Chapter 48: Some Harsh Words

As the group headed up from the basement, Khelgar and Shandra headed back to the bodies they had left behind. It had become common place to search the bodies after every battle for any useful or valuable items. At first Shandra had been uneasy about it, but understood that adventuring had some major expenses, which were offset by whatever loot they could scrounge. Still, for the most part she had let Neeshka and Nim do the looting. However, Nim rushed ahead to the keep doors without even pausing, leaving the others to deal with it. Shandra frowned at that and then shrugged thinking the elf was still upset over whatever strange thing was going on downstairs. She herself hadn't understood anything much other than the fact that something bad had happened.

Casavir watched Nim go, with Bishop trailing after her, and debated with himself about following them. He was concerned for her, although what there was to be concerned about he wasn't really sure. He suddenly felt a touch on his arm and turned to find Elanee looking at him, a strange look on her face. "Yes?"

"Let them go," Elanee said, caution in her voice. "The last thing Nim needs right now is for you and Bishop to take up where you left off down in the basement." Seeing the look of chagrin cross his face she smiled slightly. "Bishop's mouth is enough to make anyone lose their temper, no matter who they are. Do not get down on yourself, you were just trying to protect Nim."

"It is a protection she doesn't seem to feel she needs," Casavir growled, still a little incensed over the ranger's crass words. "She knows what he is, what he's capable of, and yet doesn't seem to care. He is capable of hurting her badly and will in time, I know this in my heart."

"And as I told you before Casavir, if he does that, then she will make sure he pays the price, count on it," Shandra said as she joined them. "After what I've seen and the story we got from Cormick, I believe that Nim is the kind of person that will vow vengeance on anyone she deems an enemy. She won't spare Bishop just because she likes him and is sleeping with him. Sentimentality is not in her nature."

"Yeah, remember how she threatened Vale?" Khelgar piped up. "That lass don't pull her punches, for sure."

"Casavir, why do you care so much about what she does?" Shandra asked, a knowing look in her eyes.

"She is a good person and for what she did for me, well, I owe it to her to make sure she is happy and safe," Casavir answered evasively.

"Really? Because I think there was some truth to Bishop's words about the way you watch her," Shandra retorted. Seeing the paladin flush slightly and look away, she decided the time had come to press the issue. "Listen, you had your chance before the ranger joined our group and you didn't take it. She doesn't understand human behavior and thus has no clue that you care for her more than as a friend. Now it's too late to change that and it's only going to cause problems for everyone if you don't rein it in. Stop confronting Bishop every time he says something nasty or you'll end up fighting and one of you probably won't walk away from it. That would hurt Nim more than anything Bishop could do to her."

"She's got a good point lad," Khelgar said quietly. "Nim considers you her friend, but Bishop is her lover. If the two of you keep going at each other, then you're going to force her to make a choice that I don't think she's emotionally capable of making. It's too much to hope that the loud mouthed ranger will change, so you have to be the one to do so, like it or not."

"I will try to talk to Nim and see if I can get her to agree to make Bishop behave a little better around the rest of us," Elanee told him. "She has already had some influence over him and maybe she would be willing to make more of an effort if she knows how we feel about him."

"There's already some tension between them Elanee," Shandra protested. "Do you want to make it worse?"

"What exactly happened between them up here?" Casavir asked, frowning darkly.

Shandra suddenly wished she had kept her mouth shut for she couldn't think up a convincing lie. "Bishop made a comment in a sneering voice and Nim took exception to his tone, that's all."

"That's not all, even I could see that," Casavir retorted. He fixed a hard gaze on the woman.

Shifting uncomfortably under his gaze Shandra related what she had overheard between them. She saw Casavir suck in his breath as his eyes filled with anger. Elanee and Kehlgar just stared in disbelief. "I know it sounds bad, but nothing came of it and the matter seems to have blown over. It was probably just the aftermath from the heat of battle, nothing more."

"And if it wasn't, what then?" Casavir asked angrily. "Are we to ignore him if he threatens her again? Are we supposed to just sit back and let them attack each other and do nothing to stop it?"

"What can we do about it?" Shandra was exasperated now. "The only way to be absolutely sure it doesn't happen is to eliminate the threat Bishop poses. Are you willing to kill him over words he says in the heat of the moment? And if you did, what do you think it would do to Nim?"

Casavir glared at her for a few moments and then sighed heavily before lowering his gaze. "I could not do that. I already had to do something similar and it very nearly cost me everything."

"He's not worth it lad, trust me," Khelgar stated emphatically. "Maybe he'll change, maybe he won't. The right woman can get a man to do just about anything and maybe there's a decent person buried under all that anger and sarcasm. Gods know that sometimes life can be tough and not everyone is fortunate enough to have people in their life to care for them. Look at Nim and how she's changed. Growing up the way she did, learning to take care of herself and not getting any love from Daeghan, she could have ended up like Bishop. But by being around us she has become a little more trusting, less condescending, and more open."

"The difference is that Nim is an elf and they mature more slowly than other races," Casavir retorted. "She is still young enough to change. Bishop is a grown man and I seriously doubt that he will change."

"Look, it's a two way street between them," Shandra said flatly. "He may have threatened her, but she returned his threat. Maybe it's just their way and maybe neither was really serious about hurting each other. Couples fight all the time and say and do things in anger that they later regret. Bishop certainly has been attentive to what she needs and wants, and even though he would deny it, I think he cares for her. If he truly does, then he will not hurt her, at least not physically."

"What about emotional pain?" Casavir didn't want to let the subject go. "Sometimes that is worse and has more serious consequences than physical pain."

"That is part of life and growing up," Elanee said quietly. "Elves have long memories and we have to learn to deal with a lot of emotional pain and still go on with our lives. You cannot protect her from getting her heart broken, no one can. Your problem is your feelings and they are coloring every situation. You read more into things than the rest of us do because of it."

"He will betray her and us without hesitation if it suits his purpose, whatever that purpose may be," Casavir said flatly. "There is nothing worse than betrayal."

"Again, there is nothing we can do to change things right now," Elanee was now getting annoyed with him. "It is the druid way to watch and listen and make sure we know exactly what a situation is before we act. So all of us will just have to stand back and let nature take its course, and be prepared to act if things should go wrong. Although I do have to agree with Shandra in that Nim will beat us to the punch in that case."

"We can stand here and play what if all day long but it won't solve anything," Khelgar said. "Let's finish grabbing what we want and get out of here. I'm hungry and tired and want to get back to camp. You'll have to control what you feel Casavir or you'll just make things worse. Bishop knows you want Nim and is jealous as hell of you and I think that maybe you're feeling a little bit of sting from the green monster too. Get it under control or you will find yourself on Nim's bad side and that's a place you don't want to be."

Casavir merely looked at them and then turned and left the keep. He was angry at them for not wanting to be more proactive in this situation. Yet, he couldn't deny that his feelings for her were clouding his judgement to some extent. As he stopped at the crumbling inner wall to look over the courtyard, he suddenly realized that he had never really looked at his feelings and what they meant. Could Khelgar be right that he was jealous of the ranger? He had certainly taken an instant dislike to the man, for obvious reasons, but perhaps there was more to it than that. He knew all too well what jealousy could make people do, for it had been the reason a young man had lost his life after challenging him. Even though he had been cleared of any wrong doing, it still haunted him and so he had left, abandoned his duty, and headed out to find death in honorable battle. Maybe this whole situation with Nim and Bishop was Tyr's way of testing him, testing his faith and his resolve. He decided that perhaps he should seek out Reverand Olef once they were back in Neverwinter. The priest had helped him before and maybe he could help him again.

"The others told me about your little talk," Sand said quietly as he came to stand beside the paladin.

Casavir jumped a little, not having heard him coming, so deep in thought had he been. "What is your opinion of the matter?" He knew that the wizard had an opinion on everything and loved being asked for it.

"Having lived as long as I have, gives me a great deal of experience to draw upon," Sand said quietly. "Is there need for concern? Yes. Threats made by either Bishop or Nim should not be taken lightly as both are quite capable of carrying out said threats." He saw a faint smile come to the paladin's face and repressed a smile for he knew the next words he spoke were going to wipe it away. "Is there anything we can do to change the situation at this point in time? No, not unless we want to become murderers and drive Nim away forever."

Casavir grimaced at the word "murderer". "I was actually thinking more along the lines of giving Bishop a solid beating," he said.

"I am afraid that would have the same result as killing him," Sand smiled in amusement. "Nim likes Bishop more than even she knows, I have seen it in her eyes when she looks at him. She of course does not realize it yet, but in time she will. She would be as fierce in defending him as the rest of us, perhaps even fiercer because of her feelings. Harming him in any way will cause her to leave all of us and that is something that cannot be allowed to happen. Not after everything I have learned of the situation facing our little elf." Seeing the look of puzzlement on Casavir's face he clarified the statement. "Garius had a silver shard on him and his journal makes reference to this ally, this 'King of Shadows.' Whoever or whatever it is, I believe that it is the real threat to us, to Neverwinter, and to Nim. Also, I seriously doubt that the githyanki will give up their hunt for her and the shards. They are very possessive of their silver swords and usually do everything within their power to recover them when they are lost or stolen. Whatever storm is coming, it will center around Nimbrethil and these shards. We cannot have her running off into the wilds, not now."

Casavir sighed heavily for he had been hoping that the battles they had fought had been the end of the trouble. He should have known that it was too easy for it to be true. "I still don't know if I can just sit back and wait and see if something bad happens. Not if there is anything I can do to prevent it."

"Unfortunately that is exactly what you will have to do," Sand said quietly. "Unless of course you wish to leave the group and Nimbrethil behind, and go off and do your own thing."

"I can't leave her now, not when the danger to her is still there," Casavir said, aghast that the wizard would suggest such a thing.

"Is that because you feel duty bound to help her?" Sand queried with a smirk. "Or because you hope that one day she will see Bishop for what he is and leave him and then turn to you?"

"Neither," Casavir stated flatly. "I care about her, and if serving by her side and protecting her from this King of Shadows and the githyanki is the only way to show her that I care, then that's what I'll have to do."

"Just remember this," Sand turned to leave. "Do not let Bishop get to you, for he will try to goad you into doing something foolish like fighting him. That would force Nimbrethil's hand and she most likely will tell you to leave. Bide your time, wait and see what happens, and only act if it is absolutely necessary," he cautioned.

Casavir merely nodded and then turned to stare down into the courtyard again. Sand was right, as always, and he would just have to be patient, something that all paladins are encouraged to practice, but few rarely do.

Sand walked away hoping that his words penentrated the fog around Casavir's head. Love was a cruel emotion, as were its siblings, envy and hate. Hopefully, there would be no further incidents to fan the flames between the two men. Perhaps it was time for Shandra and himself to sit Nim down and explain things to her. Something that every mother and father teaches their children, but Daeghan had obviously failed to do. If he had, the girl would have recognized by now the problem between the men and its cause. Now it fell to the rest of them to correct that lack in her education before it caused irreparable harm.