AN: This is for all those friends I have that I didn't get to see due to distance.
The bonfire glowed from a distance, shadows passing in front of it on occasion. Gary smiled, gripping the note in his hand. It read the time and place of the reunion. The old bonfire site they first formed around. And here they were, meeting up a year later. The note in his hand dropped as he rushed to meet up with them, a smile spreading infectiously across his face.
As he got close, he heard a few yells, calling to him. There, around the fire, were five people. They were all sitting on logs, with another fire off to the side actually cooking the food, the large fire in the middle specifically for sitting around.
"You're late!" one yelled, running to meet up with Gary. He had a shield on his forearm, clothed in bright blue leather armor, and a spear at his side. He was the type of guy who belonged more in a shop convincing people of his wares than being out adventuring, and yet here he was. They greeted each other with a hug.
"Hey, Avery, nice to see you too. And I'm not late, you're just early. For once." Gary retorted, laughing.
"Oh, I'm sorry, who's the one who always tried to map out everything before we went anywhere?" Avery smarmed.
"Not EVERY part, but knowing where to stop for the night is important!"
Another person walked up. "You two done flirting?" Her blonde hair cut short, Natasha barely came up to the two boys' shoulders, but the giant axe on her back reminded people not to say anything.
"Nat!" She joined the hug. "Who else is here?
"FATHA!" Gary heard the shout too little too late as a tiny person leaped at them and tackled/hugged them. Luckily, she didn't weight enough to knock them over. If Nat was short, Hailey was a hobbit, barely coming to the boys' chests.
"Hey, Hails. And I'm not your father."
"No, you totally are." Nat joked.
Avery chimed in, "Oh, am I the mother?"
"How the hell would that work?"
"DEAL!" Hailey exclaimed to Avery, then turned and ran back to the fire, her bow swinging across her back and almost touching the ground.
Avery and Nat led Gary back to the fire, sitting down at a log. Gary noticed a figure hidden in the shadows, fully cloaked. "Darrell?" He guessed.
Darrell just held up a peace sign, prefering to be offstandish. He wore a dark cloak, with the handles of his two scimitars barely poking out.
The last two sitting around the fire were Robert and Kae. Robert was snoozing lightly. He had retired recently from adventuring, but would occasionally help out with a small mission. He still had his large hammer laying next to him, but Gary hadn't seen him swing it in a long while.
The second figure was Kae. She smiled lightly at Gary and nodded before returning to what she was reading.
After getting comfortable, Gary looked around. "Anyone else coming?" Suddenly, he felt a gentle push from behind him. He sprang up from surprise.
"Surprise!" Her bright smile and red hair contrasted vivedly with her dark attire and cursed wand in her hand. She was a warlock, but she didn't act it. Nat and Hailes quickly rushed her for a hug. They started chatting for a bit while Avery turned towards Gary.
"You know, we still haven't settled that spar." That was right, Gary had almost forgotten. Last they met, they had decided to spar, but it was interrupted by a goblin attack.
"Well if you're so eager to lose, let's go!" He pulled his sword out as he got up. "I'll wreck you!" Gary said in a sort of false over confidence he always put on jokingly.
They stepped a little ways from the fire before circling each other, each with weapon and shield in hand. Gary struck out first and the battle was on, each blocking, cutting, and narrowly dodging. Everyone else slowly started noticing, stopping conversation, putting down books, and waking up.
After a particularly spirited close quarters battering, they took a few steps back to take a breath and assess the damage. Neither had gained much on the other.
Avery piped up. "What say we let Darrell in on this, it looks like he's itching to fight, too." Gary hadn't noticed but there he was, hand on one of his swords and hunched forward. At Avery's words he stood back up straight and dropped his cloak. He wore dark leather armor, and a smile on his face.
"Finally, something interesting to do." Darrell raced forward and the fight became a frantic battle. You couldn't focus on one person too long lest leaving yourself open to the other, and the fight continued with little progression. Darrell's flashing blades almost worked as a shield, making getting too close a danger. Avery could stab at him, obviously avoiding injury, but a tap on the chest was enough to prove the point, however if he tried it, Gary would strike at him while he was distracted. Gary on the other hand could only block Darrell's swords, his own getting knocked to the side when he would try anything. Suddenly, a small ball of light flew out of the trees and landed at the three fighter's feet. They were surprised with a small shockwave knocking them back.
"OY! Don't kill each other!" A familiar voice called at them. A robed figure leaped from the trees, landing nearby. She wore fancier clothing which resisted getting dirty, and wore a tiara on her dark hair, because, as she said it, she was as deserving of being royalty as any of those spoiled brats. She wasn't of course, but she had plans to eventually change that.
Avery nodded to her, "Hey De-" but was cut short as the greeting party did their job. Hailey and Nat rushed her, immediately tackling her with a hug. Deja stood a bit taller, but not by much, and staggered under the combined hugging forces.
Deja, finally managing to pull herself from them, spoke up. "I also convinced Robyn to come." She pointed to a tree from which Robyn was leaning against, having been blending in with nature. She always loved nature, and had brown and green clothes, along with a staff. Again, the greeting duo charged her, demanding hugs.
Everyone sat around the fire swapping stories of what they'd been doing since they went their seperate way. Deja had spent time studying, learning more Wizards' magic. Avery had found a nice girl and taken a bit of time off, but was itching to get back to adventuring. Natasha had been off adventuring in the cold mountains, while Hailey had been perfecting her long shots with her bow, and taking on a few of her own difficulties. Kae had joined Natasha, making sure she didn't get herself killed. Robyn had been protecting her forests from Dragons and a camp full of power crazy kids. Robert had enjoyed the retired life and started looking to start a normal life. Darrell had been off doing missions he refused to discuss, just saying they were pretty dangerous. Luna had been practicing her darks arts, including making sacrifices of large animals such as murderous dire bears and a shark. This got a few surprised glances, but she just kept smiling brightly. Gary finished the stories off, saying he had just been... adventuring. Flashes of the liches he fought, everything that had happened, his successes and more so his failures. But, he left it at adventures. Then he stood up.
"So, I wanted to make a toast." Everyone looked at each other, all agreeing to go ahead and listen. "We have been through so much the last year. Some of us more than others. We've been through hard times and, even though we couldn't see each other, we always knew we had each other to rely on. I've been through thick and thin and yet I've always felt I could rely on you, and I've always tried to be there for you. And we've stayed friends, through drama, through the infighting, through the anger. Through it all." Gary raised his glass. "To another year of adventuring!"
In unison, they all raised their glasses as well. "Cheers!"