'm glad you have them, if your own family aren't there for you."

Kallista shrugged.

"I guess you could say the problem was more that they WERE there for me. But that's all over now..."

Kallista trailed off slightly, but quickly recovered with a smile.

"So, your teammates are pretty cute. Got your eye on any of them?"

After taking a quick look around to make sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop, Len gave a nod and a smile. "I really like Tishku a lot, but I haven't said anything to her about it. Because I don't want to make things awkward, or... you know. Um, but I think Elenna may be interested too, and she is pretty cute, but I'm not really sure what to do about it. Because, again, awkward if things don't work out or whatever. Iona's more into girls, and Mirroanwe is pretty strict on the 'no romance in the party' official line. And Bruadair's, ah, not my type," he concluded with a shrug.

Kallista smiled, remembering her own numerous attempts at wooing people, some more successful than others. At least Len wasn't from a completely alien culture and lacking many basic social skills the way she had been.She figured that if she could figure out how the whole "Love" thing worked then anyone could.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're young and good-looking and a sweet guy. Whoever you end up with, they'll be lucky to have you."

'Good looking', huh? Len blushed a bit at that. "Thanks," he said, busying himself with a few odds and ends. "So you don't think it's a totally awful idea to get involved with someone in your own party? I mean... I know it doesn't always work out like it did for Aleyn and Vedran."

"Heh, I'm not sure that I'm really the best one to give you an unbiased opinion on that. I'm pretty notorious around the guild hall. I'm sure you've heard some of the stories about me. But no, I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, but it can be hard sometimes. You're never going to agree with anyone all the time, and being in such close proximity can make disagreements... awkward. But at the same time, you get very close to the people that you risk your life with. I think it's only natural to want to share more than friendship with them. But..."

For a moment a sadness came over Kallista's eyes.

"...it's also a dangerous job. You never know when something is gonna happen. When you might... lose... someone that you care about. That can be... rough."

Len put a hand out to pat her shoulder before he could become self-conscious and think better of it. "I get that. But would I feel any better if... if something like that happened, and I had never told ... whoever it was... how I felt about them?"

Kallista smiled, trying hard to fight off the melancholy that had threatened to descend on her good mood. She put one hand on top of Len's squeezing it gently for a moment.

"No. You probably wouldn't. Life's too short for regrets. Especially when you're an adventurer. If there's one thing I've learned it's to appreciate what you have while you have it."

Len nodded, sighing. Maybe Kallista was right, and there was no time like the present for letting people know how you felt about them... but he still couldn't shake the feeling that if he tried anything and it went wrong, it would lead to a whole lot of awkwardness in the next few weeks or months. Actually, even if he tried anything and it went right there could be hurt feelings, just from other quarters. "Well, I do appreciate... your advice," he said half-heartedly.

Kallista frowned slightly at Len's less than enthusiastic remark.

"Hey..." she said, trying to catch his eyes, "Sometimes things are complicated; much as we wish they weren't. I've had to learn that the hard way many times. But sometimes people make them more complicated than they need to be. Just relax. Do what feels right. And most of all, be honest. Especially with yourself."

She put one arm around him and squeezed gently in a friendly hug.

"You're a good guy. Things will work out."