<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/4/4f/Image084.jpg)</div>So this was what an elf was like in her native habitat.<br/><br/>Hanna had met a handful of elves before, often wanderers and explorers, but many had taken to human customs and patterns.  Did all elves dress so beautifully?  Perhaps Hanna should consider doing the same, at least for days when such clothes wouldn't chafe against her mail.<br/><br/>Nevertheless, she offered a smile and wave of greeting to the elf.  "I'm Hanna.  Nice to meet you."<br/><br/>The mention of a spoon brought a simple nod from Hanna.  "Gold armor and weaponry are seriously overrated.  My grandfather had to make a set of golden plate mail, and he said it was practically worthless in an actual fight.  Unless it's enchanted, I guess, but enchanting something means it's not really the object itself doing stuff, right?"<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The sight of the boat brought a smile to Hanna's face, not only because it meant the lack of walking, but because  she'd only gotten to ride on an actual boat a handful of times, and it was more a raft or a canoe than a big ship like this.<br/><br/>Once they settled in, she could see about removing her armor.  One thing she knew about being on a ship was that armor was a very bad idea; it was way too easy to go overboard, and then she wouldn't be able to swim with the weight of the mail.<br/><br/>Minyche's request to hear the story brought a sharp blush to Hanna's face, and she wasn't sure where to begin.  "Sure...Points?"  Her tone was definitely unsure this time, going along with the new introduction without really understanding the reason for the change.<br/><br/>It soon became clear, though, that she was horrific at story telling.  "So, um, there's this part of the coast that nobody goes to.  Things happen and people don't always come back.  So these skeletons came, and people didn't know what to do.  I got my armor, and Theo came also, and we went out and fought with them."  Her eyes drifted away.  "Theo didn't come back, though," she said, a sad memory but one that had been given time to heal.<br/><br/>Bards had no doubt told the story, but they had a habit of exaggerating.  Still, they sounded so much better than this humble fighter's attempt to give a recounting of the tale.  "Everyone was really happy," she added, then quickly amended, "but it was sad about Theo.  Just, they didn't think that either of us would make it back."<br/><br/>It was one of the things that bothered her whenever she had to think about it.  Theo had been just as brave; why wasn't he included by the bards?  Why did they claim that she went alone against a hundred when it had only been half a dozen?  Maybe if Theo had been the one with the chain mail, he'd be the one coming back and hearing all the stories.