Thaddeus sat back in his chair, slowly sipping from his ale, watching the members of his party mingle and chat. The affable dwarf, Wolmak, offering the beds of his room to the others. Celine talking with Edward -- about what, Thaddeus wondered? What would the Godswife have to say? One by one, the fellowship dispersed, some leaving through the front door (like Rook or Lila), others retiring to their beds. He looked down at his ale and smiled at his own muddled reflection. He had never worked together with such a large number of people before. He knew all of them at least superficially. It must be an even more novel experience for the rest of them, since they were almost all strangers to each other. 

In the end, he was one of the last to stay. Gehrhart approached him and asked about the training of the group. Thaddeus thought about it for a second before answering. "The elves will know how to take care of themselves. Edward is very inexperienced, obviously, but he slew a number of orcs. If nothing else, he's got talent and spirit. The rest of these people are here because they're trustworthy and have other useful skills. The Godswife is a healer, Ghas is an inventor and hunter..." He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "And so on and so forth." He leaned a little closer and smiled sheepishly. "Though I'm not sure why Rook is here. He conned himself into it, really. I won his loyalty in a game of dice. I couldn't resist." 

He leaned back and finished his drink. "At any rate, master dwarf, I suggest you get some rest as well. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." 

-----

The next morning, at dawn, Thaddeus was already waiting for his new comrades at the northeastern gate of Merryspring. Some of them arrived one by one, others in pairs or groups of three. He greeted them all with a warm smile and inquiries about their rest. Not all of them looked like they had slept soundly. Nightmares about the journey ahead? Thaddeus knew how they felt. Or perhaps some of them had been getting to know each other a little more intimately.... Thaddeus smothered a grin at the thought. So soon? Probably not. 

Once they had all been gathered, Thaddeus called for their attention. "Good, we're all here. Woodshaven is a few hours on foot from here. And yes, we will be walking. I know some of you have horses or ponies here -- I've arranged for their stay and care here. After Woodshaven, it's very likely we will be entering the Dark Forest ourselves. That is not a place for horses," he said, a slightly ominous tone to his voice. 

"Anyway, let us be off!" He hit the road with confident strides, motioning for them to follow him. "Are any of you friends yet?" he called over his shoulder, grinning.