"Well, miss DeVir," the Order librarian told the Drow standing beside him. "Here we are. The collected texts of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart."

Viconia stared in amazement at the many bookshelves piled to the brim with books of all sizes and creeds. The Order library was a semi-large room, yet very spartan compared to the rest of the Order guildhouse. The floors lacked the marble shine of the main hall and the windows were rather small compared to the others she had seen. A single table stood against the wall, and there only were some simple statuettes between the bookcases, signifying the notion of a library was certainly less important than the other interests of the Order, like combat or prayer... Viconia got the impression the librarian was quite miffed about that fact, since he had been going on about it since they met.

"I tell you, I am happy that at least someone is interested in reading my books. Study is required for both knights and squires, but I sense very few of them actually enjoy it," the librarian sighed. "Why, if any of the knights needs something researched, it's always the same four people, myself included, who do the reading..."

Viconia simply nodded in reply.

"I mean, the Oghmites at the docks have plenty of literature, but when it concerns religious texts, my liberary is unsurpassed!" the librarian announced with pride.

Again, Viconia simply nodded. She had the agree that the library seemed very serene.

"Well, I'll leave you to your research," the librarian, who had never even seen a Drow until this day, said as he turned to leave. Then, he spun around again. "Oh, and incidentally, you might find Van Helsing's Compendium of All Things Undead a good starting point. Good luck with your research..."

Viconia watched the man leave the room. He was spindly and pale, as if he hadn't left his precious liberary for years. Still, what was wrong with reading? Viconia was simply too preoccupied with brooding... So much in fact that she had barely slept this night... What if her pursuit was pointless? What if there really wasn't a cure? And then there was the question of finding the defiled Dynaheir for the second time! How would she be able to tame the vampire long enough to cast whatever spell or ritual that was needed? So many random factors here.

But Viconia shook them all off. With grim determination, she took the Compendium from the shelf, sat down at the table and started to read.

"Hey, I thought there was a Drow living in this house?" Laska said as she entered Viconia's room at the house. Viconia's relatively large room was becoming more and more decorated and adorned. Aside from her bed and Khittix's basket next to the fireplace, Viconia had been searching flea-markets and other merchants and was slowly filling the room with classy paintings, statuettes, carpets and even a tapestry or two. She had even acquired some luxury furniture, like an antique writing desk, a dresser and a set of delicate chairs. Right now, several large stacks of books were scattered through the room, totally obscuring the Drow sitting at her desk, save for the tip of her white mane and an ebony hand scribbling in a leatherbound notebook.

"I thought it was you who I saw rolling a wheelbarrow filled with books inside the house..." Laska chuckled.

"I could not concentrate with the sounds of clanking armors and swords so prevalent in the next room, so I took my work home with me," Viconia said gruffly. "I was allowed to take these books with me to work at home, but only after I told the librarian I lived next door to the Order, so his precious books would be very near to him at the very least."

"Yeah, Keldorn told me about that guy," Laska chuckled. "There's this rumor going around that he has this pet dragon which he sics on people who brought their books back too late..."

"Mind you," Viconia snarled. "It's getting very hard to make some PROGRESS when there's a chatty Darthiir in the room with me!"

The tattooed moonelf simply stared at Viconia after hearing this statement.

"I'm sorry," Viconia conceded. "I've dug through twelve books already without any result. All these so-called benevolent religions all deal with destroying undead, instead of curing them... What I need is a book of dark rituals, or a text dealing with black necromancy... But the Order despises those writings! I feel like my research is taking me in circles! I have some results but..."

"What you need is too clear your head," Laska interrupted. "How can you dig through those books when you're all stressed like that?"

Noticing the glass in Laska's hand, Viconia chuckled. "I don't think alcohol will help focus my thoughts, abbil."

"You can't have my ale," Laska grinned. "It's mine and I'll drink it myself, thank you very much. I came to invite you to cool your head, so to speak... Remember that little wooden shack we all thought was a gardenshed in the backyard?"

"Yes?" Viconia replied.

"You know, Jan just found out what it really is..." Laska chuckled, grabbed her friend by the arm and dragged her friend along, toppling several stacks of books to crash to the floor.

"This is nice," an already relaxing Viconia said as she removed her towel and sat near the hot coals in the middle of the small sauna.

"Told ya!" an equally naked and sweaty Laska replied. "Some more water on the coals?"

"We could use a little more steam," Viconia replied, while she watched Laska pour some more water. She mused how beautiful her friend was, even for a mere surface elf. Then again, Viconia mused she did not look very bad herself. Laska was tall, almost half a head taller than Viconia, and was ever so slightly muscular, most prevalently in her arms and abdomen. And that way saying a lot, since elves rarely showed their musculature, which was normally always hidden in their bodies... Considering Laska's reputation of gladly getting into fights and other types of trouble, her greyish moonelven skin was only marred by a single scar, which had been neatly covered up by the elven symbol of longevity, tattooed just above her navel.

Her tattoos were something different altogether. While Viconia preferred to surround herself with art, Laska's own body was her canvas. On her cheeks, below her eyesockets were her eyetattoos, and on her right shoulder an ornate webbing encompassing most of her shoulderblade. One her right arm, she had a tattoo of a sword thrust downward, with an elf-ear on top of the hilt, which she had done to celebrate her victory over the Undead Beholder. Just above and below her left knee, a snake in striking position was tattooed. Most of her right hand and upper right wrist were engulfed in a mass of patterns, colored in many shades of blue, resembling an ornate gauntlet. Laska had told her she loved fighting with Ipsiya in her right hand and how it seemed the moonblade had truly become an extension of her own body. Most impressive however, was the tattoo of the blue dragon on her lower back, just above her behind, it's wings spread and tail running over her left upper leg. It was Laska's first, and her favorite tattoo. And then there was the little tattoo on her right shoulderblade of a sun setting over the ocean. Viconia smiled : She had the twin tattoo put on her left shoulderblade at Laska's insistence...

"Why are you looking at me?" Laska asked. "You want any more tattoos?"

"NOT on YOUR life!" Viconia chuckled.

"Suit yourself..." Laska grinned. "Your loss..."

"Say," Viconia asked. "How is Minsc holding up?"

"Still sulking," Laska said, while her own face fell. "Come to think of it, so am I... We need to find something to cheer him up soon. Yesterday, he didn't even get out of bed..."

"Perhaps he needs to 'kick the butts of evil' again soon..." Viconia chuckled and rubbed her hands through her moist hair, pushing it all the way back.

"Yes," Laska said, then looked at Viconia intently. "Hmmm, I've never noticed before, but you have a very nice pair..."

"Yours aren't so bad either," Viconia smiled.

"Thanks," Laska said. "I take good care of them..."

"So do I... They're valuable assets."

"Sure, they are the first things the people look at when you enter a room."

"I've noticed many males directing their roving eyes at them as well."

"Of course! Men love looking at a pair as great as mine are!"

"Males are pathetic, aren't they?"

"Hmmm, I think yours are slightly more rounder than mine."

"What?! Where did you get that ridiculous idea?!"

"Just by looking... It's pretty obvious from here."

"Truly? Hmmm, perhaps. But your tips are pointier than mine."

"Mine are bigger than yours," Laska said smugly.

"That is a lie," Viconia snarled.

"It's true! Just look!" Laska smiled and pointed.

"Yours are not bigger than mine!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Hmmm," Viconia grumbled, after comparing. "I must concede to your point. Your ears are indeed larger than mine."

"Hah!" Laska chuckled. "You have ear-envy now?"

"You have no idea," Viconia grinned.

"Pity we can't take our drinks in here," Laska said. "It'll end up tasting like crap when the ste..."

Suddenly, without warning, a robed gnome entered the sauna, suffering indignant protests from both elves for invading their privacy.

"Get outta here!" Laska shouted, pointing to the door, while Viconia was boring holes in Jan's head with her eyes.

"Whoops, sorry!" Jan said sheepishly. "I only wanted to tell you Keldy and I will be waiting to try this baby out next. I figured the steam would obscure all the luscious and voluptuous feminine curves on your naked sensuous bodies... Why, that remind me of the time those three sexy halfling neighbors of ours went skinny-dipping in the Sea of Swords and..."

"SOD OFF!!" Laska shouted.

"Hey, it's nothing I ain't seen before... though those ears on both sides of your heads are looking very big, pointy and sexy! Rrrrrrowwlll..." Jan said.

"If you do not leave now," Viconia snarled. "I will make sure you will never utter a sound like that again!"

"Okay, okay!" Jan chuckled and held up his hands. "Say, you mind keep sitting there like that? I'll bring Minsc here. Perhaps the sight of you two there in this state might cheer him up!"

"OUT!" shouted both elves.

"I'm going! I'm going! Sheesh," he said and exited the sauna. Immediately, he bumped into Keldorn, also wearing a robe, and getting ready to enter the sauna.

"Ah, Jan!" Keldorn greeted cheerfully. "My friend, is the sauna free and ready to go?"

"Ready to go!" Jan said, equally cheerful. "Just step right in!"

Keldorn smiled, opened the door to the sauna and stepped in.

"Hmmm," Jan muttered to himself. "There was something I was supposed to say..."

Immediately, Jan could hear the angry shouts of two females and the surprised (and embarrassed) yelp of Keldorn, closely followed suit by a splash of water.

"Oh, yeah!" Jan snapped his fingers as a very wet Keldorn stepped out of the sauna, wearing an empty bucket for a hat. "There are still two naked elves in there!"

"I... KNOW!" Keldorn snarled as he removed the bucket from his head.

"Hey," Jan nudged Keldorn. "Did you take a peek at their ears?"

"Certainly not!" Keldorn replied and blushed as they walked back toward the house.

"Oh, come on! You can tell me!" Jan chuckled.

"Yes... Very nice ears..." Keldorn conceded.

Feeling refreshed, and filled with new thoughts and ideas, Viconia sat down at her desk and picked up some of the books to resume her studies. Unfortunately, it wouldn't take long for her to be disturbed again. The skittering of eight legs entered the room and stopped short just behind Viconia's desk. Smiling, Viconia turned around to greet the cheerfully chirping Khittix who looked at her with eight playful eyes and held a red ball between his pincers. Khittix let the ball drop, which rolled towards Viconia's foot.

"Sorry, Khittix," Viconia said. "I still have plenty of work to do..."

Khittix chirped in disappointment and slowly skittered back to the door.

Viconia sighed, picked up the ball as well as the leash. "Come on, then," she smiled. "Walkies!"

The Drow and her spider (properly leashed and constantly stopping to sniff trees) slowly made their way to a small field at the back end of the Temple District. After greeting the guards outside the Order, she decided to let Khittix go unleashed. During the game of fetch that followed, Viconia's mind was miles away... The Sharran faith deals with vampires by indebting them... No go there... Kelemvor... Perhaps, though he prefers the destruction of undead... Worth looking into, though...

After several minutes of play, Viconia's train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of violent chirps and the shouts and cries of a woman. Looking around, she noticed one of the washer women of the Order was hitting Khittix with a broom.

"HEY!" Viconia snarled as she ran up to her spider and stepped between them. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you stupid Elg'Caress!"

"Things like that aren't supposed to walk the streets!" the woman retorted.

"He only wants his ball!" Viconia said, pointing at the ball behind the woman's left foot. Seeing the woman made no move to stop hitting Khittix, she grabbed the broom from the woman's hand and broke it over her knee. Realising she had better not mess with this Drow, the washer woman retreated back into the guildhouse. After Viconia was absolutely certain the other woman was out of sight, she leant back and rubbed her now painful knee.

"Let's go home," she told Khittix and limped back home.

"Keldorn," Lady Maria told her husband as they and her daughters were about to knock on Laska's door. "I can't help it that the babysitter didn't show up! And we have tickets for the Sigil Troupe this evening! Do you know how long it has been since we spent an evening of culture together?"

"I know," Keldorn sighed. "But to leave them here?"

"Come on," Maria laughed as she knocked on the door. "They're your own friends! How bad can they be?"

"That's exactly why I'd rather not leave Vesper and Leona her for the night!" Keldorn sighed as they were let though the door. Laska and Jan were sitting at the table, glancing in the direction of the front door. Minsc, Viconia and Korgan were nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, Laska dear," Lady Maria told the young elf. "You are looking healthy..."

Immediately, Laska burst into violent laughter when she spotted Keldorn in his velvet formal wear. "HA!" Laska chuckled. "It's Paladin Puffy-Pants!"

"See what I mean?" Keldorn grimaced when he heard the snickers of his daughters behind him.

"You look like you've swallowed a pumpkin whole!" Laska laughed.

"OY!" Korgan's deep bass voice sounded from the basement. "Any of ye lot seen me pants?! I be forgettin' where I be placin' them!"

"We're leaving!" Keldorn said hurridly after hearing that ominous statement. "Sorry to bother you!"

"Don't be silly," Maria said. "Laska, dear, Keldorn has told me about your friend. It must be awful for you..."

"And Viconia," Laska sighed. "But it's the hardest on Minsc. It's the second day he hasn't gotten out of bed... But don't be late for your date," Laska winked.

"I am still not sure about leaving Vesper and Leona in this Den of... of..." Keldorn said.

"Tsk, tsk," Laska chuckled. "And this from the man who saw me naked this morning..."

"EXCUSE ME!" Lady Maria snarled, put her hands on her hips and stared at her husband intently.

Faced with another marital crisis of serious magnitude, Keldorn did the only thing he could do. "It was his fault!" Keldorn said and pointed at Jan, who promptly shoved his plate of turnipsoup away from him.

"Mister Jansen..." Lady Maria said, directing her ire from her husband to the chatty gnome.

"Hey," Jan chuckled. "All we saw was a very nice set of ears!"

"Ears?" Lady Maria asked.

"Damn right!" Laska said proudly. "Pointed ears are the most important part of the elven anatomy! And mine sure look mighty fine, if I say so myself..."

"I see," Lady Maria said, cooling down immediately, "well, Keldorn and I must go. I trust our two precious children to your care..."

"Okay, have fun," Laska grinned. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Such as?" Keldorn asked with a grin.

"Ermmmmm," she replied nibbling her index-finger.

"Please keep this evening a sane one for the sake of my daughters?" Keldorn pleaded.

"Oh, I'm sure Laska and her friend will take good care of our little angels..." Maria said. "Come on, time to go!"

"Perhaps we should reconsider..." Keldorn said again while Lady Maria prodded him out the door.

"So..." Laska said as Leona and Vesper looked up to her expectingly. "Bring your swimsuits?"

"19710... 19711... 19713... 19714..." Jan said as he was counting a large pile of gold. "Geez, I really have to invent a coin-counting machine."

"Are you an inventor?" Leona asked, while she lifted her little sister to sit on the bench. It was dinner-time, and Laska had ordered mutton to be brought in from the Copper Coronet. Apparently Hendak had made a revolutionary stride to further the art of innkeeping : A delivery service...

"Why yes, I am!" Jan said proudly. "Perhaps you've heard of the Jansen Slash-and-Dash Mouse, Cat and Dog trap? It reduces elephant to delicious steaks as well! Or maybe the Jansen Automated Dancing Doll? Especially useful for young ladies wanting to learn how to dance... Can't get the speedsetting right, though. Can be rather painful for the young ladies, unfortunately... Or perhaps you've heard of the Jansen Whizzbang Machine! A device which repels griffins! Sadly, it attracts dragons like crazy! You don't know what a rush it is when there's five dragons sitting on your roof. Will the wooden beams hold, or will you be crushed to death by the hulking drakes when they flatten the house... Quite a thrill!"

"Wow!" Vesper giggled.

"Well, I did improve the Jansen Wheelroller!" Jan said. "You've heard of the Annual Gnomish Wheelchair races?"

"No?" Leona asked.

"Every year, all the geriatic gnomes of the city of Athkatla come to the slums with their wheelchairs to be pushed along a track set across the city by the young gnomes. Quite a merry race it is, and all the oldies in the chairs beat the competition with their canes as they pass. Strangely, the gnomish mortality rate seems to rise tremendously during those fun races. My grandfather was wheeled down a cliff. My great-aunt Helen ended up rolling into the harbor. My great-great uncle Harold, who's grandson lost control over the chair, ended up crashing through the front door of the Rest House for Retired Griffins... But the races are a lot of fun in any case..."

"I bet," Leona chuckled. "When's the next one?"

"Ermm, we are currently short on geriatric gnomes, I'm afraid, since there was no winner last year..." Jan grinned sheepishly.

"Okay!" Laska shouted and stepped out of the old kitchen carrying a roast of lamb on a large silver platter. "Food is ready!"

"YAY!" Vesper shouted.

Smiling, Jan returned to his counting, but soon, his face fell. Sighing, he shoved the pile of gold to the right of him. "One... Two... Three... Four..."

"HI!" Vesper said as she entered Viconia's room.

"Why, hello there tiny jalil," Viconia said, not looking up from her work.

"You look very tired..." Vesper pointed out.

"That's because I am very tired, little Vesper," Viconia grimaced.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Reading all these books, so I can save a friend," Viconia said. "But so far, I'm not having much luck..."

"Awwww," Vesper said. "Why don't you go play? I don't like doing all my homework at once, cause it gets harder if you do it longer! Oh, Khittix!" Vesper added and ran to the cheerful spider laying in his basket. Vesper giggled and petted the happy spider over his head, scratching him between the eyes.

"Hey, Vico," Laska asked as she entered the room, wearing a black two-piece swimsuit. "We're all going to the pool upstairs? You coming too?"

"Hey!" Vesper giggled at Laska. "You have fingerpaint all over your body!"

"They're called tattoos and maybe you'll have a few too some day," Laska chuckled.

"Alright," Viconia sighed and put away her notebook.

"This pool is great!" Leona said as she sat next to Laska in the water. "We have a pool too, but it's not as deep and big as this one. And Peony keeps fish in it, so we can't swim."

"Well you can come over and swim here anytime you want," Laska offered.

"What a great house you have..." Leona mused.

"Yep," Laska grinned. "And I only had to kill a couple of slavers to get it!"

The upstairs pool was turning in a waterballet very quickly. Vesper was in the pool, splashing water at a chirping Khittix on the side of the pool, who deftly dodged the flying water. From the other room, a shout from a gnome closing fast made its way into the room. Jan Jansen, jumper extraordinaire, leapt into the air, folded his limbs together and slammed into the water. A huge wave of errant water splashed over the marble floor. Everyone who was not wet, was so now...

"OY!" Korgan, who was not in a swimsuit and was standing on the edge of the pool, shouted in anger. "Ye be careful, ye daft gnome! I nay want ta be gettin' me beard wet!"

"Scared the water will clean it?" Jan chuckled.

"Har, har," Korgan said without humor.

"Minsc?" Laska asked Korgan.

"'e's locked the bleedin' door," Korgan replied. "And 'e's nay be comin' out anytime soon..."

"Dammit," Laska grimaced, but decided to dive underwater and swim to the other side of the pool.

In the meantime, Viconia, sitting in the water, wearing a one-piece bathing suit, was still brooding and mulling over the meager results of her research. Suddenly, a violent splash of water slammed against her, interrupting her train of thoughts yet again. Glancing around for the culprit, she noticed Vesper Firecam sitting next to her with an oddly mischievious glint in her eyes...

"Oh," Viconia grinned evilly. "You are going to pay for that, tiny jalil!"

And soon, chaos arrived at the pool once more, this time in the form of a splash-fight.

"OY!" Korgan shouted yet again. "Mind the dwarf!"

And someone did. A tattooed elf exploded from the water, grabbed the startled dwarf at the arm and pulled him into the water.

"Did you have fun, children?!" Lady Maria asked as she and Keldorn returned from their play

"Did we!" Leona and Vesper shouted at the same time.

"Remember," Laska said to the two girls. "You can stop by anytime... and you two. How was the play?"

"Great!" Lady Maria said.

"Awful!" Keldorn replied at the same time.

"Moving!" Lady Maria added.

"Pretentious," Keldorn muttered.

"Daddy?" Vesper asked. "Can I have a pet spider?"

"No," was Keldorn's simple reply.

"Awwww," Vesper pleaded. "I'll take good care of him!"

"No," was Keldorn's second reply.

"Can I get a tattoo, like Laska?"

"Absolutely not!" Keldorn replied.

"Can I kill some slavers, so I'll get a great house too?" Vesper asked.

"When you're older, sweetey," Keldorn conceded.

"Thank you for minding the children," Lady Maria offered, then smiled and followed her husband and children out the door.

Laska closed and locked the front door, think it was time to go to bed. There was still much on her mind, however. Such as the matter of Minsc... She had no idea how to solve this mess. She decided to consult Viconia about this matter, like she always did when she encountered a problem she couldn't solve. But stepping into Viconia's room only led her to find Viconia slumped over her books in peaceful slumber. Grinning, she picked a pillow from Viconia's bed and carefully placed it under the head of the sleeping Drow. After patting a drowsy Khittix on the head, she headed to her own bed for some well-deserved rest.