The group at the farm spent the day occupied in various activities, studying, resting, or helping out around the farm. Gala did not reappear after their initial meeting with them; she had apparently decided to spend the duration of their stay elsewhere. As the day grew late, a few of the farmhands' wives gathered in the big farmhouse to cook a communal evening meal. Expectations rose that soon the other group would join them, but dinner was finished and eaten with no sign of them.
Everyone began to grow antsy as the hours passed and they did not appear. Finally, sometime after midnight, noise on the porch heralded their arrival. Kuiper was still awake and outside to greet them, although Blacky was the only one present that he had met.
"Come on in. The others have been waiting for you, but they may have gone to bed by now. I can probably find you something for you to eat in the kitchen, if you're hungry," the ranger told them. "I'm Kuiper," he offered an introduction to Rumer, Falgout, and Renn.
Kuiper led the wet and cold Blacky, Rumer, Falgout, and Renn into the farmhouse. That left two missing of those who had headed into the keep's tunnels: Arachne and Lasiar.
"Well met Kuiper, if a bit late. I fear Lasiar did not make it back from the tunnels." Blacky informed the ranger "Arachne has decided to sleep in a tree over there." He waved behind the group in general "I would be grateful for a bite before we retire. Are things well here?"
Rumer stayed back a little, near Falgout and behind Blacky. She bowed her head at the ranger, feeling rather bedraggled and in need of a hot bath.
Etienne looked up at the others as the entered, "Kaileer has left to
take his mentor back to the Elven lands. Jana just got her singing voice
back today. There's some really ugly critters, scrags, living in the river
now.
And the big guy over there, apparently has a death wish and wants to
go with us to the glade, which we think we know the location of." He pointed
to Daelen as he spoke of the person with the deathwish. "Other than that.....fine."
"You've never heard me sing," Jana pointed out. "The scrags might have been doing you a favor." The faintest of smiles crossed her lips before she turned to those newly arrived. "Did you guys find anything that might help us rescue Echo?" she asked, unable to conceal the hope in her voice. The glimmer of hope was replaced by sadness as she continued, "And do you mean Lasiar's dead? What happened?"
"You can always pay me te come along if that'd make you more comfortable,"
Daelen pointed out with a shrug from where he was lying on the floor with
his head on his rolled up cloak, his large white companion beside him,
"but Snow would never forgive me. Isn't that right boy?" he said as he
scratched
the dog behind the ear and got his hand licked for his troubles.
Rumer stayed silent, letting Blacky answer their questions about Lasiar.
She kept close to Falgout, only saddening further when she heard that Kaileer
too, was gone.
