A Night of Whimsy and Trouble

“This is a terrible idea.”

"I agree.”

“Now ya both need to relax, especially you Van; yours is coming after this.”

Of all the inevitable things to happen in the world, this had been the last thing on Mythal -- or Vandrad’s -- mind’s. Given they were only a few weeks out from a very traumatic and sequence of events involving Mercury’s people, her enslavers and then the Dread Masters, it felt too soon to partake in something so frivolous and, frankly, dumb.  Yet here they were, standing outside the guild hall of Lusty Titans, staring up at the well lit and loud structure with a mixture of annoyance, mild disgust and enthusiasm, the last bit being for Gren’s sake.

Mythal and Serilda had been engaged for almost two years at that point. While a long engagement hadn’t been in their plans, events had transpired on several different occasions, alongside their duties and responsibilities as heads of the Rune Knights, that had kept them from nailing down an official date for their wedding. It wasn’t much of a bother to Mythal; he was ready to get married whenever they could but he didn’t feel any pressure to hurry things up. Serilda’s family was fine with how things were going, as far as he understood, and were actually more than happy to have the twins to focus their attention on. With everything else that had happened in such a short amount of time, any kind of wedding-related topics had been the farthest thing from his mind, let alone anything involving a ‘bachelor’ party.

The Rune Knight Director didn’t have many male friends to start with. He’d been close with Markus for some time but the other Fairy Tail wizard had disappeared some time ago, with nary a trace or a reason for his departure. Since then, Mythal had played things rather close to the chest, at least in terms of making connections with people. He was satisfied with the amount of arm-length provided to him from his position, not allowing anyone within the Rune Knights to get too close or too friendly. Wren was, perhaps, the only one that he had connected with. Unfortunately Gren had learned about that particular connection and made sure to invite the young Rune Knight lad along as well. But upon learning that he had no best man nor plans for anything close to a bachelor party, Gren immediately began making plans for him, much to his chagrin.

Whatever the plans were, neither Mythal nor Vandrad had been made aware of them and they had come together really quickly. It seemed Serilda’s own bachelorette party was being put together for the same night and the two of them were whisked away from one another and told to get dressed in ‘their fanciest outfits’. Mythal didn’t have a whole lot of selection when it came to that so it was left to Gren to dress him. Put in a gray vest with red dressing, a light gray sleeveless shirt and a pair of slacks, Mythal looked more like a punk rock brat than anything else. He did his best to protest to the whole ordeal but his adoptive father was quick to shut him down and order him around.

When they arrived at Hosenka, they found Vandrad waiting outside. He was dressed to impress as well; with a white overcoat that acted more like a cape than anything else and a clean-cut stone gray sweater. He even had a pair of sunglasses that completed the look The former prince looked about as disinterested in the night as Mythal but, just like the Rune Knight, there wasn’t much he could do to escape.

“And you had to choose here of all places?” the Director asked, looking back at Gren.

The former Knight grinned. Gren hadn’t gone to any extravagant level of dressing up, putting on a clean white dress shirt with a red tie and some brown slacks. But he’d certainly taken the time to primp his beard and hair. “Of course. Ruzatz is the perfect guy for this kinda stuff. Besides, he is one of your friends.”

“Yes but Lusty Titans is a bit… uh… promiscuous,” Mythal tried to reason.

“Well I ain’t sure what kind of party you think you were gettin’ but that’s what a bachelor party is, son. Cuttin’ wild and free for one last night. But don’t worry; I ain’t gonna let you get into anythin’ too crazy. Think of this more like a guy’s bondin’ night, huh?”

A guys bonding night. Fantastic. Sighing dramatically, Mythal felt the heavy hand of his adoptive father on his back and soon he and Vandrad were being led up the short stone staircase to the front door. After planting his two sons in front of the barrier, the former Knight reached forward and rapped his knuckles against the frame. Only a moment later the door swung open, revealing the Prime Sin of Lust Ruzatz. Dressed in a full red suit and wiping off some lipstick from his cheek, his smile widened into a full grin at the party gathered before him. “Our main cast has arrived!” he exclaimed jubilantly before waving them in. “Come on in, boys. We’ve got one hell of a night planned for you!”

Ruzatz was looking dapper but that was hardly a surprise; the man didn’t need an occasion to dress up nor really to dress down. Smiling from ear to ear, he waved the trio in first before his eyes set on the young woman and older, rugged gentlemen that came up after. “And here are two more of our guests! Evening; I’m Ruzatz, the guildmaster of the Lusty Titans and a very dear friend of Mythal’s. Thank you for coming!”

The Rune Knight Director turned to find both Wren and Leo standing behind him, each a stark contrast to the other. Wren looked rather semi-casual, with a yellow jacket on top of a white t-shirt and polka-dotted pants. The look was… well, it was on the more effeminate side, at least with the shoes, but Mythal was hardly the man to judge anyone for what they liked to wear. Leo had come dressed to the nines; looking far more professional than the rest of the lot. “Wren, Leo… you guys got invited too?” the Rune Knight asked, surprised but certainly not displeased to see the pair. He’d practically formed a tight bond with Leonard from their first mission, the two of them complementing one another in terms of strategy and power. Wren had been one of if not the only Rune Knight that Mythal had spent a majority of time with besides Serilda, having gotten to know the young Rune Knight rather well on the few jobs they took on with one another.

“Well I dunno if ya knew Mythal, but you ain’t much in the way of friends. I had to ask Serilda and other people who you had even talked about more than once. Wren and Sir Leonard were two of them,” Gren explained before he stepped forward and offered his hand to both of them in turn. “Nice to meet ‘ya. I’m Gren, Mythal’s adoptive father. I’m glad to see ya managed to make it. I’ve heard good things about ya both.” Gren had been conflicted over inviting a young lady such as Wren but choosing not to make any judgment calls and allowing Wren the opportunity to turn it down seemed the best option. After all, she was someone that Mythal got along with and could call a friend. The only other person was: “I tried to get a hold of… Aeron, I think it was, but I couldn’t get her contact information. And based on the little that Seri told me, she probably would have been reluctant to come anyways.”

“Yeah, she might have.” No doubt she would be just as mortified as Mythal was. He walked over to Wren and Leo, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. “Thanks for comin’. Nice to know Vandrad and I won’t be the only ones sufferin’. That’s Gren’s other son, Vandrad du Wolff, though I imagine you’ve met him by now, Leo. He’s part ‘a Fairy Tail as well.”

“Everyone, everyone -- we have all night to catch up and reminisce! Let’s get our last two guests out from the cold and head on in,” Ruzatz said, sweeping up behind the group and closing the door. “We don’t want to leave our previous arrivals feeling abandoned, do we?”

“Wait, other arrivals? Ya mean this isn’t it?” Mythal asked, surprised.

The guildmaster grinned. “Come now, Mythal; you don’t think I’d shoot for anything but a large party, would you?”

That was concerning. With the doors shut, it seemed that their fates had been sealed and there was no escaping now. The foyer had two sets of door and two hallways on either side, along with a rather rotund elevator door in the middle of the far wall. Though Mythal was prepared to be led down one of the hallways, Ruzatz brought them to the elevator and opened its doors, gesturing for them to enter. Now perplexed, all the Rune Knight Director could do was get on board the contraption with the rest of the party. “I promise this ain’t my usual kinda scene,” he told Leo and Wren.

The elevator brought them up two floors before sliding open. Revealed beyond was an intimate but spacious room that had comfortable looking seats, a long, stocked bar, a few tables and a center u-shaped bar, equipped with chairs, a glowing platform and an obvious stripper pole. Several people were already sitting down with drinks in hand; Branwen, Mythal’s ‘uncle’, Dakvid, another officer in the Rune Knights, the men from the Sinclair family, Bartrand, Vandrad’s cousin and Chishan and Dorian, former members of the now defuncts Order of Souls. A rousing cheer erupted from most of the group as they spotted Mythal, cheering the man of the hour.

“Oh please kill me,” Mythal muttered.

“Barely even started, son,” Gren teased him before giving him a gentle push inward.

The people involved would make their introductions to both Wren and Leonard before offering to let them head over to the bar and get a drink from the tender there. As they did, a man came out from behind a draped doorway, heading right towards the stripper pole in the middle. For a moment, Mythal was sure the man was going to start gyrating on the pole and putting on a show that clearly was coming. But as he stepped onto the stage, the pole ascended up into the ceiling and the man brought forth a suitcase. When opened on the bar, it showed a series of cards and chips generally connected to poker.

“The drinks are on the house, the food will be out shortly and our dealer is now setting up the cards for our game of poker!” Ruzatz announced jovially. “Let Mythal’s stag party commence!”

“Well you are in for a treat, Wren. Ruzatz has planned several different pastimes, though none of them are too scandalous, I think,” Gren spoke to Wren as she admitted that she had never been to a bachelor party or had even heard of them before. “Don’t be worried ‘bout nothin’. Ya don’t have to take part in anythin’ ya don’t want to.”

“Oh we have plenty of festivities. I want to make sure everyone has the chance to have a good time and enjoy themselves, especially the main man himself,” the Prime Sin explained, flashing a grin at Mythal.

As they boarded the elevator, Vandrad took a step forward Leo. "Leonard Dragonbane, correct? I recall your rousing speech during Elysium’s attack. You inspired quite a number of our fellow guildmates. I was impressed, though I was focused on other tasks at the time.” Vandrad had had his hands full with the dragon attacking Magnolia and then with Thana causing further damage to the dilapidated remains of Fairy Tail. But he could recall the words coming from Leonard in response to the apparent broadcast from one of Elysium’s members.

As they arrived at the private room, plenty of people that Mythal had met were already within the confines. They gave a raucous cheer when he and the rest of the group arrived and the Rune Knight Director was suddenly under a barrage of greetings and well wishes. As the platform was cleared and the dealer approached and began setting up, Ruzatz announced that the poker game would start soon. “Through that door is a bowling alley, if people wish to knock down some pins. Across the way is another room with something called ‘laser tag’. Apparently they use lacrimas within fake firearms to shoot nonlethal lasers that then light up a special magical vest? Crazy what people came up with. If there is anything anyone wants or needs, let me know and I’ll be sure to find a way to get it.”

“How ‘bout a way outta here?” Mythal mumbled as he freed himself from the arms of several people. Vandrad had moved over to the bar and gotten a drink next to Leonard while Wren had found himself a drink and was looking around, about as lost as he was. Several of the group sat down at the platform to play cards and a few moved through the other doors to explore the other options that Ruzatz had talked about. But surprisingly, Mythal wasn’t… being as hounded or ordered to move anywhere. Considering how he’d been given no choice in the matters of having a party, he’d half expected to pulled around and sat in places for the group’s amusement. “Though this ain’t so bad right now…”

“Well of course not,” Ruzatz spoke up, having overheard Mythal. He wrapped an arm around the Director’s shoulder as they both approached the bar where Wren and Leo had gathered. “This is a celebration about you. And all of us know that you aren’t exactly the.. Socialite like the rest of us might be. Hence why I provided several options for everyone. This is your night and you can spend it however you want without issue. If you just want to sit and drink and talk with people, that’s just fine too.”

Huh. That was surprising. “Well, thanks Ruzatz. That’s uh… awfully considerate of ya,” Mythal said as he picked up a drink from the bar. They’d made him a scotch; no surprise that Ruzatz knew exactly what he liked.

“It’s not a problem. The only thing you don’t have a choice in is the show.”

Mythal blinked. “Show? What show?”

But Ruzatz was already gone, having moved on to the next group. The Director blinked a few more times, curious but unable to wrap his head around what that meant. Since nothing seemed to be happening just yet, he decided to let it go, assuming that Ruzatz would, undoubtedly, reveal his hand at some point. “Thanks for comin’, guys. Leo, you can put the gifts down on the bar, really. Relax; at least one of us has to try,” Mythal said with a chuckle.

He spent the next several minutes just talking with Vandrad, Leo and Wren, far more comfortable with the small group there then partaking in any of the events at the moment. Frankly, it seemed pretty chill and relaxed for the most part and Mythal was just starting to think that perhaps the party wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. With his back turned, he didn’t see that the dealer had closed up shop on the platform, with the players watching as the ceiling where the pole was stored started opening up again. The riff of an attention-grabbing guitar gave everyone pause as Ruzatz hopped up on the platform. “Ladies and gentlemen…” he started, confusing Mythal. What ladies was he talking about? “The food is about to be brought out and the festivities are going to continue. But I would like to bring all of your attention here to center stage for two of the sexiest women on the planet. They heard all about Mythal’s engagement and now they are here to celebrate with the rest of you. I humbly introduce my two wives; Monica and Agatha!” And with that, he gestured towards the ceiling, where another platform was beginning to descend…

Overall, it was a… party. Both Mythal and Vandrad weren’t necessarily the kind to go out and take part in rambunctious festivities as it was, let alone a stag party. The Rune Knight Director was only really partial to Serilda and Vandrad only showed Mercury the least amount of attention as required. Neither one of them would ever take it upon themselves to go to a strip club or, frankly, plan an evening at the guild they were currently within, though Mythal was a bit more flexible in that case considering his past with Ruzatz and Agatha. But seeing friendly faces and the environment not being too raunchy or crazy actually things… easier.

Wren and Leo both offered Mythal the opportunity to escape if things go too much. He chuckled and shook his head. “In comparison to the rest of the world, this is hardly the end of it. And it would be rude to disappear, I guess.” At the end of the day, Mythal couldn’t help but feel happy; knowing he had friends and family that wanted to spend time and celebrate him and his upcoming marriage was a bright spot he didn’t have a whole lot of in his history. It was hard to complain and give too much grief when Ruzatz had put so much planning and effort into formulating the perfect event for him. “Thanks for comin’ though. It uh… means a lot,” he said to both Wren and Leo. In spite of it all, it was nice to be among the two people he could call friends that weren’t directly or indirectly related to him.

Leo took it upon himself to ask about everyone, wanting to know how people knew one another. “Well, Vandrad is my adoptive brother, Gren my adoptive father. He took me in after… a whole lotta bullshit. Ruzatz I met because of… well, more bullshit, but he and his wife, Agatha, have been extremely helpful and good friends. Branwen over there is a former Rune Knight commander and has basically been my uncle. Dakvid is a current Rune Knight officer, Chishan is a complicated matter but he’s a friend from when I was much younger and Dorian is a friend of his. I thought I saw-”

“Mythal!” A boisterous yell of came from behind him as Bartrand threw himself into the mix, wrapping an arm over Mythal and Vandrad’s shoulders. “Hey everyone; I’m Bartrand; you can call me Bart. What’s up, big man? You excited for the wedding and all?”

"Bartrand, what in the hell are you doing here?” Vandrad asked, pushing his cousin’s arm off of his shoulders.

“Didn’t Merc tell you? I’m taking a sabbatical from the island and slumming it in Fiore for a few months! After I got the invitation from Gren-the-man right here, I felt there was no time like the present. So here I am! You get to show your cousin around the kingdom you’ve been part of for the better part of two years now.” Bartrand was a rambunctious, energetic teenager, just barely into his twenties and full of life. He grinned as he gave his cousin a playful punch on the shoulder. “Plus I was hoping to see Monica again. She was a spitfire. She did this thing--”

"That’s enough of that. Mythal, I believe Leonard asked about Serilda. It would be improper not to answer him,” Vandrad cut off the younger man’s clear intention to ramble off a very inappropriate story.

“Oh! Right. Well I’m sure you’ve heard of her, she’s the Field Marshall of the Rune Knights. She’s… I dunno, what can I say? She’s the light in my life. I’d been in a dark place for a long time -- almost my entire life up until I met her. And she brought me back, made me a better person, a better man. I wouldn’t be here now without her.” A man of few words, this was perhaps one of the few times Mythal had really opened up about how he felt and how bad his lot in life had been. It was clear, from the tone of his words and the small, genuine smile on his face, that Serilda had truly impacted his fate in a positive manner, bringing hope to one that hadn’t had any.

“Dude,” Bartrand said, nodding affirmatively. He reached over and gave the Rune Knight Director’s shoulder a clap with his hand. “That was beautiful.” It was a genuine compliment from the younger man.

Vandrad remained relatively quiet for most of the conversation, satisfied to stand there with his arms crossed and just listen. But movement from nearby drew his attention, his eyes sliding to stare from the corners as the poker dealer cleaned up his space. Ruzatz, also, looked like he was preparing something; an impish grin on his face and a playful spark in his eye. He’d mentioned a show earlier so he could only imagine that meant that Agatha and Monica would be making an appearance in some way or fashion. That was… complicated, at least with Agatha. Being the only other woman that he felt any kind of overt attraction to and one that he felt an empathic bond to make things strange for the former prince. But he rationalized it in his head that, with the party being for Mythal, he was probably, mostly, safe from any direct interaction.

And yet something felt off. He couldn’t explain it but his senses were warning him, alerting him, trying to signal some kind of awareness that wasn’t quite solidified. It didn’t feel like danger, per se; it wasn’t an alarm for an imminent attack. But more along the lines of something or rather someone that wasn’t meant to be there. Yet his magical senses didn’t detect anything wrong… but perhaps that was the wrong sensory ward to be utilizing? As Ruzatz took the stage and began the introduction for the next part of the evening, he felt a twisting in his stomach. And for the briefest of moments, a fluttering of familiar, wicked intent. No…

"She’s here,” he said aloud in realization, his eyes widening. How could she have known? How did she find out? He’d told her what was happening but not where. As the platform began to descend, it only took a cursory glance to see the three pairs of legs poking out from the hole in the ceiling. All the damned confirmation he needed.

Down came Agatha, Monica… and Mercury. All three were dressed in different outfits; scantily clad garments meant to invoke excitement from the viewing parties, no doubt. Ruzatz took one quick look up and noticed Mercury along with his wives and the shiteating grin on his face only grew wider. “And another time-honored guest of the Lusty Titans, Mercury Arseneault!” he finalized the introduction by involving the party crasher.

Mythal’s eyes went wide and quickly snapped over to Vandrad and Gren. His adoptive brother looked annoyed to hell but his father was overwhelmed with joy and amusement. “Did- Was this supposed to happen?”

“Well I figured Ruzatz would bring out Agatha and Monica at some point but I wasn’t expectin’ Mercury!” Gren said with a laugh.

"Damnable woman. How did she get here? How does she always know?” Vandrad cursed, scowling.

“Who the hell cares? Look at them go!” Bartrand said, pointing at the trio as they began to dance. It drew the attention of most everyone in the room, the three women dancing with one another, utilizing the pole and without. But it didn’t take them long to move onto the honored guest; Mythal. As the Director tried to, slightly, protest, he was unable to escape as Gren put a hand on his back, securing him in his spot and letting the ladies give him the show they intended to put on.

Mercury, as per usual, kept her attention on everyone while still managing to put all her focus on her actions. She laid her gaze on Wren and informed the young Rune Knight that he was next. He attempted to dismiss the invitation but it seemed Leo was feeling saucy, summoning the pommel of a knife and gently urging the young Knight towards Mercury. Gren spotted this and laughed, flashing a grin at Leo. “Don’t worry, Wren. I promise you she doesn’t bite unless you ask her to.”

"You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?” Vandrad asked Mercury. "You just had to crash yet another party?”

“Hey, when you’ve got a speciality, use it!” Bartrand exclaimed excitedly. As Vandrad turned to chastise the younger man, he found his cousin bent over and dancing evocatively in front of Monica, seemingly throwing his rear end back in a manner that usually the woman would do in a dance.

The second wife of Ruzatz grinned as she smacked his ass. "That’s right, hot stuff, throw that ass back for me.”

Vandrad sighed. Was there anyone in a deeper circle of hell than he was right now?

Of course Serilda would use that as her reasoning.

Mythal had nearly forgotten about the woman from all those years ago. It wasn’t until Agatha started speaking about it in great detail that the memory came to the surface. He sighed softly and his head dropped a little, defeated and no less amused. He could only wonder how long Seri had been sitting on that little nugget of revenge, vying for the perfect opportunity to throw it back in his face and get the last laugh. Given their history, there were a number of things that she was well within her rights to blow up in his face once more, if only for her own amusement. She’d won this round and there was no point in pretending otherwise. All he could do was accept his punishment, if anyone could really call it that.

There really was no accounting for how insufferably Mercury could be, at least according to Vandrad. Here Vandrad figured that she would show a little restraint when it came to a time-honored ceremony, despite his own misgivings over the matter. But as she explained, Monica was her best friend and there was never any doubt that she would find out where it was, given their relationship with the Lusty Titans. And as she had received a formal invitation from Agatha and Monica to join them in the show, who was she to turn down the offer? Leonard leaned over and asked about Vandrad’s connection to Mercury and the former prince growled. "In the time it would take to orate the stupidity this woman has put me through, the sun would have scorched this planet empty of life,” he told the man. "And she is, unfortunately, my fiance. Pain in the ass that she is, she is the one that’s helped me become as strong as I am today.”

“Careful, Van. You give her too much lip, I might just swoop in and take over that role of fiance,” Gren teased with a chuckle. “I’d be happy to romance her.”

Vandrad snorted and smirked. "Even she won’t lie, old man,” he said, turning his gaze back to Mercury. "She likes the abuse. She wouldn’t know what to do if I suddenly started being all sweet to her.”

But as Mercury continued, she believed that Vandrad had earned some well and due punishment for some kind of deception. It didn’t seem to surround the fact that he had hidden the event from her but she stated that it had to do with the fact that the event itself had been called a ‘men only’ affair. And as she reached down and spun the shorter Rune Knight around, she asked the entirety gallery of men why she had been allowed to participate.

Vandrad, to his credit, had been wondering the same thing, as Wren’s gender had not been lost to him. One’s own empathic abilities had a remarkable way of supplying all the features about a person just based on their feelings. But it only took a cursory glance behind him to see that Mythal’s world had collapsed in on itself. Vandrad looked past him to Gren, who seemed as unperturbed at the revelation as he was. But the Rune Knight Director had well and truly believed that Wren was male and the fact that it was now coming to light had hit him like a freight train. A bevy of different emotions ranging from embarrassment to self-focused anger ran through him in a wild whirlpool as he attempted to wrap his mind around it.

Truly, a lot of the others that had joined the party looked equally perplexed by the revelation, having also surmised that Wren was just a more feminine looking man. As she turned to Mythal for consideration, her eyes beading with tears as she struggled to understand the misunderstanding, the Director, somehow, found it in himself to step forward. “I’m… so sorry, Wren,” he said softly. There was no denying or trying to brush the truth under the rug. He cared about Wren too much to lie to her face. So he chose to face the revelation and own up to his mistake. “But you weren’t invited here because of that. You were invited because you’re my friend. I admit, I fucked up here and I’ll everythin’ I can to make up for that movin’ forward. But even if I had known you were a woman, I still woulda insisted ya come. I ain’t about gender protocols or whatever when it comes to anythin’ -- so long as I trust ya and like ya, yer always gonna be involved.”

It wasn’t his most well thought out apology ever but it would be clear it came from his heart. He didn’t care if she was a man or woman, just that she had always been reliable and someone he could work together with without issue.

Well… this was a mess.

Mythal wanted to explain his entire history, in hopes that it would make his obliviousness better. Gods, he was awful with people. He’d always been and while Gren had done his best to try and make that better and Serilda later in life, he still really wasn’t that great. But in truth, Wren’s gender had never… mattered to him. Of course he’d believed her a man but at the end of the day, what bits and pieces a person had hardly mattered to Mythal. It was rare for him to find anyone attractive or like people in general but he’d grown to like Wren rather quickly. She was modest but playful, willing to take on risks and get the job done. And she was always there to give Lux crap, which only served to bond them more.

But he had hurt her by not recognizing her gender and while he could apologize all the livelong day, that wasn’t something that was brushed under the rug. All he could hope to do, as the other girls took the time to take Wren and guide her away from all the prying eyes, was to try and make up for it moving forward. He watched her go and once she had gone, let out a small sigh. Leonard, always the gentleman that he was, took the time to pour drinks for all the remaining men before following after the women. Gren came up and clapped a hand on Mythal’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mythal. She’ll be a’ight in time. She seems like a good kid and I bet she knows ya didn’t mean anythin’ by your… uh… not realizin’.”

“Don’t tell me even you knew she was a woman,” Mythal asked, glancing back at the older man.

The former Knight made a face that betrayed the fact that he did know. “Listen, I got a lot more years on ya and been around a lot more women. Plus with the way you came up in the world. Its a mistake so all ya can do is work to make it right, no?”

“Yeah, yer right,” Mythal said with a nod, getting back to his feet. “Should we delay the party to… you know… not make her feel awkward?”

“I think it’d be more awkward if we’re all just standin’ around lookin’ at our feet in embarrassment. Nah, keep the mood light and welcome her back normally when she gets back. Otherwise we’re all gonna feel like crap about it all. C’mon, let’s get in on this card game.” And with that Gren dragged Mythal over to the table, sitting him down and getting him involved in the poker game. The party mood had stumbled a bit but it was beginning to pick back up, everyone hoping that if they kept everything light and airy, Wren would feel more comfortable and be willing to stay.