A/N: Well, I'm back, healed somewhat. Enjoy!
Well, crap.
Aerie wept against my chest, thin arms wrapped tightly around me. Jaheira and Viconia glared at her, angry and clearly envious. We stepped out the swamp, armed with new knowledge, but I was getting the impression I had already pulled this lot farther and faster than I ever intended. We were close to the breaking point, in no condition to assault the headquarters of an army of giants. Hell, I wasn't sure we were in any shape to take another ten steps.
"Okay, okay Aerie...ease up."
She didn't listen.
"S'gonna be okay, dear."
Nope, kept crying.
"Okay," I called over her mourning, "let's find a dry patch of ground and take a break. I'm hungry."
I'm not an inhuman monster. I wanted to make her feel better, I did. I just didn't know how. I hugged her tight with one arm, trying to pack an iron ration in my face with the other. Crumbs everywhere. Aerie sniffled.
"D-d-do you think what he said was true?" Aerie asked out of nowhere, and suddenly everyone was all ears. They all saw those they failed when the wraith had talked to them. It was sheer will driving them now, I couldn't let that slip. The other two crowded close. Something was unsettling about the way they stared at me.
"Naw, it was just trying to screw with us. Make us vulnerable."
"A-are you sure?"
"Are you done wasting his time, wounded dove?"
Aerie glared at Viconia. This wouldn't end well.
"You're no better, viper."
"Go back to eating dirt, druid."
This wasn't going too well. Aerie let go of me, advanced with little fists balled. There was something definitely dangerous about the way they looked at each other, and deeply disturbing in the way they looked at me. They looked almost...hungry. Each of them was sizing the others up, and sizing me up. Lust had nothing on them.
I concentrated, and like that, we all fell through the ground and into the abyssal cottage. Everyone fell on their asses. I started stripping off plates of armor.
"Keep it calm, everyone. We need...aw, hell, who am I kidding, I could do with a week or two off."
Everyone started pulling off their own armor. Jaheira spoke first, quietly.
"I want to sleep under the stars without fear again."
"I want to sleep in Winthrop's inn again."
"I want to see the snows of Rashamen again. Boo would like to meet an ice weasel, too. He tired of wrasseling pirate parrots."
Viconia looked at the ground. Her voice was a whisper.
"I want-"
Aerie cut her off, threw herself at me. She pressed her face into my chest.
"I-I-I want you! P-p-p-please, please don't let me go...I can't...I can't live without you!"
It was heartbreaking, in a way. Viconia looked disgusted. Jaheira was unreadable, in her own little world. Minsc and Imoen looked embarrassed, while Sarevok raised an eyebrow.
"How you defeated me or Irenicus, I'll never know," he called out over his shoulder. A huge arm looped around Viconia's shoulders, pulled her away. I looked down at the desperate, shaking mess of blonde hair, stroked it gently.
"Easy, now. Aerie, you still need to be strong."
"But..."
"No, Aerie. You need to be strong, no ifs or buts."
Minsc and Jaheira stood side by side. Breakdowns weren't something they were used to. Back in the day, we didn't have this sort of trouble. But they seemed to be staring at me, not me and Aerie, or just Aerie. Jaheira's jaw tightened. She turned away, started stripping off her armor.
I was confused.
What had I done? And when had I started trying to keep in her good graces? I looked down, and suddenly awareness burst into me. Aerie wasn't shaking anymore. Her left ran up the base of my spine almost unconsciously, while her right rested on the back of my neck. Her head sat right above my heart. My arms were wrapped around her, clutching her tight, and my chin lay atop that angelic golden hair. It was unconscious. No wonder Jaheira was mad...but it wasn't my fault.
Well, it was.
So I sighed, and sat myself down. Aerie still held onto me like she was lost at sea and I floated. I lay back. looked up at the freaky, shifting green sky. Closed my eyes, and the only thing I would feel was her. Warm, thin body pressing against mine. Slowly breathing. I was going under when I heard Aerie quietly singing.
It struck me that despite everything, there was no way I could make up my mind about the three of them. There was a barely averted fight over something so simple as proximity barely ten minutes before. This had to end, quick. I had to get this bhaalspawn bull over with in a hurry, get out from under it all. Maybe go off alone, as weird as it seemed. I quietly imagined sitting around Feldpost's Inn, listening to music, not a care in the world. Needless to say, I dozed off in hurry.
When I woke up, it was to more squabbling. I cracked open an eye, and Viconia and Jaheira were shoving each other. Aerie got up off of me, rubbed at her eyes.
"Hey! That's enough. Everyone, get over here. We've got to talk some stuff through."
They gave each other one last glare. Aerie tried to entwine her fingers in mine, but with great deliberation I pulled away. Business, I reminded myself, business. Then I can...well, do whatever I want. Head back to Beregost, or Candlekeep, or whatever. Find a tavern. Maybe build my own. Have a drink with Winthrop again. My dream seemed just out of reach. I needed to finish this quest off.
Imoen plopped down beside me. She gave me an odd look, like an are-you-sure-you-know-what-you're-doing-big-brother-because-this-doesn't-seem-like-you-do look. I raised an eyebrow. Hadn't seen that since the spider queen incident in Cloakwood, with the exploding potions and the incredible luck of it all. Everyone sat down around me.
"Okay, folks, here's the thing. If we're gonna save Saradush, we're going to have to take on Yaga Shura and his army. I think we all know that the seven of us can't take on ten giants, much less a hundred. We saw that once we got out of the city."
Everyone nodded, except Minsc. I held up a hand, cutting the big man off. Yeah, we had taken on three fire giants and some of Yaga Shura's regulars, but that had given us a bit of a scare. Those giants really packed a wallop.
"Minsc, I know, the stuff legends are made of. But we can't do it alone."
"But, Boo says..."
Sarevok interrupted him with an angry glare and a bark.
"What your hamster says and what reality is are two different things. I agree with my brother."
Minsc looked at Sarevok, then back at Boo. A silent conversation ensued. Minsc reached out to Sarevok, Boo held with infinite care in both hands.
"Fine, evil one. We shall get help."
"Stop pointing your rodent at me."
"So it's agreed. Who we gonna get to help us, though? If there was an army just lying around, then someone would have hired it or used it."
Minsc's reply was simple enough.
"Everyone!"
I looked at him, dumbfounded. Everyone? I mean, we had been everywhere. There were plenty of people and cities and organizations that could be considered indebted to us. Well, I wouldn't hold them to it. We just did right by them. Little sis spoke her mind.
"Minsc, what do you mean?"
"We have helped so many, traveled with so many. Surely, you can bring back Keldorn?"
"Cespanar?"
My creepy ass manservant appeared off my left shoulder, scaring the hell out of me.
"Uses those statues over there, master!"
"Umm...okay! Everyone else agree?"
Reluctant nods. I wish it hadn't come to this. It was supposed to be over. Hell, it was supposed to be over after Sarevok got put down. I shook my head, mumbling to myself as I walked towards the 'entrace' to the Abyssal Cottage.
"Object!" I called out, addressing the statutes. What was I supposed to call them?
"We are the Weavers of..."
"Yeah, yeah. Fine. You heard us, get us everyone who was at the Sea's Bounty that time."
They seemed to know what I meant, somehow. I was impatient and irritated and tired. The women were an inch away from fighting, and I knew I was well beyond the limits of how far I could push them. I shook my head, muttering to myself. Things were just out of control. And then, it was very, very crowded.
"Oww! Watch where you step, you dunderhead! By my Aunt Tilly and her wyvern-eating children, it's YOU!"
I looked down at none other than Jan Jansen. Great. Those statues at least knew what I meant. I bustled past a confused Coran. There was a general cry of anger and surprise as several persons spied Sarevok sitting with Viconia and Minsc. I pushed aside Edwin, got out in front of the mass of fairly irate and confused adventurers. I waved my arms and yelled to draw their attention.
"Easy! Everyone, easy, easy!"
There was bare steel in that crowd. Things were getting very, very dangerous for Sarevok.
"Ignore Sarevok, I'm the one who called you here. Long story, everyone. I hate to do this to you all again, but...well, I need your help."
A groan from Xan. He was up front with Keldorn and a few others. Keldorn shook his head. Oh, he saw this coming. Canny old man. He knew he'd be dragging my ass out of the fire.
"There's a city...Saradush. It's under siege by a bhaalspawn named Yaga-Shura, filled with ten kinds of innocent people just trying to make their way in the world. He's got an army of fire giants calling him a god, so..."
"So, you want all of us to help you, right?" called out Nalia -at least, I think it was Nalia- from somewhere in the center of the crowd.
"That's the gist of it."
Louder mumbling. I yelled over it. They went quiet pretty quick.
"You don't have to. None of you have any obligation whatsoever to come with me. It's gonna be dangerous, dirty -and if the past has been any indication of what's to come- a whole lot more complicated that I know. If anyone wants to just go back home, I'll do my best to get you there. As for the rest, well, we'll organize some way to try and fight these bastards. Let's try and make this easy- everyone who wants to come, take one step forwards."
Mumbles, as they conferred with neighbors. Keldorn just stared at me the entire time, stepped forwards first.
"I'll come with you, young pup."
A split second of silence, then a thunderous boom. Everyone took one giant step forwards, all at the same time. It was positively heart wrenching to watch them all nod grimly. Some even smiled. I gestured towards the floor.
"So, this all started after the party, right? We went and visited Ellisime, and...damn it all, Cespanar, can we get some chairs?"