When they are some distance from the campsite, Deekin grins at Nathrrya, "So…hows you plan now?" Nathrrya has to stop herself from snatching the kobold up by the neck and throttling him.
Deekin grins, "Burg say that if you best of Red Sisters, Valsharess surely DOOMED!...Oh, yeah…Boss says to give you message." Nathrrya, wondering what treat the elf has in store for her, looks at him expectantly, "Ah…what is the message?"
Deekin flashes her a rude hand gesture, waggles his tongue at her and says, "Pike off!" Nathrrya can feel her world crashing in, "WH….WH….WHAT? Doesn't she know what I'll do?"
Deekin grins, "Boss says you breathe a word and she tells Valen who spiked his food. Boss lets Valen deal with yous." Deekin turns around and trots back to camp, laughing to himself.
He rounds the corner of the passage and comes upon Nessa and Valen kissing. "BOSS!" he shrieks in exasperation. "Me thinking you and goat-man maybe get room or something because me getting tired of seeing you do THAT. Ewwwww!"
He hears soft female chuckling coming from somewhere near Valen's chest. "Goat-man, you lets Boss go. She not be able to breathe in there." The tiefling gives the kobold a large smile as he relaxes his arms from around Nessa and sighs cheerfully. "Get used to it kobold. I intend to be kissing your Boss quite often," he blushes and glances at Nessa. "If she wants me to." Still trying to regain her breath, she nods happily.
Deekin rolls his eyes and sits down with his pack to look for an apple. "That just be GROSS." He finds his apple and takes a big bite as he glares at Nessa. "Deekin see this before. Hear about others, too. Boss be REAL friendly, right Boss?"
Nessa's mouth gapes as the kobold continues. "First you date those brothers at school. All three of them. Then you smooch with that ranger guy. Then he dump you and you hang out with that short thief. Deekin REALLY not likes him. He always be taking things. Then you see druid by other school and other short guy who drink too much. Oh! Then there be two guys who think you be some crazy god OW or something. Now, goat-man." Deekin waves his hand dismissively in Valen's direction as he finishes itemizing Nessa's relationships. "Creepy drow lady hit on boss, too, but she be too busy watching goat-man's swishy tail to notice."
Nessa is, once again, rendered speechless. She is having a hard time remembering when she has been so humiliated and angry. As her voice tries to make its way out of her mouth, she hears Valen laughing heartily.
"Finally, you provide entertainment, kobold," he says. "I assure you that I am the last person who would judge another by such things." He looks over at the still-speechless Nessa and chuckles. "Close your mouth, dear." She does as instructed and just looks at him. He laughs again. "I'm not your first. You're not mine, so don't worry about it."
The bard slings her pack over her shoulder in anger. "Let's just go," she snarls and stomps in Nathyrra's direction. The two elves meet and give each other appraising glances.
Nathyrra speaks first. "I will scout ahead and return with a report. Watch for my mark to follow the trail." Nessa nods curtly. "Fine." The drow nods back and disappears into the shadows.
&&&&&&&&
Nathyrra has had just about enough of the other three members of the group. That stupid moon elf has gotten on her last nerve and don't even get her started on the kobold. She's outnumbered and outmaneuvered. "Maybe it's time to call a truce," she thinks. The time scouting alone will be put to good use as she contemplates her course of action.
She leaves the passage and comes into a large cavernous area. There appears to be a bridge mechanism, but she doesn't need it and levitates across. "They'll figure it out," she muses as she lands on the other side and disappears once again into the shadows.
She creeps forward slowly and hears voices. Quickly casting an invisibility spell, she levitates again. Looking down, she sees a small contingent of drow. One of them looks quite familiar. She knows him to be an exceptionally skilled assassin, but the other members of his group are clearly much less skilled. "The other three won't have any trouble with this group," she concludes and decides to continue on. She grins to herself, "And if they do, so much the better. As long as the little blue haired freak makes it, the Seer will get over the other two."
Nathyrra comes to a cave and cautiously steps in. She is immediately confronted by three beholders. Slinging spells and wielding her handheld crossbow, she takes down two of them. The third is severely injured when everything suddenly goes black. "Vith…," she thinks, and knows no more.
&&&&&&&&
Nessa, Valen and Deekin follow Nathyrra's trail without much trouble. Her marks are pretty easy to spot, if you know what to look for. They come to the bridge and, through trial, error, and some electrical zapping, finally figure out the puzzle to make the bridge appear. The trio continues to follow the path and walks right into the ambush laid by the Valsharess' assassins.
One of the assassins, Eldath, Eldish, or some such, goes on about how they are all going to die. Quite boring and predictable, really. Nessa and Valen look at each other and shrug, content to Eldath ramble while Nessa stealthily prepares a few extra spells.
Deekin listens, hoping something juicy might come up to put in his story. Finally, the kobold speaks up. "Yous going to keep talkings or yous going to try to kills us now? You's not very good material for Deekin's book. Deekin bored. Deekin votes that we be killing you and moving on."
With a dark chuckle, Valen leaps for the speaker while the two bards use their spells and missile weapons to neutralize the others. In a matter of minutes, all foes are dispatched and the trio is pocketing some pretty nice loot.
Nessa looks down at Eldath's armor. "I can't wear it, Valen. Do you want it?" The tiefling looks down at the now-bloody, but undamaged armor and frowns. "It's tacky, ugly, and not my size," he says simply. "No thanks." Nessa chuckles as she beckons her friends to follow her. "You're right, it is." Deekin shrugs since it looks valuable and stuffs it into one of his magic bags.
"Boss!" cries Deekin. Nessa turns to her faithful kobold companion. "Yes, Deekin?" she responds. "How far ahead you think creepy drow lady be? You think she know about those we just fight?" Nessa frowns as she considers the question. "It's possible they came up after she passed by, Deekin," she replies. "But it's also possible she knew we'd have no problem with them and decided to continue on. Either way, we're all okay, right?"
Deekin gives his boss a toothy grin. "Yep. We be all okay, Boss!"
Nessa and Valen, not having the privacy to talk to each other, walk along lost in their respective thoughts. Deekin looks around as they continue on the path, hoping to find things to add into his epic. As the group follows Nathyrra's markings, they cautiously enter a cave.
Almost immediately, they are attacked by a beholder. Making short work of it, they begin to look around the room. The elf and tiefling are in different areas of the room and they hear Deekin call out, "Whoohoo! Creepy drow lady get stoned!"
The other two turn around and quickly move to Deekin's side. In front of them is a statue that looks exactly like Nathyrra in the middle of casting a spell. "Oh no!" Nessa groans as she reaches out to touch the statue. "That beholder turned her to stone. That's damned inconvenient." Deekin raps on the statue, "Hmmmm…Deekin thinks it not happen to more deserving person. Creepy drow lady not so smart now.:"
Valen raises his eyebrows in mild amusement and turns to look at Nessa. "Inconvenient, my lady? I imagine that is a mild understatement." The bard smiles at him. "I have a spell to restore her, but I don't have it memorized. We'll need to rest before I can cast it." Deekin shakes his head, "Creepy drow lady makes nice coat rack. Maybe leaves her likes this?"
Nessa frowns at Deekin, "Deekin, that's not very nice. She wouldn't leave you like that and we certainly can't leave her this way either." Deekin gives her a skeptical look, "Hah! Yes, we cans. It be very easy. We just keeps going, Maybe sends someone back for her later." Nessa levels a finger at Deekin, "How many times would it have been easier for me to go off and leave you? I didn't, though, did I? Now, we'll make camp here and I'll see what I can do for her in the morning."
The tiefling nods his assent. "That's fine. This area looks fairly secure. I'm pretty tired and would welcome some rest. Let's have the kobold take first watch, then I'll take second. You take last watch and cast the spell so that Nathyrra can rest after she is restored."
The bards agree and the trio sets up camp. Traditionally, Valen would have set up his bedroll on the other side of the fire from Nessa, but she notices as he sets up next to her. He sees the direction of her gaze and looks at her expectantly. "Do you mind?" he inquires quietly. She smiles and says she does not.
Nessa starts a fire and pot of water for tea. They break out the travel rations and begin to eat their evening meal. After they eat, they bank the fire and Deekin sets up his watch. Nessa stretches out and immediately falls fast asleep.
Valen stays awake for a little while longer, staring into the fire and thinking quietly to himself. Finally, his day catches up to him and he cannot keep his eyes open. "Goodnight, Deekin," he calls. The kobold spins his head around, shocked that the weapon master actually used his name. Deekin stammers back, "G…Goodnight, Valen."
Valen looks over and sees the elf sleeping soundly. He smiles gently at her. "She told me she loves me," he muses. Still smiling, he stretches out and wraps his arms around her.
Finally finding himself alone, Deekin is able to give in to his curiosity. He tiptoes over to the Nathyrra-statue and taps it again, checking to see if there's any movement. It's solid and unyielding rock.