General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.

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New Friends

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Jaheira was worried. She fidgeted with her armour for the umpteenth time, and noticed Khalid's bemused gaze. They were late; it was unlike Gorion to not be punctual, and she was sure something had happened. She had suggested they leave, and head towards Candlekeep themselves, but Khalid had shaken his head.

"Wh-what would happen then if they arrived h-here, and we had g-gone?" he said. He patted his wife's arm, his kind half-elven face giving her a reassuring glance.

She knew he was right, of course, but he had always been the patient one. The fiery druid was kept in check by her husband on more occasions than she cared to think about, but their balance was part of the reason she had fallen in love with him.

She absent-mindedly twirled her brown hair with her lithe hands, her piercing green eyes not moving from the door. She knew it would be dark outside by now, and even if Gorion's ward had slowed him down, they still should not have taken this long.

Khalid watched his wife with concern. He was worried about Gorion's lateness too, but his head told him that they were better staying put. If anything had happened, the ward was still to head to the inn and Khalid was not keen on leaving quite so soon.

"Khalid! Look!" Jaheira had stood up suddenly, her gaze still fixed on the entrance. He looked over to see some people entering the inn. Two figures had paused as they looked at their surroundings. They were swathed in dark cloaks with hoods drawn up, making it impossible to discern anything about them, but it was possible that one was Gorion.

Khalid nodded, and stood up too, preparing to go to meet them. The appearance of two further members of the group stopped him, and he heard Jaheira sigh. She followed it with a loud tut and he took her hand and squeezed it. He had also recognised the mage as a Zhent by the sigils on his robe, and the two half-elves both sat back down, resigned to waiting longer.

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Maiyn's gaze scoured the common room of the inn. She'd almost wondered if they'd get there alive after being ambushed by several xvarts - small humanoids with bright orange eyes - who had rushed the group as they travelled along the road. Montaron had immediately charged back at them, enjoying the chance to stab things, while Maiyn and Imoen had picked a few off with their bows. Xzar had just stood looking at them, occasionally trying to pull on Maiyn's sleeve. Look! Look! Aren't they... blue! He'd exclaimed, over and over again, with obvious delight.

Then they'd reached the gates of the inn, and Maiyn had been astonished to realise how much it reminded her of Candlekeep. The large outer palisade looked sound enough to prevent attacks, and the small settlement inside housed a small community, the focal point being one large building. The difference here of course, was that the building was a tavern, while back home it was the library. Home, she thought sadly, realising that was no longer a true assessment.

Her heart fell as she realised she wasn't going to magically recognise her father's friends, and so she looked to Imoen. The young thief was just as wrapped up in her cloak as the ranger, the cold night proving to be much chillier than either expected. As Maiyn caught her eye, Imoen shook her head slightly; the inn, at first glance, was full of both travellers and locals. They would have to ask around.

Montaron and Xzar stumbled in behind them; Xzar had become engrossed with the brickwork of the building outside, and the two young girls had left the halfling to get him up the stairs and into the warmth of the tavern. He immediately began purring as the two pushed their way roughly past the girls and headed straight for the bar.

Maiyn rolled her eyes, and followed them. "We'd better try and get rooms for the night," she said to Imoen, who nodded affirmatively. "You scout around, and see if you can find anyone."

Imoen sighed, and began to wander amongst the patrons, not really knowing what she was looking for. It was quite late now, and a lot of the customers had been drinking for hours so were rather worse for the wear. Imoen smiled softly to herself. I'm sure some won't notice the absence of some coin...

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"Jaheira - l-look. The two that c-came in with the Zhent and his guard; one of them is a y-young elf." Khalid had noticed Maiyn pulling down her hood and throwing her cloak back.

"Hmm," said Jaheira softly, studying her. "She looks like a ranger. They might have picked her up to scout for them, or lead them someplace."

"She looks as G-gorion described her," said Khalid quietly.

"It cannot be," said Jaheira firmly. "Where is Gorion? Why would she be travelling with such companions?"

Khalid's gaze fell to his wife, and his eyes were full of sorrow. "I think we b-both assumed the worst about G-gorion when he failed to appear last night."

Jaheira nodded resignedly. "It still does not explain her consorting with Zhentarim!" she hissed.

"Let's s-speak to her, and see what she has t-to say," suggested Khalid quickly, "before we g-go assuming the worst and m-making rash judgements."

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Maiyn managed to secure two rooms for the evening, and gave one of the keys to Montaron. He muttered about having to share, and dragged the necromancer upstairs to rest. Maiyn looked around to try to spot Imoen so they could do likewise, and found herself face to face with two half-elves who were looking at her curiously. The woman was glaring at her sternly, and she found it hard to keep her gaze. The man however was smiling warmly.

Then he spoke. "Something about you is f-familiar, child. Your manner reminds me of a sage I know, b-by the name of Gorion."

Maiyn's eyes opened wide at the name of her father. "Khalid?" she asked, scarcely believing she'd found them. The half-elf nodded.

"It is almost a slight on him, but I can see it too," stated the woman, her expression not softening in the slightest. Maiyn glared at her, not quite believing she'd said that out loud. The woman ignored her stare, and continued. "We are old friends of your adoptive father - he is not with you?"

Maiyn shook her head and briefly outlined what had happened when they left Candlekeep, not letting her furious gaze lessen until she came to recount Gorion's death. Khalid patted her shoulder comfortingly when she told them she had awoken the next day alone.

"We share y-your loss," said Khalid quietly.

"You have wandered here on your own?" asked Jaheira bluntly.

"No, Imoen has been travelling with me," replied Maiyn, staring emotionlessly at the half-elf.

"Imoen? She was to stay at Candlekeep surely?" The female managed to seem even colder.

"She... followed us," Maiyn said, suddenly quite meek. "We met two other travellers on the way here, who accompanied us..."

"We s-saw them when you c-came in," said Khalid.

Maiyn nodded, and spotted Imoen out of the corner of her eye. She waved the thief over, and let Khalid and Jaheira introduce themselves to her. Khalid told them he was trained in the arts of fighting, as was his wife, but she also held some druidic powers. He politely asked if they had been trained in any professions as they grew up, and grinned mischievously as Maiyn explained Imoen's tendency for having light fingers. Imoen glared at the elf, immediately calling her a 'prancing tree-hugger'. Maiyn scowled disapprovingly.

"We knew y-your father from his d-days as a Harper," Khalid explained to them as they had something to eat. They both nodded - Gorion had briefly mentioned his time with the group, but never gone into detail, and both Imoen and Maiyn had known not to pry. Imoen had learned enough from letters that she should never have seen to know the sort of missions he'd undertaken in the days before he settled with the girls. She'd always shared the gossip with Maiyn, the two girls discussing excitedly the adventures that he'd been involved with. This meant that Imoen was excited to be in their company, insisting on calling Jaheira 'auntie' much to the druid's obvious horror. Maiyn informed the two Harpers and Imoen that she had secured a room for the evening, and that she'd planned to meet with Xzar and Montaron in the morning. The half-elves nodded, and advised the two young girls to get some rest.

"W-we would quite like to accompany you to Nashkel, if y-you wouldn't mind," said Khalid as they all went upstairs. "W-we mean to look into the iron c-crisis too, and we would be safer travelling together."

Maiyn nodded. "It would please me to travel with you," she said smiling sincerely at him, completely ignoring his wife who she still considered to be rude and terrifying in equal measures.

"One can never be too careful about the dangers on the open road," said Jaheira cryptically as they reached their rooms. "Wherever they may spring from." The druid looked at Imoen. "Although you were not meant to come this far, child, you should accompany us too. It would be too dangerous for you to return to Candlekeep on your own now."

Imoen opened her mouth to say something, but Maiyn butted in, suddenly annoyed by the threat to her self-imposed leadership.

"Well, it's lucky you're allowing her to come with us," she said hotly, "because if you'd told her to leave us, I'm afraid I would have had to go with her! Come on Imoen!"

The ranger dragged the thief into their room, and slammed the door behind them. Jaheira gave Khalid a look and then rolled her eyes as he chuckled. This will surely be an interesting trip, he thought as he followed the druid to their own room.

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Maiyn looked around. Beregost was quite large, certainly, but she'd expected it to be much bigger from the tales Imoen had spun as they walked the road that morning. She could see buildings stretching off into the distance, people milling around in the streets between them. It was certainly a far cry from Candlekeep.

"Well here we are!" proclaimed Imoen, happily. "Whatcha think?"

Maiyn shrugged helplessly, still surveying her surroundings. "I haven't seen enough of it yet to have much of an opinion, really."

"We'll see what she has for us then! Uh... better let me do the talking, ya know. A hayseed like you in a 'big city' like this, oooh... pretty scary!"

The elf gave her friend an exasperated look. "So says Miss Wordly huh? Tell you what, I'll just stand off to the side and look menacing."

Imoen giggled. "You're smarter than ya look! Guess there's hope for ya, after all. Let's find a nice place and get some rooms - I haven't had a hot bath in ages! They say Feldepost's is a good inn, we should try there."

"We have to find it first..."

"Hey you're the rangery one! It'll be easy for you to find it! And after that, I'm going shopping. We need some supplies. Let's see... some new blankets maybe, soap, lantern oil... er... I think I kinda misplaced your hunting knife so we'll have to get a new one of those. I need some new clothes, too. My pink tunic got ripped in that last fight with those kobolds"

"Erm, Imoen... all your tunics are pink. Actually, all your clothes are pink..." said Maiyn wryly, changing the topic from the battle. The ambush had come as a bit of a surprise, though it had not lasted long when Montaron and Khalid charged at their foes. Imoen and Maiyn's arrows, and Jaheira's sling bullets had also helped take down the attackers, but one renegade kobold had moved away from its group and started shooting at Maiyn. An arrow had landed squarely in her left shoulder, and Jaheira had come over to investigate it at the end of the fight.

"Let me see the wound," demanded the druid.

Maiyn didn't bother arguing, and an almighty stab of pain shuddered through her arm and shoulder, causing her to scream in agony. Jaheira looked at her in some surprise.

"I was merely removing the arrow," said Jaheira calmly, with an amused expression.

"I've only ever grazed my knee before!" yelled Maiyn agitatedly.

Jaheira seemed to have difficulty suppressing her grin. "Try to keep your voice down; there may still be enemies around."

Maiyn screamed obscenities in her mind, aiming them at the women sitting before her, while the half-elf cast a spell of healing. The ranger gingerly shrugged her shoulder and arm, and was relieved to find it all back to normal almost immediately. She ignored Jaheira's smile as she got ready to get back on their way.

"Well yes," admitted Imoen, "but it was my favourite! C'mon slowpoke, I want to look around! I hope we have enough money for everything."

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The young man paced up and down the street, looking for a suitable group of people. His employer had been very exact with what she required; a capable band, strong and experienced, who won't ask questions, and who will act on order. The trouble was that those sorts of people just didn't exist in Beregost. Sure, there were travellers passing through every day, but none of them would even stop to listen to his offer. He sighed, wondering what he was going to do.

"See, I told ya I'd get us to the centre!" A female voice drifted through the air towards him, and he turned to look at her. A pretty human girl was standing in the middle of the road, her auburn hair falling onto a dark pink cloak. Her eyes were bright and full of mischief, and her arched eyebrows gave her a playful expression as she regarded her companions. He recognised at least two warrior figures among their number.

Adventurers, thought the young man, just what I'm looking for!

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"I didn't doubt your ability to find the middle of a town," said Maiyn dryly. "Oh no, don't let Xzar get near the monument!"

The others turned to see the huge standing stone bearing the town's name that the necromancer was mindlessly wandering to. Montaron raced after him, and managed to turn him around, guiding him in the opposite direction. The rest were about to discuss where to go next when the necromancer let out an almighty shriek.

"What's wrong now?" Maiyn asked when she'd regained her composure.

The necromancer's trembling hand was pointing to the building they had happened to stop outside. For a second, Maiyn thought he was casting a spell at it, but thankfully he eventually managed to speak.

"Burn! Burn they say! How about I burn them! How would they like it, I ask you!"

The others regarded the inconspicuous building with suspicion, before realising it was a tavern. A gilded blue sign hung above the door, proclaiming it to be called 'The Burning Wizard'. Maiyn groaned, and signalled for them to move slightly further away.

"I could burn it! Burn it!" shrieked Xzar as Montaron and Khalid forcefully backed him away from the establishment. "Do you think I should burn it!"

The young man that Xzar had addressed looked quite perplexed. Maiyn rushed over with a groan. "He is quite weary; we have been travelling for some time," she explained apologetically on the necromancer's behalf. She offered a forced smile before retreating to aid the others in manhandling Xzar further down the street. People were stopping to stare at the mage, and Maiyn was almost ready to gag him.

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He had no idea what the strange man wanted to burn, or why he was being asked if the madman should, and his brow furrowed in confusion. He was relieved when a girl appeared, signalling the other two men to move the maniac further away still, and he could tell by her apology that she was well spoken, and quite probably well educated.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, as the elf turned away. She looked back in surprise, and regarded him with a raised eyebrow. They're certainly not what I expected, he thought to himself, but there's noone else I can ask. He sighed, and put on his most charming smile. "I have a proposal for you, if you are willing to listen to me."

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Maiyn's eyebrow arched subconsciously as she looked at the man. He was human, and rather young at that. He wore a simple tunic that appeared to have been recently cleaned, and his hair was carefully sculpted into a stylish quiff. He didn't appear to be very dangerous. But then again, he had just requested help from a party of people containing a deranged mage - whose actions he had witnessed. That could signal a potentially fatal trait, she thought laconically.

"That depends," said Maiyn eventually. The others had gathered around her, having managed to distract Xzar with promises of sweets.

"Well, my employer is looking to offer 300 gold pieces to an able band of adventurers," he rattled, as if reciting from memory. "All that is required is that they agree to perform a service of protection for her! And I've heard all about your group - I think you'd be perfect for the job! What say you?"

"I see," said Maiyn slowly, trying to stop herself smiling. "I say that you can't really have heard anything much about us at all."

The young man blushed slightly, and inclined his head. "Well, that's true. I just thought flattery would make my job a lot easier," he admitted, looking suddenly shy.

"I'm not sure if we're willing to do much in the way of mercenary work," Maiyn continued. "It really does depend on the nature of the employment."

"It is a simple task," replied the man hastily. "My boss is a renowned actress called Silke, and she is being threatened by some thugs from Feldepost's Inn - all over a cancelled performance there! She had to cancel, you see, because she has been invited to perform at the Duchal Palace in Balder's Gate! Feldepost wasn't too happy though, and he started threatening her - you only need to stand there and look menacing enough to keep her safe until they leave!"

Menacing? Maiyn thought to herself. Well, Jaheira and Montaron could scowl for Faerun, and I guess if Xzar finds something wrong with them he can be pretty scary in his own way...

"Okay," she said to the delighted youth. "Show us to your employer."

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Something about it just didn't add up to Maiyn. A quick glance behind her showed most of her companions seemed to share that sentiment. They had been led to the actress, Silke, by the young man. She was standing alone in an alley that managed to remain quite dim despite the afternoon sun shining down on the rest of the town. He'd introduced himself as Garrick, a bard who served her. Maiyn had tried to introduce herself, but Silke had ignored her completely, launching into a set of instructions instead.

"All you need to do is wait here until those menacing thugs appear, then defend me if necessary."

"We weren't told there would be any need to fight as such..." began Maiyn faintly.

"Whatever you do," continued the woman dismissively, "don't talk to them! One is a powerful mage who can confuse you with the power of his words!"

So they waited with her, and sure enough, three men approached. The leader bowed his head respectfully, and seemed to be trying to offer her a gem, but she started screaming over his voice whenever he attempted to speak, and now she demanded the group attack the unarmed strangers.

"I'm sorry," said Maiyn to the actress after some thought, "but we're not going to murder some innocent men."

Silke swung round to face them, her eyes flashing with anger. "Foolish whelps!" she screamed. "I'll deal with them myself then, after I've taken care of you and your useless friends!" With a single word she projected mirror images of herself.

Khalid and Montaron both charged at her, and Jaheira began to madly sling shots almost as quickly as Imoen and Maiyn could shoot off arrows. Xzar was standing still, muttering something - this wasn't unusual behaviour for him though.

The actress managed to finish another incantation before her last mirror was wiped out, and she extended her hand and pointed to Maiyn. A bolt of lightning shot from her fingertips, causing the elf to dive to the side and land awkwardly. As she rolled to get up she noticed the bolt had bounced off the wall across the alley and was heading back towards them.

"DUCK!" she yelled, instinctively throwing herself to the ground. Imoen and Jaheira followed suit, and Montaron and Khalid wildly dived to the side. Silke shrieked as her own bolt passed through her, but somehow she survived, and immediately began another conjuration with trembling hands.

The companions desperately tried to get back to their feet in time to disturb her spell, and Maiyn noticed two small purple missiles dancing through the air, heading straight for the actress. They hit their target rather violently on the head, causing her to tumble to the ground quite unceremoniously where Montaron gave her body a quick stab. Maiyn looked over to Xzar, but he was entranced by the lilac sparks that were emanating from his fingertips.

"Thank the heavens for m-magic missile, hmm?" asked Khalid merrily, as he extended a hand to the elf to pull her to her feet. She grinned, and looked over to see the men explaining to Jaheira how they had acquired a gem for the actress.

"Acquired?" asked Jaheira with a raise of her eyebrow. Some of the men coughed slightly, and backed away from their leader, leaving him to face the stern druid.

"Well, er," he muttered, avoiding eye contact, "we're really glad you helped us out like that, since she was going to kill us, and well, we don't need the gem, so how about you... keep it and we'll... just..." The man turned around and bolted, his companions close behind.

Maiyn scoured the alley for the Silke's ex-employee as Montaron roughly looted the body. She saw him loitering at the end, obviously hesitating about his next move. His eyes were fixed to the road, as if he was debating with himself upon his chances at a quick escape. She marched up to him swiftly and quietly.

"So," she said, making him jump in surprise as he realised how close she was.

"Ah, er..." he said, trying to smile, and backing away slowly. "So, Silke's dead! Well, I guess she had it coming... you can't be as evil as her and expect to get away with it after all!" He grinned weakly.

Maiyn followed him as he backed up against a wall, and noticed with satisfaction that he looked quite uncomfortable.

"You knew she was trying to lure some poor men into a trap." She didn't ask, because she already knew the answer. Garrick nodded regardless. "And despite that, you asked us to perform a service for her."

"I..." he began, but Maiyn stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"I will believe that you only acted as such," she said, "because you had no option, and so I shall not be angry. We will be leaving now."

She turned with a small smile, and started marching back to the others.

"Hey," Garrick cried out, behind her. "I don't suppose I could come with you, could I?"