Author's note: I imagine being on the road might get pretty boring, judging by my own experiences with camping. So, the game's supposed to be a silly, funny way to pass the time, if not a bit childish. So, please, laugh it up! Enjoy! It has been fixed up a bit. Anwa and berth are Elvish words for "truth" and "dare," in case anyone was wondering…

"Lass, are ya in there?"

"It's open, Duncan."

He frowned and opened the door, spotting Cari with her foot on her chair, tightening the strap of the sheath she wore on her right thigh. She straightened up, gave him a broad smile, and pulled her hair back with a leather thong. "What's going on?"

"We need to have a talk. It's high time I talked to you about this, and it's important for you to be prepared in case this comes up."

Cari stared at him. "Uh, Duncan, just so you know, I had that talk with Daeghun about five years ago. I still remember that as being the most thoroughly awkward three hours of my life."

Duncan laughed. "No, not that talk." He sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "Cari, be careful on this one, all right? Especially around Bishop, watch out for him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," he said, sitting on her bed, "that his interests are his own, and his loyalty only lasts as long as his debt, or your gold."

Cari raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. What if I could keep him around in other ways?"

Duncan frowned. "That's not good either, Cari, he's dangerous. He's always running over the Luskan border, smuggling goods, hunting things…"

"You did see me pin him to a table, right? And you saw me killing githyanki about half an hour ago?"

"Cari, I know you can take care of yourself, I just… be careful, he's a wild one."

"And if I like my men wild?"

"By the Hells, Cari, you don't think he'd sell you out the minute he'd get a chance?"

"Not if I sell him out first."

Duncan stared at her. "Maybe I was wrong, maybe you can handle him."

"If I learned one thing from Daeghun it was how to deal with wild animals. And I'll be damned if Bishop isn't just one, big wild animal. I'll bet he lives for four things: food, water, shelter, and sex."

Duncan laughed. "Well, change 'water' to 'ale' and you've got Bishop." He smiled. "I think you'll be fine, just… still… be careful, all right? You're my kin, and I don't want to lose you."

"I'll be fine, Duncan, I'll have Shandra back here for you to flirt with faster than I can talk my way out of a City Watch fine," Cari said, giving her uncle a hug and grabbing her knapsack. "Besides, with the way you talk about Bishop's tracking skills we'll be there and back in no time."

Her uncle nodded and gave her one last squeeze. "All right, lass, you'd best be off, you don't want to keep Bishop waiting."

"I know. Thanks, Duncan, I'm not sure how long this will take, but we'll be safe, all right? I'll be careful."

She smiled at him and threw her knapsack over her shoulders, adjusting the scabbards holding her katanas and heading back out. She could feel Bishop's eyes on her the moment she turned the corner into the common room.

"All right, Bishop, let's go."

He nodded, his eyes hungry as they traveled over her, drinking in the leather clinging to every curve of her hips, the way the neckline cut in a deep "v" over her breasts, how the pale skin of her chest and neck shined in the early morning light.

Oh Hells, she's mine when we get back. He thought. She'll be mine.

"Then let's go. Don't try anything stupid. Luskans won't hesitate to shoot you the moment they get a chance."

Cari fell into step beside Bishop, her long strides barely matching his, the top of her head bobbing alongside his shoulder.

"Is that code for 'hurl the gnome in front in case things get… complicated?'" she whispered in his ear, winking as she stood on her toes.

He chuckled and shivered slightly as her hand rested on his arm. Her black hair seemed blue in the sunrise.

I think I'm going to enjoy this trip, he thought, smiling to himself.

ooooo

Sometime later that evening, Cari sat on a large tree stump, massaging her temples.

I'm thinking it wasn't the best idea to bring both Casavir and Bishop on this trip, she thought, exasperated, I'm afraid they're going to kill each other.

Cari and her companions were all gathered around a large campfire, Neeshka on her left and Grobnar on her right, Khelgar and Qara across from her and Casavir and Bishop on Neeshka's left and Grobnar's right, respectively. A large deer carcass lay nearby. Karnwyr nibbled on a leg as most of the remaining meat roasted over the fire.

"Are you regretting taking them both on this trip as much as I am, Cari?" Neeshka whispered.

"Are you regretting it to the point of gagging both of them and keeping them separated by at least ten feet?"

"Pretty much."

"Then yes, I regret it as much as you do."

Cari leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand, her eyes shifting back and forth from Bishop to Casavir and back again.

"Well, you're a paladin, what do you know about hunting and tracking?" Bishop spat.

"I know enough to know that constant vulgarity doesn't help anything," Casavir said calmly.

"Hells, paladin, don't you have anything better to do than to lecture me on the thing I've been doing for, oh, I don't know, the last fifteen, twenty years of my life?"

She had to admit, she loved seeing the passion burning in Bishop's eyes. The firelight brought out their intense, amber color in a way that made Cari shiver in delight.

I have to stop this, or else someone's going to end up with an arrow between the eyes. Or a sword to the head.

She straightened up, pulling the leather thong out of her hair and letting it fall loose. "I think we're all just stressed from the journey. How about we relax with a little game to pass the time, eh?"

Neeshka nodded. "Sure, a game sounds good! What kind of game? It's kind of dark, so playing anything that involves hiding wouldn't be good. Unless it's hiding valuables, then I could play really well…"

Bishop snorted. "Nice try, but I'd sooner ask Karnwyr to guard a large piece of freshly cut boar meat. What does our fair leader have in mind?"

His eyes glittered in the darkness, and the dim firelight danced off his chiseled jaw and week-old stubble. He smirked, his eyebrows raised in challenge.

Cari returned his smirk, black hair gleaming in the moonlight. "No, no hiding anything, its just a little game I used to play back in West Harbor, usually around festival time when we had nothing to do. It's called 'Anwa or Berth.'"

Neeshka grinned. "Ooh, I've played this! It's fun."

Casavir frowned. "I am not familiar with this game, how do you play?"

"Well, first, we'll need someone to start, and he or she chooses someone else in the circle, anybody, and asks that person 'anwa' or 'berth,'" Cari explained. "And that person gets to choose either or. If you choose anwa, you have to answer, truthfully, whatever question is asked. It's no fun if you lie."

"Same goes for berth," she continued, "If someone challenges you to do something you have to do it, no matter what it is. It can't be violent though, or anything that could cause permanent harm." She noticed that Casavir was getting increasingly uncomfortable the longer she spoke. "There is a way to avoid it all, however."

"And what would that be?" Casavir said breathlessly, hopeful that he would be getting a break.

Cari grinned evilly as she reached into her bag and pulled out a large bottle of whiskey. "You can pass on a berth, or on an anwa, but you have to take a large drink of this instead." She stared at her companions, challenging them to protest. Bishop had a rather excited grin on his face.

"But, Carianna, this isn't right," Casavir said quietly, eyeing the large bottle with apprehension, "You shouldn't use alcohol like this; it's nothing to be played with."

"Ah, the lad's just scared that we'll find out he can't hold his liquor," Khelgar said happily, reaching for the bottle, "That's fine, I can hold enough for both of us."

"Oh, Khelgar, I have something special for you," Cari said, reaching in and pulling out a second bottle. "Knowing you, you'll run through this first bottle before any of us have a chance to drink. So, you have your own."

"I knew I loved ya, lass," Khelgar said, grabbing the bottle and yanking the cork out with his teeth. "Now, who should start?"

"I'm still not sure if I'm comfortable with this-"

"Oh Casavir, lighten up, you'll be fine, I promise. And besides, I have some of Duncan's ale purgative too, just in case things get out of hand."

He sighed. "All right, count me in."

Cari smiled. "Good, now, who should start?"

"Ooh, I'll start," Qara said deviously. "And I'll start with… Neeshka. Anwa or berth?"

"Me?" Neeshka squeaked. "Why me?"

"Because I know you have no tolerance for alcohol at all," Qara said triumphantly. "Now come on, anwa or berth?"

"Fine, fine, anwa," Neeshka said defiantly.

"Hmm… well, have you ever stolen anything from Cari? Ever?"

Neeshka threw Cari a pleading look before speaking. "No, Qara, never, because Cari's too good a thief, she knows how to hide it. And I'm afraid that if I angered her I'd die in my sleep," she said, laughing nervously.

Cari rolled her eyes. "Neeshka, if you ever stole anything from me, I'd laugh about it and steal it back. You're my best friend, I wouldn't hurt you. If you ticked me off though, I may pull a prank on you in your sleep, but not kill you. You might wake up covered in mead or something, but not dead."

"Well, that's good to know," Neeshka said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"And what would our fair leader do to me in my sleep?" Bishop said softly, leaning back on his hands and arching an eyebrow at her.

She winked. "Sorry, Bishop, but there are innocent ears here, I'd rather not sully them," she said smoothly, looking down at Grobnar.

"All right, it's my turn to choose!" Neeshka said excitedly. "Ooh, Grobnar!"

"Me?" Grobnar said incredulously. "All right, err, berth."

"Remember, you don't have to do it if you don't want to, you can always have a drink of the whiskey," Cari whispered, worried about what Neeshka was going to say.

"Aye, lad, the whiskey's just as much fun," Khelgar said, taking a large gulp and belching loudly, swaying slightly in his seat.

"Khelgar, you smelly drunk, you were supposed to wait until it was your turn to drink!" Neeshka said angrily.

"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" he said happily, a third of the bottle already gone.

"I'm not scared!" Grobnar said defiantly. "Dare me, Neeshka!"

"All right," she said enthusiastically, an evil grin on her face, "Turn around and grab Cari's breasts."

There was a collective "What?" from everyone around the fire.

"You want me to, to, touch Cari there?" Grobnar shrieked. "What?"

"You heard me, either grab her breasts or take a drink."

Grobnar shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Isn't there a third option?"

"I'd gladly do it if you're too scared, gnome," Bishop drawled, a seductive grin on his lips in an attempt to mask the anger blazing in his eyes.

"I'm not scared, I just… Cari's not my lover! Or wife! I thought you're only supposed to touch those if you're together!"

Neeshka rolled her eyes. "Either grab them or take a drink."

Grobnar gulped and turned to Cari, a terrified look on his face. "You know I can't hold my liquor, Cari…" he whispered.

"Grobnar, it'll be fine, just do it, and get it over with," she said in a strangled voice, "I'm not going to bite you."

"All right, I'll do it," Grobnar whispered, reaching a shaking hand out and pressing it against Cari's chest. "Oh, gods, they're so big they can't fit in my hand!"

Cari blanched as Neeshka fell over laughing at the look on Casavir's face. He was blushing so badly even his ears were a brilliant crimson. Bishop leaned forward, a hungry look in his eye. "Let me see the size of your hands, gnome…"

"No, thank you, that's enough of that!" Cari shouted as Grobnar yanked his hands away, a scared grin on his face. "It's Grobnar's turn to choose."

"Err, I think it'll be Cari's turn now," he said quietly. "Anwa or berth, Cari?"

"Berth," she said, not meeting Bishop's penetrating gaze.

"Hmm… let me think," Grobnar said, tapping his finger on his chin. "Ooh, I've got it! You see, I've got this silver belly-dancer outfit that I got from a merchant in Amn, and I was wondering if you'd possibly put it on an-"

"Where's the whiskey," Cari muttered, pulling out the cork of the second bottle and taking a long draught. "Sorry, Grobnar, but no, we're in the wilderness, my armor stays on."

"Damn," Bishop said under his breath. Cari's eyes fixated on him.

Oh, damn. Well then, fine, Bishop thought, do your worst.

"Bishop," Cari said quietly, "I think it's time you played our little game. Anwa or berth, take your pick."

He smirked at her, a wild light gleaming in his eyes. "Berth, of course. Do your worst."

Cari grinned. "Oh, I will, don't worry." She pouted her lips slightly and Bishop leaned forward, the wild light shining in his eyes slowly replaced by eagerness, anticipation. "You have to kiss-"

"Yes?" he said softly, shifting forward slightly in his seat, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You have to kiss… Casavir," she said quietly, enjoying the way the eagerness on his face was replaced with disgust.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he said angrily. "There's no way I'm doing that!"

"What, scared?" Cari whispered as Casavir stuttered nearby.

"Not scared, just not that type," he spat. "Where in the Hells is that whiskey?"

Cari grinned and handed him the bottle, watching as he drained a good third of it in one gulp. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and glared at her. "You're wicked, Cari, I'll give you that."

"I know I am, but it's your turn to choose someone, Bishop," she said evilly, that feral light dancing in her eyes.

"I'm choosing you, fair leader," he said, smirking, "Your choice, anwa or berth?"

"Anwa, of course."

Oh, look, there goes that smirk, she thought, giggling to herself, Sad.

Bishop narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into a snarl.

Ah, Cari, I was so looking forward to tempting you. Sadly, we'll take a different approach.

"All right, how many men have you bedded?" Bishop asked fiercely.

"Bishop, that's not a question one should ask a woman, especially in public!" Casavir said loudly, glaring at him.

"Pipe down, paladin, she can answer for herself," he said, a victorious smile on his face, "If she wants to, that is, else she could drink some more."

"Thank you, Casavir, but I have no problem answering that question. If you must know, Bishop, I can safely say that I've bedded more men than you have," she said smoothly as Neeshka burst out laughing again.

"I'm looking for a number here," he growled.

"Can he count that high?" Neeshka whispered to Cari through her giggles.

Cari rolled her eyes. "Fine, five, are you happy?"

Bishop grinned. "Yes, very."

"Good, now, it's late, let's get some rest, all right?"

Well, that was interesting, Cari thought, shaking her head. Not a complete waste of time, though Daeghun was right. That game is damn childish.

She set up her bedroll next to Neeshka's, grinning as her snores broke the silence around the smoldering remnants of the campfire.

She can fall asleep faster than any one of us. I don't know how she does it.

Bishop would be taking first shift of guard duty. As Cari drifted off to sleep she heard him scraping his dagger on a sharpening stone, and could feel his eyes on her, watching her.

You know, some might see him watching me as creepy…

But I like it.