[Valan Quinn]

“The voice of reason? More like the voice of shrew…” mumbled Valan, careful not to say it loud enough to be heard.

Although Valan figured that it was burdensome for Elmaryia to bear the weight of his staggering walk, he didn’t care much. The suns were out, the birds were chirping, and he was feeling good. Tired, but good. He couldn’t help but whistle as they walked through the streets of Archadoon at their snails pace, taking breaks to occasionally stare or yell at attractive passerbys.

“Your dog?” Valan responded, puzzled. He looked down and grinned at the small canine. “Oi, what’s your name, fella?”

It wasn’t long, but longer than it should have been, until the pair arrived at Elmaryia’s home. Valan was tired to begin with, but was exponentially more so after climbing what seemed to be an impossibly large staircase. It was perhaps only one or two moments within the room that Valan sprinted straight for the bed. Jumping on top of it like a schoolboy whose pretending to be asleep, he laid straight back, placing his hands behind his head. “Mine? Valan. Valan Quinn.” He yawned. “You. Do you have a last name, Elmaryia?”