Subject: Reunion, continued.

Farron looks up at the arrival of his friends and smiles. At least he hopes his face presents a smile. He is glad for the reunion, but he cannot seem to shake a feeling of gloom and dread that has plagued him since the . . . well, since he almost died. No, the gloom and dread have been there as constant companions almost since that first meeting back in overlook, though he didn't really recognize it, probably, until the events in the tower, when he first felt the dark thing in the mountain stirring up the dark desires in his brain. That, itself, should be terror enough, but at least that was a terror Farron could relate to. There was reason to fear and dread the evil in the center of the island, and it was a rational, very real reason. If the demon is allowed to prosper, all that was home, love, light and life to Farron would die. But in the world of rational thought, Farron believed himself master. Fear and dread there served more to spur him to action; to strengthen his resolve; to make him find a way to prevent the thing feared.

But this was different. The attack in the foggy night changed the very nature of fear and dread. The wraith's attack cut a channel from Farron's brain to his heart and all that terror bled straight into his heart. He was healing from the ordeal, physically. At least, he could walk and talk again. He felt hunger, another sign of health. But the more his body healed, the more pronounced the darkness that was eating his heart, draining his will.

He watched as Sa'id greeted the newcomers. In his head he was glad to see his friends again. But in his heart, he wondered if an earlier death might not be better for them all than the death that surely awaited them in the jungle.

Subject: Reunion, continued.

Garyth looks a little startled at first at being kissed, but then smiles sheepishly. "It's good to see you too," he says. "But before we get settled in, I want to check the perimeter. We have reason to believe that we may have been followed." He explains quickly about Tichenor's disappearance and reappearance. Turning out the door, he points to Robert and Vincy. "On me. Quick patrol around the perimeter."

OOC: Ty, from the way you were going to let us RP for a while, I'm going to assume that the patrol doesn't turn anything up, and just continue on with the reunion.

IC:

The patrol completed, Garyth re-enters the inn, feeling a bit as though he's been holding his breath and is finally letting it out. It didn't make much sense, since now that they were all back together the real danger would begin. But things didn't always make perfect sense, and it was good to see his friends again. He takes a seat at the table.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he says, "but we can't be too careful." He pauses a moment, processing all of the questions Sa'id had asked. "The Sunmaster, you say? No, we haven't seen him. Your message spoke of a cleric of Pelor, but I hadn't thought that Sunmaster Fellus, himself, would be the one." He cocks his head, thinking. "I thought the Sunmaster was quite old. Even with bodyguards and servants, the path here through the forest is difficult, to say nothing of the journey to the temple. How would he get here?" He mulls it over briefly, then waves it off. "After the past few weeks, I'll believe just about anything can happen."

He begins to recount the events of the days since he left Nesalin. The battle with the witch and the half-orc, the rout of Nesalin's armies at Overlook, the evacuation of the town. He smiles as he tells Farron that his parents were still well when he separated from the townspeople.

"We've still seen and heard nothing of Melani, though," he says, the smile fading. "It's been several days now. I only hope that she is with her people, safeguarding the townsfolk, and that nothing has befallen her." He is silent for a moment, looking grim, then looks up at Sa'id. "But what of you, my friend?"