I'll get to commenting more tomorrow too, got some Christmas shopping to do later. 
Hope you like it anyay and yes,for those who are wondering, a certain someone doesn't appear until the latter half of this chapter.
Everyone slowly filed back into the dining room inside the sphere, being sure to give Valygar some space. Now that his ancestor was destroyed and he was no longer in danger from the necromancer's schemes, it was uncertain if he would choose to stay. It was hard to determine what his decision would be; he was a solitary and strange person. Perhaps he would return to his cabin in the Umar Hills region although Andaire hoped he would chose to stay with them. It was hard to guess what the ranger was thinking and feeling, he wasn't giving anybody any clues. Minsc stayed near the man, saying that he had to watch over his fellow ranger in case the evil wizards wanted to take him away again. He had a point and Andaire made a mental note to keep an eye out for Cowled Wizards. Keldorn left a couple of minutes later, saying he'd be spending some time with his family. Andaire hoped it would do him good, he looked to be utterly exhausted.
"Andaire, a question if you will?" Yoshimo said, breaking the silence that had descended upon the group.
"What is it?" she replied as she removed her backpack to inspect the damage her familiar had done. The damage was so extensive that she knew not only would she have to replace it, but she would have to leave the pack behind in the sphere while she went to purchase another.
The bounty hunter coughed politely and said, "I must say, you are acquiring a substantial amount of property in Amn. You are still the ruler of the De'Arnise Keep, correct?"
Andaire nodded, wondering where all this was leading to. "Yes, I am in charge of those lands until such time that Nalia feels capable of running the keep herself. Why do you ask?"
Yoshimo grinned and said, "Because oh fearless leader, you now are owner of the most unusual building in the city and one which the Cowled Wizards would keep an eye on, no question. Tell me, how will you plan to take care of the keep and the sphere now that you are responsible for both? Was this intentional?"
The priestess opened and closed her mouth, momentarily forgetting about her wrecked property in front of her. She managed a weak smile at last and said, "Oops."
"She's gained control of two places, and all she can say is oops," Jaheira sighed. "Child, do you know how much responsibility you've accepted?" Andaire didn't bother answering that, though the ire she was feeling must have shown up on her face for the druid added, "If you keep making faces like that, you face will freeze."
Had Imoen been with them, Andaire knew her sister would have stuck her tongue out at Jaheira. Instead she shrugged her shoulders and asked, "Does anyone know what time it is?"
"The sun is almost overhead, or at least it was the last time I looked," Valygar replied before he went back to his brooding.
"Thank you," Andaire told him. "I'm going out to get some supplies though I don't want everyone going with me. Nalia, can you go through the rooms and see if there's anything of use that we missed? Anything you don't recognize can be put it all in the same room. Everyone else can stay here and rest up, memorize spells or whatever else comes to mind."
"Sure," the young woman said, sounding distracted as she had her cat out in front of her and was carefully inspecting her paws. The little tabby appeared to be enjoying the attention and Andaire's warning long ago that she should not spoil the cat had fallen on deaf ears. Then again she had to conclude there really was no way to avoid spoiling a feline.
"I'm coming with you," Jaheira announced, her voice indicating that refusing was not an option. "Perhaps we can talk on the way."
Andaire swallowed heavily and wished she were somewhere else.
The dreaded talk with Jaheira never materialized, despite Andaire's worry that it would occur. She did make sure to take along her coin purse and her weapons before they left the sphere; this was Athkatla after all and she wasn't going to walk around the city unarmed or without coin.
Andaire sighed and took a deep breath once she and Jaheira were well away from the slums. She felt weary although she wasn't physically tired. One of the few times she could remember feeling this way was the night of Gorion's death where she had spent the night huddled fearfully under a bush. Imoen had found her in the morning anyway and Andaire had been so glad to see her, she left her hiding spot without even making sure that it was safe to do so. It was her sister who had come to find her and that was all that had mattered at the time. She pictured Imoen's perpetual smile, and the sudden loneliness for her was as sharp as a knife.
"Is something bothering you?" Jaheira said.
Andaire debated briefly telling a lie, but decided against it. "No, I was just thinking about Imoen is all. I keep picturing her face and I feel so guilty about not finding her yet. Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting time and having fun while she suffers."
The druid looked in the half elf's troubled eyes and replied, not unkindly, "Andaire, sometimes all you can do is prepare. I know you miss her but remember, there's little you can do now. Wherever she is, you'll find her."
Andaire sighed and looked around her. They were strolling through a street with wide lanes and almost no traffic. Somebody was leaning out of their window and beating a rug without thought to the dirt and dust dropping on the passerby's below. That person lost their grip on the rug and had it fall from their hands onto the street below, where Andaire deliberately stepped on it with her travel worn boots. The resulting curses from the rug beater were most satisfying. They passed by a wandering merchant who was selling freshly baked buns and slices of a hard cheese. Andaire's stomach growled when she smelled the food and so she bought enough for herself and Jaheira to eat. Blackie of course got nothing but the bread since it was possible that he could lose his meal after having been sick, and the last thing his mistress needed was to have that kind of mess on her shoulder. It didn't prevent the crow from begging though, and as they sat underneath a tree Andaire continued to speak of her sister. "I hope Immy can forgive me for leaving her for so long and damn, I have the beginnings of a headache."
"That is a concern, I think you need some special medicine I shall make myself," the druid told her immediately. "It shouldn't taste too bitter."
Andaire made a face and said, "No, I'm not. I'm just tired is all."
"Harp," Blackie interjected.
"What's he talking about?" Andaire wondered.
"He's your familiar, why don’t you ask him?" Jaheira replied.
"Harp!" the crow insisted, flapping his wings in agitation.
The small half elf sighed heavily and said aloud, "What are you talking about Blackie?"
"That," Jaheira announced, indicating a small group of people that appeared to be coming directly for them, lead by a blonde woman with smartly fitting leather armor. The stranger and the ones who accompanied her all had the look of professionals, whoever they were it wouldn't be a good idea to tangle with them. The half elf groaned, hopefully they could be past this latest delay and be on their way.
A faint hope it was for the stranger saw them and made a beeline for their position. Then she realized what her crow had been trying to tell her and immediately searched her immediate surroundings for an escape route. It certainly didn't help that the woman in the lead had a wicked looking crossbow in her hands, fully loaded and aimed right for them. The others accompanying the stranger all had their swords drawn and seemed ready to use them. Andaire slowly stood up and Jaheira did the same, albeit with more grace than Andaire could manage at the moment.
"Hold," the strange woman called out in a thick accent that Andaire couldn't quite identify. "We've been searching for days to administer proper justice. Know then that you face Harper justice!"
Jaheira seemed puzzled, but she recovered in short order. "Reviane, it is I, Jaheira! Surely you remember me. If this is about the attack on Harper Hold, know that I would do no such thing had I been left with any other choice!"
Reviane snorted and kept her guard up. "Explain yourself."
Sighing heavily she replied, "It was Galvarey; he had me bring my companion there on the pretense of determining what kind of danger my uh, ward was in, but he had no intention of letting Andaire leave once she got there."
"The Harpers know only that there was an attack, and Galvarey is dead," Reviane explained. "The loss of such a promising Harper sent waves through the ranks and... "
"Bah!" Jaheira barked. "Galvarey was a fool bent on advancing his own station! His intent was to use Andaire here as a trophy, hoping to gain enough influence to become a Herald!"
While the Harpers were busy conversing with each other, Andaire ever so slowly let her had drift towards her sword. Magic was out of the question, she knew there was no way she'd have enough time to fire off a spell. Blackie stared hard at the crossbow being held in the Harper woman's hands and it took a supreme act of will to prevent the bird from doing anything. She heard the other woman scoffing at Jaheira's response and asking, snidely she thought, what made her so valuable. She risked a glance at Jaheira's face and found that she appeared nervous and uncertain. Suddenly she felt less certain herself after seeing how one of her oldest friends was reacting. A violent end to the meeting was a very real possibility and Jaheira was doing nothing to stop it, and it bothered her.
Andaire decided enough was enough, there was no way she'd force Jaheira to make a decision between supporting her Harper colleagues and herself. It disturbed the half elf to watch someone she cared about to face such a thing, it was almost like the time she had to… Her mind shut down the memory that crept up and Andaire was left concentrating on the situation at hand.
"Tell her who, no what I am," Andaire interjected, "If that will help you that is. I'll keep no secrets, if the keeping of secrets will harm you."
Jaheira nodded curtly although she did seem relieved. With her voice strong and betraying little of the nervousness she must have felt, the druid said, "Very well, I shall abide by your wishes. Reviane, Galvarey was interested in Andaire here because he wished to capitalize on the fear surrounding the prophesies of old."
The druid let out a breath she was holding back and announced, "Understand that Andaire is one of the Children."
Reviane looked Andaire up and down and replied incredulously, "This is a Bhaal child, and you trust her over one of your own?"
"Scary," Blackie said unhelpfully.
"Hello," Andaire added, smiling brightly. "Not what you were expecting, am I?"
