Lost Need Be Found

JP with Alexis and Gonyaul:

Alexis watched Gonyaul enthusiastically speed away, presumably to deliver his letter.
She shook her head. There seemed to be no darkening his sunny disposition.

She went back to the clean up, thoughts turning towards her next steps. She wasn’t really in the best condition, but she didn’t want to wait too long. So she‘d probably see to gather some provisions and leave as soon as possible.
Honestly, she didn’t feel she had any right to ask the remaining Odonine wether they could grant her free passage. Worst case scenario, she‘d just have to do without.

Of course she‘d have to tell her companions - they hadn’t discussed plans yet.

It wasn’t long before Gonyaul could be seen walking back to where he had left Alexis. He searched for Voah and did not find her, failing to realize she was holding a private audience with Tarmen. Therefore, he left his letter to her inside her tent where she would easily find it. There was a spring in his step, romance supercharged him.

Returning to Alexis, Gonyaul smiled. His whole countenance was similar to that of an adorable puppy that wasn’t able to stop its little tail from wagging its body.

“I place letter so she find.” He gave an update, since she was part of the process.

On his way over he had been thinking of their future and thought it was as good a time, as any, to get into a conversation about it.

“Alexis, we no need be here no more right?” He gestures around them at Aquilo.

“Agreed. Not much more we can do here.”

Alexis put away the debris she had collected from the devastated forge.

“I want to go collect the others from the valley. Not quite sure how to best go about it yet.”

Gonyaul moved closer and eagerly affirmed her comment. He was of like mind.

“I want find them too.”

He crossed his arms thinking. “Need permissions? But no care. Lost need be found.”

“If need be without permission, yes.”

She gave him a solemn look.

“What about Voah, though?”

Alexis threw a kink in his rather simplistic plan. He arched a brow,

“Be nice she come too, please?”

In his mind, he didn’t even think that she may not be able to come due to arbiter duties. Gonyaul was used to being free as the wind itself, going when and where needed. He legitimately thought if they all agreed she would want to come along.

“You might want to confirm that with her. She is duty bound to the church and has already been missing for days. She might not be free to go.”

Alexis calmly explained.

Gonyaul paused. He had not thought about that. He sighed, confused, because he sometimes sensed Voah’s role in this church complicated her life in ways she didn’t enjoy.

“I talk with her.”

He agreed he had no right or authority to speak for her. After her last letter he was feeling confident she would go with them to look for Islana.

“But we go? So what I need get ready?”

“Provisions, mostly. Whatever travel equipment we can scrounge together. And in all honesty, I think I might need a full night’s sleep. Especially if we’re going without permission.”

Alexis was still weary to the bone and aching all over. It wouldn’t do to fall asleep on the horse.

Gonyaul clapped his hands together one time. “I get. Find things and you rest and sleep.”

He was ready to spring into action, “You want me make nice bed for you in tent?”

Alexis automatically wanted to answer that it was unnecessary - honestly at this point she could have fallen asleep on gravel.

But she realized she kept rebuking his offers to help, and while she had not a full grasp on his philosophy, she understood that his unending wish to help had some similarities to a code itself.

So instead she answered:

“That would be nice, thank you. Gonna finish what I started here, though.”

Gonyaul was very happy to hear her response. Normally Alexis resisted his offers, this was a rare occasion.

“Oh good, you do same work now as me. I let you help.” He smirked playfully and started doing what he saw her doing from a distance. He was going to help her get this done and then make her the most comfortable bedding he could muster.

“Hands and hands make work light.”