Oh. Keli Hugs. How could he miss you so badly, and not know it until he was wrapped up tight? Silliness, probably. Catastrophic goofballery. Terminal lack of thinkies. That sort of thing. “Oh Keli. It turns out running a ball for half of Thellamie is a little trickier than it sounds.” He hides a laugh behind a sigh and squeezes her back in gratitude.

(They. Um. They had never looked so. So. Um. Haaaa. Sharp? Sharp. Good, and sharp. He’ll get the adjective right when his heart quits fluttering against her.)

What does he make of the assembled company? Well…

For one, Heron.

For two, Heron.

For three, [i]Heron.[/i]

For four, [i]Heron!!![/i]

For five, he now knows what it’s like to be an NPC watching the adventuring party go through one of those optional skits between missions. If it was anyone else, he would have serious questions as to whether or not this mission was a good idea. Instead, he only has mild to moderate questions.

For six, seriously, why didn’t they just mention this was for Heron?! Could’ve saved everyone a lot of trouble!

For seven, he’s pretty sure he got the curse off Rurik. As best as he can tell. He did feel a little tingle when he forgave him earlier. He hasn’t fallen asleep again since. That’s a good sign. Hopefully. Though maybe he should keep forgiving him in his head, just to be safe. Not for the first time, he wishes this amulet came with an instruction manual.

For eight, there’s an odd, familiar comfort, sitting in the midst of Foxgirl Fighting. Worlds better than being near the wrath of the Khatun. (Yuki really did get the angy voices exactly right.)

For eight, these are all folks that Heron relies on. He’s had one evening with them. She’s had more adventures than he could ever hope to count. Whatever questions he’s got, she wouldn’t have brought them along if she didn’t trust them.

For nine, [i]Sayanastia?!?[/i]