dowser and i checked up on beren and he's doing great but his dad joined the temple of inspiration in dar san which means ... the winterwolves have him
those things are out there invading defenseless people and there's this terrified tickle at the back of my mind reminding me that without zer'atesh or dowser nearby we're completely vulnerable also
all we can do is try not to fall into despair or panic
fortunately i'm getting better at that
on the way out we stopped by the steamed dumpling cart and i bought some to see if there was anything odd about them
back at the h&h bell and zer' determined that they were fine so we had lunch
zer' says they're a popular dish native to his homeland ... and medya recognizes them from a small shop near the academy so i guess someone brought a recipe from adar?
now i wonder just how much of the stuff i thought was native to the everglow is actually imported
that was yesterday
today medya and i went to the "wroann's gate" district to find a farrier but first we found ... nebik's tent!
i asked about quartz in quantity for medya's arms and they suggested a vein out in "the blackcaps" with a warning that there were bandits in the area so i'll look into that soon
they were impressed with medya's gauntlets and shared some jeweler's advice ... then offered to teach me more about gem-cutting once we've finished with dad's book!
to keep in touch easier i offered nebik a sending stone but they turned it down because they're "clear" – despite their efforts their inner voice can accidentally become outer voice so they can't keep secrets very well and as such a stone could be a recipe for trouble for everyone involved
i hate secrets but the more i think about this condition the happier i am that i can still keep the important ones
and hopefully i'll have the wisdom to reveal them at the right times
i asked nebik if they knew of a good farrier and they directed us to follow the sound of "clawfoots" (bipedal lizards used as mounts) to nearby "kolkarun family farriers"
a sign outside read "all animals welcome" but it turns out the proprietor "torksen" also works with ponies – though he hadn't seen one in many years and his son "brennan" never had until me
so i have an appointment for flamesday
until then i'll keep telling myself i won't be nervous