* 13 * 4/8/12, 4/11/12

"Casavir!" Elanee exclaimed. He had barely spoken to any of them since he returned. "We're glad you're all right."

"It's good to have you back, lad," Khelgar added with a smile on his face that seemed to be genuine. Casavir allowed himself a small grin. It would be nice fighting alongside Khelgar again.

"I'm glad you're feeling all right. At least, I think you are. You never know, you have been through a lot lately," Neeshka rambled.

"I appreciate the concern," was Casavir's somewhat abrupt response. He hoped the others didn't ask Neeshka to explain what precisely she meant any further.

"So now we're all here. Assuming everyone else is up for it, I say we celebrate tonight. It's been years since I've let my hair down," the bald Ammon stated matter-of-factly.

Everyone stared at him in silence.

Ammon huffed. "For being so young, you all are an uptight bunch." Most of those in the room rolled their eyes, but of those who did, Qara put them all to shame. She and Sand looked pleased at Casavir's return, but said nothing. Zhjaeve only nodded at him.

Bishop stood in the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, expressionless. Casavir didn't even look at him. He'd deal with the moody ranger later.

He was unsure he should ask given the fragile circumstances, but he couldn't help himself: "Where is our Leader?"

"She's in the basement with Grobnar. She's feeling pretty down, though. I don't know if she'd want to see you," came another of Neeshka's naively blunt proclamations.

The others looked puzzled for a moment, but Casavir was yet again quick to the draw: "You are right, it might not be best to remind her of a friend's wounds. But I think she would be pleased to know that I have healed." He wasn't outright lying, but he didn't entirely feel like he was speaking the truth, either. He hoped that would at least temporarily shut Neeshka up.

As he made his way to the basement, hoping the ranger wouldn't follow him, the tiefling's words echoed in his mind.

"She's feeling pretty down, though. I don't know if she'd want to see you."

He grit his teeth. How was he going to get her to talk to him again? Zhjaeve advised to just give her time, but time would also give her more opportunity to think of what happened and get upset all over again. He had to clear the air, somehow. He had to try.

He was about to open the door to the room with the Construct, and likely where Lily and Grobnar were, when their voices confirmed their whereabouts.

"I know it's not much, but you've looked so sad that I felt I had to do something!" Grobnar exclaimed, but with discernible concern in his voice. A short silence followed, in which the paladin imagined Grobnar was giving her something.

"Thank you so much, really." Casavir could hear the pleasure in her voice before it faded to sadness again mere seconds later. "Grobnar?"

"Yes, Lily?" he answered.

"Did you know anything of Shandra's personal life, like if she had feelings for anyone, or anything?"

Casavir couldn't see through the door, but he felt like some of the air had just left the surrounding area. This was a subject that was near and dear to both of them.

"No, I barely knew anything about her. Which makes me feel bad now, of course, but one never expects these things, I guess!" he reminisced, obviously trying to keep the mood light despite his own low spirits.

Casavir slowly opened the door in the silence that followed, intending to come inside and put an end to his secrecy, but just then he saw Lily hang her head. She was sitting on top of a crate, looking at the floor.

"I never got the chance to ask her things like that." She shook her head. "No, that's not correct. I did have the chance, but I never sat down with her and really talked that way."

"We all have our regrets, but regrets are silly, don't you think?" He looked at her earnestly, and for the first time in Casavir's memory of him, Grobnar didn't trail off, or seem to be paying attention to anything except what was right in front of him.

Lily smiled. "Yes, yes they are; you're right. I just think her advice and experience would have been helpful, but who knows? Maybe she was no more experienced than I am." She got to her feet, and at that moment, Casavir came in.

Lily's face fell, and Grobnar noticed. He seemed to be torn between two things, and Casavir could only guess as to what they were. He wasn't entirely sure the bard knew the details of what had happened; this seemed to be more a question to Grobnar of whether or not he should leave her alone with someone she appeared to be upset with. After a few moments' consideration, he acted as if he had just then seen the paladin enter. "Oh! Nice to see you're feeling well. If you don't mind, I've got to be getting back to, well, fixing up the Construct! And reading this book on how to operate him!" He lifted the book as if to emphasize his point, then opened it and pretended to read. "Yes, this all makes very much sense now!"

"Very well. My lady, do you mind if I speak with you in private?"

She looked at him for only a moment with her arms crossed before storming off. Grobnar looked after her apologetically, as if he'd made the wrong choice.

Casavir looked at the gnome. "That...was my fault, I am sorry." Sighing, he walked back up to the main hall.