Young Writers Society

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night(whichever one it is in your part of the world)

The penultimate review for this one.

First Impression: Looks like the second part of the plan just might work out for Buck but then you can never be sure. Also does this mean that Buck no longer works in Pires' court if she had to come find him to deliver a letter? Also how does Wailune cover so manu shifts as a guard while also doing a tailoring business.

The food they were brought was both exciting and homely, a simple stew but with some fruits that Buck hadn’t tasted much of in a long time. The valley had its own range of berries and many, many different kinds of potato, but Buck hadn’t tasted a banana in months. He let the conversation wash over him as he ate, chipping in when he felt like it, not worrying if silences popped up every now and then. He had a wonderful meal in front of him, and he just wanted to appreciate it.

“Wait, so you do you have a big box of breast milk somewhere?” Rydone asked.

“Oh! That reminds me!” Wailune rushed out of the room again, and came back even quicker with a little white envelope. He handed it to Buck. “Pires dropped this off in the shop today. She came in to get some clothes for another big ceremony she’s planning. She asked me to give this to you, since she couldn’t seem to find you at your treehouse.”

When yours and Erson’s letters reached me, I knew that the time was here. I wrote once again to the leader of the band with whom we communicated before, and offered them an audience with our prince. A week it took for that letter to get there, safe in the hands of our finest sailors. They must have been waiting for this, because a week later our ship returned – with an affirmative reply on board.

They will be here in two weeks, Buck. Two weeks.

I do not yet know if they are bringing your father.

“Nuh-uh,” Buck murmured. “Hug now. Thinking later.”

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww there is so much cute and sweetness in this bit and I have to say that I am just pleased to see normalcy in Buck's life. I kinda went on and on about it last segment, but it's just really nice to see. Buck clearly needed this kind of companionship. He's been non-stop working for so long, it seemed, that now he can finally be himself with people who know him inside and out.

Like, Buck can even mention his father, comforted by the fact he doesn't have to go into explanations or cover his slip-ups with more [white] lies. I, as the reader, probably feel more relieved for him on his behalf.

One of the biggest aspects to this segment/chapter is Wailune's introduction. We're finally meeting him for the first time, and I have to say that I love him so much. He definitely has a more outgoing personality to Misene's reservedness, and that's a great step in showing us how these two are compatible with each other. But I also love the physical description of him and how his personality seems to ooze through his looks -- the temporary bun when he's cooking, etc.

He's actually a very skilled guy, holy crap! I'm honestly impressed, and I'll bet Misene would believe he's just as lucky to have such a smart and talented person in his life. Wailune is a guard, so he's got some skills required for that position, but he's also a cook and a tailor. I wonder if he's one of those guys who wants to try everything -- like a jack of all trades, master of none. (I know I am ahahaha.)

Also the way he talked to Lucene, I giggled reading it without a baby voice as if she were an adult. XD (also lucene is so ADORABLE i smiled the whole bit)

I did find it interesting that Pires gave the letter to Wailune in confidence, but that's mainly because I barely know Wailune as it is, so I don't know how close he is to Buck. I know they all knew of him, but I didn't know to what extent they were familiar with Wailune. I'm only just meeting him now. That said. I expected Pires to give it to Rydone or Misene.

I LOVE PIRES' LETTER. The letter sounded SO MUCH like her. I love how her personality really shines in this. Right away, we see a hastily-written tldr at the top that transitions so beautifully into her message and I just got a really huge kick out of reading this. XD

That aside, KINDA HUGE NEWS. Even if they don't have Buck's father, there's progress. People are actually coming to Resador and there could be a potential advancement in Buck's goal to find him and I just. I honest-to-goodness love Buck's reaction here too. This is a shocking moment that welcomes all kinds of emotions -- good and bad -- so he asks for a hug. c: IT'S SO SWEET AND PRECIOUS AND I JUST it's so relatable and perfect and simple.

Buck is undoubtedly excited but worried, optimistic yet realistic -- like he has to put things into perspective, but he's desperately wanted to save his father for years and to think that there was finally some progress on that front -- that there's hope coming to Resador -- I relate to him trying desperately not to get overly optimistic. Staying realistic in these cases can be so dreadfully hard. We'll see his true reaction next chapter, if he's still in a state of shock or processing his emotions still, or if he's finally collected himself and is taking it one step at a time without getting excited -- he's clearly not overly-excited 'cause he isn't planning to visit Pires tonight. He's also not hurriedly telling his friends and mother what the letter says. I'm pretty sure he's just processing things now and will handle it in the morning when he's gathered his thoughts about it.

we'll see tho

It just occurred to me that Wailune was reminded of the letter after Misene asked about Buck's father. XD Did Wailune read this ahead of time? I don't know if it's a big deal, but it intrigues me for some reason.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this chapter, and I love how the ending brings us back to the main plot and moves it forward. So I'm looking forward to reading the next part!