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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 1842222" data-attributes="member: 5808">Part the Sixty-NinthA welcome return“We have to go back to and meet Lord Agasha to defeat Sheesak...  She’s got Bob!”The following day, the party has gathered in their usual meeting room at the Temple of Justice to debate their next move.  Thatch’s opinion of their options is quite clear.  “Thatch…” Lira says gently, “Bob wasn’t in very good shape when we had to leave him.”“He wasn’t dead!”  The fighter retorts.  “He’d find a way to get away from her.  I know he would.  He’s a good horse.”Reyu nods sagely.  “He was.”“And he had Professor Alexandra’s pitcher tied to his saddle.”A pause.  Thatch looks around the group triumphantly.  Nice to know they care about something. “Dennis agrees with me, right Dennis?”  Thatch turns to his best friend, but instead of the friendly shake of the head and rueful chuckle he is used to, the other man clears his throat, and shifts awkwardly from foot to foot.  “Dennis?”Dennis coughs one more time.  “Look, I’m… I was waiting for a good time to talk to you guys about this, but… I guess this is as good a time as any.”Another pause.  “I came really close to buying it back there.  I mean, really close.  And it made me realize that I’ve done some things in my life, you know… before I met you guys and… There’s just things I want to have taken care of, for me, before I meet the goddess for real.”Thatch finally breaks the stunned silence.  “Umm…?”Dennis looks genuinely regretful.  “I’m sorry kid, but there’s just some things I’ve got to take care of on my own.”  He claps Thatch on the back and tries to smile.  “You’ll be okay without me, hey?” Dennis ducks his head and backs awkwardly towards the door.  Before he leaves though, he stops.  “Though, you want to know what I think…  I think you all should go back and show that ogre what-for.”The door closes behind him.  The party members sit in stunned silence.  Anvil is just about to offer the wisdom of Kettenek on the matter when there is a knock.Thatch leaps up immediately.  “Dennis?”The door opens, and there on the threshold, rather pale, but very much alive… is Eva.“Hey, guys,” she says.Lira’s face breaks into a grin as she goes flying past the stunned Thatch to wrap Eva in a fierce hug.  The rogue returns it, a little more carefully.  “You’re back,” Lira whispers in her ear.  The others soon gather round with nearly equal enthusiasm, even Thatch.As the general welcome eventually subsides, Anvil signals for everyone’s attention.“The matter of what we will undertake next is still to be resolved,” he reminds them.  “Should we return to Lord Fau Meen’s lands, or go into Ebis for the winter months?  Whatever we choose, we should inform Lord Agasha soon.”“Do we know Lord Agasha will be able to provide aid if we go back to deal with the ogre?” Lira asks.“We have no reason to doubt his word,” Anvil replies.“What about Bob?”As the room threatens to descend once again into old debates, Reyu asks quietly, “What do you think, Eva?” Everyone falls silent.  Eva shifts uncomfortably under so many eyes, even if they are friendly ones.  “Do you think we can win this time?”“With the might of Kettenek behind us, we cannot fail.”Eva shrugs.  It’s the most natural gesture she’s made since her return.  “Then why not do it?”The party members exchange glances.  “Why not?”###Anvil goes to make arrangements to contact Lord Agasha with their decision.  Reyu, the decision made, excuses herself to join some of her friends among the local elves.  Another elven druid is passing through, and she hopes to study with her while she is here.  Gradually, the other members of the party go off to attend their own business.  Thatch wants to practice with his sword a bit before they head out again, determined that Sheesak will not so easily avoid his blows at their next encounter.Eventually, only Eva and Lira are left behind in the party’s meeting room.  Eva is still a bit shaken from her return from the dead, and doesn’t remember much of what happened to her.  The two fall into conversation, talking a bit about their respective families and their lives before they came to Dar Pykos.  They find they have a surprising amount in common.Lira eventually tells Eva about her recent conversation with Devon.“I don’t think he’s really comfortable with my being a sorcerer.”“Not blaming you for being one is hardly a ringing endorsement.”“I know…  It seemed like he was trying at the time, but now…”“He’s being a bigot?”  Anvil suggests.Both women look up in surprise.  They had not noticed Anvil’s return.Lira blinks in surprise.  “Yeah, I guess that’s it.”Anvil nods.  “It’s getting late.”  He turns to Eva.  “Do you have lodgings?”“I’m… not sure.  I guess I can’t sleep where I have been, can I?”“There is always a place for you at the Temple of Justice.”“Or,” Lira offers, “you could stay at Mrs. Blackburn’s.  I think she said she had an extra room.”Eva looks back and forth between the two, weighing her options.  “I ah… think I’ll take you up on that.”  She apologizes to Anvil.  “No offense.”Anvil shrugs.  “Suit yourself.”###Mrs. Blackburn does have an extra room, and after eyeing Eva—and her Sedellan holy symbol—with some initial suspicion, eventually accepts Lira’s assurances that her friend is of acceptable moral character.The next morning, Lira wakes up and performs her usual focusing exercises, she discovers a sudden understanding of two new spells.  She looks up at the rising sun visible through her window, and is grateful.Eva, for her part, wakes up… and is grateful.</blockquote>

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