Dragoncrest Cliffs i'm circling the drain, i'm washing out

i'm not leadership material, val wanted to say. he wasn't hungry for power. he wasn't very brave. he wasn't always smart. he couldn't even swim. he had gotten a little pudgy. a little uninspiring.

i don't know. i'm not the best candidate. maybe he was the only one.

he shrugged, pausing to chew thoughtfully on the meal maleah provided. he hadn't anticipated being asked such a question. technically, no. i was born in ankyra sound. he wondered if his being born there was the tether that always pulled him back. i was -- it was a long story; was she ready? raised by rosalyn and erzulie, but they weren't my real mother. my real mother was raleska. she died to a bear.

for a moment, val reflected on his life. it was heavy stuff and he was suddenly self conscious of the burden he'd put on maleah. what about you? what brought you to sapphique?