Taalia Giovanni

Taalia smiled when she saw how, in the 45 minutes that she and Cestie had bene gone, Bella had turned on her charms and appeared like a maiden storyteller with a little circle of devotee's hanging onto her every word.

But, that was all the talking they were going to do for a while. For the following hours, Taalia and Bella sat quietly, listening and taking in Cestie's surprisingly complex and inter-connected history before he settled down to be the humble mechanic of a small, rural town. There was intrigue, wealthy nobles, family honor, regret and shame, out-of-wedlock children and fleeing ones problems to start anew in a distant land. Taalia enjoyed her tea, thanked Bella for the refreshment, and paid attention to the circle.

When it came time to finally encounter Cestie Senior, however, Taalia felt Maso's hands clasp hers and saw his other hold that of Bella's; they were his amulets of fortitude and courage to enter a re-union that was decades in the making.

Offering Maso a warm and reassuring smile as they stood at the base of the stairs, Taalia gestured forward for the man to proceed.