Seventeen

Sebastian hadn't surprised himself. He had repeated his last night's stunt.

By the time Sylvie woke up, he was nursing his tea and meeting any curious looks people thought he didn't see. Just to further shake them a bit, he smiled nicely on top. It felt tiring, though, but it would have been such a shame to stop, especially when they seemed to giving it such an effort. Perhaps it will occur to you that looking back at them will get them to keep looking?

Well. Yes. Quite.

And that was that. He contemplated the previous night with a hint of uncertainty. The dreams hadn't gotten worse but they certainly weren't getting any better, either, what with all those willows... some white, some black, some red, some green, swaying in separate directions. The dream had mostly slipped from his grasp by the time he was having his second helping of tea. Yet he still couldn't help but feel it was as if someone was teasing his mind.

He sighed and waited.

Well rested and with the dragon still curled up sleeping on the windowsill of her room for a while still, Sylvie was in a splendid mood when she entered the main room.

"Good morning!" she greeted Sebastian, and added more quietly, "Seems like I'm a late riser after all..."

Sebastian, sucking in some of her mood, grinned back at her. "Not really, I just seem to be having bad dreams lately. Or I can also tell you a tall tale about how little sleep we of mixed blood need. You, on the other hand, seem to have slept well."

She nodded slightly at the last remark, and answered to the second, "I think last night's tale was enough for a while; thanks for sparing me."

"No problem, captain," he said and gave a sketchy salute. "Yes, that tale was something, wasn't it?"

"Talking animal stories never appealed to me." She spoke quietly, on the off chance that the storyteller would pick just that moment to enter the room, and shrugged.

"Did you have breakfast already?"

"They have their surprises," Sebastian said at first. "This one was based on reality, at least."

A pause. "Just tea. I thought it might be a little impolite," Sebastian replied, smiling a little weakly. "That and it doesn't do me good to eat too soon after waking up."

Sylvie smiled brightly in return. "Thank you.

And have you been up long enough now?"

"About an hour before dawn." During a summer. "So, it's about time."

She gave him a short look of sympathy and then got breakfast for both of them.

They were halfway finished when the storyteller from yesterday appeared. He cut a yawn short when he noticed Sebastian and strode to their table.

"Good morning. I'd hoped to meet you still. May I join you here?" He included Sylvie in the greeting and question, who almost would have agreed automatically, but turned to Sebastian instead, since he seemed to be the center of the man's attention.

The half-elf blinked and glanced at Sylvie, and as she didn't seem to have any objections, he simply put on his best restrained but sincere smile. "Morning. Sure, grab a seat. This is Sylvie," he said, indicating her. "I'm Kai, and though I think I caught your name last night..."

He exchanged another nod with Sylvie, likewise smiling, and said, "It's Borin."

He settled down and visibly gathered his thoughts before going on, addressing Sebastian, "You see, you made me curious." At first, not much, but after dreams of waterfowls... "What makes you think the fox would prefer ducks to chickens?"

Sebastian looked at Sylvie with a very guilty expression, then looked at his breakfast, closed his eyes and smiled a little. "Ducks swim better, for one. Of course it goes against the classic image a little... but I've heard this story before in a slightly different form." He blinked and looked at them both. "After all, it's a story based on reality, right? There was another brand of fox running around back in Willart's days.

"But," Sebastian continued with an almost shy smile and - goodness - a blush, "it's hard to ask a brass penny for a completely factual story. I hoped to see if you would know those other stories, even so. It's been a while since I've heard them, and though time changes stories, an animal fable isn't one I was expecting."

Sylvie did not understand Sebastian's look at all, but as he spoke a suspicion rose. It wold have made sense sooner if he hadn't used his other nickname. She listened, playing down her curiosity to polite interest.

"Another brand of fox?" Borin took a good look at Sebastian, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I think I know who you mean, lad, and, yes, I know a few stories. How he led Hound Koljo a chase until the hunter got lost, the theft of Baron Gerclow's horses and what came after... How he stole a bolt of lightning from the Lord of Storms, but that doesn't seem to be the kind of story you're interested in."

Borin grinned. He was somewhat used to superficial similarities between a listener and the hero of a story causing interest, but more in children than grown men. But, well, some needed a bit more time to grow up.

"I don't remember hearing anyone suggesting the Fox had had any business with Cowled Willy, though."

Sebastian smiled politely as Borin spoke, shaking his head. They still tell stories about the horses? Oh merciful Lady... "I do, but as I said, it's been quite a while, and the teller of the tale an old man by then. It does seem likely that the story involving him came from the same roots as the one you told, but that the original story had your crafty fox," he said thoughtfully, wooden spoon pressed against his lower lip.

Then he smiled a little, eyes twinkling with a youthful brand of self-deprecation. "But I guess we won't find out. They're stories after all." You have quite outdone yourself this time, lad. "I hope you don't... mind me asking, but are stories of him common around here?"

"Oh, not very. I guess most people will have heard a few, over the years, but not often enough to remember them well. Red Peregrine's more popular here, or Koljo, but across the Sound stories about the Fox are more widespread; I can imagine people there putting him into a fox fable, even if I have no idea what they'd do about the beavers."

He looked at Sebastian curiously. "You seem to have a peculiar kind of interest in stories, if you don't mind me saying. Is it more general, or are you trying to find the truth behind stories of the Fox?"

Sebastian relaxed for a moment, but when Borin asked his question, he hesitated for a while, though it wasn't because he was feeling shy. He had to think about it, because he seemed to have such conflicting emotions. "A... bit of both. I've been soaking up stories since I was a little boy," he grinned, appearing nervous. Another stranger? Oh, dear, dear... "And the Hat, well, stories that widespread..." He gestured vaguely, letting Borin fill the blanks himself. It was a very Hat-like thing to do, he realised - and continued to calmly pick at his breakfast.

"...suggest themselves to comparing variations," he finished, barely missing a beat. Meanwhile the changed nickname set off idle speculations from which part of the world Kai came. He looked at Sylvie for a moment, wondering the same about her, and her absent pet.

"Say, are you coming from Canyet or headed there?"

Sebastian nodded and smiled at the explanation Borin had supplied. He looked up from his food placidly. "We're headed to Canyet," he said, guessing what Borin was after. That was largely up to Sylvie should things turn out the way he assumed. "How about yourself?"

He coughed, which may have been a botched laugh. "The other way, unfortunately. Bad luck for me, I had hoped to exchange stories, but I'm sure you will find someone else there." He took the slight disappointment in good humour.

"Well, thank you for enduring my questions. I have business to attend to," starting with soothing his throat, so much talking so early in the morning... "and in case you're leaving soon, bid you godspeed." A fair assumption, since few travellers stayed in backwaters like this for long. He rose and tapped the table by way of greeting.

"Oh, it was nothing. Thank you for your answers too," Sebastian said affably, waving as Borin left. "Good luck."

Good luck? Well... Never mind.

After a few seconds he looked at Sylvie like a young man caught doing something very suspicious. But he was smiling. He shrugged.

Sylvie stared at Sebastian, very thoughtfully. And yes, smiling amusedly.

Borin bought a bottle of something or other, and as he left the Inn she finally looked away for a moment. As she caught Sebastian's eye again, she whispered, "Lad".

She'd have liked to ask one or two things for clarification, but not where it could be so easily overheard.