"Thank you for helping him, Saul," Valla said with a warm smile. She would have liked to talk with Saul longer, but she didn't want to keep him from finishing the job on Tommy.<br/><br/>She headed to the breakfast fire, but Valla wasn't hungry. She took a small piece of meat and found a log to sit on, calling Bastion to her. He landed on her leg, his talons prickly on her bare thigh.<br/><br/>"Here you go, Bastion," she said, giving the meat to the bird. "You earned it."<br/><br/>Bastion snatched the piece of meat quickly and choked it down, seeming to enjoy it though he immediately returned to his normal indifferent state. Valla gently rubbed his head with her thumb as she stared at the camp in a contemplative mood. It had been a long night, and she hadn't slept well, though relief that Tommy was going to be okay made her feel good. She should probably work, there was always work to be done, but she just didn't feel like it. Not wanting anyone to see her sitting idle, she walked to the edge of camp.<br/><br/>What she really wanted was a bath. There was the pond, but you never knew who might stop by. There was the river, of course, but people often came by to fetch water, so again, no privacy.<br/><br/>Valla thought of Tommy's waterfall. She had spotted it briefly when she went aloft. It was simply upriver, no directions required as long as she stuck to the river. Valla paused, thinking of the monster from the night before. However, Tommy had slain it, and that had been at night. Valla was torn for a moment, really wanting to go.<br/><br/>She bit her lip and decided to brave it, she deserved it. She went to the river, taking her time, and began to follow it North. It was pleasant being out of the camp; the day was sunny and the island was actually quite beautiful, as long as she put out of her mind that she was trapped there.<br/><br/>She heard the fall before she saw it, and soon came upon the wide basin where the waterfall terminated and the river began. She stopped and stared, feeling the misty spray from the crashing water gently waft against her face. It felt so good, she closed her eyes and sighed.<br/><br/>"Stay here, Bastion. Keep an eye out for monsters, please," she said to her raven who sat perched in a tree.<br/><br/>Valla gently peeled her way out of the dress. It seemed a little of it tore every time she took it off and put it on, she wondered how much longer the garment would last. Stripping to her skin, she folded the dress and laid it on a rock. Valla stood naked for a moment, her ivory skin glistening with the fall's spray. She stepped into the water, feeling the cold on her toes, then stepped in more boldly.<br/><br/>She sank to her neck, waving her arms slowly in the coolness. The waterfall roared, calling her, and she swam toward it. Holding onto a rock, she climbed to her feet, stepping closer to the falling water. At its outskirts the water cascaded around her but didn't pound, and she stood running her fingers through her hair as the fall drenched her. Valla sighed, closing her eyes and staring blindly up at the water, luxuriating for the moment.<br/><br/>(http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/200404920-002.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=31D8FB54DE31AA50F203B059910CF9CB2A1ACC9A5B658D5634350E153CC2C13900123AA3B5A18ED0)