feeling a building sense of resentment towards the features he possessed that made him so sought after, and towards those that made him too plain to fit in with his elven kin. isolated, angry, and aching for freedom, the final straw came one night when his mentor attempted to force himself on val-

who broke free both literally and metaphorically, sprinting to his room that was shared with his coworkers and escaping into the night with only the clothes on his back, a small bag of coin, and his tambourine. as dawn slowly trickled into the city, it was not just a new day for val, but a new life