Thayva raised her chin slightly when Serapis declared his decision, her gaze turning momentarily from the reactions of the staff to her husband. Her jaw set, but she gave no indication of arguing the decision. After all, he would not have jumped to such a decision if he had not already looked into every other possibility. She herself had spent a fair amount of time trying to secure finances, but to no avail. 
	“So where do [i]we[/i] sign up?” a dwarf shouted above the peels of thunder that nearly constantly rolled through the night, his arms crossed and face unreadable from beneath his thick beard. Only his beady eyes gleamed in the lamplight flooding the dining hall. “’Cause yer daft if ya think yer goin’ alone.”
	A rumble of agreement rose from the staff as a few others with a warrior’s heart and skill offered their assistance as well.

[center]*	*	*[/center]
	“Ha, ha.” Nick rolled his eyes. “You’re a rock if you can sleep through--” As if on cue, another clash of thunder filled the house, quickly followed by another flash of lightning that lit the curtained windows, and an immediate, lower rumble.
	“I heard talk about a meeting tonight,” he began, pausing with a scowl at each thunderclap that drowned out his voice. “In the dining hall. I was going to go check it out. You coming, or staying?”