Meeting

The five of you settle in what seems to be some kind of dining hall. As you sit, with Alex and Ferra beside you, Victor begins speaking. “So, I hate to put all the pressure on you, but what exactly do you mean to do? As you can see, we’re hardly more than a refugee camp here, and most of the people here aren’t fighters.”

You nod. “The way I see it, you need several things. First, training. The lack of fighting skill is just a lack of training, and I’ve seen the more skilled fighters you have in camp.”

Victor nods. “That seems simple enough, but there are many who won’t want to be fighters.”

You smile. “That’s fine. The second part is recruiting. If you’re going to help people, you need to be able to meaningfully hurt the Order. Which means you need more people.”

Victor sighs. “Unfortunately, we lost our best recruiting opportunity when our ship was sunk.”

Alex giggles. “We have a ship, silly! You know that!”

Victor looks at you. “You would risk your own ship?”

You shrug. “Why else would I be here? I’ve heard nothing good about the Order, and you seem like good people. What kind of person would I be if I denied you this opportunity?”

Victor shakes his head. “Just like that? We just met!”

Melora speaks for the first time. “He has been told, well before he arrived, what to expect. He has been surrounded by prophecy his whole life.”

You nod. “That’s one way to put it. It’s more complicated than that, though. I want to help people, and now I can do that. And both me and my crew are here for an adventure. Overthrowing a corrupt, evil government? That’s an adventure.”

Victor chuckles, shaking his head. “I’m not going to question it. We definitely need the help. So, we’ll do it.”

You smile. “We can work out the details later. For now, we need a few day’s rest, on solid land.”

Victor nods. “Of course. Take all the time you need. We’re secure here, for now.”

As you all stand to leave, Melora catches your attention. “If I could, may I speak with you for a while, Nicholas?”

You nod. “Absolutely. Alone?”

She smiles. “If that’s ok with your…companions.”

Ferra nods. “I will be right outside, Nicholas.”

Alex giggles. “No sex though! He owes us a lesson in manners!”

You roll your eyes, and Melora blushes. “N-no, nothing like that…”

You chuckle. “Go on, you two. I’ll catch up.”