Condensation

"I think I can handle it long enough for both of us to get in."

Cadenza fired a blast of ice at the tentacle nearest her.

Minuet turned to the Shadow. "Get off. I can handle it until you're off."

"What are you doing up here?! I'm holding it off! Get below again!"

"You're welcome."

"Oh, of course. I forget that you all came from off-world and that you lost your memories." Matin smiled and opened a trunk from beside his bedding. He rummaged through and finally pulled out a couple of papers. "You can read these. There's probably more in the command tent, too."

"I assume to get rid of us. The foremost experts are both gone."

"Seems like a good bit, but we're not entirely sure. He's done well so far."

"No, I don't. Although it wasn't her entire rebellion, just herself."

"You mean... before, or just now?"

"Well, the Lady General began to let it be known that she wanted to take Wyrn down. The army began gathering - the general coming with it - and we were actually going along pretty well. Until the Lady General heard that there was an important prisoner in one of the prison towers. So she snuck in. We don't know what actually happened, other than she gathered some important papers from Wyrn's desk but didn't get the prisoner. She disappeared. For quite a long time. A lot of the soldiers began to lose hope, and then a higher-ranked officer decided to try to storm the castle anyway." Matin looked down. "They failed. Those of us here are the ones who didn't go. We followed General Daolan, and eventually the Lady General came back. This time, she brought friends. This... Fellowship of the Thing. They were making a plan to storm the castle and get all of the army back, but the general was taken and the Lady General had to try to rescue him. I hear she tried bargaining, and when that didn't work, she broke in. Her friends returned without her and without the general. So General Fadran commands us now, and he's planning to get them both back, along with taking down Wyrn in the process."

"Nice to meet you, Fresco. And I'll remember that. Is there anything you'd like to know in particular?

"You know what? I bet Phaedrus'll be just fine. As soon as she notices we're gone, she'll be smart enough to go. And we can set a watch to see if and when she does."

The soldier sat as well. "First I should introduce myself. I'm Matin."

"Two of them, anyway. Verdin and Qavixsu, meet Reese. Reese, Verdin and Qavixsu."

Pia hesitantly wrapped her arms around Ollie. "It's all right to cry."

He led the new recruit to his tent. "I figured we could sit. I don't know how long this'll take."

"Not at all, sir." The soldier saluted. Then he nodded to who he assumed was the new recruit. "Follow me."

"D'you... do you want a hug?"

Pia hesitated for a long moment, then opened her arms for a hug.