Feast!

All those who reside at Castle Phoenix join around the many tables in the Great Hall/Throne Room for a fantastic celebratory meal--glazed boar meat with boiled vegetables, perfectly cut ham sandwiches rich with spices you don't even recognize from Earth, imported apples, oranges, and fruit you've never seen before, and a dessert of frosty cupcakes of all different colours. While there was no battle, and you're far from defeating your enemy, it seems your people are happy to memorialize the safe return of their king, and the important information you've brought with you. To be safe, you've yet to explain in detail of what you found besides catching Rinlin up with things, but they understand that. Your people trust that you know what to do, and soon you'll begin the planning stage for the final battle.

For now, it's time to eat and drink. It'll definitely be a job to clean up afterwards, but nobody cares.

This is what it's for, you think to yourself. This is what we fight to protect. Not just to create a world where we'll free to enjoy ourselves like this whenever we want, but a world where anyone can. If Elok Daven succeeds, it won't just be us who suffer. It'll be everybody.

Rinlin approaches you as she sips from a mug in her hand. "Does it always get this rowdy here?" she asks.

"Not always," you reply. "But I was gone for pretty long, all things considered. It doesn't feel like it, but since I first arrived here, I've never been separated from at least somebody in my party. That was like a week."

"So they really care about you. That's the true power of a ruler, you know. It isn't power or fear. People need to desire following you. That's true loyalty."

"Feel free to stay as long as you'd like, by the way."

"I appreciate the offer, but come morning, I think I'll head out again. I appreciate you saving my life, but now that I'm relatively caught up on what I saw in there, I'd rather be out there. If I discover anything noteworthy, I'll send word immediately. It's just... even Thomas is here, fighting against this. The last thing I want to do is continue doing random jobs. There's an actual evil lurking in the dark recesses of Tivera."

You stretch your stiff arms high up over your head. Skulking in the darkness for about a week straight has left every part of your body aching and tired, even if you had no need to exert yourself via combat or the like. This is a different kind of exhaustion. A swift and nimble as you are, you're no rat, and walking through an underground tunnel for dozens of miles is something you'd rather not do again, at least not alone. Speaking of being alone, this is either closest to or the actual longest you've gone without being intimate with either one of your party members or somebody new you met. You're a strong man now with an iron will, but mortal nonetheless, and you can't help but feel a little pent-up. Your body has likely become more accustomed to at least the occasional spicy night with one of the girls, especially upon seeing just how beautiful each of them are.

Either way, you've never wanted a hot bath more in your life.

After all has settled down, you make your way through the door and into the Royal Bath. Your stomach is satisfied, but now it's time to please your body with the hot embrace of fresh, steamy water. You pay little care to the clothes and armour you discard to the side. All you yearn for now is the clean touch of the bath.