"I would porbably end up killing at least one of them," Seth said, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't mind too much," Andy said, "but I remember when I was eleven, I spazzed every time I watched an anime I particularly liked. Every time. And this was back when I made myself sit through the afternoon cartoons because Toonami was on at five." She shook her head. "I wouldn't want that following me around all the time."

"No. Not at all." Seth shook his head a little. "I would turn into a homocidal maniac. Almost guaranteed. Either that or lock myself away from the world until matters improved."

"That's called being a hermit, and it's possible to do that here," Andy said. "It's very possible. Most trainers are hermits of some form or another, after all. They just wander around the world, and only show their faces in town if they need supplies."

"Sounds a little bit like you two," Seth said with a snort. "Although you two seem fairly sociable."

"Hey, we're not exempt," Andy said. "Personally, I find that it's easier to travel because there are more open spaces for my boys. I know Lawrence wouldn't mind staying in town, but Lucivar prefers being out and about. And I have my dragons and giant cat to think of, too. So I figure as long as we make regular stops in towns along the way, there's no reason to settle down for a while."

Seth chuckled a little. "If you had the chance, though, would you eventually settle down?"

"I don't know," Andy admitted. "I've thought about it, once or twice. But I like wandering. Seeing new places and all that. Maybe eventually I'll find a place I like enough to settle down in, but until then, I'm happy enough wandering."

"You sound like Kenshin," Seth said with a snicker. "Fair enough, I suppose."

"Oh hush," Andy retorted. "I realize that. And it only took me until I turned eighteen to realize that I was following a circuit through the same clusters of territories. I think I walked through the book cluster twice before I realized it."

Seth snorted. "So now you're explanding. Sounds good to me. Might as well see everything to be seen."

"I eventually want to get back to the book cluster," Andy said, "but I'm going to make sure not to wander through the same two territories again. I want to go into the Circle of Magic territory."

Seth nodded. "Yeah, there are places I'd like to go too, eventually. It's just a matter of getting there."

"I've tried pulling all-nighters with Temmy and Li Li before," Andy said. "To get to a territory that would take days to get to otherwise. I'm never going to do that again, although I still have the special tent that hooks onto Temmy's harness." She shook her head. "It's just not worth it."

"Yeah. That does not sound pleasant. I'd rather walk, or find a horse. Horses are good."

"Not if you're travelling with me," Andy deadpanned. "It didn't turn out so well the last time. Apparently, horses are tasty to thirty-ton dragons."

"Yeah, I can imagine that." Seth shrugged. "Well, you know, there are always ways to work around things. You just have to get creative."

"Oh there's a way around that little wrinkle," Andy said. "It's in the books. Temmy and Li Li are highly intelligent, if I ask them not to eat the horse, they won't. And there's a way to keep the horse from getting spooked by the dragons, using a feed-bag and some sort of really strong-smelling herbs that I think just drugged the horse instead of distracted it. But that's complicated just for an alternative to flying dragonback."

Seth nodded. "Well I might go to the trouble. I love horses."

"I think I'd rather my dragons," Andy said. "And Kaelas. At least they talk back when I talk to them. Well, Kaelas doesn't talk as often, but he can. Our minds just don't work quite the same way."

"Cat brains in general have only a few thoughts: Food, attention when I want it, and sleep." Seth snorted.

"Kaelas is intelligent," Andy said. "Like, coherent sentences intelligent. And he's fully capable of turning invisible and other such fun things, so I wouldn't underestimate him."

"And this is why I said in general." Seth nodded a few times.

Andy looked around the area. It seemed pretty deserted.

"I don't think anyone is hanging around here anymore," she said. "Maybe later I'll come looking out here again... I kind of want a Tia Dalma. She's badass."

"You know, you're right. She is pretty badass." He shook his head a little. "I need to find myself a horse. I used to live on a farm, you know. We raised horses and cattle and sheep and goats and chickens and ducks and rabbits. And we had a few dogs and a few cats."