Far to the north, in a little village nestled in the hills, dawn is also breaking, the thin air making the sun look like a fresh fried egg, all bright and orange. In a small room at the top of a squat stone building, a young woman rises with the sun. Climbing out of bed she reaches her arms fro the blushing sky, letting out a deeply satisfied squeak at a good night's rest.

"Larsa!" calls a crotchety voice from down below. "Get down here. The shop won't open it's self! Lazy, good for nothing…"

"I'm coming!" the woman calls back, a smile on her face. Her feet dance across the cold stone floor and she dresses hurriedly in a simple brown linen dress as the cold pinches and pokes at her.

Soon enough though, she is down the stairs, black hair flying out behind, and into the small corridor between shop and ovens.

"Sorry Pedro," Larsa said, reaching for the food he has set aside for her on a small wooden table.

"Idle child," said the old man, his belly fat from ale. "Never knew one so bad."

"Yes Pedro," she replied, the smile still on her face. "I'm a wanton, imbecilic, bone-idle good for nothing who should be in the street. I know." Laughter shines in her eyes as she takes a hearty draught of lukewarm tea, and a dainty nibble of his special breakfast pasty.

"And too right with it," Pedro nods, the laughter lost on him. "Don't you forget it. Now come, no time to dawdle. I don't pay you to eat my wares." He dusted off his hands, the flour cascading onto the floor.

"You don't pay me any way,"

"Aye and just as well. I've every right to kick you out, you carry on like that."

"Of course Pedro, every right." Larsa smiles indulgently at him, and the old man huffs off back to his ovens and his bread. Still smiling at the glory of the new day, Larsa goes to the shop proper. From a peg by the counter she takes an apron and dons it, then flips the door latch to admit the new day. Her green eyes glinting, Larsa greets the bakery's first customers.

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This is the story Dark and I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2008. All the chapters we've written thus far are up, if you want to start helping go for it. Planning wise, the rough idea here is that after 'showdown' the party follow their away along the Lancaswich mountains, passing over the Malachite Empire. Somewhere along the way Mordekai spot them and sends the Elite Math Wariors after them. Sooner or later they get to the place called sendari and from then [after chatting with the locals] head up into the lava fields. They get to the top of the world, mordekai is waiting, all hell breaks loose and something happens with Kiara and the shard. We both suck at endings... For more background into the world, we made this site:http://stoneoftides.wikidot.com/ Try to ignore the ramblings and stick to what makes sense ;)

updated May 3 '09 by Druidx