A/N: Second chapter of the day -- hope this isn't TOO disappointing, and fear not -- there's more to come in the next chapter, but... drumroll please! At long last, I can bring you... Reunions -- part two!

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

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Reunions: II

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Together they ran through the darkened Athkatlan streets, heading towards the Temple District with each step. Eventually they had to pause, breathlessly leaning against the wall of a tall, red-bricked building, content that they were not being pursued. Coran guided them both under the cover of an awning, letting the shadow of the hanging conceal them slightly from the bright moonlight.

"Thank you," Nalia whispered, as her breath became steadier. "I-I don't know what I would have done..."

Coran shook his head. "Don't thank me -- you didn't think I'd just leave you to a fate like that, do you?"

She grinned. "No," she admitted, her voice becoming serious, her smile fading. "But it's not going to stop Isaea. He will continue to use his status as my 'betrothed' to get his way, and even my Keep will not be safe from him with his status as an Amnian official."

Coran frowned. "There must be a way to deal with him... actually..." He pulled the book he'd taken from Roenall's desk, showing her what was inside. "The authorities will not like an officer of their army being publicly associated with such, will they?"

"No," Nalia replied thoughtfully. "But they will be terribly slow to act, I'd wager -- and though it may cost him his role in the guard, it shan't stop his pursuance of my lands."

"What will, then?" the elf asked. "Apart from his death, of course."

Nalia shrugged helplessly. "It'll be my word against his -- and his word will be believed, because my father did make my engagement to him public knowledge before his death." She sighed heavily. "He will continue to use the excuse that I have lost my mind if I argue against it."

Coran stood in silence for a moment, staring out across the empty street. "There is no way to make the end of your betrothment known?"

"Not easily, no," she sighed. "I shout until I was hoarse; he has charm aplenty, and he will know the exact things to say and do to make it look like I've lost my mind, or that I'm still just being affected by grief. His family are a noble one -- their name, itself, will be all he needs to earn the trust of people with his fantastical tales about our future together. I mean... you saw what he was like at my father's funeral."

"Yes."

"The people who overheard me dismissing my engagement to him... they will have heard nothing from him, but how I spoke out of sorrow over my father, and how the evil influence of you and your companions has done nothing but corrupt me. He will have said I needed time, when people began to wonder why there were no wedding plans being laid, and that he was a gentleman who didn't want to push an already delicate lady when she was still in her mourning period."

"Which, of course, would serve his needs perfectly -- giving him the time he needed to work out this plan to arrest you."

"Quite," she agreed grimly. "But... we don't have time to discuss this right now, and when people discover the dead guards, you will be the first man they look for. We need to go to the Order and deal with more important matters, now -- we can sort out the rest later."

He nodded, holding his hand out to her as they moved back into the moonlight, briskly walking towards the large buildings of the temples in the distance.

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Time passed slowly for the companions who were waiting outside Bodhi's sanctum. There was no sign, yet, of Minsc, or the knights and thieves who had gone off to try and rescue Kivan, and a general feeling of despair was beginning to fill the surroundings. Most of it was originating from Maiyn and Jaheira.

The ranger was sitting, perfectly unmoving, as Xan held her hand, sighing on occasion. She made no effort to acknowledge anyone approaching her -- not even Imoen, and the young thief was eventually gently persuaded to come away from her by Anomen, his own dark eyes looking down to Maiyn with concern.

The druid was throwing herself into healing -- several of the thieves had encountered injuries, and she was healing as many as possible, allowing the Order to tend to their own wounds as much as possible. Although the two different groups were working together easily, on the surface, there was still an underlying current of mistrust between the two organisations; and the half-elf was eager to prevent the already emotionally charged atmosphere from igniting due to any sparks that might fly between them.

It also took her mind off things. The memory of losing Khalid was still fresh in her mind; to lose Kivan, so soon... so soon after they'd developed such a close friendship would be unthinkable. She had to put it from her mind -- concentrate on using the powers Silvanus blessed her with to prepare for the next part of the battle. Soon enough, Minsc would return, with the knights and the thieves -- and Kivan. He could not fall; he was so steady, quiet, but always there, for all of them. It was impossible to imagine the group without his presence.

But time passed -- slowly, indeed. Most of the healing spells had been used -- Anomen kept his intact, to use on Kivan, he said. But Jaheira could read his eyes -- the priest didn't have much hope in the elf's survival, holding onto Imoen as she trembled. She said nothing, though -- the fact he clung onto what curative spells he had showed he was trying to hope, which was more than could be said for Xan. The enchanter had, initially, watched the passage eagerly, almost desperately. As the minutes ticked by, his expression had become more and more downcast. Now he was not even watching Maiyn -- instead, his eyes had taken a faraway expression, fixed to the ground before his feet. She wondered if he was reminiscing about the times he'd spent with his kinsman.

Xzar had engaged Sime in conversation, though the young girl seemed distracted. She'd known it was Kivan who had carried her body to the safety of Adalon's cave. She'd thanked him, quietly, before they set off towards the surface, and grief was in her eyes; as she mourned, in her own way, for someone she'd travelled with. They didn't have to be incredibly close companions for the pain to be there.

And as for Maiyn... Jaheira moved over to her, sitting beside her as Xan shuffled, without protesting, out of the way. The druid reached out, taking the elf's small hand in her own, trying to shake her from the daze she seemed to be caught in. At first there was nothing... but then, slowly, Maiyn looked up. She looked lost; no more than the girl they'd met at the Friendly Arms Inn, when she'd been... been with Khalid. She stared back at the half-elf searchingly, as if trying to find the answers in the older woman's wisdom. But there was none -- Jaheira had no answers, no reasons as to why these people were taken from them. She pulled Maiyn into her arms again; hugging her closely, as Minsc appeared, striding out from the gloom with a grim expression. The knights and thieves behind him, their heads bowed low respectfully.

"We could not save brave Kivan," he said sorrowfully. "But my brothers helped me to take his body to the outside, allowing it to lie in the glory of the moon with two of them remaining to guard it before they take him to the knight's home. He would have wanted that, would he not?"

Jaheira nodded over to his inquisitive gaze, causing him to look slightly relieved. Minsc was wiser than he appeared, always listening and understanding more than anyone gave him credit for. Kivan would have wanted it, it was true -- Sehanine, Goddess of Moonlight, would take him to her domain under the lunar light, and he would be reunited with his wife. She lowered her head again; trying to block out Imoen's muffled sobs, trying to ignore Xan's empty look. The ranger in her arms seemed not to have registered anything Minsc had said, reverting back to her unmoving position, her eyes glazed as she stared into the distance.

"Give them a few moments," she heard Ajantis saying to his men. "They need time to deal with their grief before we try the door."

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He didn't know how late it was, but by the lack of citizens out and about, he would guess it was late. They continued towards the imposing buildings ahead, crossing the first of many bridges that provided access across the canals. Only a few guards were patrolling the area, and none paid any attention to them, seeming to put them down as late-night worshippers to one of the many temples or shrines in the area.

The Order's headquarters came into sight, causing Coran to feel some slight relief. It was, however, compounded by the fact that he'd murdered several members of the Amnish army, recently, and still had the threat of Isaea abducting Nalia again -- perhaps this time, taking action on their 'betrothment' before Coran could reach her.

The temple of Lathander was shining with a faint light as they passed, and Nalia quietly lowered their head in passing. It wasn't the first time she'd done that, he noticed -- but then, for someone whose family had believed in the rebirth of Amaunator, it made sense. Suddenly he paused -- the answer to one of his problems suddenly staring right at him.

Nalia paused, looking behind her inquisitively. Her eyebrow rose as she saw him staring at the temple, and he grinned to her, moving forward and taking her by the arm. "If I told you I knew a way to stop Isaea from trying to force a marriage to you, would you believe me?"

She gave him a puzzled look. "I'd like to hope that you could," she said, a nervous laugh after it. "You're beginning to frighten me, Coran -- what are you thinking about?"

He looked back to the temple, then met her eyes once more. They were wide with disbelief. "Marry me," he said softly, "and he cannot make people believe that you are his betrothed any more."

"This will not stop the repercussions from the guards-"

"No, it won't -- but it will stop him from kidnapping you again." He shook his head slightly, stopping her from pulling her arm free. "I'm not saying this to make you believe we'll have a happy and content future together, or even to take your home from you. I'm saying we do this so you ensure that you keep your home... so that I can ensure you're never forced into something you don't want."

"And this is something I do want?" she asked.

Coran laughed. "No... no, I don't think it is. But it gives you time to find what that is. And when you do... I will step aside; do whatever is needed to make it so you can be happy. I'll know that you'll still be safe from Isaea."

She stared at him. "It means that much to you?"

"Your safety means as much to me as keeping your home does to you. Come inside with me."

"Coran-"

"Please. Come inside."

Gently he pulled her arm; she resisted at first, confused and dazed. But then, slowly, she moved --- following him as he passed through the large doors of the temples and approached the Dawnmaster who had been watching them with curiosity.

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"Come, child. We need to move on." Jaheira tried to make Maiyn listen, but it seemed to be futile. She sighed, letting Imoen take her place.

"C'mon sis," the thief said quietly. "We've to avenge Kivan, and make Bodhi pay for everything she's done to us." Still Maiyn didn't move, her eyes still glazed. With an impatient sigh, Xzar barged his way over, roughly shoving Imoen to the side. He knelt down beside the elf, staring at her with a frown for several moments. Minsc and Ajantis stood behind him, prepared to move him away at Jaheira's command, as the half-elf watched him with suspicion.

Suddenly Maiyn seemed to snap out of her melancholy. She raised her head, looking at Xzar through bright, golden eyes. Her whole face seemed to have changed since they'd arrived at the graveyard -- the druid could see no hint at the kind or benevolent aspects that were familiar on the young elven girl's face. Now it seemed to be detached... almost cold. Maiyn smiled, and it chilled Jaheira to the core to see such a ruthless look, causing her to move away slightly as the ranger stood up.

"It is time," she said softly, her voice sounding quite unlike its usual self. She looked at Ajantis, flinching as he readied Carsomyr in his hands, and Jaheira gasped slightly. The taint... Maiyn moved away from the paladin, waving Imoen over towards the door. Silently she readied her own blade in her hands, standing by Minsc's side -- the berserker giving her one strange look before turning his attention to the battle ahead of them. Nervously, Imoen made her way forward -- one touch caused the door to rumble, and Jaheira called her back, instructing the fighters to stand at the front.

Slowly the door slid across, revealing Bodhi in her sanctuary, sneering at them. Around her stood other undead creatures -- mostly vampires like her, but also some of the Grimwarders they'd previously encountered, and some tall and imposing skeletal warriors. Xzar let out a cry.

"Montaron!"

Jaheira looked over to where he pointed -- sure enough, the halfling was present; unusually pale, his eyes glowing a dull red colour. He smiled cruelly, staying faithfully close to his new mistress. She, in turn, smirked at the necromancer.

"And so it shall end here," Bodhi purred, gazing at the amassed ranks. Jaheira watched as the vampire's gaze returned back to Maiyn quickly enough. The ranger stood tense, watching her foe intently. "You have been very resourceful in finding me, although I did not go out of my way to hide."

"Boo would have found you wherever you tried to put your evil foot!" roared Minsc. "That's what we do!"

"We have grown tired of chasing you across the Realms, Bodhi!" Anomen agreed. "Your death will ease the suffering of many!"

"I've come for what you stole from me!" cried Imoen. "I will not leave here empty! I will have my soul!"

"You may try, Imoen, but you will fail," taunted Bodhi. "We have worked long to realise our revenge, and it will not be stopped by you."

"We have an obligation to destroy you," Jaheira said calmly. "You will fall here, to us."

"I'm sure your reasons for coming are all very important to you," the creature retorted. "Do spare me the boredom of hearing them."

"I will avenge what you have done to me and Imoen," said Maiyn suddenly. "You will pay for your crimes."

Bodhi looked at her with some slight surprise. "That old tune?" she asked, feigning a yawn. "I grow tired of being judged by those inferior to me. First Suldanessellar, now you." She paused slightly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the ranger. "They... they told of the theft in their temple, didn't they? You help those treacherous elves? They deserve all they receive, and more! They will not even approach us while we destroy them, such is their arrogance!"

"I help them only because it is a by-product of ensuring the safety of Imoen and me," replied Maiyn coldly. Jaheira saw Xan wince.

Bodhi threw her head back and laughed. "Then let them shiver in fear that they will die between me and Irenicus! They would not even acknowledge us as their own, and now we will bury them all! You do not know of their very real shame, do you?"

"No..." Xan groaned.

"They would have you think we are some foreign intruders, attacking their city for no reason! Their shame is that Irenicus and I are very familiar indeed!"

"Seldarine, no..."

"No elf would dare turn against the others... no elf would endanger the very fabric of their society... no ELF would do as Irenicus and I have done!" She smiled triumphantly as Xan slumped, his head in his hands as he tried to block out her words. Maiyn looked completely impassive. "Who was it that pleaded their case? Elhan?" Bodhi snorted. "He stood by while they echoed our crimes in their punishments!" She crouched slightly, tensing her muscles as she glared at Maiyn, realising her words were having no effect. "I should almost let you live so that he could have the shame of an outsider questioning him about this whole matter! Almost!"

"You will not let me live," Maiyn said, her voice still emotionless. "I will live, and you will fall here... and so will all of your followers."

"Even your precious halfling?" Bodhi smiled as Maiyn started slightly, her gaze flickering over to Montaron. "Did you not expect to see him, so? He is one of mine now... you cannot save him."

"You expect us to believe that?" asked Xzar disdainfully. "Step aside, before I lose patience. He will come with me, and the process shall be reversed."

"How bold," remarked Bodhi, seemingly amused. "Your part in this ends here, all of you. I shall feast on the blood of the gods, while you enter death with questions unanswered! Take them, my children!"

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Nalia felt in a daze as they exited the Temple, barely minutes after they'd first arrived. The rites they'd read had been simple and to the point, the service performed quickly, as Coran had requested, and witnessed by two late night pilgrims, paying their tribute to Lathander before they left Athkatla in the morning.

She stared down at her hand -- Coran's ring now sat there; the magical one he'd worn since they'd rescued the circus. As he put it on her hand, she'd felt her self-esteem grow, her confidence bolstered. But her head was still swimming with the implications of what they were doing; Coran's gentle encouragement being the only thing that got them both through.

They were man and wife -- by law, at least, though technically they had to... She blushed at the thought, and pushed it from her mind. To their combined relief, the Dawnmaster had assured them that he would gladly testify to their union if it was needed, though he'd barely been able to contain his curiosity as to why he may have to. Neither Coran nor Nalia had felt inclined to explain at that point, thanking him for his assistance, and leaving a substantial donation for the church. Now, the cold night air was bringing them both slowly back to their senses, and they exchanged bashful looks.

"It's done, then," she said.

"Are you all right?"

"I... yes. I'm fine," she smiled. "It'll take some getting used to, but..."

"Master Coran?" They turned around in surprise at the voice, relieved to discover it was only Faraji. He grinned at them. "Bit late fer a walk, no?"

"We're on our way to see Sir Ajantis," Nalia explained kindly.

"Sir Ajantis?" asked Faraji, raising his eyebrow. "But he's not here, miss. I was trying to get a message to him from the Lady Bethany, but the other knights told me -- he's gone off with some others to the graveyards! Apparently there some vampires in the crypts!"

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At once, Bodhi's forces had swarmed forward, almost unaffected by the holy power directed at them by Anomen and the other priests. Xzar's spells served to paralyse some of the skeletal warriors, while the fighters engaged in melee combat with the creatures, desperately trying to out skill the unnaturally fast undead. Imoen and Xan stood side by side, hasting and protecting their allies as much as they could, while Anomen tried to channel Helm's protection against the vampire's bites.

Jaheira fought off two of the Grimwarders with the help of some knights, then raced forward to fight with Maiyn as she took on Valen and another vampire. The fledgling was strong -- strong enough to fight away the cleansing powers from Helm, and well versed in unarmed combat, its punches and kicks knocking Maiyn away on several occasions. But the ranger was determined, returning as soon as she scrambled to her feet for to fight more, eventually brining down the creature with Jaheira's assistance. They then turned on Valen, working in tandem again to try and block her blows, keeping her attention on them as Arkanis slipped around behind her, driving his dagger between her shoulder blades as the two women closed in for the killing blow.

Across the chamber, Minsc and Ajantis were making a terrifying combination; Lilarcor was shrieking in delight at every hit the berserker scored, and Carsomyr was gliding easily through the air, causing Parisa and his accomplice to howl in pain whenever an injury was caused by the immense blade.

Many of the other thieves and knights were relentlessly tackling the Grimwarders, preventing them from having the space and comfort to shoot their magical bows, and Anomen had had managed to turn some of the skeletons and mummies, closing in on them as they fled Helm's attentions to bring about their demise with all speed.

Bodhi was not sitting idly by while this happened. She drove into the ranks of the thieves, Hareishan by her side, clawing and raking at their flimsy armours. Together they closed in on Sime, cornering the girl; she only narrowly avoided death by ducking between them, a risky move that left her with a badly torn arm, but gave her the space to escape their immediate attention as Xzar's spells hit them, momentarily stunning the two undead creatures and leaving them incapable of pursuit.

Maiyn and Jaheira began to move towards them, the druid moving off swiftly with the ranger in her wake; but something struck Maiyn from behind, almost causing her to fall. She stumbled and spun around, seeing Montaron standing there, an evil grin on his face.

"Time te die!" he announced, springing forward with his sword flashing through the air, Maiyn only just managing to parry it at the last minute as the force knocked her onto her knees. With a snarl, he snaked his head forward, biting her viciously on the shoulder before she pushed him off, ignoring the throbbing pain that coursed down her arm.

You are letting yourself be bettered by... a halfling?

She growled at the voice, forcing herself to her feet, and swinging her own sword through the air. Montaron deflected her clumsy strike easily, nimbly avoiding her follow up blow, his own counter attack only narrowly missing her as Minsc charged past, pushing her aside slightly as he pursued the heavily injured Parisa.

Jaheira called out in pain as Bodhi's claws raked into her, and Ajantis leapt to her defence, Carsomyr only narrowly missing the vampiric mistress, her taunting laugh echoing in her wake. Maiyn tried to regain her balance by swinging at Montaron once more, her move not coming anywhere close to striking him, but his own stab penetrating her armour, stabbing into her thigh. She cursed loudly, her hand drifting down to her injury as she tried to stem the flow of blood.

Use your gift.

She snarled, trying to block the voice, and awkwardly leaping towards the laughing halfling. He ducked her blow, dodged her follow up, and skilfully disarmed her, her sword flying from her weak grip as the pain coursed through her. Slowly he approached her, smiling cruelly as he drew his sword back, determined to please his mistress.

Use me!

She grimaced, her eyes closed as she battled away the pain. With a deep breath she pulled her hand back and struck her attacker with all her might, causing him to tumble backwards from the blow. The voice in her head clamoured loudly, and she felt herself slipping -- she could fight it no longer. The world became a daze again, and she felt her skin shifting, stretching... her last shreds of resolve faded into nothing, and she let her sire take over.

Imoen screamed -- she was looking over to Maiyn, watching as her sister transformed again. Jaheira followed her glance, and then watched, horrified, as the slayer form of Maiyn grabbed Montaron roughly, shaking and clawing at his form until it fell to the ground, limp. Xzar let out a cry of dismay and pain, immediately firing off some magical missiles at the transformed ranger, causing her to roar in rage in return.

"Not again!" Minsc appeared beside the necromancer, using the hilt of Lilarcor to knock the mage unconscious, earning himself a distracted, but approving, nod from the druid. Then he raced off to face the remaining mummies, as Ajantis passed him by, carefully making his way over to Maiyn -- and Bodhi.

"You cannot win, Child of Bhaal!" the vampire cried, her face dripping with the blood of the thieves and knights who'd fallen to her. "I will watch your descent to hell!"

She lunged forward, bowling into the slayer, but unable to knock Maiyn from her feet. Jaheira watched in slow motion as the two fought -- claws and teeth, raking and biting each other as they wrestled to find the others weakness. Neither seemed to be aware of Ajantis as he raised Carsomyr high in the air, allowing it to glint furiously.

"It's mine! This life is mine!" shrieked Bodhi.

"No!" the half-elf screamed, as the blade tore through the air, slamming into the two creatures as they fought, the glare from the flash of light it caused momentarily blinding everyone around. Jaheira blinked several times, waiting for her sight to return to normal, then looked over at the carnage. The remaining undead fell to the ground with their mistress, their screams echoing unnervingly around the sanctum.

A wisp of mist was all that was left of Bodhi, quickly drifting away to an antechamber, further into the chamber. Maiyn was back in her natural form, several injuries covering her body -- the worst one appearing to be where Carsomyr had struck, tearing a huge gash in her chest. Anomen moved swiftly to her side, Jaheira close behind, as Ajantis backed away slightly.

"I-I didn't mean-" he stammered, his face twisted into shock and horror at the scene. Jaheira nodded to him.

"We know," she said simply, watching as the priest began his chants to Helm, asking for healing -- the white sparks coalescing as they closed her gashes and mended her bones. Imoen was sobbing in the background, and Xan was as white as a sheet.

Jaheira stood up and faced Minsc. "What did you mean when you shouted, 'not again'?"

"Little Maiyn," he said gently. "She allowed herself to change when we were in the graveyard. Boo says it is not a good thing for her to do, and we told her this. But she seems not to have listened."

The druid looked to Imoen. "She changed? Like this?"

The thief nodded. "I was going to tell you, but we didn't have the chance -- everything's happened so quickly."

Jaheira patted the girl's arm. "I know. I just needed to be sure I was understanding what Minsc said."

"You're not mad with her, are you?" Imoen sounded worried. "I don't think she means to do it... she needs our help, not our anger."

"Perhaps you are right," sighed Jaheira. She wanted to put it down to the stress, the enormity of the battle -- the loss of Kivan. But, in truth, Maiyn had been changing slowly over the weeks -- if not months -- and although she was bitterly disappointed in her lack of will, she had almost expected this to happen.

"What... what is that?" asked Ajantis, recovering his composure slightly as Anomen's prayers stabilised the ranger.

"The avatar of Bhaal," said Imoen softly. "Her... our father."

Ajantis stared at the girl. "And you... can you..."

She laughed. "Do that? No. The... the effect isn't as strong in me as it is in... Maiyn."

The paladin nodded distractedly, then moved away to check on the fallen. The surviving knights moved closer to him, and he began to organise the transport of the bodies back to the order -- or to the Shadow Thieves guildhall, for the fallen thieves. Sime awkwardly joined him with her remaining companions, and together, the two organisations got to work, leaving the companions with the task of healing Maiyn, and staking the vampires for good.

"What's happened?" The voice came from nowhere, causing many of them to jump and reach for their weapons. Imoen gasped, and then squealed in delight as she noticed the people standing at the doorway, but the elf was looking at Maiyn intently, moving towards her with a frown. Xan stared, wide-eyed, at the newcomer, visibly shocked.

"Coran!" exclaimed Ajantis warmly, reaching out to shake the elf's hand. Coran went through the process distractedly, his eyes never leaving the elven girl on the ground.

"What's wrong with her? Is she all right?" Coran looked over to Jaheira, her grin at him barely registering. "Is she-"

"She will be fine," said Anomen, looking up from his prayers. He offered a smile. "She will come around in her own time, but it should not be too long."

Coran nodded, looking back at the curled figure. Her hair was filthy -- matted and covered in blood and gore, the same as was smeared across her scarred face. Her cloak was torn and ragged, her boots scuffed and old; her armour had been pierced in several places. But it was definitely her. His heart was racing, and slowly he made his way over, only pausing when Jaheira caught his arm.

"Wait until she awakens," the druid said gently. "The surprise to see you... it might be better for her to recover from her injuries as well as she can, first."

Coran nodded, then looked over to the doorway, beckoning his companion inside. A young human girl cautiously made her way in, smiling slightly to the stares of the assorted companions. "This is my friend, Nalia De Arnise," he said quietly.

Ajantis was immediately by her side, graciously kissing her hand as usual, and she seemed to relax slightly. Imoen gave her a grin and a wave, and Minsc beamed over warmly. Jaheira nodded politely, then turned back to the elf beside her, smiling at him with genuine affection.

"It is good to see you back," she said sincerely.

He stared at her, frowning slightly, before allowing himself a slight smile in return. "It... it's good to be back."