Sienna relates the encounter with the blood golem and meeting of the gods. "Are you feeling better, by the way?"
"Well, I'm alive," Aliethia laughs. "But, yes...I feel freer. I don't feel that scheming b*$+# trying to take over me."
"On the bright side whatever hold Chalandra had on you is most likely gone." Cyna comments.
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Aliethia smiles and nods at Cyna. "I have you all to thank for that. You don't really know me...and, after everything I've done, you've got no reason to trust me. It means...it means a lot."
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"Thank Arista most of all," Sienna says, folding. "We trust her and she trusts you. It's good enough for me."
Harakhty returned to the inn, curious to learn the game or see what discussions were going on. "We have every reason to trust you," the blunt vanara replied to Aliethia as he came back to the group. "A goddess has given you life. Squandering it in a manner that would anger her would invoke wrath both here and beyond the grave."
He sat down. "But I don't think you need that fear to be a good person. I don't see evil in you."
Sādhanā smiles quietly. Closing her eyes she takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly, expelling her doubts and insecurities as she does.
She makes her way back to the common room her mind far more at ease than before.
"Forgiving myself is the harder task," Aliethia tells Harakhty, drawing three cards.
Sādhanā finds those awake playing cards, while Jerryl and Cayden observe casually.
Joining the other awake members of the group, Sādhanā gets herself something to drink and joins her friends at the table, watching the card game with a smile.
Ylrhea takes the magus' hand and gives it a firm squeeze. "I think if we keep playing, Cyna's going to have all our money."
"I could bet something else, but that makes for a private game," Sienna smirks as a yawn overtakes her. "I think I'm going to call it a night."
She kisses Cyna on the cheek. "Don't stay up too late."
"I better see the innkeeper about some food. I'm feeling a little light-headed since that...incident," Aliethia says. "I haven't kept up with card games as much as I should have."
She leaves the common room and returns with some dry biscuits a few moments later. "I hope the service improves in the morning."
Sādhanā grins squeezing back.
"I guess you can deal me in in Sienna's place, at least for a bit." the magus says chuckling.
"Sure," Ylrhea says, dealing out the cards. "Still in, Aliethia?"
"For a couple more hands."
As the card game finishes, Jerryl slips out of her seat. "Hmm, I haven't felt tired in forever. We should all get to bed. Have a good night, Cayden."
Ylrhea nods at the halfling and heads to her and Sādhanā's room. She strips off her armor and crawls under the thin sheet. "I really need night clothes."
Sādhanā stretches and yawns. "I'm definitely ready to call it a night, how about you Ylrhea?"
Aliethia slips into the room, being as quiet as possible.
She checks to see if Arista is still sleeping and slips out of the ragged and dirty black dress she had been wearing for the past two days. She rubs the chill out of her bare skin with only her undergarments to cover her. The sheet was quite thin and had a few holes. She gazes longingly at Arista's winter blanket.
Ylrhea nods. "Unless you've got something you want to talk about."
Drago had remained silent the rest of the walk to Fane. The entire time, his mind reeled with a flood of different emotions. Chief amung them was anger. Anger at Chalandra for killing Aliethia, anger at her threatening Arista, and most of all, anger at himself. He had watched the exchange between Jerryl and Cayden and watched as arrangements were made for the night. After putting his gear in his room, Drago stepped out into the night, with Tarja in tow. He leaned against the corner of the inn and looked off in the distance at nothing in particular. Several moments passed before he pulled out the bladeless hilt. He studied his family's mark upon it, then touched the mark upon his forehead.
"What troubles you Stormborn?" Traja asked.
"This weapon, if it doesn't hurt undead, golems, and the like, how am I suppose to use it against one like Chalandra?"
"While I may have served your family for generations, I cannot provide the answer to that question."
Concentrating on the hilt, the blade sprang to life. Carefully, he waved it around and watched as the flames danced with the movement. After sometime, Drago headed back inside for some rest after such a long day.
"Am I that easy to read now?" Sādhanā says laughing as she moves towards the stairs.
"No, you just seem like you've needed an ear lately," Ylrhea says softly. "I'm here for you."
"Thanks,would you rather talk in the room or take a walk, the locals don't seem the friendliest around here."Sādhanā asks stopping where she is.
"I think the room would be fine," Ylrhea says. "It's probably a little less cold than the outside right now. And...yeah, I don't get a good vibe from this village. At least we have Cayden watching the place tonight."
"True." Sādhanā agrees leading the way up the stairs. The room, was serviceable with a decent bed and threadbare sheets, making her glad for the additional equipment most of them had packed.
"I try to think of everything that could go wrong and come up with a plan for it, or at the very least, anticipate how to best get everybody through this all safely. With what's happened today that was so beyond impossible that I have trouble even figuring out how to perpare for what comes next. I'm used to being a couple of steps ahead and now I feel......." she trails off unable to find the words as she takes off her boots.
"Like a little fish in a big pond?"
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"Yeah....I guess I'm used to sort of dictating the flow of a fight, seeing way ahead and where we're headed there's nothing even resembling a map. I'm afraid that I'll miss something that'll get someone hurt or killed."
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"No one of us could have seen that trap until it was too late," Ylrhea says, hopping on Sadhana's bed and rubbing her shoulders comfortingly. "You can't blame yourself for what happened and we sure didn't know why the gods had an interest in this place until Sa...Jerryl told us."
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" You're right, I guess I put too much pressure on myself sometimes." Sādhanā says feeling herself relax. "As Oblivion puts it I lose sight of myself trying to live up to what people expect of me."
"I know I'm right," Ylrhea says, turning Sadhana to face her. "We have each other and that beats anything the bad guys have, right?"
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"Absolutely," Sādhanā says with a warm smile. "They've no idea what it means,to have people who truly care about you, and it's something I cherish every day." she finishes pulling Ylrhea into a heartfelt embrace.