Submission (#3549) Approved

Now that he could finally be out and about, Darcy stuffed his belongings into his robes and sauntered downstairs. The aroma of good food filled the tavern as it always had, lifting his spirits for the coming journey. He would, of course, miss the place, but he had work to do and people to see.

After ordering some dumplings, he sat down to relax with a cup of tea between his hands. Eyes following the bits of leaves at the bottom, wondering what his fortune would be for that day. He hoped it would be a good one, at least, the good luck would do with everyone now emerging from the dispersing miasma.

The dumplings and tea were devoured, the leaves forgotten but hinting at some interesting adventures ahead if Darcy had just peered in. He was too excited about meeting new people filtering into the lands of Zevija. So, he paid for his meal and hopped off, ready to start the day.

The trail was long, winding through some of the caverns and volcanic rocks. Pathways had become less traveled, flora encroaching onto the less traveled footpaths. Darcy was a bit annoyed considering he could hardly see the road in some spots but figured they'd return now that traffic would pick back up. At least, he hoped so.

The little moth faenin traveled to the edge of the region where it kissed the lands of Kyendi, the river flowing in toward Silveil. The mountains always provided a nice view of two lands -- the rolling hills of Faerindell in the far distance and the floating islands misted by the clouds of Kyendi as Zevija loomed in the background behind him. Darcy had his favorite spots, of course, some open to the most visitors -- this time he wanted to sit in a lesser-known spot just in case. The roads were a bit disheveled after all, so he wanted to make sure any travelers new to this region weren't going to get lost.

Would not be good to fall into a volcanic vent!

A stone marker sat at the edge of the region, moss clinging to the ancient cracks. Darcy could tell this statue hadn't seen any TLC in some time, so while he waited, he figured he could touch it up a bit. What would the visitors think if everything was so messy?

So, he set to work, carefully sweeping the dirt and leaves that had accumulated on the base and cracks. Darcy would leave the moss, it was a plant just living its life and it made the statue more charming, he thought. He would gather some water from the river down the way to wash some of the grime off in places that were vacant of moss. The pathway was taken care of as well, Darcy sweeping up a little bit with a bushel of leaves he collected. He didn't have a proper broom so this was the best he could manage. For a few hours, he took care of the border so he could welcome guests whenever they came.

He felt accomplished; the entrance he spent so much time cleaning was looking inviting already! First impressions were important after all, Darcy knew all too well working in this kind of business. Now that everything was clean, he sat up next to the statue and relaxed for a little while until someone came along that needed a guide into the wonderful land of Zevija. He breathed in deeply, feeling the fresh air drifting in from Kyendi mixing with the humid air was refreshing. Perhaps he would take a nap while waiting; all that hard work cleaning up the area was exhausting!

And he hoped the statue was pleased as well.