the darkest nights produce the brightest stars
Fennick nodded and committed the girl’s name to memory. Hestia. Easy enough. He glanced up at the sky, just for a moment. The sun was still high, but soon it would begin its descent. He ruffed his feathers gently on his back. It would be a long walk, or a short fly, home. He found the idea of a walk wasn’t onerous. There was something pleasant about ambling under the moon. At Hestia’s next words he snorted audibly.
“Yes, we mustn’t forget the bitterness of pine needles. I’ll take responsibility for that one, it wasn’t my best icebreaker, I’ll admit.” Fennick’s best icebreaker was still pretty bad. The fact that this one didn’t even make the top ten indicated how ghastly it really was. Perhaps, in time, Hestia would forgive him for their inauspicious meeting. Luckily, she asked about the one thing he could speak eloquently on.
“The Valley is doing very well. Demian is king, and his leadership has brought a lot of energy and life to the place. He and Eight just erected a rather impressive wall…” Fennick trailed off because “rather impressive” didn’t capture the essence of the Valley’s cosmic fire barrier. You couldn’t fly over it, you couldn’t tunnel under it, and only those with good intentions could cross without being burned. Luckily, Fennick had an all access pass. The brand beneath his left eye still burned occasionally. It was a cursive V with miniature dancing flames in it. Fennick thought it made him look like a badass.
He turned back to Hestia and looked at her questioningly.
“If you want, you could see how it fares for yourself. We’re recruiting, and we could use someone like you.” He tried to sound tempting, tantalizing, and most likely failed. But still, the message was delivered, and from here she could make her own decision.