Quietly, the party rode through the forests, headed towards Imnesvale in all haste. It was imperative that they arrive before nightfall, so the usual graces, such as camping, resting and lazying about in the warm grass were no options at the moment. Instead, the party, after gathering the horses at the Order stable, set off for Imnesvale almost immediately.

Almost, because two more errands had to be run. First of all, Viconia left for Cromwell to gather her new Dragon Plate Armor... And so proud was she of this beautiful new armor. She sat on top of her horse like a queen, prideful of wearing a magnificent red and yellow armor created from the scales of the dragon she had killed herself. Although the colors meshed wonderfully with that of her skin and hair, the Drow looked more dangerous and formidable than ever before.

Laska had slipped out to her favorite tattoo-parlor in the slums, and had one of her existing tattoos altered. The small black tracing of a rose, located on the upper slope of her left breast had been filled in with lively colors, as if the rose was in bloom. The tattooed rose was surrounded by a coil of barbed wire, offering protection for the fragile flower. It's symbolism was not lost on the members of Laska's party.

The elf was currently glancing at Viconia's armor rather jealously, and mused that her Crimson chain at least kept last night's hickeys on her neck well hidden.

'*Oh, forget it,*' Ipsiya said, sounding from her scabbard on Laska's back. *'You're not fit for platemails... Besides, Red, Yellow and Blue is a more than horrid combination.*'

"I have to agree platemails are not for me," Laska returned, "but it looks very, very good on her..."

'*Sorry, but you'll be stuck with me for the rest of your life. I've bonded myself to you, remember?*' Ipsiya allowed the name 'Laska Leafwalker' magically etched in the hilt to light up. '*And there's no way I will allow you to wear that armor, and if you try to, I just have to use my eerie mental powers to have you walk off a cliff...*'

"You don't have any eerie powers, Ip," Laska chuckled. "And if you keep this up, you'll be tossed in a shrubbery... And only after Korgan is done with it, if you know what I mean..."

'*That's downright cruel!*' Ipsiya huffed. '*Well, at least get me a date with Carsomyr, then,*' she added, referring to the giant holy sword tied to Keldorn's back after the aged inquisitor had lovingly polished it first.

"What about Lilarcor?" Laska grinned. "He's still pining for you... I recall he serenaded your lovely blue glow only this morning..."

'*He compared my innate beauty to a ripped-out heart! Both as beautiful as creation, he sang... Off key, I might add...*'

"Ip, you are simply too demanding," Laska said, while she glanced at Lilarcor. Apparently the sword was trying to convince Minsc that he wanted to steer the huge Clydesdale Tiny which was being ridden by Minsc. Luckily, Boo was already doing that.

From the back of the convoy of horses, Keldorn brushed past the cart on which Korgan and Jan were located, and slowed his horse when he was riding next to Viconia, who was taking point.

"I seems you have," Keldorn started, "taken quite a shine to your new armor."

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Viconia chuckled. "No doubt this armor will repel many would-be bandits. I wish I had spent more time in front of the mirror, since I undoubtedly make an imposing figure."

"Don't let the armor go to your head, Viconia," Keldorn chuckled. "It's more than armor that makes the adventurer."

"Oh," Viconia shot Keldorn a sly grin. "I wield the Flail of Ages, Shar has granted me a deadly array of spells and I have the power of beauty on my side, should my attackers be male... Yet, your words remind me of an old friend of mine."

"Really?" Keldorn said, his tactic of initiating another one of his talks with Viconia having succeeded, "Is there something you want to get off your chest?"

"Yes," Viconia smiled. "Her name was Rauva Everhate. She was my roommate in Arach-Tilith, the clerical school of Lolth in Menzoberranzan. The first moment I saw her, during the introductory speech of Mistress-teacher Triel Baenre, I knew she would be a dangerous rival. She bore a striking pose, looking ready to defeat and conquer all... I was quite dismayed that she was assigned to be my roommate at the dorm. But in private, I found out her 'edge' was simply a mask, and that she had, in fact, a very gentle spirit. She loved to dance, she loved to laugh and tell stories... And she believed in friendship."

"She sounds very unlike the other Drow you have described to me so far," Keldorn said.

"She was not... She was definitely not priestess material, but every female of noble birth is expected to become a priestess... Thanks to Rauva, my days at the Academy were not so lonely. But as graduation approached, the reality of Drow society became a crushing burden for her. She hated her sisters, and she loathed the idea of becoming like them. But one day, reality slapped her in the face. At the very climax of the graduation ceremony, Rauva ran out of the chambers... I found her only a few minutes later," Viconia said, her voice taking an unwanted edge of pain. "She was not able to deal with the fact that she had become what she hated... and had hanged herself in our room."

"I'm sorry," Keldorn said sincerely.

"Her gentle spirit had been crushed... And, worse of all, the Everhate family denied her very existence. Public humiliation is a sin in Menzoberranzan, so they, and the academy, acted as if she had never existed. I... We felt that was wrong. She was my friend, and technically she was also priestess of Lolth. And priestesses of Lolth deserve an honorable cremation. So, my brother and I snuck into the refuse-yard next to the academy and stole her body. We took her to a mushroom-forest just our of the city, one of her favorite spots, used our magics to cremate her body and spread her ashes at the foot of the largest mushroom," Viconia said solemnly as they passed through the forest on horseback.

"That was an honorable thing you did for your friend, Viconia," Keldorn spoke. "I have buried many friends in my past. It never feels right if you simply leave their bodies to rot, although sometimes there is no other way."

"I always thought she was weak... Too weak to survive life as a Drow. But now I know she turned her back to our particular brand of evil... In a way, she was stronger than I was... She's undoubtedly in a better afterlife than I'll be when I am slain," the Drow sighed.

"I disagree," Keldorn pointed out. "Viconia, when you were cast out, you were thrown into a world which you did not know, a world that despised you for what you were. And yet, through the impossible hardships, you have chosen life at every turn. You are stronger than Rauva was, Viconia..."

Viconia stared at Keldorn and nodded briefly, her way of thanking him without admitting it. "Perhaps I will tell you of my brother sometimes..." she smiled sadly as they rode on in silence.

"Viconia," Keldorn asked. "Why have you suddenly fallen silent?"

"Because," Viconia whispered back. "We are being followed..."

As if on cue, several men and women jumped from the bushes, surrounding the party.

Meanwhile, back in Athkatla, two half-elven girls had a much lighter discussion. The two half-sisters had set up their easels in Jan's old room. Ever since the gnome had moved out, the room had been empty, and prefect for use as an artist's studio. Several works in progress were set against the walls, and Viconia had been using the rest of the room to store works of art she had yet to find a place for in the house.

For Rose, the room's larger windows allowed for excellent lighting. It was a perfect room to practise her favorite hobby : painting.

Rose and Risa were standing next to each other, the little girl having a smaller easel, of course. Rose was continuing work on a special project which she intended to surprise her new friends with as soon as they would come back, having put the project of Laska's portrait on hold temporarily. The half-elf glanced at her little sister, who was currently engrossed in creating a work of art of her own. The two of them had been spending a lot of time together the past days, and Rose was very happy to get to know her little sister. She had always wanted siblings when she was young, but only got her wish later in life.

Risa was smiling as she added a finishing touch to her masterpiece. It was called : Horsie.

The last hour of painting, little Risa had been almost literally throwing with paint. It was on the floor, on her face, on her clothes and even on the very tips of her ears. Some of the paint had even landed on the canvas.

Rose giggled when she noticed a little spot of green paint was located on the tip of Risa's nose.

"All done!" Risa smiled and tossed down the brush, splattering even more paint over the floor. "Look there! It's a horsie! There's the tail... and there's the head..."

"I..." Rose muttered, "can't really see the horsie... But I don't have to. This is art, after all."

"Okay," Risa giggled.

"Shall we leave it here to dry?" Rose asked. "It's my turn to tend bar today, so we'd better eat at the inn tonight. So let's get cleaned up..."

"Okay," Risa smiled. "I wanna meet your friends too. A sister has to know who her sister hangs out with, after all..."

"Run along them, you little scamp," Rose chuckled and tousled Risa's hair... only to find her hand completely covered with green paint when she withdrew it.

After cleaning up upstairs, Rose returned to the bedroom she shared with Laska and headed for the dresser. Though the half-elf preferred to wear dresses, she picked out a suede pant-suit to wear to work today. When she came out of the bedroom, a smiling Risa was already waiting for her, her hair still wet from the wash she had given it. Hand-in-hand, the sisters headed to the Mithrest Inn.

The new and improved Mithrest Inn was doing plenty of business, though one could not tell it from a glance inside. The Mithrest, with its calming colorsheme and conversation-pit structure, was filled with people. Though the Mithrest was located right next to the Den of the Seven Vales, the two inns had very little competition from each other. Since the Mithrest was quickly gaining the reputation of a quiet and non-rowdy place with good dining and clean, luxurious rooms, Rose's inn was attracting a very different crowd. Apparently, there was a market for quiet inns, since the Mithrest was attracting its clientele from every walk of life.

From her usual position behind the bar, Rose noted with satisfaction that her employees, all former streetwalkers having left behind their squalid lives, were very much enjoying their new lives. Also, the Aquarium-wall in the back of the Inn was finally finished, and tables near the unique aquarium-wall had to be reserved at least a day in advance.

"Another cookie, Risa?" Brianna, one of Rose's closest friends, cooed over little Risa.

"Oh, yes, please!" Risa giggled.

"Your sister is very cute," Brianna smiled. "Imagine finding her like that..."

"Okay," Rose smiled at Risa, "No more cookies for you. Dinner is on in half an hour."

They decided they would have dinner in the kitchen with the other boys and girls who worked at the Mithrest.

Brianna, a young human girl, had only been working the streets of the Bridge district for two years. And in that time she had been knifed over ten times. How the drunken muggers always singled out Brianna in the crowd was anybody's guess, but Rose had been looking out for her ever since she had first found her bleeding while Brianna was staggering towards the small temple of Helm on the bridge. And Guardian Vottnar, priest of Helm, was always eager to heal Brianna free of charge. Brianna had been only too happy to accept a well-paying job as a waitress in the Mithrest when Rose had offered her the position, and her life changed for the better even more, since she and guardian Vottnar were to be wed next month.

Rose felt happy that she was able to make a difference for her friends, all former street-walkers, who were bettering their lives.

"Ten more seconds!" Risa giggled as she and Rose were sitting on the couch. Rose's nose was scrounged up as her face contorted in uncomfortable disgust. The challenge : holding a teaspoon of pepper in her mouth for a whole minute.

"Five... four... three... two... one! YOU MADE IT!" Risa whooped with joy.

Immediately, Rose started coughing violently and downed an entire decanter of water.

"Truth or Dare?" Rose asked after recovering from the peppery onslaught. They were back at home in the evening, and were playing a traditional game between sisters.

"Truth!" Risa said stoically, but her face soon cracked in a smile.

"Have you ever kissed a boy?" Rose grinned.

"What?! That's an unfair question," Risa sighed. "But yeah, I did... At school, during playground-time. It was Tommy Ysbrady..."

"The boy who called you a stupid halfbreed?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Risa giggled. "He decided he liked half-elves after all..."

"Wow," Rose chuckled.

"I'll say..." Risa smiled. "Okay, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Rose said, having not quite yet recovered from the pepper-incident. "Truth this time..."

"Okay, I've got a really mean one," Risa grinned. "What's Laska like... in bed?"

"RISA!" Rose said horrified. "That's private!"

"So was my kiss," Risa said, crossing her arms. "Come on, share... Sisters need to talk about stuff like this..."

"But, you're only ten!"

"Old enough to know there's sweet lovin' going on between the two of you," Risa smirked. "I'm no stupid little kid, Rose..."

"Well," Rose said, accepting this statement, but speaking with growing unease, "If you really must know, Laska is a very, very gentle lover. She takes her time for me. I'd like to think that I am just a little more playful than she is, so..."

They were interrupted by a heavy metallic knock on the door. 'Saved by the bell,' Rose thought as she stood up from the couch and walked towards the door. Opening it, she came face to face with a huge human man, wearing a shiny Full Plate. His long sandy hair whipped in the wind as he gazed into Rose's eyes with his own blue peepers.

"Oh, beauteous creature!" the knight announced, while he bent to one knee and "I am Oberon, warrior-priest of Helm! Paladin in the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, delightfully questing for your approval of holy wooing according to paladine rules!"

Rose merely stared at the tincan kneeling in front of her.

"Oh, my Lady," Oberon smiled, mistaking Rose's stunned silence for approval. "I shall long to perform dangerous quests for you. I shall lay the heads of many do'ers of evil at your feet to win your approval! I shall carry you across the city to celebrate our holy love..."

"Look," Rose said, "even if I wasn't with someone right now, I'm only interested in seeing women, so please just leave me alone."

"Ah, you are coy, my Lady," the knight smiled. "But I shall strive and quest to win your heart, by all that is holy and good, I swear this..."

"I bet I kissed a lot more girls than you ever did," Rose muttered under her breath.

The knight blinked once... and twice... and thrice. "You are mistaken, my Lady. Girls kiss boys..."

"Not you, in any case," Rose smirked. "I'm really not interested..."

"How can you choose a cowardly knave over a holy warrior?!" the knight smiled. "I shall do everything to win your hard! I shall quest the world, I shall find my way into your heart! Nothing shall deter me!"

Then, Rose slammed the door shut, following with a sharp 'clicking' sound.

"She... she locked the door!" the knight sighed.

"Hmmm," Oberon said, burning off half a million brain cells per second as he pondered. "Breaking the door would be against the law, and thus, evil... and I cannot be evil so I cannot break down the door, because that would be against the law and evil. And I cannot be evil, so breaking down the door is not a option, because the law would not be by my side and I'd be evil. But I'm not evil, so I cannot break down her door, because it's against the law and evil... And I cannot be evil, so I must leave the door standing. Opening it without her permission would be against the law, and thus not very good. And since I'm very good, that is not an option...." he kept repeating as he strolled across the temple-district.

"Who was it?" Risa asked as Rose returned to the couch.

"Just a troll," Rose said. "It's rather late, shall we go to sleep..."

"Errrmmm," Risa said, staring at the darkened staircase with a fearful look. "This... this house is so big when you're alone. Big and dark... Aren't you scared?" she asked hopefully. "Cause, if you're scared and all, I'll be very happy to sleep in the big bed with you, so you don't have to be scared. Please?" she asked with puppydog eyes.

"Sure," Rose smiled. "I'll feel very safe with you near," she grinned, taking the grateful girl by the hand as they went to the kitchen to brush their teeth.