GrueMaster

Dri quickly weaved through the crowds of panicking people that now swarmed the streets, nimbly squeezing through and keeping up with the others. Finally making it to the Grey residence, the thoroughly soaked girl went inside sitting down in a chair shivering and trying to warm herself. "By the gods! Has it ever been like this before?" she asked of nobody in particular. Tak'we, meanwhile, was chattering angrily every thri-kreen curse he knew as he tried reach the Greys' home. *NRAK'TCK! KRAT'CHI! TAK'CHE'TCKTCK!* Stupid softskins! he thought, raging silently. This is what happens when you live near deep waters! Seeing that he wouldn't be able to easily make his way through the crowds, the thri-kreen climbed up the side of a nearby building. He reached the top quickly, but began cursing and sputtering when the gutter at the top broke away and thoroughly dowsed him in water. *NRAK'-AGH- TCKTCK!* Dangling for a moment, he finally managed to regain a grip and pulled himself up... and instantly regretted opting for the top route, as the wind and rain mercilessly began pounding him. Already committed, however, the warrior began running and jumping across the roof tops carefullly, nearly slipping once or twice to a decent fall below. Thank the spirits! Tak'we thought when he spotted the Greys' home. Wet and miserable, he walked in muttering unintelligibly about softskin stupidity and deep waters, and offering prayers to Mother Moon. He wandered to an empty corner and leaned against it, stretching so to get all of the salt water out of his joints. "My jointss are going to crust." What is that? the thri-kreen thought curiously, suddenly hearing something, albeit barely, over the howling wind. He looked around and finally saw Rhaine singing in a language he couldn't understand but still felt the comforting tone it had. Reminded of an old song, Tak'we now felt like playing his strings because of this. Pulling them out (and making sure they were dry), he fiddled with his double-scythe for a while, listening for proper positions, until finally they sounded good enough for his clutch-mother's song. Slowly, Tak'we played a calm, sobering ballad that matched surprisingly well with the winged pointy-ear's song, with a rhythm pounding softly with each thump of the scythe and a low, almost-mournful whistle. The song was meant to thank the spirits for their blessings and as a prayer for protection. Continuing to play, Tak'we silently offered his own prayer, hoping his missing clutchmates would be alright...

Tak'we gave Conall a tilt of his head. "You are clutchmate, yess?" He asked, compound eyes focused on the softskin. "Then thiss one sstandss with you. A clutch lookss after itss own, or it iss nothing." *Sss-ss-ss* "You softsskinss ssseem to have ssuch hard timess undersstanding ssuch ssimple factss." The warrior turned to look outside when thunder sounded over head, giving a chattered moan. "Pleasse not more water..." Dri gave Weyland a pat on the back and then went about helping gather wood for Sana's pyre. She kept silent while the fire consumed the body, then turned and followed everyone back to the inn when the deed was done. The girl had a smile on her face as Weyland went about expressing his love for his family, then blushed lightly when he thanked her as well. "Oh, well, um," her mind stuttered at first, "You're welcome, Weyland. You don't have to repay me at all. You're a good friend, too." Dri giggled silently. "Besides, you guys saved my life first, remember?" She looked away as thunder boomed, a concerned look forming on her face. "That doesn't sound good." ========================================== Tak'we gave a hiss as he looked out one of the windows, openly displaying his disgust. "Sstupid softskinss... living by deep waterss. Why can they not live in proper landsss?" He turned suddenly to the sound of angry scolding and saw the Greys and their friends walk in, sharing what had happened and Rhaine showing her anger very clearly at Arland and Marie. Such hatchlings... When the two continued throwing hateful glares at one another, the pink thri-kreen had decided he had had enough. Knocking over several chairs, Tak'we grabbed Marie and then Arland rather forcefully, holding them well above the ground and dangerously close to his face, where venom was dripping ominously from his mandibles. "Listen, you" *KRA'TCK'CHI!* "Tak'we hass sseen young hatchlingss behave better than you two. I have seen animalss behave better than you two!" Glaring at the two to make sure they were listening, the angry barbarian continued. "Keep acting thiss way, and Tak'we will make you go in the deep waterss! Now behave!" Giving the two softskinss a good shaking to emphasize his point, the thri-kreen dropped them unceremoniously and went back to his chair, chittering angrily as he left. Softskinss... no unity whatsoever... When Rhaine declared that they were to gather their gear and go outside moments later, Tak'we's mood only worsened. *TAK'TCK'TCK!* "Of course we have to go outside. Spiritss be good to thiss one..." With that said he left, grumbling as he went and gathered his possessions quickly and returned. "Tak'we iss ready to go." It better be dry... Dri felt like slapping Arland and Marie, throwing her own angry glaring at them. But she put aside her anger and listened as Rhaine told everyone to pack their things and go. Having all of her gear with her already, the thief simply stood and waited for everyone else to get ready. Which I hope is soon... it's not looking pretty out there... Tymora grant us favor...

Dri stared in horror as Weyland suddenly charged at his own friend and skewer Amendale. "WEYLAND!" she yelled mentally, but was unable to make it past Sana. Shefelt something brush against her mind when Sana cast some sort of spell, but it failed to take hold and she pierced the creature's backside with Lonesome, sending acid burning throughout the wound before tumbling back out of the lamia's reach. She prepared to dart back in again when she saw Weyland was back to normal and Amendale was back up and casting. Dri caught a glimpse of the pillar of fire descending upon Sana and shielded her eyes from the sudden heat, and looked on in shock to see the thing still standing. How in the Hells...? She began to move close when Arland clipped her as he was sent through the air by some spell, sending the girl sprawling on the ground, dazed. Dri just managed to regainher senses when the tanglefoot bag took hold and froze Sana in place long enough for Sybille to land the crippling blow. She dragged herself off the ground and watched as Weyland finished the lamia off and Sana speak something intelligible, before finally falling limp in death. Thank Tymora that's over... She walked over and looked at her friends, and especially Weyland, with concern. Are you going to be okay? ==================================== Tak'we looked at Aera and then Conall in befuddlement. Weretiger? Werewolf? Not terribly familiar with those terms, the thri-kreen continued asking the two about these things. "Doess thiss mean you two can turn into anmals, like the spirit druidss of the thri-kreen?" He tilted his head, confused. His confusion only grew when he overheard Hexol not only had a mate but had hatchlings as well. "Softskin hatchling isss a clutch-father?! How young do softskinss mate!?" he asked incredulously, nearly overwhelmed by this new information.

"Wha- OOOF!" Dri grunted as Weyland shoved her out of the way of a massive sword. By Tymora! She tumbled out of the way further out of the reach of whatever the thing was that was attacking. Overhearing that this cat creature was behind Weyland's enslavement, the changeling swallowed her sudden fear and took up a grim determination, summoning Lonesome, which radiated alarm at first. Are you ready? she sent telepathically, and the weapon began dripping acid and sent back a confirming response. Alright, then... Dri began moving, trying to move behind Sana and flank her, but she had barely managed to move into position when the creature suddenly disappeared, and five copies took her place. Oh, for gods' sakes! Dri swore as she once again dodged the blow from one of the Sanas. How are we supposed to know which one is the real one? She thought furiously, weaving to and fro, and suddenly had a crazy idea. Oh, Tymora, let this work! Pulling out a small bag, she teased it open with her free hand and then swung the bag in an arc, sending a fan of marbles flying outward. The marbles hit two of the Sanas... which immediately disappeared! YES! The rogue cheered inwardly, and pulled out another object, this time a bag that looked like it was filled with some kind of mush. Aiming for another image, she tossed the tanglefoot bag at it, hoping this time it would be the real one...

"Sure, I'll come along," Dri said, following after the the Greys. When they arrived at the inn, she gave a curious look at the incredibly tall woman covered in fur and had a tail. Wow... wonder where she's from... But the girl stayed where she was, waiting for Weyland and Sybille to finish and complimenting them when they were. "You two look impressive," she said, nodding with approval, and once again followed them when they left. "So, where are we going?" Dri asked, having missed that information earlier. When she figured out that they were visiting Weyland's and Ethel's graves, she felt like she didn't belong in such a personal place, electing to keep her distance slightly from the others out of respect. Walking up beside Weyland, she nudged her friend softly. "Weyland, you going to be okay?"

Tak'we waved a greeting to Dunsam when the softskin came down, then went back to eating. Quickly finishing off a double portion, the thri-kreen rose, picking up his double scythe and cloak. "Tak'we will be going back to the others now." *TCK!* "Thank you for letting thisss one join your clutch for the night." He gave a bow, grabbed the remainder of the bacon, and left. The warrior was enjoying the last of the bacon as he entered the inn, only to come across a very curious sight: something that looked like a cross between a really tall softskin and a great cat was present, and was currently being chattered to by Hexol. That was not the only thing that surprised him, as he soon recognized two old clutchmates of his next to the furry female. "Ianthe! Arva! Thisss one iss sso glad to ssseee you!" *WEEE'TCK!* Rushing over, he grappled both of the pointy-ears from their seats with one of his great hugs and spun them around joyfully before setting them back down. "Tak'we iss very happy to sseee you again! But," he gave them a confused look. "Where iss the resst of your clutch?" Pulling another chair over, he sat down behind the trio and prepared to question them deeply, before remembering the stranger beside them and proceeding to introduce himself. "Thiss one iss called Tak'we," he said, before giving the strange female a tilted look. "Iss furry-one a new clutchmate of Arva and Ianthe? I have never sseen the likess of you before." =========== Dri ate her food, slowly gaining back her cognitive abilities after having something to wake her up. Stretching, the girl yawned, then got all of her gear together and got dressed, heading downstairs when finished. "So," she looked at the Grey siblings questioningly, "Are we heading back to the inn yet, or do we have plans today?"

Since no one objected to his staying the night, Tak'we sat in a chair by the corner of the kitchen, painstakingly etching ritual marking in the bone of his scythes well into the morning. "Good morning," he chattered to the Greys as they awoke one by one. He sat his scythe aside and walked over, took two handfuls of bacon and an apple, and immediately went back to his chair, feasting on the food quickly. When Arland started speaking strangely, the thri-kreen simply shook his head. "Softsskinss and their big wordss. Why can you not sspeak simple, like thri-kreen do?" Dri awoke to the smell of bacon and porridge, rising up from bed and mindlessly wandering to the kitchen. With no regards to the state her hair was in or the fact that once again, all she was wearing was her underclothes, the girl grabbed a plate and piled food on it. She paused between pouring herself some water when Arland spoke unusually intelligent, and turned to squint at him weary-eyed. "Are you drunk?" she sent, the message slightly garbled as her mind failed to completely make sense of what was going on. "You should stop drinking so much..." Without another word, she grabbed some silverware, and went back upstairs, closing the door with a slight clang.

MYYYYYYTHIIIIICCC!!!! *GINGER-GLOMP!!!* So great to hear you're back! :D

I've posted a lengthy piece in a spoiler to save room on everyone's browser. Granted, it's not that long, but I felt that it might be easier for everyone if it were in a spoiler. There's also hidden implications in it, so I guess it sort of counts as a spoiler as well. ^_^ @tokyo: Indeed it is.

Dri began to protest at first at Weyland's giving up of a nice bed, but she knew the man would be stubborn about it and instead quietly accepted it. "Thanks, Weyland. Goodnight, everyone." She gave a tired wave and went upstairs and inside the guest room. Hesitant to start removing her armor, the girl paused where she stood, then relaxed after considering at whose house it was she was staying the night. Come on, Dri. Someone would have to be stupid to come in here. With that thought, she stripped down to her underclothes and fell asleep peacefully in the soft bed. Tak'we continued chattering about weapons with the clutch-father of the Greys, describing all of the various kinds he had used over the moons, but placing particular emphasis on thri-kreen gythkas and their advantages over most softskin weapons. He liked Dunsam, who seemed to appreciate a lot of the same things that the thri-kreen did, and spent the rest of the conversation talking about such. ===================================== A ghostly figure of an ancient man formed soundlessly in the bedroom, but remained hidden, instead waiting patiently for the Doomguide and her old companion to settle things first before revealing himself. There is time enough, he thought to himself before grinning at the irony of that statement; there wasn't much left in reality. But, one must use what he can... And so the venerable figure "sat" invisibly in a chair by the window and simply watched until all was said and done...

Tak'we swallowed some breast meat before speaking to Dunsam. "Tak'we iss from the sandss of the Shaar, the homeland of all thri-kreen. I, I have not been there for many moonss now..." He had a sad posture for a brief moment, before switching topics to his scythes. "You like thiss one'ss scythe?" *Tcktck* "Thiss one spent ssome time trying to make it. It is no gythka, but it will work asss well." Dri stifled a yawn; she had enjoyed the family reunion (and the chaos she helped create), but the night was beginning to wear her down. "Hey, Weyland, Arland? Are you two staying here for the night? If so, would you mind if I stayed, too? It's pretty late, but I don't feel like going back to the inn without you guys."

Tak'we chirped happily when Rhaine sat down. When Weyland and Arland suddenly started squabbling, the thri-kreen simply shrugged, and proceeded to tear into the turkey he had sat in front of him. "Ssso," he spoke between bites, making sure his mandibles didn't have anything sticking from them. "Greyss musst have a great heritage, yesss?" Dri could barely keep herself from shaking from laughter as the trouble she had set up slowly broke out. Keeping silent, she watched in amusement as they accused one another and Hexol.

*Sss-sss-sss!* Tak'we was hissing with laughter as the dinner went on, clearly enjoying the rough play of everyone. Though he was mildly concerned about the way Arland and Marie were glaring at one another, he didn't pay it much mind; after all, he had often gotten into fights with his clutch-brother Che'tak before as well, and those were always stopped before things had gotten too rough. With the way the Grey clutch-mother kept order, the thri-kreen had every faith in her ability to do the same. "You softskinss sstill act like hatchlingss," the warrior chortled, mockingly berating the Grey brothers before digging into the small feast Amendale summoned. Having his plate full of apples and some green vegetables, Tak'we waited patiently for the large birds to finish cooking, the delicious smell making him salivate. When it was done, he took one of the large plates and scooted it in front of him, ready to devour the bird with gusto; he hadn't eaten well nearly the entirely journey over the deep waters, and he was starving for a good meal. "Oh, thank the spiritss!" He was just about to tear into the bird when he heard knocking and turned to see Rhaine walking into the room. "Winged pointy-ear!" he chirped happily, getting up to greet his clutchmate. He listened to her thanking Arland, which mildly surprised him, but when she seemed like she would leave, the thri-kreen gave a chattering protest. "Rhaine! Clutchmate should sstay here! It isss a chance for a clutch gathering!" *TCKTCK!* "These are alwayss special among thiss one'ss people, sso you should sstay and celebrate thiss special time." Dri was quietly enjoying the dinner, although keeping pretty quiet. She liked the family gathering well enough, she was just simply unused to being in such a casual and friendly environment. Casually eating some fruit, the girl had a faint smile as the Greys rough-housed as they usually did. She greeted Rhaine when the Doomguide walked in, and began to go back to eating when she saw an opportunity looking at her in the face; With Rhaine being there, no one was looking at Arland's spot, and there was his beloved flagon sitting there unattended. Oh, this is too good! Making sure no one was watching, Dri took the flagon and set it underneath Weyland's seat discretely after acting like she dropped her fork. Seeing more potential for chaos, Dri deftly undid the knots on Weyland's and Arland's boots as well. Sitting back up and suppressing the urge to laugh, the girl simply went back to eating, waiting for the fun to begin...

Dri and Tak'we followed the Grey Brothers, both interested in meeting the family of their friends and amused by their giddiness at being home. Tak'we despised the size and sheer closeness of the stone buildings around him. The thri-kreen was glad that he was with his clutchmates. I wouldn't have been able to go ten strides without losing my way. And he disliked some of the glances a few softskins occasionally sent towards the small group as well. One or two seemed to start moving towards Dri and the Greys, but soon stopped and turned away when the massive insectoid, and his massive bone scythes, was seen with them, so he was glad for that small bit. He offered a quiet prayer as Mother Moon rose in the sky, and kept walking after his clutchmates. He hadn't said much to Audri when she tried to introduce herself to him. Tak'we didn't have anything against her, but when he had first heard her voice in his mind, he had had a bad start at that. He was glad deep down that he could actually speak with her and understand her as well, but he just wasn't used to the concept of mind-speaking yet. But, seeing as how much the Greys liked her, he was willing to try his best to get used to it. Dri, on the other hand, liked being in the city. Granted, being in the cesspool of the Realms wasn't all that encouraging as the night life came out, but she still liked being in civilization again. When they arrived at the Grey family home, even Tak'we had to do a double-take as they saw the patriarch of the Grey family. I do not fancy fighting him, the thri-kreen thought to himself as he sized up Dunsam, and soon thought the same as Annabelle showed up as well. But he gave a chittered whistle at the reunion, both happy that the Greys had gotten to be together again and amused as they caught up with one another, and slightly sad as he was reminded of his own family. The way that the Greys cheerfully interacted one another soon banished his sadness though. Not wanting to bring the happy occasion down, Tak'we introduced himself with a tilt of his head. "Thiss one iss Tak'we, clutchmate of Weyland and Arland. It iss an honor to meet their clutch." Dri was stunned in awe as she saw the Greys' parents, but giggled silently as the family greeted one another playfully as if nothing had really happened over the years. She felt sad hearing about Ethel, but it was soon forgotten as the Greys joked and shared words cheerfully. The girl felt a little shy at being there, though, but felt the need to introduce herself. "Hi," she spoke tentatively, as she tried not to startle anyone with the telepathy. "I'm Audri."

"Actually, Amendale found this amulet back in the dragon's lair, and then Weyland gave it to me." Dri answered Argyros, pulling out the amulet and showing it to the moon elf as they walked back up to the main deck. "And it's very nice to meet you, too, Nawen," she spoke, smiling broadly; the girl was genuinely happy with Weyland's gift. I should get him something, too, though, the rogue thought to herself, but what would he like? "Weyland's been so nice to me," she said to Argyros and Nawen, "and Amendale, occasionally Arland as well. Do you know of anything that they might like to have? I think they deserve something for the kindness they've shown me." ======================================================= Tak'we simply shook his head at Conall. "We should not travel on deep waters. Iss not natural or ssafe. But," the thri-kreen added, a little cheer entering his tone of voice for once since he'd been on the boat. "Thiss one iss glad our journey iss nearly over. It will be nice to be back on land where I belong. Thank you, Conall, both for letting me know we are almosst done with thiss filthy boat, and for the potion you made me." He gave a small bow to his clutchmate, and went over to sit beneath the stairs that led up to where the boat-guide was, managing to gain a sense of peace for the first time in days. Stupid softskin boats...

Dri giggled silently as Tannin jumped, not bothering to hide her amusement. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. And yes, it is nice to be able to... um, be heard. And Weyland gave it to me, actually." "Thanks, Rhaine," Dri sent as she faced the Doomguide, a smile on her face. "It's something of a new experience for me, but I'll definitely keep a good eye on it." Dri had a puzzled expression on her face when the two went off to Rhaine's personal quarters, but, not wanting to intrude on something that might get her in a world of trouble, the girl simply shrugged and went off to find the other members of the party. She wandered for a while before coming to the cargo hold and finding Nawen and Argyros. "Oh, hi, you two." She greeted them happily. "How's everything down here? ================================================== Tak'we hung over the railing miserably as he waited for Conall to come back. After what seemed like an eternity, the softskin finally came back holding some strange liquid in his hands. Taking the vial gingerly, Tak'we hesitated a moment when he opened it, the soupy contents swirling lazily in it. Oh, spirits, let's be done with this! And with that thought, the thri-kreen downed the potion. *KRrrr-TAK-TCKTCKTCK!* Tak'we gave a gagging chatter as he struggled to force his stomach to accept the substance. When it didn't reject the potion, and after a few breathes, he did begin to feel a little better. *Wee!* "Thank you, Conall," he said as he gave a shaky bowing motion. "Thiss one feelss a little better already." The boat swayed a little, causing the warrior to grab a hold of the railing again. "Although I do not think I will ride in a boat ever again. How do you softsskinss even sstand such shaky creationsss?"

Tak'we cast a baleful eye at Conall, obviously miserable to the point where he didn't want to interact with anyone whatsoever, and was ready to tell the softskin off. But..., the thri-kreen thought, dropping the dark look and reconsidering. If it would stop this sickness... "If it will sstop thiss one from being sick," he said, leaning away from the railing to face Conall, "Tak'we will try it." ===================================== Dri was puzzled for a bit with the amulet Weyland gave her, but once she learned to use it, shepractically hugged Weyland in half out of happiness, both at his gift and his acceptance of her once she was done sharing her story. "Thank you, Weyland!" she sent him, feeling a lot less guilty about hiding something from her friend. She gave a silent laugh as she realized she was mouthing the words still. That will be interesting later, Dri thought with an amused expression. "This is so wonderful! But," the girl paused for a moment, looking at her friend with a questioning glance. "would it be okay if we kept my... nature... quiet for now?" She asked. "I wouldn't feel comfortable if everyone knew about that part of me. And please, call me Audri," the rogue grinned, "I like that name better than my real one, anyway. Feeling more confidant now that she had a better way of communicating, and feeling more sociable than ever, Audri decided to go visit some of her other companions, as she had mostly avoided doing much in anyway with them. "Sorry, Weyland, but I'd like to talk to some of our friends. I've been with you all for a while now and I still don't know them very well. But I can always stop to talk with you later, if you like. Anyway, see you later." With that, she left for the mess hall below deck, saying hi to everyone along the way and enjoying the strange looks she got when someone tried to figure out if she was actually talking aloud to them. Seeing Rhaine and Tannin, Audri made her way over to them. "Hi," she greeted them, smiling as she spoke. "Sorry, but I havent gotten to really introduce myself, even though I've been with you for a good while now. I'm Audri"

Dri was hanging from the port-side shroud of the main mast as Weyland was talking to her. She smiled and shrugged at the man; she had broken into houses before hanging upside-down from a swaying rope before, so this wasn't terribly new to her. The girl's smile was replaced with a jaw-dropped-in-surprise expression when her friend asked about her changed form, and fell from the rope when she suddenly forgot to hold on, becoming stuck and hanging from her feet for a moment before falling unceremoniously to the deck with a painful thunk! Ow... She winced as she rubbed her now sore head. *You saw that?* she asked as she picked herself up. *I hoped you hadn't seen me like that.* Blowing a deep sigh, and making sure no one else was close enough to read her, Dri went into a detailed summation of her ability to change forms, both male and female, after deciding Weyland deserved to know the truth. *I don't know how or why I can do it,* she said at the end of her story, a sad expression on her face. *I just know that I hate how I would normally look and look at this form as my real one. *It's why I ran out of the dragon lair; that mirror I saw showed what I really look like, and I was scared by it and by the thought of anyone else seeing it.* *So to answer your second question, no, I don't normally change grey like that, and no, you're not that special.* She answered Weyland's last question with a wry grin. *Well, maybe a little special; You are the only person who has seen me like that, after all.* Dri looked at him with a plaintive look. *You're not angry, are you?*

At first, Tak'we was glad (though puzzled) that they would be traveling so quickly. That quickly changed, however, when he saw their means of travel. *K'TCK'CHA!!* "Not another sstupid boat!" Knowing very well that it was the fastest possible way available to them, though, he consigned himself to spending yet another miserable time in one of the spirit-forsaken vessels. Dri, though concerned about what would happen once they reached Westgate, and especially concerned about what would happen after, didn't offer any more of her thoughts on the Grey Brothers' choice. We'll just have to see once we get there, I guess. She thought to herself, then made sure all of her things were together and boarded the Sea Compass with the others. -------------------------------------------------------- Dri was having the time of her life on board the ship over the past six days, greatly enjoying the ocean breezes and the view from the crow's nest. Granted, in the beginning, she had some difficulty getting used to the rolling of the deck, but the girl quickly adapted, and would often spend time exploring the ship whenever she could. Tak'we, on the other hand, had not gotten used to sailing at all, and could be seen at least once a day cleaning his mandibles with a rag and a bucket of water because of his stomach emptying itself over the rails. The constant humidity was only adding to the thri-kreen's misery. Stupid softskins, he thought bitterly. No one should be traveling on the great waters. Neither would he spend time below deck; the closeness and dankness reminding him far too much of the slave ship he had been imprisoned on so many moons ago. As he once again emptied the contents of his stomach, three words kept repeating in Tak'we's head: I hate this...

Dri couldn't believe Weyland's reaction, and shakily got out of bed after waiting to see if he would come crashing back in in disbelief. Thank Tymora!, she thought with a deep sigh, and went about changing back to her more normal form. It would very likely come up later, she just knew it would, but for now... I won't worry about it. She cleaned herself up a bit and eventually made it downstairs and listened to Amendale's summary of what was going on. Dri paled at the thought of having to face such threats, but if the Greys were going, so would she. She was surprised to learn then that Arland and possibly even Weyland might be staying behind in Westgate. *But, what about your friends, you two?* she mouthed to the two brothers, upset by the idea that they'd might leave. *What about our friends? I mean, I haven't been of any great use to the group so far, but I can't let everyone go without me. All of you have been so nice to me. I can't go without at least returning the favor.* Tak'we listened attentatively after Rhaine began to speak, putting the strange events of last night out of his mind. He was surprised and angered to learn that Kalin, even though he didn't know the strange softskin very well, was being held prisoner, but he was more excited by the thought of returning to his homeland. I will finally get to go home? Mother Moon be praised! "Rhaine," the thri-kreen looked at her with his unblinking eyes, "though thiss one iss greatly thankful to Mother Moon and the spiritss to finally be going home again after sso many long moonss, thiss one will sstay with our clutch. All of you are the greatesst softskins thiss one hass ever met, and thiss one will ssooner die than leave you now." He looked at Weyland and Arland, chittering sadly. "Thiss one knows your feelingss, clutchbrothers. Thiss one hass not sseen the warm ssandss of thiss one'ss home for many moonss asss well, and if thiss one did not have good clutchmatess now, thiss one would sstay as well." *Tcktcktck!* Tak'we tilted his head to one side. "But thiss one hass good clutchmatess, and sso..." he looked at everyone around him. "Tak'we will sstay. But I understand."

Despite Rhaine's advice, Tak'we ended up getting drunk again. He didn't break down into a depressed state of mind like before, instead he shared stories and funny experiences with some of the braver locals about his clutchmates and their travels together, bringing up fighting dragons, Tannin being in constant mating season, and several other points. "...And Arland-" *HICTCK!* "turned green all over!" he chattered, laughing uncontrollably as he talked about the magic breakfast he had made. "Green! Ssuch a ssilly color!" He was very cheerful, even when someone pointed out that he was pink himself still. "Tak'we isn't pink! My lovely chitin could never be pink!" The thri-kreen looked at himself, and looked on in mock surprise. "Oh wait, it is pink!" *Sss-sss-sss!* Finally, as he drank the last of the bottle, he screeched a good night to everyone and promptly passed out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The sound of Weyland's armored footsteps woke up Dri, who then peeked out from under her blankets and immediately wished she hadn't. *Ohh, not sunlight...* she moaned, shielding her eyes from the morning sun and holding her head as a terrible headache raged on. *Weyland, is that you?* the girl asked, squinting at him as she tried to block out the painful light coming in from the window. *What happened last ni-* she begun to ask, but stopped when she saw her hands... grey hands. Eyes bolting awake, she grabbed some of her hair in a panic, and sure enough, it was grey as well. Oh no... Throughout the night, she had shifted back into her true form... and now someone else would know. Suddenly very distraught and very scared, Dri dove back under the blankets, hoping fruitlessly that Weyland hadn't seen anything but knowing fully well he had. Oh, Tymora, what will happen now? Tak'we awoke to the smell of bacon wafting through the air, and rose from the bed he was now in, confused as to how he got there, and grumpy from the hangover pounding his head. "Stupid Tak'we, drinking that wine. I should never ha-... what in the spiritss iss that?" He stopped his self-cursing to investigate the mysterious lump under the blankets on the bed, or rather, the two lumps under the blankets. Cautiouslessly, the thri-kreen lifted the covers... ...And found two softskin females sound asleep underneath. What in the name of Mother Moon...? Staring at the sight before him and unable to comprehend what could have possibly happened between the time of him passing out and now, Tak'we simply put the covers back, grabbed his possessions, and quietly left, leaving with a very, very confused and dazed expression on his face. Still wearing the expression and suddenly not as hungry anymore for some reason, Tak'we went downstairs and sat down with his clutchmates, next to Amendale silently, only speaking a timid good morning as he tried, and failed, to understand what he had just saw. This... is going to be a long morning... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Saris was in the middle of "playing" with Kalin's mind again when he received Rhaine's message. Oh no! Kalin thought, eyes wide with fear, as his torturer looked at him with surprise and anger, and he knew she had heard the message as well. "You sneaky little devil..." she said to him, right before sending a telepathic surge so strong and painful that it knocked Kalin out almost immediately. Seeing that he was no longer conscious, Saris stood there simmering, her frustration growing. "Oh, Nine Hells!" she screamed as her self-control finally broke, blasting the chair she had with enough telekinetic force to send it flying towards the wall and smashed into pieces. I'll have to speed the ritual up now... "Zuir!" she yelled for her enforcer impatiently, keeping herself from blasting apart the prison walls as she waited for him. "Zuir, bring that insectoid beast to the main hall. We are going to need more sacrifices..."

*TCK!?* "Th-thank you, Rhaine!" Tak'we chattered with a hint of pleasant surprise as he took the scarab; he had never received a gift before ever since he was a hatchling. "Thiss iss very good luck; Thiss one will treassure it." *Wee!* The thri-kreen went off and decided to try celebrating a little, after all, especially when he learned that the tavern had a bottle of Moondrop. After paying for the bottle and a decent amount of food for dinner, Tak'we took a small cup and filled it up with the sweet drink, but only a little; he was determined not to become drunk like he had the last time. *Ssss...* he hissed slightly in disappointment when he quickly drained the cup, and debated whether to pour more. "That did not lasst long..." *Tcktck!* "Tak'we should be fine having another..." Dri was thoroughly drunk by her fourth flagon when Rhaine gave her the Ring. *Awww,* she pouted cheerfully and tried to stand to hug the Doomguide, barely succeeding in the attempt. *You're sho shweet, Rhaine! I wish I had shomething for you, too!* She slipped the ring on (after two failed attempts) and sat back down next to Weyland, showing the ring off to her friends. *Weyland, Arland, look what Rhaine gave me!* she mouthed, barely coherent while she attempted to find her flagon. *Oh, where in the Nine flagons is my hell?! Oh, * she giggled silently when she realized she was still holding it. *Nevermind, I found it!* The girl had barely finished that fifth drink though when she finally decided to stop. *Oh, I think I should shtop now... * Dri mouthed, swaying slightly. *Hey, Weyland, you mind if I just... go to shleep...* Without finishing her sentence, she passed out leaning against Weyland.

Tak'we fell into line after his clutchmates, his scythe making dull thuds as he walked along silently. The thri-kreen tilted his head in puzzlement at Arland's attempt to carry one of the largest hammers he had ever seen and Weyland's sudden flight back to the softskin village at the mention of some place called "Westgate." He simply shrugged, though; he could ask later when they weren't traveling. Dri had managed to stop crying and quietly slipped behind Weyland on his horse for the ride back to town, still mulling over the mirror in the lair. How did it do that? she thought, so deeply she failed to notice the discussion between Weyland and Arland until she was left grabbing for dear life as the former suddenly shouted and took off galloping. *WEYLAND!! SLOW DOWN!!* she mouthed over and over again and kept trying get to his attention until the man finally slowed down to a trot. *What's going on?* she asked, trying to get some form of an answer before she got flung off a galloping horse. *I know you and Arland have drinking contests,* the girl teased, a slightly puzzled smile on her face, *but I don't think he'll drink all of the ale before you can have some.* She stopped smiling when Weyland told her everything about his past; being a farmer, becoming a slave for near a decade, fighting to freedom, even how he met Amendale, and how he had thought his whole family dead, only now learning they were alive and well in Westgate. *That's,.. why, that's wonderful, Weyland!* Dri exclaimed, feeling surprise and happiness for him. She felt a little guilty, too, however, for hiding her nature from him when he told her practically his entire past. *You didn't have to tell me all that, you know? But thanks for trusting me. Now,* she again took hold, * I guess you can continue with the wild horse race again.* ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dri had a slight flush to her face, having drunk a flagon of some of the strong ale Weyland had ordered for everyone and was on her second. It was her first time actually drinking such a heavy drink, and was reluctant at first to even try it, but Weyland was in such a good mood. He's already bought it, too, so least I can do is celebrate with him. So she had drunk it, and found it to be okay after a while. Tipsy already, she greeted the others with a grin, red hair falling over one side messily, hiding her blue eye. *Hey guys, how's everything?* Tak'we didn't try to disguise himself fully in the softskin village, since everyone had already seen him, only bothering to cover as much of the pink as he could. One softskin started to make a joke about his body, but one look at the massive two-sided scythe in the thri-kreen's hand silenced him instantly. At the taven, he walked in to Weyland and Dri drinking heavily. The warrior just looked at the two softskins and simply shook his head. "No thankss, Weyland," the thri-kreen politely turned down the drink. "Thiss one doess not like that drink. It smellss like it can clean my chitin to a shine." He did accept some of the meat, however, and did enjoy it, glad that his clutchmate was happy.

Dri was still sobbing silently and trying to stop her tears from coming. Why did it have to show me that? Of all things? Shuddering slightly, she gave a small jump when Azuris came, followed shortly by Weyland and Conall. *It's nothing,* she insisted, wiping her face. *Just... that stupid mirror. It- it showed me something I didn't wan... Can we just leave now? Please?* Tak'we was snickering as he went to work on the corpse in front of him. "Clutchmate hass that mating sscent again." *Tck'Tck!* he joked, poking fun at Tannin once again. *Sss-sss-ss!* If only Nawen could smell you now... *Sss-sss-ss!* He went over to one of the massive claws and began working on trying to remove one with some of the bone attached as well, an idea for a replacement weapon in mind. He couldn't repair or retrieve his gythka, for it was ruined beyond repair and scattered beyond his reach, but this could serve as a viable replacement... If I can get this stupid bone out! *Nrak'Tck!* he cursed angrily as he pulled and jerked after managing to slice the flesh open a little. With a final heave, the large claw and a good two-three feet of bone popped out with a SHNICK! Tak'we looked at it approvingly; the claw, because it extended partly into the body, was easily 4 feet long with an extra 2 feet of bone. Very nice... Satisfied with that, the thri-kreen repeated the process and after a while managed to extract another set of claw and bone. Picking up the two ends, he went and retrieved the wooden staff he'd used back in the softskin village for the tournament and attached the deadly claws on both ends, with the dull bone ends serving as counter-weights for balance, in the end creating a very vicious-looking double-scythe. "Thiss will do nicely." *Tcktck* Tak'we clicked in approval. "May the spiritss blesss thiss weapon." Finished, he made his way to where the others were and nodded to his clutchmates. "Tak'we iss ready to go."