Role

Chapter 8

"Well well, be up tah yer ole tricks gain I see." At this remark Lasentia
became puzzled, but the dwarf then winked at her, and that spark of kindness
brought it back to her. "Ells I know I be gray now but tah think yah forgot
me, nuff tah make me sorry I saved yer arse back den." She smiled at the old
dwarf as he continued on. "Lucky yah still got dat clasp in yer air, truth be
known ah hardly recognized yah all grown up and ells if yah ain't a nice
sight on me ol eyes. Looks ah it much more skilled now too, more so den any
ah these useless bastards" as he spoke he gestured to the still sleeping
travelers, who turned out to be applicants to the village that he was running
through some training, which no doubt they had failed thanks to her.

The two then spent some time talking, Lasentia catching him up on her life so
far, him telling about the finer points of dwarfdom. As he put it "Wit a
tankard a ale in and an is boot in a duergar's arse" was about as good as
life got for dwarves it turned out, and she thanked him for the insight. As
the conversation progressed the first meeting came up, and the dwarf's mood
seemed to lessen the pain of those memories for her.

"They be gone sure, but we all knew people not ere no more. Be part a life
fer us tah die, someday I return tah the stone jes as you will tah the
forest. Jes be the way ah things, nothing we can do tah stop it. Best jes tah
honor memories ah fallen friends and drink tah em while we got breath tah do
it wit." He handed her a tankard of ale and hoisted his to her. "So here's
tah dem that we carry on in our earts, til we join em an someone else be
carryin us!" At that she smiled and had a long drink with the dwarf.

The meeting ended with her departing to the sound of a dwarven boot slamming
the back sides of the weary to rouse them from their forced slumber. As she
walked away she pondered her place in the realm, in who she carried with her
and who might carry her were she gone. Her fingers drew across her clasp once
more. She may be the last of the Crescent Shadows, but she could also be
their chronicler, their voice, to immortalize their lives in words. She
smiled a little at the thought of others reading of them, learning of those
she held in such respect. Not a bad idea at all. She set out to the Eternal
Star to find a place to begin her work.