"I feel like I'm about to give a lore dump about my favorite series." Walter said with a grin and shifted to sit a little bit more comfortably.

Isaac winced. "Walter, we talked about this."

Walter momentarily hitched. "Oops, sorry."

"The theory is interesting but only to people who believe that the divine system that governs levels and classes can change over time. There are no surviving records of a time when there were only four classes. I checked." Philia cut in before Walter could send them down a rabbit hole. "The short of it is that I am a tri-class who ended at the same-ish point as a mono-classed ranger."

"You've just left me with more questions about the system itself." Isaac replied.

"One topic at a time." Lenna said to get them back on track. "What about your names?"

Philia nodded. "Of course." She agreed with getting back onto the topic at hand. "Occasionally a new light elven surname is created because of a grand feat. One of my ancestors, Jen was his name, killed a dryad. Dryads sometimes stray from the path of 'helpful forest spirit' and onto the path of 'tyrannical collector of beautiful things'. He was the one chosen to do the deed as he was a ranger and the one most likely to kill her without receiving a curse in return. They were wrong."

"So he was turned into an ash tree?" Isaac wondered.

"Yes and no." Philia replied. "Utilizing his knowledge of life, nature, and a boon from a witch, he managed to isolate the curse and keep it from spreading. A transformation that should've taken three agonizing days was nearly halted. He was forced to retire, where he met a painter. They married each other, fell in love, and had a child. Before they could have a second, the curse had spread too far to, well, you know." Philia cleared her throat. "The curse that should've claimed him in three days was somehow pushed back to three centuries. On the day that marked the third full century since he had slain the dryad and become cursed, he died and finished his transformation into a tree. His descendant was given the surname Ashborne in honor of his father who had borne the weight of the curse of ash long enough to have and raise him."

"But your name isn't Ashborne, it's Ash'Walker." Isaac said with furrowed brows and then looked at Walter with a raised eyebrow.

"Philia, uh, how do I put this…" Walter stammered.

"Needed my father to stop being an asshole about my lack of a mate and thus the impossibility of him having any grandchildren." Philia very bluntly expressed. She then sighed. "It wasn't just him, as the heiress of the family, everyone who had business dealings with the businesses we own, and all of the politics related garbage, required at least an assurance of a next generation."

"After listening to her rant about all the old folks for literal years on end…" Walter added before Philia picked it back up.

"He grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me so hard I thought my eyes were going to fall out of my head and then said:" She added as much exasperation into her features and voice as she could. "Just marry somebody! Anybody! You don't actually have to mate with them godsdamnit!" Philia then burst into laughter. "It was the first time he had ever actually yelled at me, and it caught me so off guard I just asked him if he was offering himself up as a worthy sacrifice."

"Officially, we have been married for…" Walter's voice trailed off as he started counting in whispers by tens on his fingers.

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"Walter, I'll never forgive you if you've forgotten our anniversary. It was the best day of my life, you know." Philia teased him. "I got two whole decades of total peace and quiet before people started asking questions like: Where is your mate? Why haven't we seen him?"

Walter waved her down. "I think I got it." He told her. "Seventy four years?"

Philia smirked. "Seventy five on the first of the year." She agreed. "Look at you remembering a date for the first time in your life."

"Ouch." Walter said and grabbed his heart as if he'd been shot. "Probably deserved, but ouch."

Philia looked at Isaac and Lenna with total seriousness. "He's forgotten more of my birthdays than the ones he's remembered. We've been friends for one hundred and thirty years, give or take a few."

Isaac and Lenna shared a look and then both turned back to the pair sitting across from them. "Are you sure you two didn't pretend the whole way into an actual marriage?" Isaac questioned them.

"It certainly looks that way from here." Lenna agreed.

Philia looked like she was trying not to laugh and Walter just shrugged. "There are two main reasons why I do not think that is possible." Philia began. "The first is that Walter has already mated with someone else." She said with an ever so slight bristle. "And the second is that he is a great friend but only if you accept the fact that sometimes he just disappears for an unknown and extended amount of time. That habit of vanishing makes having that kind of relationship with him extremely difficult."

"You really dropped the ball on this one." Isaac told Walter who just winced.

"Yeah…" Walter agreed. "Though, the mating with a human thing didn't happen until after our fake wedding. She was just so uninterested in a relationship that I just left. She could use me as a shield even if I wasn't around so that left me to go and continue my craft. I traveled a good chunk of the world, built crazy new things, fought things even crazier, and saw sights that people can only dream of."

Isaac gave Philia a raised eyebrow expecting her to comment something or another but she just shook her head. "We've already had this conversation. He came to see me thirty years ago, after all of that, and we talked about all of this." She explained. "Trying to play matchmaker or couple's therapist is kind of you, but ultimately unnecessary." She shot Isaac and Lenna down directly. It was a shame though because they complimented each other well and obviously got along quite well.

It was Isaac's turn to shrug. "It was worth a shot. Most people deserve to be happy and have someone to share that happiness with."

"You heard that somewhere." Walter poked.

"I did n- -damn you." Isaac swore and winced in pain. The words weren't exactly the same but they were close enough to something that he had forgotten that once Walter had pointed it out his brain had gone looking for that connection and found one that was entirely inaccessible.

"Now, I know you two are in a rush, but Copper really needs a day or two off. We've made great time through the forest, and everything from here to the capital should be well traveled but mostly empty roads." Walter explained. "Not to mention everything's muddy right now. There're also the two Silent Stalker hides that'll need traded for tanned ones, and then I'll be able to get to work on a cloak that'll help keep Lenna from clanking around so much."

"I don't clank around." Lenna said defensively before she looked to Isaac for confirmation.

"You don't, compared to any other knight in full plate armor, no." Isaac replied diplomatically. She was generally about as loud as a normal adventurer that did not specialize in stealth but was wearing light armor that was designed with stealth in mind. She could sneak up on unsuspecting people from time to time but animals were an entirely different story.

"So you'll be staying until the new moon?" Philia questioned. "Starting or continuing on an adventure during a new moon is bad luck."

"Philia, it literally rains everywhere I go." Walter told her flatly.

"Still, wait until the day after the new moon to leave. That's three days and that poor old horse looked like she could use it and a good wash." She countered.

Walter looked over at Isaac and Lenna. "Copper needs a full day at a minimum but I would prefer two to four days of rest for the old girl. We're only three days away from the capital at the speed we've been going." He explained. "Gypsy knows the way but, if I'm being honest, I don't know how good of an idea it is for her to get that far from me, or for you to enter the capital without an escort."

"Do you know what kind of condition the Fatebreaker is in?" Isaac asked Philia.

"He's waiting until the end of spring to pass on. He was born in the spring and wants to see the city bloom once more before he dies." Philia explained. "At least that is what my mother told me."

"Her mother is a court alchemist for the royal family." Walter explained. "She does it more like a hobby, but when you've lived that long, I guess there isn't really a point in pushing yourself too hard."

Philia nodded. "Father stopped by to visit him a few times recently and he told me that mother's potions are why he is still here. She's been feeding him almost pure soul soothing medicine for every meal."

"Do you think he'll make it until spring is over?" Walter questioned incredulously.

Philia nodded. "Of that I am sure. If the Fatebreaker doesn't wish to pass on, then he won't, it is just a matter of how much pain and how conscious he is. Father did say that it seemed like he was waiting for something other than the spring blooms." She told them and then turned to look directly into Isaac's eyes. "Who knows, maybe he's waiting for you."

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