"Fine. Fine. So what do you want me to do?" Askurei asked, raising his hands submissively.

"Just put some kind of poison expansion liquid into a glass of wine for her or something."

"Right. I can slip a little of this into her drink when we stop to eat." Askurei said, finally having agreed to help Aner get back at Adjara. He held up a small vial

of liquid something, looking dark purple, yet turning clear when it was spun about. "It'll blow her up right good."

"Why do you have that?" Aner asked,

"Experimentation..."

"Uh....nevermind.Alright then, let's get planning." Aner said, as he and Askurei leaned close to plan her revenge.



-Meanwhile, on Meshnel's caravan-

"No, I absolutely will NOT play strip poker!" Rena said, rather loudly, as she rummaged through her medicine pack.

"Aww, come on! What's a bit of fun? Besides, it's the lesser of all the other evils we could do. What are you looking for?"

"Something to deal with you." Rena replied. Aner almost flinched as she pulled out a deerskin, full of alcohol. She was afraid it might be a holy artifact hidden in

there.

"I thought paladins didn't drink alcohol." Andrea said, somewhat surprised as Rena took a big gulp from the skin.

"It's a good pain-killer, and you're a good pain." She said,her cheeks taking a slight coloration as she finished the skin and reached for another. Andrea took the

flask from her and downed it herself, however, before filling each skin to bursting again with magic.

"So, how about that game?....-hic-" she said, a small hiccup working its way to her as she downed her third sack, Rena her fourth.

"Oh, fine..." Rena said, finally acceeding with her buzz getting the better of her. Andrea lumped four decks together and began dealing. It took her three minutes,

considering the drink breaks, to finally deal the first hand, and she was tilting a bit with a sly smile on her face as both began looking at their hands. Andrea laid

down a set of three sixes (big surprise), and Rena laid down four tens. Andrea huffed and took off her top, a dark bikini-like top, the silk cloths crossing over her

breasts to cling to the opposite breast from the shoulder they rest on., smiling coyly as she pushed her nude breasts up with her hand, the mammaries swelling slightly

as she bit her lip to keep from moaning on accident.

"Like what yhou shee?" Andrea asked, her voice slurred as she giggled a bit at Rena's slightly gaping mouth.

"Yhou know, it ishn't really fair. Yhou have more clothing." Andrea said as she dealt a higher hand than Rena, who only removed her shoulder guards.

"I also didn't want to play this game in the first place..." Rena said, a bare slur in her voice, as she took another swig, her cheeks taking on more color.

"But thash just personal opinion..." Said Andrea, not making any sense as she was dealt another hand, mainly because Rena was get suspect if she won too many of her

own hands. She then took another swig and tried to read Rena's expression. "You know for a holy won. You are quite famil... familiar with the vices of the world... If

you don't mind my shay sho."

"Call it a rigor of the induction of my order." Rena said, her voice taking on more slurr, but not enough to truly make her words unintelligable, and her face taking

yet more flush as she downed another flask

Andrea's face fell slightly as she lost another hand and removed one of her boots, causing Rena to wonder why she had taken her top off first. "Hey Rena I have a

proposition for you. Since you've got more clothes how about for every third item of clothing we remove the other gets to ask a question we have to answer truthfully?"

She spoke slowly so as to prevent slurring.

"Alright." Rena said as she lost the next hand, removing her gloves. She was removing clothing in pairs, while not forcing Andrea too, to even the odds a bit.

Andrea smiled happily, taking another draught of the skin and having to pause a moment to clear her head. "You sure we're drinking at an equal pace? I'm really

beginning to doubt my drinking capabilities of late. First the rogue, now you. Soon I'll be losing to a teenager..."

"You'd have no issue with Meshnel. He doesn't drink at all. Aner...Alcohol doesn't have any affect on her at all. The only person from our side of the group that you

could out-drink is Meshnel. Askurei drinks heavily, and I have a natural Alcohol resistance." Rena replied, forcing herself to speak slowly, as her fast speech was

becoming a bit too slurred.

"That... ish depreshing." Andrea said, dealing the next hand, both of them tied at 2 garments lost each. She looked at her hand and saw she had triple sixes again,

Queen high. She raised her cards and played them, curious to see what Rena had.

"Get over it." Rena said, more coldly than she mant to, as she laid down a straight.

"Hey I'm supposed to represent vice, how can I do that if everyone i meet can kick my ass in drinking, and probably in battle too." She sighed. "Anyway, ask you

question. Make it personal or businesslike I don't mind. Just don't ruin the game and skip on it, thats just mean."

"Do you actually like your work?" Rena asked, throwing a curveball as she put a hand to her forehead to stop the room from shaking.

"In general?" She asked, thinking to herself. "Or is there a particular aspect of it you were refering to? Technically my job is demoness bound in service to Feanaro,

which details anything and everything. But he typically gets me to do tasks I would do if I were still a member of the demon hierarchy."

"I mean, ash a succubus." Rena said, the drink finally infecting her standard-speed speech.

"I guess... It's fun some of the time, exciting other times and boring or disgusting when it's not that. I like meeting interesting people and that's something I'm

assured of in this kind of work. The whole seducing and sleeping with people... it can be fun if you meet the right people. Then again I guess in your line of work the

most interesting people you meet either try to kill you or respect your status too much you never really get laid, hmm?" She said, boldly stating the issue.

"My husband is dead...At least that's what everyone continue to tell me..." Rena said, growing sullen as she looked down at her lap.

Ander smiled a little sadly and patted Rena's leg a little. "Rest assured Rena, everyone, sooner or later, loses someone they care deeply about. The key is to enjoy

the time together and reflect on it with a smile... Though what do you mean everyone tells you? You suspect he's not truly dead?"

"We never found his body. There should have been a body, even in the way that he died, and I just feel like he's still out there sometimes, watching me.." she replied,

a tear tracing its way down her cheek.

Andea was a demon but she wasn't a souless monster. So she sidled over to Rena and hugged her, wrapping her arms around her, ignoring the irritation the holy marks on

Rena's armor gave her (thankful on this word the outfit didn't outright burn her), and holding her until the tears stopped flowing. She didn't speak at all untill the

tears stopped. "You okay?" was all she said at the end.

"Yeah. I think sho." Rena said, wiping the tears from her face.

A faint smile settled on Andrea's face. "So do you want me to stop hugging you? Or are my bare breasts against you that comforting?"

"I'm more worried about you lighting yourself on fire." Rena replied, grinning slightly.

"As long as you don't pour Holy water on me I'm fine. This world deadens normal wards and runes to a mild irritation. It's itchy but not painful." slurred Andrea still

grinning. "What do you say we just get pissed and chat... I'll even strip naked as if I lost the game." She added with a grin.

"How about we not?" Rena asked, hopeful.


-------------------------------------

Adjara had been sitting alone on the top of the caravan a short while when she grew uncharacteristicly bored and decided to seek out someone to talk to, Meshnel seemed

the best choice as she could still keep an eye on the horizon for foes while she chatted, and the mage seemed pleasant enough company. So with her mind made up and her

eye adready guaging the distance she effortlessly vaulted from the roof of the caravan onto the seat next to Meshnel in the caravan behind. "Morning Meshnel." She

said, a little stiffly. "Apologies but I grew bored and wanted someone to talk to, how are things on this caravan? I expected to hear a scream or explosion before now

to be honest."

"They're actually keeping pretty well together in there." Meshnel said, not taking his eyes from the road. "I haven't heard so much as a foul word thrown from one end

to the other. They've probably drunk everything there is to drink in there, though, so you'll have to go to your own caravan if you get thirsty."

"Huh... I guess alcohol could take the edge of things in there sufficiently. Though Andrea might use that as a chance to cause another incident..." She said with a

sigh. "Still after last night I think even I could use a drink, just a small one though."


"Well, hurry back. It's boring over here." Meshnel replied, his eyes glued to the road ahead.


"Hmm... I think I can help with that..." Said Adjara as she cast a small spell that allowed Meshnel and Adjara to clearly hear what was being said inside. The first

words they both heard were: 'You like what you see?' from what sounded like a drunk Andrea. Adjara had a slight red tinge to her face as she smiled. "I guess they're

having quite a fun time, hehe..."

With a mental flick, the spell was shattered. "I'd rather not listen to that too much." Meshnel said. "Go get your drink and come back if you like."

Adjara was still faintly blushing when she returned a minute later from the caravan in a faint puff of shadow. "Maybe it's better if I just stay out here for the time

being and drink..." She said, taking a sip from one of several bottles, though specifically not a blue one, she had been told that it was a gift from Aner to Andrea to

say no hard feelings but both of them had known it wasn't what it
*seemed. Still Adjara didn't mind either way as long as she didn't get caught in the blast. Blue bottle was a no, everything was okay. "I presume you don't want any,

since you've got to focus on the road." She said to Meshnel.


"Yeah, you're right." Meshnel said. He straightened when he heard the sound of crying and reference to Rena's husband inside. "Oh no, she's thinking about Daresh

again..."

Adjara slowly sipped at the bottle she held. "Hmm... Daresh... I can not say I know that name. Sensitive subject?"

Meshnel pulled out a small cylindrical object, looking much like a cigarette, though it appeared to have many markings on it, and placed his hand over it, lighting it,

and taking a long pull. "Daresh..." Meshnel began after a breath, "Was the best of us. He was wise, kind, generous, caring....Somebody we all aspired to be like....He

was our leader, our trusted friend....He died being our leader....He died protecting us..."

Adjara nodded solemly, "I see. He sounds like an impressive person. I would have liked to meet him. I guess Rena and him were close." It wasn't a question, From the

look on Meshnel's face she could tell what Rena's connection to Daresh had been. She took a long sip of the bottle and tipped it in Meshnel's direction, offering it if

he would. "To the fallen and the ones left behind. Their sacrifice. For today never forgotten and their connection with those who knew them, never broken. Lessien Vala

Remtor."

"He was her husband." Meshnel said, taking the bottle and taking a swig before handing it back. "Keep the rest, I don't want to drink all of your ale. Besides, Alcohol

isn't my vice of choice, thunderbloom smoke is."

Adjara nodded. "Fair enough. Though it's hard to raise a smoke to others in memory." She said, attempting a joke before grabbing the bottles around her and about to

step inside. "Has it calmed down in there?" She asked.

"Yeah, they're calmed down. Not sure if they're clothed, though." Meshnel replied, smoke rising from in front of him as he continued driving.