#dwinain

“It’s good to see you too, K’lai’a’la!” Sadie laughed

“I am glad you are alive again,” the elf said softly and her grip loosened slightly as Kireen’s shadow overtook them.

“I think you owe us a drink after everything you put us through,” from the twinkle in Kireen’s golden eyes Sadie could tell she was mostly joking.

“Fine but you have to tell me what happened. Ser Calentavar was very vague about the whole thing,” she tapped K’lai’a’la’s arm and was set back onto her feet but the elf was close enough that their clothes brushed together while Sadie led the way to the bar. Once she was perched atop the stool she looked around the Stag. It was fairly crowded and Lysander was singing a raunchy ballad that some of the more intoxicated people were singing along to. She smiled at the familiar chaos that is her home. One thing caught her eye, or more like the absence of something. Donar was nowhere to be seen. She turned to Kireen with the question on her lips but Kireen was already answering.

“Took the money and left. Didn’t even help us get you back. And good riddance because if I see his face again, I will promptly remove it from his skull.”

“Good I’d hold him down for you. What an ass,” she said just as Dwinain approached them, stepping up onto the platform he built behind the bar so it was easier for him to serve his guests.

“Do I need to throw someone out?” he asked gruffly, but his beard twitched, giving away his smile.

“They threw themselves out, apparently. Greedy and worthless. Couldn’t even stop me from dying. He was right there, he could have picked me up out of the water!”

Dwinain’s hand froze in midair as he reached for a mug but then he shook his head, his light brown hair and beard shifting like a bears shaggy coat “coulda swore you just said dying. Speak up when it’s loud in here, woman,” he picked up a mug and began to fill it with a dark ale.

“I did say dying though. Apparently I died. Taerand just brought me back from the dead.”

“Don’t jest with me Blaze, ain’t a thing to be jokin’ ‘bout. That’s tauntin’ the gods,” he kept his gaze fixed on the mug of ale.

“She isn’t lying, Dwinain. I saw her body, we carried it for days to the Wraefen and back and even to the witch out in the Wilderlands,” Kireen added. At her words, the mug overfilled and his hand jerked, sending ale splashing onto the floor. Dwinain didn’t even look at it, he locked eyes with Kireen, then Sadie.

“I’d be lyin’ to say I’m not glad you’re here Blaze… but a soul bein’ taken back from the gods,” he let out a breath that ruffled his moustache “be wary of the consequences.” He cleared his throat “now if you’re gonna keep up that talk, I’ll be tending to my other guests.” He served their ale and left them to their talk, touching the top of his head, his brow, then his lips as though to stave off any curse they might have put on him.

Sadie looked a bit sadly at her friend but she was sure there were no consequences. She felt fine and she had no reason not to trust Taerand.

“You mentioned you took me to the witch, what was that about? What witch?”

“Witch Ragna, she did not help us. She only made us hurt. So much death,” K’lai’a’la sighed and sniffed her ale then promptly pushed it away with a grimace.

Sadie looked to Kireen for clarification of K’lai’a’la’s ominous statement.

“That about sums it up pretty well,” she took a swig from her mug “Taerand offered to bring you back but I didn’t trust him. It doesn’t seem like he has magic of his own so I didn’t know what sort of stunt he would pull. I figured the witch was the more predictable option. We hired some new help along the way and unfortunately that new help ended up dead,” she takes a longer drink this time “manticores and bloodhawks. And when we got there she wanted us to fetch a basilisk egg. I decided that if we couldn’t even travel the Wilderlands without getting people killed, what would be the point of trying to bring you back if we all ended up dying anyway.”

“People really died... Trying to save me? Why would they do that? Did I know them?” It was clear Sadie was not comfortable with this idea in the slightest. Kireen let out a bark of laughter though.

“One was a strangely murder-happy barbarian woman. The other was some gnome we picked up that needed the witch’s help anyway.”

“I did not like murder woman. Did not sleep when murder woman awake.” Sadie reached out and took K’lai’a’la’s hand. “Sounds like good riddance to me. But if the witch didn’t help, who brought me back?” At Sadie’s question, Kireen’s lip twitched up in a half-snarl. Sadie’s brow raised in surprise and thought maybe she should be concerned about her resurrection.

“We came back and made a deal with Taerand. Me and K’lai’a’la owe him a favor. To be called in whenever he damn well feels like it.”

“That’s pretty open ended I can see why you’re uncomfortable. But he seems nice. He checked on me when I woke up and made sure I was ok. He even had his majordomo escort me here.”

“Trust me, I’d be happy if he was all sunshine and roses but that’s not the feeling I get from him and I know how to read rich assholes.”

“But we do it for you, Sadie.” K’lai’a’la squeezed her hand, “because you are our friend.”

Kireen sighed and nodded “she’s right. You were a damn good ally in that forest and… I shouldn’t have left you when the fire started,” she took her mug in both hands and looked into its depths before taking another drink. Sadie hasn’t even touched her ale yet.

“Kireen… it’s… it’s not your fault,” tears began to well up in her eyes. “I can’t even begin to repay you for what you did to bring me back and,” Kireen held up a hand.

“Consider it even. Please.”

K’lai’a’la wrapped her arms around Sadie’s middle and rested her chin on top of Sadie’s head which made her chuckle.

“Ok fine but I am helping you complete the favor from Ser Calentavar. It’s the least I can do.”

Kireen nodded in acceptance and drained the last of her mug.

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