They returned to the Adventurer's Mart, entering into the quiet shop and passing through the main sales floor towards the alcove filled with spell scrolls.

Lady Yuth had since arrived and set to work there. Her dress today was deep red, and she wore her customary cloth-of-gold turban. She still kept the small cricket on her shoulder, every now and again giving the little creature an affectionate stroke with her dark brown hand.

She was too absorbed in her work to notice them much. She was re-organizing a display of spell scrolls, which were curled, wrinkled, and marked with inscrutable writing and symbols. The very air around the scrolls seemed to crackle as Liriel, Lidia, and Aerie passed through the alcove to the back room where they had assembled the effigy.

Ribald was there with a broom in his hand. There was hardly a strand of straw anywhere to be found, either on the table or the floor.

"So what's the deal?" Ribald asked Liriel. "This place is tidy, as requested."

Liriel went towards a corner and retrieved a long, narrow bag that seemed to be fashioned from hide. Without a word, she withdrew from the bag, then presented a small, narrow bottle fashioned from transparent glass, etched with the snarling face of a snow tiger. It had been opened, then re-sealed.

"Real Rashemaar firewine!" Ribald exclaimed, "Liriel, you're a gem. Far too early for this sort of drink, but hells, that's not something you see every day."

He bounded out, then returned with some glasses, setting them out in the middle of the table.

"There's enough for a toast, but not much else," Liriel said, pouring out about an ounce into each small cup.

The cups were passed around, then raised. Minsc gave the toast: "To Dynaheir! May her spirit swiftly return home and take its place among her wychalaran sisters."

Everyone else called, "Cheers!" and drank from their glasses.

The firewine was dark and reddish-brown, giving off a warm and spicy aroma as Lidia took a sip. It was hot, giving a burning sensation on her tongue and stomach on its way down, but at its base it was sweet like a handful of raisins.

"Boo approves," Minsc said. "Maybe Dynaheir would say she did not, but she missed firewine — in Rashemen, we call it jhuild."

Liriel folded her arms, raised a steel-gray brow, then glanced at Aerie for an explanation. None was forthcoming.

"Now, this Boo," Liriel said, "is he your animal companion? A polymorphed wizard of some kind?" she asked.

"Not at all, honored witch," Minsc replied. "He is a miniature giant space hamster."

Liriel let out a short laugh. "Good one. But seriously, what is he?"

Minsc looked a bit hurt. "Minsc is Minsc, and Boo is Boo," he said. "There isn't one without the other. Boo says where I should point my blade, and Minsc does so."

"I'm the best at what I do, and what I do ain't pretty," Larry piped up, his voice still muffled by remaining in the holster.

Liriel glanced at Minsc, then the small tawny hamster in his hand, then the sword, then to the other members of the Company. "Well, Minsc…I suppose if it controls your berserker rages, then that is that."

Aerie cleared her throat, nervously looked in Liriel's direction, cleared her throat again, and then made several aborted attempts to start a sentence.

"Speak up, it's not as though I can kill you with a glance," Liriel said.

Aerie leaned in to where Liriel was standing and said quietly, constantly looking in Minsc's direction, "Um…you see, there's a bit of a problem. Minsc is…well, he's not good at stopping his rages when he needs to. It got us into a huge mess...and…and some people died. I'm wondering…do you…do you know anything about that? Anything that might…might help us out?"

For the first time, Liriel's gaze softened a bit. "I once traveled with a Rashemaar berserker, Fyodor. He also had trouble controlling his rages — that was why he was exiled from his homeland. I had to banish a spirit for him to be whole, but I suspect your friend here has a different problem."

"I…I think it's his head…there's something not right, there," Aerie stammered.

"If that's the case, I can't do much," Liriel said. She glanced at Minsc, who was engaged in a one-sided conversation with his hamster. "But maybe if he had another witch…"

At the mention of this, Minsc perked up, setting Boo on his shoulder. "Of course! Why didn't Minsc think of that before? Oh, I know why — it is because you, lady drow, are very smart!"

He turned to Aerie, his giant hand smoothing down Boo's fur. "Little Aerie, you have been a good friend. Minsc would ask something! Will you be my witch? Boo and I are nothing without a witch…"

Aerie smiled. For a moment, she seemed to forget her fear. "If you will be my guardian, Minsc, I shall be your witch. Your dajemma has not been for nothing, and Dynaheir's death shall not go unavenged."

Minsc set down his glass on the table, found a free spot on the floor, and knelt, unsheathing Larry and holding the blade forward with hands spread.

Aerie hurried from her spot, standing in front of Minsc. Even if she was unfamiliar with the exact custom, she seemed to understand generally what she was supposed to do.

Minsc bowed his head and lifted up Larry, declaring, "My sword, my soul, my hamster — all of these I pledge to Aerie, my witch."

Aerie glanced towards Lidia, then at Liriel, who folded her arms and mouthed, "Go on."

Aerie stammered, "Um…I, accept you, Minsc, as my guardian. And, uh, may our enemies tremble before us?"

"That's more like it!" Larry said. "Time to stop talking, time to start killing!" He gave out a long, unsettling laugh.

Minsc sprang to his feet, then sheathed Larry. He bellowed to no one in particular, "Hear that, evil? Minsc has a new witch — woe is you!"

He sucked in a deep breath. "Ah, though the doors of the Ice Dragon Berserker Lodge might be closed to me, Minsc has a new spring in his step!"

He beckoned with a large hand, setting Boo upon his shoulder. "Come with Minsc and Boo, my witch! The day is young, and there's plenty of evil butts that need a-kicking!"

With that, he strode out the door, with Aerie muttering a combinations of thanks and apologies as she left her glass behind and followed him out into the Promenade.

Ribald set down his glass, gave a satisfied sigh, and excused himself. He headed towards the front of the store, turned a sign in the window of the Adventurer's Mart, and sent out his dwarf crier, who had been patiently waiting just outside.

Ribald returned to his sales counter. He hunched down, briefly disappearing behind the wooden desk, and removed an iron box, producing a key from some hidden pocket and inserting it into the box's lock. The key got somewhat stuck, so he jiggled it in the lock, causing the box to emit a cascade of jangling metal, as though it were filled with coins.

Lidia thanked Liriel for her time and left, heading for the door with every intention of following Minsc and Aerie out.

But she stopped by Ribald's desk first. He acknowledged her with a friendly and well-practiced look, saying half to himself, "Now, if I could get this damn box open, this day would start off even better."

"Just wanted to thank you for helping set this up," Lidia said. "It meant a lot to us."

"It's all right, kid, any time." He continued, "Jaheira traveled with you and Dynaheir, didn't she? I didn't see her today."

Lidia hesitated, surveying Ribald's broad, friendly face. If Jaheira was on some secret mission, as Bernard had seemed to suggest, she feared that saying anything about it could endanger her.

But she doubted Ribald meant any harm in it. He was no Harper; if she remembered right, he preferred not to get involved with the Harpers at all.

"She wasn't around," Lidia said. "I heard she left town three days ago without saying where she was going. It sounded important."

Ribald stopped working and lifted up his head for a moment, furrowing his brow. "Huh. Harpers are a secretive lot, but I didn't think she was still involved with them."

Lidia responded with a shrug, not wanting to say too much. "It's not my business."

Somewhere in the back alcove of the store, deep in the shelves of spell scrolls, the shuffling of paper and parchment abruptly ceased.

Ribald said, "Well, when you see her next, tell her she's always welcome to stop by, if she has a mind. Maybe she knows that already, but I want to make certain she does."

Lidia said nothing more, not wanting to keep Ribald further — though he had mastered the art of conversing while his hands were working, she could tell his head was in his money box.

The key finally clicked and turned in the lock. Ribald opened the lid and started counting small copper coins into his hand.

Lidia said a farewell and left the shop, hoping to catch Minsc and Aerie before they went too far into the Promenade.