Nathrrya, with her superior dark vision, stops the trio. With the tiniest twinge of guilt, she tells Nessa, "You stay back. It's obvious that he's afraid of you. "

She looks down at Deekin, "You're the smallest and the least threatening of us. Why don't you try to approach him?"

Deekin looks back at Nathrrya, "Deekin not knows what you be up to, but Deekin not likes it."

Deekin moves hesitantly toward the sound of the sobbing tiefling. He rounds a corner and finds that Valen has wedged himself into a crack in the cavern wall, still sobbing uncontrollably.

Deekin sidles slowly toward the opening when Valen looks up at him with an expression of amazement on his face.

When he speaks it's not in a language Deekin understands.

The growling, sibilant fluid menace inherent in the abyssal tongue unsettles him, even without being aware of what the words mean.

Valen speaks in a hushed whisper, "Lairani? Is it really you? I thought that Grimash't killed you. How can this be?"

Before Deekin can respond, Valen moves swiftly toward him and sweeps him into an embrace. He rocks what he thinks is his former lover in his arms, murmuring words of endearment in abyssal.

In reality, Deekin thrashes trying to escape his grip. Deekin, who doesn't speak abyssal, hasn't figured out what's happening yet.

Deekin looks at Valen, "Ugh! Goat man, you lets Deekin go now. Deekin not knows why Boss keeps you. If Deekin be faithful kobold companion, yous be dumbass tiefling companion."

Valen tightens his grip, "Lairani, you're so thin. They've starved you, haven't they? I know where there's a hamster. It's not much, but it's better than ashes."

He sweeps Deekin up into a fireman's carry and starts back toward the campsite. Since he's no longer being crushed against the massive tiefling's chest, he's content to be carried, for the moment.

&&&&&&

At hearing the cessation of sobbing, Nathrrya and Nessa edge closer to the corner since neither one is close enough to hear what's being said. They approach the corner cautiously, listening, but they aren't able to hear anything other than the soft murmur of Valen's voice.

The words remain indistinct, but the tone strikes Nessa as odd. She can't quite put her finger on it and while she's thinking, she hears footsteps approaching, so she pulls back.

Valen comes around the corner, carrying Deekin. At seeing Nessa-hamster, he leans down and whispers to Deekin-Lairani, "See, love…I told you we'd find you some food. Now, just wait here."

Nathrrya, who understands abyssal, is nearly howling with laughter. Nessa, standing in front of Nathrrya, just looks confused.

He parks Deekin almost reverently on a boulder, kisses him passionately, which forces Nathrrya to stuff nearly her entire fist into her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Nessa just stands staring, mouth open in shock and amazement. Valen turns to face Nessa and draws his flail, shifting his balance on to the balls of his feet stares at her, as if steeling himself.

Deekin from his place on the boulder spits and sputters, wiping his mouth. He shouts at Nessa, "Boss…goat man be really crazy."

His eye color drifts slowly into a glowing red and Nathrrya, who's seen what Valen's capable of in such a rage, grabs Nessa and starts running.

Nessa shouts back over her shoulder as she's being dragged by Nathrrya, "Run! Just run, Deekin!"

Valen sees a large black naga swoop out of the darkness and take off with the rodent that is supposed to provide dinner for his love. In his extreme frustration, he feels the rage overtake him and he doesn't even try to stop it.

The hamster is squeaking loudly, so he knows it isn't dead yet. He hefts his flail and gives chase. Between the hamster and the naga, he might be able to put some meat on Lairani and nurse her back to health. Then they can be properly reunited. But first things first, he has to catch that naga.

Nathyrra looks back and sees that the tiefling is gaining on them. His enormous strides eat the ground and she realizes they will soon be caught. In desperation, she grabs Nessa and levitates to the roof of the cavern.

The bard struggles in the drow's grip. "I'm afraid of heights!" she squawks. Nathyrra snorts derisively, "You should be more afraid of HIM catching you, but I'll put you down if you really want me to."

Nessa looks down and sees Valen pacing the ground beneath them, his tail lashing violently. She can hear him snarling like some ravenous animal, and gulps loudly. "Um…no, that's okay."

Deekin eases off his rock and creeps forward, his crossbow at the ready. He proceeds in the direction he saw the elves run and soon hears Valen's snarling and growling. The kobold pokes his head around the corner of a rock and sees that the tiefling has found a side of the cave to climb. Deekin looks up and sees the bard clinging tenaciously to the levitating drow.

Valen is about halfway up the wall when he looks down. "My love," he calls in abyssal, "I'll be right back. The serpent has made an attempt at your breakfast and I shall bring them both to you as a feast."

Nathyrra hears him and almost loses her grip on Nessa to stop herself from laughing again.

Nessa looks askance at the drow. "Nathyrra, what the hells is going on? What happened to Valen?" The assassin feigns innocence, "I really don't know. He seems to be having a reaction to something."

"How long do you think he will be like this?" asks the bard. "I have no idea," Nathyrra replies, "but we should try to stay away from him."

"How long can you levitate?" Nathyrra scowls, "Not THAT long."

Deekin pulls out his lute, thinking a song might calm the savage beast. He begins to pluck the strings and realizes he doesn't know anything to sing but the DOOM! Song. "That always makes goat-man more mad," he thinks to himself as he stows the instrument back into his bag.

"Boss!" he calls to Nessa. "What is it, Deekin?" she yells back. "Deekin be thinking, maybe you sings song to goat-man to makes him happy."

The elven bard thinks for a moment and decides the idea has merit. "Nathyrra, can you put me on that ledge over there?" The drow spies an outcropping and nods. "Hold on." The two women float over to the wall and Nessa climbs onto the wall, far from Valen's reach. She reaches into her pack, pulls out her harp, and begins to sing a song with a soothing melody.

Nathyrra disappears into the shadows to watch the ensuing comedy.

Valen almost reaches the pair when they float away. He snarls in frustration and pounds the wall with his fist. As he looks down at his feet to find a way to climb down, he feels the sound of Nessa's harp tickling in his ear.

As the bard begins to sing, he feels a soothing warmth flow through his body and he finds he can't hold on to the wall any longer. Deekin watches the tiefling begin to fall and realizes he is in danger of being squished, so the kobold takes a couple of hasty steps back.

Valen hits the ground in an explosion of dust and lays there for a minute while he gets his breath back.

Deekin looks down at the stunned weapon master and snickers. "You not climbs so good goat-man."

The tiefling scrambles up from his prone position and kneels before the kobold, reaching up with his hand to stroke Deekin's cheek. "My love, are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

He looks stricken as he murmurs gently in abyssal. Deekin is struck speechless as he tries to bat Valen's hand away.

"You stops that right now goat-man, or Deekin gets real mad. Boss finds you burnt to crisp," the kobold sputters.

Valen sighs heavily, undeterred by Deekin's protests. "You poor dear. You're a mess. Come with me. There is a pool around the corner where we can get cleaned up and rest. Perhaps there are some fish in it as well; that black naga took off with your meal."

The tiefling once again cradles Deekin gently in his arms and stands up. The bard tries to struggle free, but Valen holds him firmly, as if afraid of letting him fall.

Nathyrra and Nessa continue to watch Valen's bizarre behavior, unsure of how to proceed with Deekin's rescue. Clearly, they are concerned that the kobold would be injured, but they are worried about the weapon master's reaction to their attempts as well. For the moment, they can do naught but follow in the darkness as Valen carries Deekin away.

The tiefling carries the kobold and walks down a dark passage, which comes out into a roomy cave with a small pond. "We should be safe here, love. I'll check the water out first to make sure it's safe for you, and then I'll help you clean up."

Valen deposits Deekin-Lairani gently against the cave wall and going a short distance away, proceeds to strip. He gives Deekin-Lairani a few seductive glances as he disrobes.

He piles his armor, boots and clothing neatly on the ground and walks naked into the water. Deekin's eyes bulge and his voice dies in his throat.

The kobold is so horrified he can't speak. The tiefling is not only quite tall, but he is tremendously muscled and scarred, as well.

Deekin heard Valen telling Nessa about his time in the Abyss and the torture he endured. On the man's back are eight, heavy, parallel scars that run from the top of his shoulder blades to just below his waist, clearly claw marks from the demon he served.

Deekin shudders as Valen disappears into the water.

Nathyrra and Nessa creep to the doorway of the cave and look around the corner just in time to see Valen's head disappear under the water. "Psssst! Deekin!" hisses Nessa. The kobold whips his head around at the sound of his name. "Thanks Gods you be here!" he whispers. "I not knows what crazy goat-man sayings, but Deekin not likes it at all. Faithful kobold companion be thinking he be DOOOOMED!"

&&&&&&