an over-due update on my life :p

So... ya.. it's been over a month since I last posted anything. Sorry about that :p so going from where I last left off...

turns out I got the email after chapel. They accepted my application, but I'd been wait-listed... I was very confused. No one had mentioned anything about being put on a waiting list! EVER! not once! I was expecting a pass or fail answer, and instead I received a maybe :p my waiting was not over. Needless to say, I had a meltdown. :p and I STILL had two papers to write by Thursday.

somehow, by the grace of God, I got it all done. Just barely lol... the first paper was for my Principles of Management class, which explained "My Philosophy of Management..." I made up a new one teehee.. ^_^ "demolegranny," a combination of democracy, delegation, and tyranny. my Prof LOVED lol... he said it was "the most well synthesized paper" he had received so far, and i turned it in 15 mins before class! it was the most annoying, most sarcastic paper I have EVER written.

it also marked the FIRST time in my life that a PAPER made me miss math classes...

the second was my... gosh darn it I can't remember which paper it was... *checks her papers from April 22nd...*

aHA! it was my Fine Arts paper lol.. the huge monstrosity that I stayed up ALL NIGHT in MSC1 on Wednesday writing :p that was NOT a fun night. I did manage to get about 45 mins of sleep on one of those couches tho...

ANYWAYS, moving on...

I finished the paper, went back to my dorm and showered and got ready for the day because Jimmy and I were going to Kilgore for him to get his flight physical and I needed to register for the dreaded Spanish CLEP test, (which I finally DID manage to take (again, on VERY little sleep), and managed to pass the first two semesters that I needed credit for. I was actually only EIGHT points away from passing all four semester >.<). So before running to print off my paper and turn it in to my professor, I needed to EMAIL my professors and tell them I wouldn't be in class :p I was also talking with my mom on Skype at the time, and trying to get as much done as humanly possible in the short amount of time that I had, and...

lo and behold! I had another email from ASC...

"Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a student in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities' Australia Studies Centre (ASC) at for Fall 2010..."

I read it and moved on to the next email. Then froze... read it again, and SCREAMED!!!! talked with my mom a bit more, read the list of stuff I had to do, then ran to print my paper, turn it in, and talked with my profs really quick before grabbing coffee and running to meet Jimmy for our adventure in Kilgore! (i took a nap while he drove, got lost twice, and had his physical).

so... YES! I am now OFFICIALLY going to Australia! I had a few more forms to fill out by May 3rd to confirm my participation, (including money!), which I was able to have filled out and mailed and all that fun, annoying stuff. and again, just in the nic of time!

Then school ended...

and Penn2 guys threw a surprise going-away party for me! complete with ice cream, FLOWERS and a phonebook (in prime condition, I might add!) signed by all of them. :) they. are. AMAZING. lol.. i love those guys ^_^

I attended Brian and April's wedding on Sunday morning, May 9th, after staying up most of the night packing my clothes for moving the next day between weddings :p Crazily packed the rest of my stuff and cleared the room of my stuff, Summer and I rearranged the furniture and cleaned. Then I got checked into my new room in Davis, and began moving stuff over, with the help of multiple random friends (Josh, Jimmy, Rusty, Amber, and Kristy). All the moving was done by 6:05, and I got ready in 20 minutes for Tim and Kristy's wedding. It was beautiful ^_^ Got back to campus, (skillfully missing the bouquet toss ;) yes!) and finished cleaning and moving some last minute things. Summer and I both checked out of our room together at 9:15ish. (someone else was late, not us! :p)

the next week was one of utter boredom, very little cash, many late night movies, two theater movies, a Taco Bell run, and many motorcycle rides...

On Saturday the 15th, I saw two more of my very dear friends, Matt and Tiana, tie the knot at their wedding :) it was lovely :) i sat with the Penn1 Pirates, and failed to skip the bouquet toss this time, since my sister-in-law Rebekah caught me and made to join in!

No, I did not catch the bouquet. Yes, I did try. a little.. not really... Matt's sister Michelle caught the bouquet. :) I thought it was very appropriate, seeing as how I caught the bouquet when I was 15 at my eldest brother's wedding.

After the wedding, I had grilled hamburgers with Basil and Evan, (they cooked, AND cleaned. i just sat there, looked pretty, and ate lol..) then we went to watch the cartoon Robin Hood! and Evan showed up with a BIRTHDAY cake for me! SEVEN WEEKS EARLY! i was shocked :) and very happy ^_^

the next day, was packing, cleaning, and moving day, YET AGAIN! and again I stayed up late reading a book till 4 :p (so sue me! I like to read T_T) Sarah and I managed to get everything out of the room AND the hallway and have the room cleaned, with un-lofted beds, and everything spic-and-span, just they way we found it. Unfortunately.. not all of my stuff fit into my uncle's truck :( so we stowed it away at my brother Sam's house.

Now I have been "home" at my grandma's for a week... Jobless, bored out of my mine, and with no friends. My companions and solace have been found in netflix, my brother Steven, my cellphone, and Facebook (to a small extent). My grandma went in for surgery on Thursday to have her knee replaced, so it has mostly been just me and Steven at the house until Uncle Randy gets off work in the evenings. We haven't burnt the place down either! We visited Grandma yesterday, and she's doing fine, but has little or no appetite, and had low blood pressure and a low blood count. So they have her on a blood transfusion and they haven't gotten her up and walking yet. :( so other than those things! she's fine. we're going to see her again tomorrow, and probably bring flowers or a card this time. We would have gone today, except...

Steven and I were supposed to go back to Longview today to get the rest of my stuff (he bought a truck on Monday! :D), but translation was lost somewhere, and Sam and Bekah didn't know we were coming back this weekend, and so they were at a wedding in Waco and didn't tell us :p SO!! tomorrow is Sunday, and all of my make-up is still in Longview.. needless to say, I will not be attending Sunday school :p

Are you still there? Really? good for you! sorry I didn't warn you how long this would be this time around... I'll have more to say about Australia tomorrow. Thanks for reading guys :)

today is the day!

Good morning everyone! I’m writing this in like the 15 mins I have before class starts :p so this may be very short haha…
So… today is the day I’m supposed to get the email from ASC… I’m so nervous about it that I literally have stress knots in my back! It’s NOT fun. But having blueberry coffeecake from a couple guys on penn2 sure does make waking up easier lol.. sleep didn’t really happen last night. It was more like night terrors of waiting ALL DAY for the email to come in. and then when it finally did, no one was happy for me. it was more like people were angry and resentful :( so ya.. I’m very anxious and nervous today.
But… it’s not so much worrying about the outcome as it is WAITING for the outcome.. I’ve got everything on the line for this.. and I’m trusting that no matter what happens today, it will be in God’s plan. And I trust my Daddy. So today is a sort of milestone for me. My life can go in so many different directions after today. And I’m excited and anxious to see where God takes me!
God is God no matter what the outcome of today is. Whether it ends in loud wailing, or hysterical laughing and squealing, God is STILL God. He is God over my hopes and dreams, in my darkest hours, and in my brightest moments. God is God, and He is in control of my life.

Australia Studies Centre

For you newcomers: Hi. Welcome to my blog. This blog has undergone a few changes over the past two years that I’ve had it. :p But I’m liking my new layout and look, so I think I’ll keep it this way for a while. I used to just write my stories on this site, but now I’ll be adding a lot more than just that… since I’m trying to go to Australia and study abroad next semester, this is my way of letting people know what I’m up to. :p

For you oldtimers: Welcome back! Long time no see…? Or something like that… Basically, ya. I never had much use for this blog, but seeing as how I’m trying to go to study abroad in Australia next semester, and how I usually forget about keeping up with people once I leave them, this is how I’m (hopefully) going to let everyone know how I’m doing.

For those of you who are just now finding out that I’m trying to get out of LeTourneau, yes. I’m trying to study abroad (through Best Semester) in Sydney, Australia. I’d be attending the Studies Centre there, (NOT the state school (AUS)), and the fall semester is July 21-November 20.

I guess maybe I should back up and explain a few things as well… Like why Australia and not Han Dong where most of Letu students go…

So… I really like art. Like, a LOT. My senior year of high school consisted of the required two semesters of English and Bible… everything else I had was a Fine Art of some kind (or a study hall or practical art: sewing (don’t you DARE laugh! It’s not as easy as you’d think!)). The Fine Arts classes were Choir, three art classes (Drawing, Ink/Paint, and Clay), and photography. Now I am at LeTourneau University, which is primarily an engineering and aviation college… Devoid of almost all fine arts… Yes, there is a Jazz Band, and yes, there is a LeTourneau choir… and also the clubs like the LeTourneau University A cappella Singers. But I don’t play any instruments. And the LeTu choir and A Cappella singers… well... Let’s just say they’re not up to par with what I had in high school. :p There are zero art classes as well. I have been starved of art for the past TWO years!

Han Dong did not have any fine art classes that I could see or was interested in. However Australia did. :) which is why I picked ASC. Now, I could have just taken some art classes at like Kilgore or Tyler or even over the summer from UTA or TCC in Arlington. But I didn’t want to. TCC is a community college, and neither Kilgore nor Tyler are liberal arts colleges, (although they do have fine arts programs…) My main reason for going abroad to ASC is to be in an environment where I can basically immerse myself in the art-world. At ASC, I will be taking classes where I will be surrounded by other students who are striving to better themselves in their fine arts. We will be able to share in our struggles and strengths and to encourage and help each other. That kind of community does not exist at Letu. If it does, (and you are a part of it) then I have missed it completely and I apologize to those whom I may have offended or overlooked.

So… when I first talked to Marta about studying abroad, we got a little confused. She thought I wanted to go to the Australia state school, (AUS), which is part of the exchange student program. There weren’t any students from AUS that wanted to come here, so I thought about giving up on the whole idea. Then a couple of weeks later I decide to ask Marta again if there’s any news about the program. Still no one. :p so I give up again. THEN, for some strange reason, I double check with Marta about what the heck she’s talking about when she says AUS… Cuz I had talked with another student on my floor about going to Australia, and she said that she had the same problem with the lack of exchange student to take her place. … that is, until they got the colleges straightened out. That’s when I found out that there were two colleges in Australia that Letu students could go to. So after sending Marta an email asking which school we’re talking about, we figure out that the school I want to go to is ASC, in Sydney, which is an art school, and through Best Semester, which does NOT require a student to come to LeTourneau to take my place. SO! I ran to Marta’s office and got the paperwork that I needed to start the application process. :)
That was about a month before spring break. The week I got the paperwork I was busy with… I can’t remember what actually haha.. (my life has been so hectic!) I think that was the week that I talked with my advisor’s about what classes I can take in Australia that will transfer to my degree audit. The week after that I started running around campus finding all the teachers and faculty that I needed to sign the Approval for Study Abroad form. That took about two weeks, cuz I had to wait for someone to get back from a retreat that they were on over the weekend…

There were about 20 different signatures that I needed to get. In different buildings… and they weren’t in order either… and the faculty weren’t always there when they SAID they would be there… I also had to register for classes here and get all of my holds cleared before I could get a couple signatures. Also, my advisor and I had decided that I would take about 20 hours… 11 of which would count towards my degree audit. I had to fill out SO many forms to get that done the week before. AND talk to four or five different teachers to get their approval and signatures for those credit hours I would take in Australia. I even had to get a signature to take 20 hours (cuz 19 was the Letu limit for study abroad programs) Turns out… ASC only allows their students to take 17 hours max… they recommend 16-17 for exchange students, and I’m not really sure what the minimum is for their regular students… but even 16 hours is a challenge for them… (YIKES!) Soooo… I changed my schedule around to 17 hours, only 6 of which would I get transferred to my degree audit, and got that approved by Marta and by my advisor and the financial aid. So after getting that headache finished, I got ALL the signatures that I needed the DAY before Spring Break. :D

I got home the next day, and immediately started the online application to ASC. Got halfway through, and had to do laundry for traveling to SC.

That’s a whole other story to tell at another time! Ask me about my hitch-hiking adventure sometime ;) it’s great. Or ask JimmyFreakinStewart, Josh Heidorn, or Ian Sipley. They can tell you ALL about it. :p

So I get back to school… and I had 11 days to finish my application (due date was April 1st). Well… the week I got back I had a book to read and a paper (or three) to write by Tuesday night. On top of finishing the application. I was so nervous about everything that I was literally having nightmares and night terrors about not finishing the application, not getting in, not finishing my book and then the paper. It was terrible. I don’t ever remember actually sleeping those first three nights back (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night). And that weekend I was also planning on painting the mural for Penn2. Apparently, some people on the floor didn’t know about that. So there was a little argument/fight/quarrel at Saga during lunch on Wednesday. (or was it dinner?) but basically, I ended up having to leave for a few minutes to cool down before I said something I would regret later on. Things eventually got straightened out later, and Penn2 came up with a design that I agreed to paint. So I sketched the design on Friday from about 3-5, break for dinner from 5-6:30ish I think, then back to sketching till around 8. During the break I also played Frisbee, then went and played MORE Frisbee after finishing the sketch. Then a bunch of us went and played sand volleyball. This was when I screwed up my foot somehow… After Volleyball, we went to wal-mart to buy the paint. That was fun too at like midnight :p we were all SO tired, and my foot was hurting SO bad.

That’s an entire OTHER story as well. Come and ask me about it sometime ;) it’s actually pretty funny :)

Saturday, I was up on Penn2 from 10am to 11:45ish, had lunch, then got back to painting from about 12:30pm till 9, working non-stop. FINALLY finished the mural, and we watched a movie, then I went and showered, then went to Sonic with Gary and Korey cuz I completely skipped dinner to finish the mural.

Check out the pics on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=209877&id=563845780

All of that with a hurt foot :p guess what I spent most of the next Monday worrying over? Lol..
By this time, I had two days (ish) to finish my application. While at the same time trying to figure out if my brother can visit me for the MuKappa Goat Roast (Easter weekend at Lake o’ the Pines), and organize a way to pick up my friend Jennifer from the airport on Friday before going to the Lake, and this and that and everything in between. I only had the essay questions left to work on, but they were getting VERY annoying to finish!

BUT! I was successful! I completed the entire online application on Thursday, April 1st. Including getting copies of my passport, transcripts, and certification form (with yet MORE signatures and even a SEAL this time too!) faxed to Australia. In fact, by 1pm that day I received an email from ASC saying that they had received EVERYTHING for my application and that they would notify my on the 19th…

……………………………………

So… It’s Sunday that I’m posting this… (even though I think I started it on Friday.. :p) about a day until I receive the acceptance/rejection letter. I’m so fricking nervous I don’t think I’ll be able to check my email at all on Monday! I literally have EVERYTHING riding on getting accepted to ASC. I haven’t even looked or thought about what classes I would take at Letu if I’m not accepted. I actually don’t think I will come back next semester. I’m thinking that I will stay with my grandma for a semester in Arlington and work on making a “home” there to actually go home to over the breaks. (See blog entry “Home… or lack thereof” (http://pyxieprincess.blogspot.com/2009/03/home-or-lack-thereof.html) it explains everything about home…) I’ll probably take art classes at the University of Texas in Arlington. My grandma or uncle can drive me there, so I’ll commute instead of live in yet another dorm. And I won’t be full-time, so I can get a job as well. (Hopefully :p possibly at the Container Store… they already have my job application actually… the only reason I didn’t go to the job interview is because I was having my wisdom teeth removed that same day :p gotta love scheduling, eh? [don’t you DARE call me a Canadian for saying that. I say it ALL the time, and I picked it up from my AUSTRALIAN friends, NOT my Canadian ones :P]).

So that’s my plan if ASC doesn’t happen. But OH MY GOSH… I’m literally putting everything on the line for this… I could just up and transfer to another school… At Liberty I’d get a free ride. Ouachita Baptist, where my brother Steven is, is cheaper and I got the same financial aid as I got from Letu. I could also go to JBU, where I’d get a lot more financial aid, or I can go to UTA. *shrugs* however, I’d probably change my major to something along the lines of graphic design or something more artistic than my English major (Digital Writing, which is not really developed AT ALL! I’m still trying to figure out why I’m sticking with a major of gen ed classes…). However, with a change of major and transfer, I’d have to repeat at least one year. IF I’m lucky…

So ya.. that’s the whole thought process behind going to Australia next semester.. well, most of it.. there are some parts of it that are NOT going online, because they are personal matters/issues, and there are others involved who, I’m sure, would rather remain nameless, at least, or even better not even part of it. *shrugs* that’s life. Whayagondoboutit? (Translation: what are you going to do about it). But that is most of it. Now I just have to patiently wait until Monday… and check my email many, many, many times that day.. or don’t check it at all until night time… but that would probably drive me crazy. I think what I’ll do is check my email, and when one comes in from ASC, I’ll have my roommate Summer Brown or someone close to me read it and tell me what it says…

For those of you who actually read this entire blog entry, KUDOS!!! And THANK YOU very much for dealing with my ramblings :p yes, I get very long-winded sometimes. And honestly this is the first time that I’ve ever put any of this down to words… so it’s been a challenge for me to write it all as well. (well, technically I TYPED it up.. and I type much faster than I write.. so perhaps not quite as long as I could have taken…) But ya! Please pray for me today and tomorrow as I wait expectantly for the email and act paranoid about being accepted or not. Also, PLEASE keep checking in on me on this blog. Whether I go to ASC or not, I plan to be updating this blog to let people know what’s going on. (I have the tendency when leaving a place to “shake the dust off my feet and wash my hands of people, looking on to the next/new horizon.” I don’t want to abandon my friends at Letu (and others around the world who may also be reading this!) so this is part of my way to keep up with you guys. The link to this blog is on my Facebook profile, so click on it and stuff… if I haven’t updated this in a week, then PLEASE bug me on facebook and tell me to get my rear in gear and update this! I really want to keep up with my blog this time, so please help me by badgering me ^_^

I think that’s all I have to say for now… it is now 2:22am on Sunday morning… (and I’m pretty sure I started writing this Friday afternoon) Josh Groban is playing on my iTunes, and it’s putting me to sleep.. so I think I shall leave it at that.. or, as my good friend Nicole Amper used to say… “Sleep calls my name in the distance, beckoning me to join it in its adventures in la-la land… I must join it… Goodnight.”

Main Character ^^,

A single travel-weary horse and rider trotted down the moonlit road. It was a well-traveled highway, but not within the Sarcoranian rule and, therefore, not paved. The night was quiet, except for the sound of hooves thudding a measured cadence, the jingle of harness and bridle, and the occasional snore from the cloaked and sleeping rider. Despite the clear, moonlit night, it was impossible to distinguish any discernible features on the rider's face. He was slumped in his saddle with the cowl of his cloak obscuring most of his face, snoring, and obviously completely unaware of his surroundings. The night seemed peaceful enough--until a gang of five bandits burst from the trees lining the road. The two bandits on horses hurried to cut off the sleeping traveler from the front and behind. Meanwhile, the remaining three on foot converged on either side, attempting to pull him from the saddle. They were unpleasantly surprised to discover that their quarry was no longer asleep--nor groggy as most people are when they have just woken up.
Before any of the bandits could react, the two on the rider's right side fell away clutching daggers in their throats. The mounted bandit from behind drew his rusty short sword and rushed forward to the aid of his dying companions. The traveler, however, was faster, and punched the bandit in the face before the rusty sword posed any real threat. Being too stunned and concerned with his broken nose to notice, the bandit couldn't stop the traveler from seizing his rusty blade and slicing the head off of the bandit to the rider's left. Then the rider whipped around to ran the blade through its previous owner. The traveler left the rusty blade stuck in its owner and drew his own blade which had been hidden under his cloak. This blade was neither rust-splotched nor short. It was a curiously curved saber and razor sharp. The remaining bandit, seeing his comrades die before his eyes within seconds of each other, took one terrified look at his quarry-turned-threat before wheeling his horse around and galloping down the road.
The traveler chuckled grimly before kicking his horse into a gallop in pursuit. Though travel-weary, the traveler's horse was in better condition and of better breeding than the bandit's. Needless to say, the traveler caught up to the bandit easily. Swinging his sword in an arc, he sliced the bandit deeply across the ribs. The wound was deep, but not deep enough to kill immediately. The injured bandit slumped forward, and promptly fell off his still-galloping horse. The victorious rider grabbed the bandit-horse's reins before it galloped away. The rider dismounted from his own horse to quiet the bandit-horse. Satisfied that it was calmed, the rider walked it to a nearby tree and tethered it there. His own mount wandered to the grass to graze. The rider had no fear of his mount running off.
Turning from the now-grazing mounts, the traveler strode to the dying bandit. With the full moon bright overhead, it was easy to see every feature of the dying man's hard face. It was still impossible, however, for the bandit to see his killer's face. The killer knelt down on one knee and gazed into the dying man's eyes. Saying nothing, the rider pushed back his hood to reveal--.
"A woman?" the bandit gasped wetly. His eyes practically bulged out of his sockets at the sight of this woman who just defeated his band of criminals easily.
The woman smiled. "Very perceptive, aren't you. When you're dying that is. Didn't expect a woman when you first attacked, did you now?" The bandit struggled to speak, to curse, to scream, to utter anything intelligible, but could only gurgle blood in reply. "Next time," the woman went on, "you'll think a little more before you decide to attack anyone on the road, won't you? Or perhaps not, since that gash will kill you before anyone finds you." She stared menacingly into her victim's eyes before shaking her head in resigned disgust at the bandit's stupidity before rising to her feet. She resolutely turned her back on the still-dying man and collected the two mounts. With a few soft-spoken words, the mounts followed her gentle tug on the reins peacefully.
"Are you really just going to let him die like that, Logan?" asked a deep voice from nowhere. The victor of the skirmish, Logan, glared at her mount as if he had voiced the question.
"What are you now, my conscience?" Her voice was a rich mezzo-soprano, tinged with a bit of frustration. "Of course i'm going to let him die. he and his pitiful band attacked us first, remember? Intending to kill. Why shouldn't i leave him for dead? Besides, I really hate bandits." Her mount said nothing, only stopped and stared fixedly at Logan, as if refusing to budge an inch until she changed her mind.
Groaning in exasperation at her self-righteous mount, Logan released the talking mount's reins to pull back her arm and turned as if to throw something in the dying bandit's direction. She uttered three quiet words and launched a fireball. The bandit became a pile of ashes in an instant. A stout wind conveniently picked up the ashes and scattered them so that no trace was left of the bandit, not even his blood.
Logan exhaled heavily, quieted her new horse, then glared at her stubborn steed. "There. Are you happy now?" And with that, she and her two mounts walked back to the other dead bodies. Logan retrieved and cleaned her daggers before sheathing them up her sleeves, took whatever food or money the bandits had, and collected the other bandit's horse. She threw off the flea-infested saddles and the worn saddlebags. She distributed her own packs and gear evenly between the three horses before tying the two bandit horses to a lead string. With that done, Logan mounted her own horse and continued riding in the direction she was going originally.
From the moon's position, Logan knew she should stop to sleep after an hour or two more of travel. She kicked the horses into an easy canter and the night was once again quiet and peaceful.
"Idiotic, stubborn, self-righteous brute," Logan cursed at her mount.

Catherine...

Catherine watched the docking ships with interest. Unless she was mistaken, that ship, the Vella, would be putting back out to sea as soon as the new wares were loaded, if the weather agreed. Catherine had spent the last few days scouting out the area, listening in wherever she could of possible shipments coming in and going out. The economy was good these days, and this new delicacy, "chocolate," was becoming very popular with the high-born ladies. Shipments of the sweet brown dessert were going out in the boat-loads! From her sources, Catherine knew that Vella would most likely be taking out a shipment of this "chocolate" in the next few days. The weather seemed like it would hold out until then at least, and the chocolate was already here and waiting to be shipped. The crew would only get a one or two days rest, mayhap, before setting out again with the next tide.
As a rich merchant's daughter, Catherine had to know the workings of hiring a ship and how long said ship would be in port. To improve on her school lessons though, Catherine would sneak off to the docks to watch the loading and unloading of ships since she was five. Her mother, of course, would never have approved of this if she had ever known.
Unfortunately for Catherine, she wasn't a rich merchant's daughter anymore. If she were a rich merchant's daughter, she'd be escorted by at least two armed guards. No wealthy parent would ever let their daughter of marrying age wander about the city alone. However Catherine was alone--alone and in a dark alley at the wharfs, hiding behind a barrel of what smelled like rotting fish. If the smell wasn't enough to keep people away, her appearance more than made up for it. Her once-fine clothing was in tatters. Her skirt sported no less than three patches, some already ripping larger holes in the dirty garment. Her bodice showed signs of being white at one time or another but was now gray from dirt. There were also scorch marks scattered all over the bodice. Catherine's hair, which normally draped in beautiful curls down her back, was now extremely frizzy and disheveled. It also smelled strongly of smoke. To further scare anyone away, Catherine had so much soot and dirt on her face that she resembled a raccoon more than a human being!
Truly, to any passersby, Catherine was nothing more than some harmless but unfortunate girl whose house went up in flames--that, or she had slept with the pigs on more than one occasion. Her disguise, although purely by happenstance, was perfect for being ignored. Perfect enough to get her onto a ship if she was careful enough. All she had to do was sneak on board and stay hidden until they put out to sea. After a couple of days it should be safe to emerge, if she wasn't found out sooner. The worst they could do is throw her overboard, but surely, her being a lady and all, they'd at least send her back in a rowboat with a day's food and provisions, right?
Wrong
Catherine had finally come to terms with her situation: she was screwed. Utterly and totally screwed. There was no way the captain of Vella would leave his ship unguarded at night. Nor would Catherine know where to hide. She'd never been on a ship before in her life! How was she to find a good hiding place for a couple of days and not starve in the hiding? She had no money to buy her own food, or even for a decent bath at the cheapest bathhouse in the city!
No. the only way Catherine could get on the Vella would be to somehow convince the captain that he needed her on his shop or that she could she could pay upon arrival. Both ideas seemed impossible, however. Since sailors were superstitious, they would never allow Catherine on their ship because she was a woman. The second idea could never happen. It was obvious that Catherine didn't have anyone waiting for her wherever she was going. All she had were the clothes on her back and the signet ring hanging from a leather cord around her neck. The ring was all she had of monetary value, but it was worth so much more to her: it was her lifeline, her only chance of survival. If she were to give up her ring for passage, how would she ever find the ring's true owner once she reached Sarcorannis? No one would believe her without the ring as proof. No even her father.

Something new..

The bedraggled man stumbled down the dimly lit street. He was an average-looking street thug, about 20 years of age. He had dark brown hair, drenched in the deluge of pouring rain. He was about five feet and ten inches, but at the moment our brute was doubled over, clutching a bleeding side. His brown eyes were bloodshot and hazy with fever, his breathing haggard. The thug collapsed against the nearest wall on the shop lined street.
I'm such a fool," he whispered with his last breath. With that, his tired bloodshot eyes closed in a semblance of terrorized sleep.

The eyes opened slowly to a dark silhouette, framed by bright, blurry lights. The injured brute started to rise, but the silhouette solidified into a dark haired woman with blue eyes and rosy cheeks. "No, no, Mister. We can't have you trying to be up and about just yet." She smiled happily as she pushed the patient back onto the bed.
"Where am I?" he asked, wearily raising his hand tp to feel his bandaged crown.
The nurse-lady gently seized his wrist and easily forced his arm back to his side before drawing the covers up to the patient's chin. "You took quite a nasty blow to your head," she replied, obviously ignoring the man's question. "You'll have to remain here for a few days, I'm afraid. Where are you from?" She smiled so brightly her eyes crinkled up and almost disappeared. "Can you remember anything?"
The man simply stared at her, then closed his eyes as if in pain. "Blustovia. I'm from Blustovia. Where am I now?"
"Well that can't be true! You have the look of a Lystrian about you. Now how can you claim to be Blustovian? Everyone knows that Blustovian men all have beards and brown weathered skin from the harsh weather conditions. No, surely not," she chattered on. "You must be Lystrian. Your skin is so fair and soft. And your face shows no signs of a beard! Now how can anyone claim to be Blustovian if they don't have a beard?"
That was it. He'd had enough. The injured -- and now more than slightly frustrated -- man sat up so quickly that he started the nattering nurse off her stool. "Don't you ever shut up, you blabbering fool? I'm an injured man who just survived a near death experience and all you can think to do is tell me why I can't be Blustovian? By the gods, woman! What kind of an idiot are you? You won't even tell me where I am! Is there anything in that thick skull of yours other than nonsense!"
The nurse was on the floor cowering now, tears leaking from her eyes and her hand brought up as if to shield herself from her patient's cruel words. The patient was also feeling light-headed after his outburst. Perhaps he should have listened to the fool woman's nattering and staying lying down?
The man sighed and looked at his empty hands now lying in his lap. He looked over at the still cowering nurse. "Look," he begam more gently than before. "I'm sorry I frightened you, but could you please tell me where I am and what day it is?"
"It's the 24th of March. And you're in Cratanya's House of Healing," a new, stronger and sterner voice answered from the doorway. It belonged to a middle-aged woman in white healer's robes. She was very formidable-looking, and not one to be trifled with. "If you ever frighten one of my staff again I will take it out of your hide after healing you and then send you out into the streets with nothing but the clothes on your back. Maybe not even that much. You should be grateful Talia has been caring for you. She found you almost dead and dragged you here herself in the dead of night. She's even using her own pay to take care of you!"
The man was stunned. He looked at the nurse on the floor, not cowering anymore, but looking more than a little embarrassed. Then he looked back at the woman standing in the doorway. His gaze shifted between them a few times before lowering his eyes down to his hands. "I'm sorry," he mumbled in a quiet voice. "I owe you women my life, and I have not treated you kindly. You have taken very good care of me, but I have returned your kindness with cruelty and impatience. Please forgive me."
Silence.
"It's -- it's alright," Talia began. "You've had a terrible accident, or lost in a fight. Of course you'd be disoriented. I can't help talking so much. Does your head hurt -- from hearing my babble?"
Talia looked at the man with such pure eyes that he could not refuse to smile and please her.
"No, I feel fine. Thank you."
"Well!" harrumphed the white-robed woman. "At least you havesome manners. I am Tinka, and I run this establishment. What is your name?"
"Kanal. My name is Kanal Westpoint."

Trent ch 4

Chapter Four

The rhythmic sound of hammer striking metal rang through the forge. The hard rain drops plopping on the roof muffled the monotonous clanging slightly, but if you stood right by the walls you could hear it clearly.
Trent was busy at the forge, making new swords for her shop. There hadn’t been any special orders lately, but since she enjoyed making swords most of all, she would always make one when there was free time. This one would be rather plain looking, but one of her strongest. Using one of her spells for metal strengthening and a special way of heating the metal, Trent would make sure this sword would never break, or chip, or lose its edge. She was still deciding what to do about the cross-guard—if she should fashion an ornamental one out of iron, gold, or silver, or if she should just make a plain guard. Perhaps just a plain one—to emphasize the plain appearance. But she would definitely have to make an inscription, with runes, Yaman, or Scanran. No. Maybe that would be too much.
“Oi! Miss Trent!” a young, uncouth voice hissed outside Trent’s windows. “I needs to speak to ya.”
Trent’s thoughts and her hammer abruptly stopped in mid-swing. “Who’s there?” She looked up from her work and scanned the room quickly with her eyes. There! At the near window. There was a tiny bit of movement. With this heavy rain and it being this late already, too late for people to be calling, it only meant one thing.
Thieves.
She put down hammer, tongs, and sword blade, and walked softly towards the back window. She pushed it open, ignoring the cold wind and wet that sprayed onto her face and leather apron and that chilled her bare limbs after the forge blaze’s heat, to see who was calling.
She thrust the window open so swiftly that she startled the boy outside. He jumped at least a foot—he was so skinny, it was no wonder he could jump so high, light as he was—at least a foot back out into the pouring rain. He gulped. “It’s me, Miss. Rat,” he said as he stepped quickly back under the roof’s cover from the rain.
“What do you want Rat? I’ve a sword I need to finish before it’s ruined, and I can’t have your kind around here too long or I’ll start losin’ customers,” she said gruffly.
“It’s real impor’ent. Honest, Miss.”
Trent studied him with a scrutinizing eye. Rat was around ten or twelve years old, with red hair, at least when it wasn’t as muddy as it is now. His clothes were also muddy, and torn; there was blood trickling down one of his knees, from his nose, and his eye was blackened as well. From at least a day ago, she guessed. Something must be amiss. Normally, when Rat was surprised—and that wasn’t often—he would scowl, then grumble as he trotted forward to his former stance. But he hadn’t this time. He seemed, humble. Begging almost. But she still had to be wary of him. Not only was Rat one of the best pick-pockets of the entire Rogue, he was also the best Player and could act like a professional.
“The last time you said that, Rat,” she finally, “it was a cat that you had found and didn’t know how to get rid of. And then I had to take it into my shop, bathe it—”
“It’s the King, Miss. He’s sick.”
That stopped Trent in mid-word. “How long?”
“Three days. No change a’ tall, and our own mages can’t find what’s wrong.”
Trent stood there for about a minute, thinking, while Rat shifted nervously from foot to foot in the pouring rain.
She knew he was telling the truth, but it wasn’t the whole truth. Trent could tell easily whenever people were lying to her, no matter how well they could act, or how long she had known them. But if he is battered this much, and it’s been three days, something must be wrong in the Rogue as well. The Rogue’s mages were very good healers, able to cure the common cold easily, as well as dealing with pestilence often enough to keep plagues from starting in the sewers. But if they couldn’t find any natural reason for the Rogue King’s sickness, there was only one thing left: poison.
The Rogue’s mages were almost as good as the palace healers, actually. And so it wouldn’t take them three days, even if it was a poison they’d never encountered before. They must have fought whether or not to ask for help, after finding they couldn’t cure it themselves. It looks like Rat’s side lost, but he came anyway.
Finally she answered him: “Wait.”
“Ivan!” she called, poking her head into the store where he was closing up. “I have to go out. There’s a rat problem again.”
Ivan looked up from the fireplace he had just smothered. He heard her emphasis on ‘rat’ and nodded without a blinking, immediately understanding where she needed to go, and that she’d be gone for a while. “I’ll take care of things here for a while. Until you come back, Lass. Send someone if you need anything, and I’ll send whatever it is you need back with him. I don’t want to know where they live, but I’ll help if you’re helping.”
“Thanks, Ivan.” She turned to go back into the workshop and up the stairs when she remembered her promise to her uncles. “Ivan. Will you explain to Neal and Merric if I’m not back by lunch tomorrow?”
“Of course, Lass. I’ll take care of it.”
She nodded briefly, then ran up the stairs.

After fifteen minutes of winding their way through the busy rainy streets, Trent finally pulled Rat up short by the collar.
“Rat. I already know the way into the Court of Thieves. All this is doing is costing your king precious time to live. So I suggest we stop going in circles and go to the court. Now.”
Rat gulped and nodded. He turned back to the city and looked around at the lampposts. “The quickest entrance is over here,” he said, and walked into the nearest tavern.
It was a clean and orderly sort of inn—not the kind you would expect to find the King of the Rogue hiding in. But this is where Trent had come before—on accident, actually—on her way home from the market one time when the weather had turned bad. The rain had turned to hail, and wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, so Trent got a room for the night. Everything was going fine until one of the normal customers tried to get friendly with her while attempting to steal her money purse.
She retaliated, of course, slicing him across the chest with one of her many hidden daggers, then pressed the blade to his neck. The only problem was the man’s unexpected armsmen. Unfortunately, the man she was threatening was the King of Thieves.
Lucky for Trent, he took the whole fiasco as a joke! He introduced himself, and his men that had been holding swords to her throat, and invited her to sup with him. He even offered to pay for her rent as well! She refused of course, but when she got home the next day she found all the money she had paid for room and food in neat stacks on her dresser.
Since that day the King of the Rogue and Trent became fast friends. She would never help him in his crimes and he knew that. And as long as his schemes didn’t affect her, she felt no reason to alert the authorities.