<div class="floatright">  <strong>Vanessë Istya</strong> (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1829727)<br/>(https://yt3.ggpht.com/a-/AAuE7mBViEXufNE3sOcr1sfm2PL7B4vFb6ocvHP9Cg=s240-mo-c-c0xffffffff-rj-k-no)</div>The lesson with Soveliss this morning had been particularly grueling.  Vanessë had just completed learning the twelfth routine of bladesinging just last week.  They formed the foundation of elvish art that combined martial, magical skill into a performative art where the practitioner sang her magic while weaving a balletic dance among her opponents.  The discipline of coordinating the mind and body in such a manner required intense focus and was extremely taxing; the elf maiden may have learned the movements and the songs, but she was by no means a master, and lacked sufficient control to imbue her singing with the full magical potency.  And her master demanded that she practice performing all twelve routines.  Back-to-back.  Non-stop.  Twice.<br/><br/><em>I wonder how many other apprentices need to take a bath after practice</em>, she mused as she stood to step out of the bathtub, and grabbed a towel to wrap around her slender figure.  Certainly, there were magical means to clean up afterwards, but she enjoyed the soothing effects of soaking in hot water.  Now if only she knew a spell to detangle and dry hair afterwards.<em>Oh well, that's what combs are for</em>, she sighed as she slid one through her long dark hair to work out the tangles.  Satisfied with that labor, she picked up a book that Allia had lent her to pass the time as her hair dried,<em>The Perils of Penelope Rosewhistler,</em>she furrowed her brow at the title,<em>Well I promised I'd let her know what I think of it</em>.<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/>Wearing only a simple dress, with a light shaw thrown around her shoulders to ward off the wind chill, Vanessë still managed to strike an elegant figure even with her nose buried in a book as she was often seen while walking.  Villagers awaiting to see her trip on the path or walk into a tree while doing so are still waiting, although she has stumbled and fallen over before from collisions with her book club friends.<br/><br/>She was still reading as she reached the market.  The story was also reaching a very colorfully described scene, causing her to blush with an, "oh my," as she quickly shut the book as if to prevent anyone else from seeing the text she had just read.  At that moment, she spied familiar blonde tresses belonging to a 3'8" bundle of enthusiasm weaving through the crowds.  The look she saw on Allia's face when she spotted her made the elf groan inwardly, wondering what scheme her halfling friend had come up with this time....