Relena: DM/Dungeon Master (loves the group, but often wants to TPK them)
Heero: Drow Ranger (Quatre had to make his character for him)
Duo: Tiefling Bard (likes to play up "that bard" to Relena's annoyance)
Trowa: Tiefling Rogue (dresses "like a bard/clown" to confuse enemies)
Quatre: Aasimar Cleric (lone healer of the group and all that prevents a TPK)
Wufei: Dragonborn Monk (extremely particular about his character)
Hilde: Tabaxi Barbarian (used to grapple the others as needed)

Just a quick excursion...and treasure to choose.

"...The dragon mage turns to look back at you once all of you have returned him to the ruined fortress by the sea and says "For your timely aid to my dear wife and how you have saved my life, please, allow me to bestow each of you with a reward." Relena said, dropping her voice to a low-rumbling tone, or as close as she could, for the half-green dragon character she had created. "With his wife walking at his side, he leads you into the fortress, finally stopping at the vaulted archway of what was once, in ages long past, a grand banquet hall. He extends his hand to the room, calling for wisps of golden magefire to light the scones and illuminate the piles of gold, jewels, armor, and weapons that fill the chamber. Turning back to your group he says "Please, as a token of our gratitude...I grant each of you one item from my hoard"."

Relena looked up at the group in front of her, a small smile on her face before she pulled a sheet of paper from her notes. "Now, here is a list of the treasure and gear in the dragon's hoard that is available to be taken."

She passed the paper to Wufei, who simply handed it along to Quatre so that the blond could be in charge of the list and how they chose what they would get in game; why was Quatre the one in charge, one might ask? Quite simply because things might devolve into a shouting match, or worse, if the list were placed in anyone else hands.

"I'm going to go over to the kitchenette and make myself some tea so all of you can discuss things." The diplomat said as she stood up form her seat, taking a brief moment to stretch as the quest had been a bit of a long one this time. "Would anyone else like some tea?"

"Yes, please." Quatre said with a grin as he set the list down in front of him, shifting himself to the side some so that Trowa had to look over his shoulder to see the list rather than just entrust the blond to make the choices for him. "Upper half is just treasure and the bottom half is weapons and armor, correct?"

"Correct." Relena said as she brushed a hand gently over Wufei's shoulder. "Another cup of matcha?"

"Yes." Wufei said as he moved closer to Quatre to look over the list, before checking his character sheet just to see what item would further round-out his monk. Hilde kept a grip on Duo to make sure that her boyfriend, who had all-but sprawled himself across her lap in his haste to see the "new toys" that they were going to get, and laughed some. "I think me and this lugnut-"

"Hey!"

"-are fine with our sodas, but thanks 'Lena." Hilde finished as if the long-haired ex-pilot hadn't even interrupted her in that playful, mock-offended tone of his. Heero moved around the table so that he was partly leaning over Wufei and Quatre, but still able to see the list clearly. "I still have my most recent water bottle."

Relena simply nodded and walked over to the kitchenette to begin brewing a fresh pot of tea and some matcha. Most might think that it was risky to entrust her party to pick and choose like this, but it was far easier in her eyes. Getting to pick their own reward for this quest, based on what would best fit their characters, was the best way that she could see to reward how well they had all done in-game...and how well that they had handled the fight between herself and Zechs two weeks ago...by not, you know, killing him.
To which Relena was very glad as she did not want the ones she loved to be on the receiving end of Noin's ire anytime soon if she could help it.

"Are those...those are Gloves of Soul Catching." Wufei's voice sounded awed for a second...before he said, very firmly: "Those are mine. I need those."

"But-" Duo started only to be cut off, intentionally or unintentionally, by Quatre's cheerful "Of course, Wufei. They will need attunement though."

"Fine." Was all the Chinese ex-pilot said as he wrote down his choice of reward onto his Dragonborn's character sheet; he had wanted a pair of those gloves for his monk ever since he had read about them in one of Relena's game books. After a moment, Heero's voice chimed in...in his own way. "I will take that Efficient Quiver that says that it can hold up to sixty arrows or bolts."

"And other things in the extra compartments." Quatre said, giving a small nod as a signal for the other former pilot to write down the quiver on his character sheet. "Think that you will get your Drow a new bow or crossbow on the next quest?"

Heero didn't answer, but anyone could guess that he would be trying his hardest to...and even if he couldn't acquire a new 'upgraded' bow or crossbow, he would try to find parts and materials to upgrade his current weapons. Hilde frowned some before she pointed to the list. "What's this Belt of Dwarvenkind? Do you have to be a Dwarf to use it?"

"No." Relena answered from the kitchenette, keeping her eyes focused on the kettle. "The name's a bit of a misnomer in my opinion, especially since it gives more benefits if the wearer isn't a Dwarf. I listed all of the benefits next to it for you...though I think that belt requires attunement similar to the gloves that Wufei took."

After a moment of thought, Relena tapped her chin. "I think that, since you're a Tabaxi, you won't have to worry about the fifty-percent chance of growing a beard each day thing, but I can double check my notes if you like."

There was silence after that, most likely due to the quick bout of reading going on, before the former freedom fighter called out "That's mine! I am gonna use and abuse those bonuses. I don't care about the beard thing. If my Tabaxi ends up with a beard some how, I will style that thing and make it work."

Quatre and Duo both laughed at that, while Wufei and Heero merely looked slightly amused and Trowa let out a quiet 'ha' of a laugh before he went back to glancing at the list as Hilde wrote down her prize. Duo called out "There's a pair of Winged Boots there! I want that! Please say I can have that, Quat'. I'll have SO much fun with that!"

"Okay, sure. I don't see why you can't have them, though are you sure?" Quatre asked only because he didn't want the brunette to choose something that he might regret later, especially since there seemed to be several other very good items a bard, and especially one as chaotic as Duo's Tiefling, could make use of. Duo just grinned maniacally in response and clapped a hand to the blond's shoulder. "Absolutely! I've got so many ideas for fun stuff to do while wearing those boots. It'll be awesome."

"Which means we'll be in Hell." Wufei deadpanned from his seat...and expertly catching the piece of popcorn that the brunette lobbed across the table at him. Without missing a beat, Wufei popped the piece of popcorn into his mouth while Duo turned his attention to writing down his in-game prize onto his character sheet.

"What are you taking, Quatre?" Hilde asked only for the blond to shrug in response. "Not sure at the moment. Trowa?"

Trowa didn't answer, though he did shift to reread the list as his boyfriend did the polite thing and held it up so that he could easily look over the neatly typed up words. "Is there anything that would work well with my character being a vampire now?"

Relena bit her lip to hide her smile even though her back was to the table. Yes, she had been surprised (pleasantly so in fact) when, at the end of their last side quest, Trowa had gotten into having his Tiefling rogue being a vampire and had chosen to remain as one, though the ready-made cure still resided safely within Quatre's cleric's travel pack for just in case Trowa ever changed his mind or there were any further vampire incidents. "I think that you can still use most everything on that list as long as it isn't a holy relic, Trowa."

"Cloak of Invisibility." Was all Trowa said after a moment, before he shifted Quatre back onto his lap and rested his head against the blond's own as Quatre just nodded and added "Cloak of Invisibility" to his boyfriend's character sheet since the sometimes-clown seemed far more interested in their usual cuddling session rather than writing anything down for himself today.
Not as if that was different from any other time of day, but still.

"I think that I'm going to take this Necklace of Prayer Beads as my prize, if that is alright with everyone?" Quatre asked after he looked over the list once more only for Wufei and Heero to both look very interested in that, Trowa to glance up with a barely there smile of his own, and Hilde and Duo to share a grin all their own as Duo answered. "Quat', no one is gonna argue with you on that."

Six powerful spells that could be used, one once per day, as a bonus action? On top of how Quatre's Aasimar was built around healing, dispelling, and pretty much just keeping all of them from dying from the whims of both the random-number-game dice gods and themselves, be it in combat or otherwise? None of them were crazy enough to argue against something that would boost that.

"I am so glad we took this quest hook! A challenging fight, leveling up, and incredible rewards!" Hilde said with a laugh as Quatre passed the list back to Wufei, who placed it neatly on Relena's pile of notes as Heero moved back to his seat across from the Chinese ex-pilot. Relena laughed, only partly to herself, as she walked over to set a cup of tea in front of Quatre and placed Wufei's matcha in front him. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. Everyone has their chosen prize?"

Relena went to collect her own cup, then returned to her seat to Duo's enthusiastic "yes" and the brunette in-question rubbing his hands together as if he were already planning exactly what kinds of mischief his Tiefling bard could pull off with his shiny new boots. Relena highlighted the items that Quatre had checked off for her, and added the chosen items in question to her own "quick-notes" regarding the party's available gear. "Alright then."

Setting her pink highlighter down, Relena took a sip of her tea and filled in her 'quick-notes', before setting the cup onto its coaster and turning her full attention back to the group. "With you chosen rewards in hand, the dragon mage and his wife escort you back out of the fortress and bid you farewell...but not before the blood mage suggests the fastest route to the port town further up the coast, and leans in to whisper as if she is telling a great secret "Beyond the sea, the princess of the broken tower does weep and cry...for a great lake devours all who draw too near. May you be smiled upon should you dare"."

Relena took a breath as she slipped back to her normal tone and away from the breathy, dream-like one she had come up with for the blood mage. "The doors shut behind all of you, leaving you standing in the ruined yard under the night sky...and with two paths ahead of you. One leading to the village you had originally intended to travel to, and the other going the fast route to the port."

The diplomat smiled and folded her hands under her chin. "Now...how do all of you wish to proceed?"

Everyone one the group glanced around at each other before unanimously saying "Port."
Forget going to a quiet little village to loaf about and rest. They had shiny new gear to play with, a quest hook that could be amazing and challenging in all the best ways, and one of their own was working on learning new vampire abilities. Give them a new adventure any day...they could easily take a long rest in an inn at the port town.

Deadass, I researched for a few hours to figure out what rewards could be best for the group to get and those new toys are going to be such chaos, especially those boots on Duo's bard's feet.

Also, after the previous chapter, I really wanted something more fun and less drama.