Celeste wasn’t aware of Bea coming in and then eventually leaving. When she finally managed to ground herself, she found that the other had picked up the dropped journal and note and placed it by her. Celeste grabbed the note and read over it again to make sure she didn’t misread it. To her dismay, she did not.

“Celeste, are you all right?” Bea asked from outside the tent. “I thought you might want some dinner so I brought you a plate.”

Dinner? How long had it been since she sat there? It didn’t feel like that long had passed.

“Uh sure. I could use something to eat.” Bea lifted the tent flap and entered. She didn’t speak until Celeste started to eat.

“Are you okay? You just… stared into nothingness for a few hours there. Whatever was in that note must’ve been pretty upsetting.”

Celeste nodded. Fortunately, Bea didn’t press for details. She wasn’t sure if she could explain it all to her. She could barely grasp it herself. Once she finished her meal, she addressed Bea.

"I'll… be fine. I just…" She sighed. "I think I'll leave in the morning. Don't want to wear out my welcome.”

“Are you sure? You just got here and it doesn’t sound like Rusty will be back for a while.”

Celeste nodded. She felt a bit guilty for leaving so soon, but it would be for the best. After all, it wasn’t like Orsic was begging her to stay or anything. He hadn’t even acknowledged her being there. There was being busy, and then there was avoiding someone. It wouldn’t be the first time Owain avoided her when there was something hard he needed to tell her. Orsic had kept that particular trait.

“All right, I’ll let Quinn know. I’m sure we can spare some supplies.” The other assured her while she collected the plate. “Do you know the way back to Rusty’s place from here? I’m sure I can guide you or at least point you in the right direction.”

“No, don’t inconvenience yourself, Bea. You’ve done enough. Just a look at a map would be fine.”

Bea shot her a concerned look but nodded anyway. “I’ll be back in a bit. Do you need me to fetch Silvvy? Maybe she’d have something that would…”

Celeste shook her head. No, what ailed her couldn’t be helped by any sort of medicine. No need to trouble the already busy medic. Once Bea left, Celeste started to rearrange her bag so she could put her journal in it. She had to take everything out to do so. This time, she heard the tent flap as someone entered.

“That was quick. I hope you told Quinn that I don’t need that much.” She stated, thinking it was Bea who had come in. “I don’t plan on doing anything else but returning to Rusty’s and Mid already gave me most of what I need.”

“So you are leaving.”

Part of Celeste wanted to ignore Orsic. He'd done the same to her. At least Davik had the decency to talk to her when he summoned her. But maybe he had information she needed to know. She wouldn’t dismiss it right away.

"You handled Tundar and Seraque well," he began. "They thrive on putting people in uncomfortable situations. It's good that you got your journal back."

"Suppose they didn't have much use for it if they've already read and laughed at it." She started putting the rest of her things back in the bag "But you won't have to worry about me ever again."

She didn’t miss the brief change in expression on Orsic’s face. But it soon returned to what seemed to be his usual unreadable self.

“If you didn’t want me to stay, you could’ve just said that. After all, Davik had no problem doing it.”

Orsic didn’t reply right away. With Owain, that had meant that the accusation was probably correct. He was never good at lying or hiding his reactions to things. She wasn’t sure how much of that trait Orsic still possessed, after all, he was the leader of a camp and had participated in not just one but two wars.

“May I ask why you changed your mind so suddenly? You aren’t the type to make a snap decision like this without some pressure from an outside force.”

At least he remembered that much. She removed the note from her journal and handed it to him. If anyone knew how to keep a secret, it was probably him. And even if he didn’t want her here, she would feel bad about leaving without any explanation. Orsic sat on Bea’s bed as he read the note. Once he finished, he shook his head and handed it back to her. He seemed a bit more tired than he had a second ago. He looked much older than a man who was forty-five.

"I feared he would do something like this. I thought he dismissed you too quickly." He got up. “Thank you for letting me see it, Celeste. Have a safe journey back to Rusty’s.”

And with that, he was gone as quickly as he came. Celeste huffed a little. She expected more than that, but at least he wasn’t being violent like Davik had been. Bea returned shortly afterward.

“Did you tell Orsic about me?”

Bea nodded. “I knew since it was probably something Davik wrote that affected you that much. I thought he should know that his old friend was up to something. But I promise he was the only one I told. He’ll know how to handle anything that might happen because of it.” She handed her one of the things she needed to pack. “Can I ask what was in it? You don’t have to tell me, but…”

“An ultimatum.”

“He does give those a lot.” Bea sat on her bed. “Fortunately, I’ve always managed to weasel my way out of them, mostly by not being in his vicinity whenever the time is up. Do you know why he gave you one?”

Celeste could only shrug. It didn’t make much sense to either, especially seeing that Davik said that he had no interest in her. The note he sent told her otherwise. Maybe he had changed his mind. But unless she asked him, there was no way of knowing for sure.

“Enough about Davik. Tell me about some of your adventures.”

Bea was glad to. Any stress that she had from meeting the Inquisitors seemed to melt away from the scout as she weaved her tails. Celeste paid attention as long as she could but found herself dozing off.

When she next woke, Bea was asleep and it was dark outside. She carefully peeked out to see that the sun was nearly starting to rise on the horizon. It was time to go. She felt bad about not waking up Bea, but it was too early to disturb her. She looked for her things, only to find them missing. As she felt around, her hand landed on something.

It was hard to tell what exactly it was in the dark, but it felt like a stone, albeit a smooth and rounded one. She hadn’t seen any like it lying around camp, so it had probably been left.

The watch let her out without much of a fuss. They were probably glad to see her go. She just hoped she could get back in if she was wrong about the stone.

The Reviver camp wasn’t too far from a lake. It was nowhere near as large as the one where Mid lived, but it was big enough to support a small population of lake goblins. She hadn’t seen any in the camp, but she’d be surprised that there weren't a few. Goblins seemed content to work anywhere and everywhere.

Someone stood by the edge of the lake, looking out over it. Beside them sat her pack. As soon as she approached, they started to speak.

"Remember that time Derrick threw that rock so hard it bounced off a rock in the middle of that little farm lake and hit a chicken and the whole flock chased us?" Orsic chuckled. "I never knew chickens could get organized like that."

"We're lucky no one caught us skipping stones in that lake. We were technically trespassing." Celeste came to stand beside Orsic. She held up the stone to the rising sun. "You still skip stones?"

"I'm afraid with only one eye, my aim is too poor to do it very well." He picked up a stone similar to the one she had and tossed it. It bounced once, then hit the bank. "Needless to say I never get invited to archery tournaments."

Celeste tossed the stone a couple of times before throwing it at the lake. It bounced a couple of times before sinking. She had never been able to do it more than that. Derrick was the champion stone-thrower among them.

"When I can get away, I like to come here and watch the sunrise." Orsic gazed at the horizon. "It puts the camp into a fit when they can't find me right away, so I try to get back before I’m missed. Peaceful, isn't it?"

“Yes, it is. But you didn’t take my things and leave a clue just to talk about the sunrise, did you?”

“No. I want to apologize, Celeste. First, for the deception the other night. I have to conceal my identity in case any Renewers are around. They tend to try and kill me, especially if they think it will grant them favor with Davik. That and you weren’t exactly in the right state of mind for me to appear out of the ether.”

She didn’t offer an answer. She hadn’t been upset about that part. Chances were she wouldn’t have believed him after the encounter with Davik. He continued.

“Secondly, I’m afraid that I’ve been a very poor host and an even poorer friend. Not only do I summon you here to barely speak to you, but I spend the rest of the day doing anything but seeing you. For that, I have no excuse besides cowardliness. I suppose I was afraid of disappointing you with the man I’ve become. I’m not the same Owain you knew."

"There seems to be a lot of that going around." Celeste couldn't help but be a bit bitter. Yes, it was true, but she didn’t need to be told that constantly. "If you wanted me gone, you could’ve told me. Davik certainly did."

Orsic let out a loud sigh and lifted the pack before handing it to her. “I don’t want you gone, despite the distance I’ve kept. But in light of the note that Davik sent you, I think it’s best for you if you don’t stay here for a while. I don’t want you to be forced here unless necessary. It wouldn’t be fair. As for you and me…” He stared back onto the lake. “I would be willing to have you back in my life if you want me. I don’t know if we’ll ever have the closeness we once did or if we’ll even be friends, but it would be an even greater mistake not to try at all. I owe you a chance, at the very least.”

It wasn’t a yes, but it also wasn’t a no. Celeste couldn’t find herself too happy about it, but it was probably the best she was going to get. She nodded and opened the pack. Not only had her supplies been refreshed, but she noticed an extra leather-bound book besides her journal.

“That is my journal about events during the civil war and a little after. Don’t worry if Davik steals this one. He already knows everything in there. He lived it, after all. Just return it after you’re done and if you have any questions, feel free to come here and ask me.” Orsic explained. “Now you better go so you can get an early start back to Rusty’s. Be careful on your way there. The occasional bandits still prowl around.”

Celeste closed her pack and shouldered it. “Thank you for your hospitality and tell Bea, Glyda, and Silvvy that I said goodbye. I… wish you well with your endeavors.” It hurt to be so formal with the man who was once Owain. But things couldn’t and wouldn’t be the same between them. Not with how much time had passed and what she missed. She was beginning to see that now. “A couple of questions, Orsic. Madame Bustier, Davik said she died.”

Orsic nodded. “Yes. It was five years ago. She fell asleep one night and didn’t wake up the next day. We took her to the graveyard and buried her next to her husband. Davik even came, though he mostly just lurked in the background and then left before anyone could notice him there.”

Derrick and her boss had a rocky relationship. It wasn’t so much that they disliked each other, but more of their personalities clashed. Madame Bustier was one of the most outspoken, headstrong people Celeste knew and Derrick, even back then, wasn’t used to being challenged, much less by someone who wasn’t afraid to get in his face about it. There were quite a few amusing arguments between the two.

“And Miss Brauen? Davik said someone killed her, but he didn’t say who.” She held onto the hope that it wasn’t him. The caretaker of the orphanage had been the closest thing most of the children had to a mother, especially Derrick, who had been there since he was a baby. If he had been the one to do it, she didn’t know if she could even look at Davik again.

“It wasn’t him. During the civil war, a noble had the bright idea of attacking the orphanage, hoping to draw me and Davik out. Miss Brauen distracted them long enough for the children to escape. She paid for it with her life.” Orsic looked back behind them. “Ah, here comes Quin. There’s one more gift I have for you.”

Celeste looked, but she didn’t see Quin. Orsic chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid to stop by and visit the next time you can. And know that whatever decision you come to, I’ll support it.”

“Even if I choose the Renewers?” She could barely believe that she had said that with any amount of seriousness. Orsic looked even more skeptical about it than she did.

“I’ll assume it’s to prevent loss of life, so yes.”

Then he did something unexpected. Orsic wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

“I’m so happy that you’re alive, Celeste. Please keep yourself that way. I’d hate to lose you again, especially to our mess.” He released her as quickly as he had hugged her and headed back to camp.

He passed by Quin coming up the small hill that led to the lake, who held the reins of an animal. It looked like a horse, but a lot smaller. They greeted each other with a nod. Soon, Orsic was gone from sight and Quin stood before her. He handed her the reins of the animal.

“This pony was originally a gift for Orsic, but we haven’t been able to get much use out of her.” He explained. “Her name is Iza. She might be slower than a horse, but she’s more durable and sturdy. You’ll get more use out of her than us.”

“Thank you.” She hoped Rusty had room in his stable for another animal. “But why are you giving me her? I thought you didn’t like me very much.”

“I still don’t trust you. Think of this as an apology for having to deal with my brothers. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Be very careful around Malatar when you meet him next time. No doubt he has something up his sleeve. Keep focus and he won’t be able to manipulate you, no matter what he does.”

Before Celeste could ask him any questions about what exactly Malatar could do, he left. She found a map in Iza's saddlebag. After studying it for a bit, she hopped onto the pony and started the trip back to Rusty’s. She could use a bit of alone time to think things over.