Lying in bed Ian stared at the ceiling, his thoughts picking at the events of the last few days. The irony of his situation was not lost on him. Tomorrow he and his friends were going to break into a law office and steal the Star Chart. He knew that without it he was never going to get home but he also knew that he was compromising his principles. Everyone has a price, he thought ruefully. His dark train of thought was, thankfully, derailed when a knock came to his door.

“No, Roland, you can’t have-!” He said as he opened the door, ready to give the mage the brunt of his anger. But his oncoming onslaught died before taking root. Vale. She had on the same alluring dress as earlier but she no longer carried herself with an air of pride. She was broken and all Ian could think of was how badly he wanted to fix it.

“Vale,” Ian said softly as he took a step back from the door and gestured for her to enter.

“Ian,” she said as she stepped into the room wiping away the tear stains on her cheeks, “I hope I am not imposing. I simply did not want to be alone for a time.”

“No, please. Can I get you anything?” Ian gestured for her to enter a second time, his mind distracted. He couldn’t help but notice that without her armor on, both leather and emotional, Vale was truly a beautiful woman. We are not doing this, Ian mentally admonished himself.

“Where’s Mal?” Ian asked as he cast a glance down the hallway looking for Vale’s ever-present shadow.

“Mal is at home. It was a long day for us both and I thought one of us should get some sleep.” There was heavy thunk as she set down a rose-colored bottle on the table.

Ian glanced at the bottle and then at Vale. It was not a small bottle. She uncorked the bottle with a dagger she pulled from parts unknown. The sweet scent of powerful spirits filled the air. Ian walked over to the lone cabinet and retrieved a pair of glasses. He set them on the table and pulled out a chair for her before seating himself.

“Well as long as someone is well-rested for tomorrow. More importantly, how are you?” Ian asked.

Vale’s answer was to pour a fair amount of amber liquid into the glasses. She took a long drink, more of a controlled gulp, before letting out a sigh. Already she felt the alcohol spreading and numbing both mind and spirit. Once settled she gave him a proper answer.

“I have had better days Gent McClintoc. I was coming to see you too make sure you were settled in all right. Then the thought came to me that we could both use a drink,” Vale said as her cheeks began to color.

“You didn’t need to do that, or this,” Ian said as he raised his glass and followed through by taking a drink. The liquid inside was cool and refreshing with an almost candy-like sweetness to it. He felt the warmth of the liquor spreading through him. It was a pleasant comforting feeling and it finally allowed him to relax. “But it would be rude of me not to accept.”

Vale tilted her glass to him in a salute and then tipped it back downing the remaining liquid. She picked up the bottle and poured herself another glass. After just a few sips, Ian could feel the effects of the alcohol so he could only imagine how it was affecting the small Ranger.

“A new tree has been planted and every necessary arrangement has been made. The Songs of Mourning played their all yet, I feel only emptiness in my heart. He was the last of my family and he is gone. I am alone,” Vale spoke after finishing off her second glass and refilling it again.

Ian had no idea what to say to that. He couldn’t fathom the kind of bond a family that lives for centuries must form over those many years nor the pain of loss she must be feeling. So, they sat in silence drinking and reflecting.

Vale found the silence, and the company, comforting. She decided that she had made the right decision in coming here. Ian wasn’t using the opportunity to vie for political power nor was he even aware of the Seer’s monumental importance to her people. He was simply a friend who could truly sympathize with her loss and grieve with her. Add to that all the other factors that were straining on him and she realized he was truly a remarkable human. Most, she imagined, would have crumbled under such a strain but not Ian. He is adapting, overcoming, and even enjoying himself, she thought as she took another drink. As she watched him it made the overwhelming weight on her shoulders lighten enough to bear it.

Ian stared into his glass, losing himself in his thoughts, while Vale had been doing the same but he felt her eyes on him and spoke without meeting her gaze. “I know I only met him once but he was very kind to me. He was the first person to offer me hope in these impossible circumstances. I don’t know what help I can be to you in all honesty but I am here to listen if you need to talk,” he refilled his glass. “Or we can drink, that’s fine too.”

“Thank you, Ian," Vale leaned across the table and laid her hand atop his causing Ian to look up. “I came here to check on you and find myself more in need of your company. I wanted to share my grief with someone who knew only the best of my uncle.”

Ian smiled and turned his hand over taking hers in his. He’d seen what those small hands of hers could do, but tonight, tonight they looked so delicate and slender. Tonight, she looked so delicate. He squeezed her hand and smiled. “So, tell me about him. Who was the all-powerful Seer when he wasn’t, you know… Seeing.”

Vale didn’t withdraw her hand as she sat thinking about her life with her uncle. In her early childhood she hadn’t even known the importance of his rank. She only knew him as her Nos’ono and they had played together almost every day. She’d had a happy childhood despite the death of her parents when she was but twenty years of age. And the Seer had protected her for as long as he could about who he truly was. He’d wanted her to have a normal childhood and to grow up in a loving household.

Now, almost four centuries later, she looked back on those times with wonder. Amazed that he’d ever found the time to look after her, let alone play games with her. She started there, telling Ian all about her childhood with her Nos’ono. Remembering and sharing the stories made her feel less empty and more at peace with his passing.

Ian sat in the chair across from her and listened intently. He laughed at the tale of Vale’s many pets and her fondness for getting into trouble with them. Particularly the time she attempted to sneak an Ironwood bear into her room which according to her had been a small one at thirty feet long. She laughed as she relived the moment and the look of shock on his face when he saw the bear consuming the entire kitchen. The Seer had intervened before anyone got hurt and shrunk the bear to the size of a kitten. Then he made her take it back out into the woods.

Long into the night the pair talked. Ian shared stories of his childhood to match Vale’s and explained the ways of the Earth. More than once Ian had to stop and elaborate on some things like celebrities or the Internet. He was particularly animated when talking about computers and smartphones and explaining the wonder of video games even showing her a few on his phone.

By the early hours of the morning, Vale left for her apartment in much better spirits and a little wobbly on her feet. She thanked Ian for an evening of escape and wonderful company.

Ian crashed on the bed after seeing her out and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.