* 17 * 4/9/12

Bishop sheathed his falchion as he made his way to the courtyard. The paladin was keeping his distance, but the amber-eyed ranger had seen him muster up a surprising amount of speed in combat for the seeming tonnes of armor he wore. He kept his guard up just in case he'd have the need to counter that alacrity.

When he neared the fort, he saw that the courtyard was already dressed up for the occasion, but no one else was there. He was surprised; for some reason he thought the later part of the celebration would take place inside. He brightened up a bit at the prospect of being able to lounge outside of cold stone walls for the remainder of the night. Maybe this party wouldn't be so bad after all.

The two entered the Keep, and a quick scan of the room told Bishop they were the last guests to arrive. Well, nearly the last ones at least; Lily still wasn't present. Bishop had barely stepped five feet into the room when he heard the armored boots behind him start to gain on his position. He looked to his right just in time to catch Casavir's determined expression as he marched off toward the right, presumably to Lily's room.

To the ranger's surprise, though, Casavir instead stopped in front of Elanee.

"Lady Elanee, I ask that you listen to me a moment. I want to be sure about something that is important to me. Would you do that?"

Elanee looked shocked that he should consult her before anyone else, given they were not very close. "Yes, sure. How can I help?"

"May we retreat to a more private location, perhaps the dining room? This concerns our Leader...as well as a terrible mistake I've made."

"Of course." Elanee had an idea of where this was going, and was eager to help, especially if it meant their Leader would be in tip-top shape again any sooner. A bothered Leader meant decreased moral for all of the team.

They walked from right to left across Bishop's field of vision, and he couldn't help but wonder what the paladin was up to; he hadn't been able to hear them from afar. He had more than half a mind to follow them and eavesdrop on their conversation, but there was no way even for him to sneak past so many seasoned warriors without detection; given he and the paladin's distaste for each other, the others would know instantly that he was up to no good.

So he waited, scheming how he'd circumvent Casavir's plans. If only he knew what they were...