Jessi: This chapter has actual interaction between characters this time… I hope they're all in character. If you spot anything wrong please leave a review telling me so. Then again if I do it right, then by all means tell me.

A happy author is a prolific one.

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Uriel made a face as Jaheira held out the glass towards him. He recognized the dark grey liquid as one of the druid's herbal potions and recoiled slightly from it, remembering the last time he'd been treated with it. On the other side of the tavern room Imoen watched her brother and the half-elf stare each other down,

"Uriel," Jaheira spoke first, sitting on the bed so she faced the disguised sun elf, "you'll need your strength, especially if you insist on completing these tasks for that Handmaiden," she brought the glass closer to Uriel's face, frowning slightly as he wrinkled his nose and edged away.

"It'll just make me sicker," muttered the Bhaalspawn darkly, bringing the quilts that covered his lap up over his nose, "It tastes disgusting."

"It helped with your fainting fits after Irenicus' dungeon. Now if you would just stop behaving like a spoiled child we can bring these ones under control and we wouldn't have to carry you back after every battle!"

Uriel glowered up at her, his eyes flashing red for a brief second,

"I'm sorry Jaheira, that Irenicus saw it fit to tear my soul out!" he lay down in his bed, turning away to face the wall, "Now leave me alone!" he snapped.

The druid turned away, unwilling, or perhaps unable to persuade an uncharacteristically angry Uriel, and stalked out of the room. Imoen lingered for a moment more,

"Uriel-"

"Please Immy," the sun elf interrupted her, his voice faint and sad, "leave me alone."

He heard the light footsteps of the thief leave the room. Uriel buried himself deeper into the soft quilts, suddenly feeling very much alone.

---

Uriel must have fallen asleep because the next thing he realised he was being poked in the side repeatedly.

"Go 'way," he mumbled sleepily into his pillow.

"Hmm… typical," the sun elf's assailant jabbed him again in the ribs, "Stop this and get up you lazy excuse for a Bhaalspawn. I cannot abide this sulking mood of yours (not that your usual irritating cheerfulness is any better mind you)."

Uriel pulled the blanket down a little to expose one eye. A drow stood by his bed, scowling down at him. Edwin was easy to recognise though, he'd kept his scarlet robes, the circlet round his head and his long nails in his transformation.

"Hey Eddie," some of the cheerfulness did seep back into his voice as the Red Wizard twitched at the mention of his nickname, "Wha' you want?"

"Eloquent as always I see," came the thickly-accented reply, "If you must know the collection of rejects you call an adventuring party bore me," he took something from under his arm and tossed it onto the bed, "Entertain me."

Uriel recognized the object as a chessboard, hinged in the middle so as to double up as a compartment for the pieces. Like most things carried by adventures it was worn and slightly battered and there was a dull brown stain on one corner, blood from some random monster.

He was at least a competent chess player (Gorion had taught him when he was young) but he'd only beaten Edwin once and that was when the wizard had been drunk enough to bet a year's service on the outcome of the game.

"Fine," he sat up, leaning back against the headboard as the conjurer set up the board, "Do you have anything to drink?"

"The druid left you one of her most appetizing concoctions over there," Edwin gestured towards the side table, on which the grey potion rested. The elf's response was to sigh,

"Something alcoholic… please?"

Edwin raised one eyebrow elegantly but pulled out a bottle and a glass from the bag of holding hidden in his sleeve. Uriel took them both with mumbled thanks, filled the glass to the brim and drained it in one smooth motion.

"That's good dwarven brandy, you damn simian (if only you would continue drinking like a woman as well as looking like one)!"

Uriel poured another glass, glaring at the conjurer,

"You're one to talk Edwina!"

As he drank his second glass Edwin wondered if it had been (not a wrong decision surely, for he was Edwin Odesseiron after all) but perhaps a slightly less wise decision to give him the brandy. The Bhaalspawn's retort had been spoken with actual venom behind it this time.

The Red wizard decided then to keep a close watch on the elf tonight. He'd hate to lose someone who on occasion was capable of intelligent conversation and twenty minutes of chess.

---

Unfortunately for Edwin the chess match didn't give him many opportunities to watch Uriel's drinking, the elf seemed to know he was watching him so drank while the Thayvan was planning his next move, so it came as a surprise when the sun elf suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Y'know Eddie…" the Bhaalspawn's speech was slurred and he swayed slightly away from the support of the headboard. Beneath the strands of his hair one of his eyes seemed to flash sulphur yellow for a moment. The Red Wizard ran through a mental list of the spells he had memorised before dinner, his fingers curling behind his back, ready to cast.

Uriel lifted his head, a wide smile on his face, which at the same time was utterly disturbing,

"Are you frightened of me?"

The mage blinked in surprise,

"You seem to forget that I am Edwin Odesseiron, Master of the Arcane Arts, and you are a paladin (thankfully without the shiny armour)."

The sun elf giggled,

"Not anymore," he flicked his hair behind him, revealing eyes that were flickering between yellow and red, "Not anymore," he repeated, this time focusing on his hands, the fingernails that were lengthening and the skin that was steadily developing scales.

It was then that Edwin hit him with a Power Word: Stun.