[on the way to the Bandit Camp]
Over the past few days, Selene's party has noticed that Selene has been continuously reading for some reason. Every time they head into town, Selene has been visiting all the shopkeepers and buying all their books in stock. That's not to say that she's been shirking the fighting; in fact, she displays more zeal than before. Every night she manages to coerce someone, despite how exhausted the party is, into weapons practice, usually with the quarterstaff, but occasionally with daggers.
Selene's party don't understand what has happened to cause this change in their leader, this desire for knowledge. Puck, however, has a fair idea of what's going on.
"M'lady," he murmurs softly one night, when everyone else but Selene has been asleep for hours, something that's becoming all too common these past nights. "You are going to kill yourself. Please stop and rest, m'lady," he practically begs.
"I can't stop, Puck," she says as she turns another page, her eyes never leaving the book; she reads with only the moon and the glowing embers of the campfire for light. "There's so much I don't know. Why did I spend my time playing games instead of using the knowledge that was there, all around me in Candlekeep?"
"M'lady, you were a child. What interest do dusty old tomes hold to the young? Tell me, m'lady, do you regret your childhood?"
There's a pause and Selene sighs, setting down her book and rubbing her eyes. From the dark circles under her eyes, it's obvious she hasn't been sleeping well for a while.
"No... I don't, not really. But... If only I studied harder, maybe I could've helped Gorion, and he'd be here, with us... He'd... He'd know what to do, he'd know what's going on, not like me, I-I don't know what I-I'm doing..." Selene began to sob. She was tired, pushing herself to the limit, and the death of Gorion still weight heavily on her. Puck fluttered around her motheringly, trying to soothe his mistress.
"It's all right, you're just tired right now. Go to sleep, m'lady," he insisted. Although Selene put up a feeble protest, she allowed Puck to bully her to her bedroll. As she settled underneath her blanket, she murmured, "Isn't it funny? Back at Candlekeep, you always nagged at me to study. And here I am, studying, and you're nagging at me to stop." Puck chuckled softly. "It is, indeed, m'lady. Tell me, why have you suddenly acquired this thirst for knowledge?"
For a few minutes, Selene did not answer. Puck assumed that she had fallen asleep; and as he curled up next to Selene, she whispered, in a barely audible voice, "I don't want to lose again."
Puck's head shot up and he flicked his ears. "M'lady?"
"I lost Gorion, because I didn't know how to protect myself; he sacrificed himself for me. I don't know anything, I can't do anything. I lost to that armored man, I lost to Ether, and there's so much I don't know about my own plane." Puck noticed a two gleaming eyes in the dark, focused on him- no, focused on Selene, who laid on the ground, underneath her blanket with her eyes closed, on the verge of sleep.
"I don't want to lose again." Puck deftly deftly flicked a rock with his tail towards the beady eyes. The eyes flew upward, and a pitch black crow easily dodged the bullet silently. Circling around the camp once, twice, it peeled off and headed away. Puck stared after the crow wordlessly, listening to his mistress' deep breathing.
"She may follow your blood, Bhaal," he whispered to the night. "But she will not follow in your footsteps."
Selene's party don't understand what has happened to cause this change in their leader, this desire for knowledge. Puck, however, has a fair idea of what's going on.
"M'lady," he murmurs softly one night, when everyone else but Selene has been asleep for hours, something that's becoming all too common these past nights. "You are going to kill yourself. Please stop and rest, m'lady," he practically begs.
"I can't stop, Puck," she says as she turns another page, her eyes never leaving the book; she reads with only the moon and the glowing embers of the campfire for light. "There's so much I don't know. Why did I spend my time playing games instead of using the knowledge that was there, all around me in Candlekeep?"
"M'lady, you were a child. What interest do dusty old tomes hold to the young? Tell me, m'lady, do you regret your childhood?"
There's a pause and Selene sighs, setting down her book and rubbing her eyes. From the dark circles under her eyes, it's obvious she hasn't been sleeping well for a while.
"No... I don't, not really. But... If only I studied harder, maybe I could've helped Gorion, and he'd be here, with us... He'd... He'd know what to do, he'd know what's going on, not like me, I-I don't know what I-I'm doing..." Selene began to sob. She was tired, pushing herself to the limit, and the death of Gorion still weight heavily on her. Puck fluttered around her motheringly, trying to soothe his mistress.
"It's all right, you're just tired right now. Go to sleep, m'lady," he insisted. Although Selene put up a feeble protest, she allowed Puck to bully her to her bedroll. As she settled underneath her blanket, she murmured, "Isn't it funny? Back at Candlekeep, you always nagged at me to study. And here I am, studying, and you're nagging at me to stop." Puck chuckled softly. "It is, indeed, m'lady. Tell me, why have you suddenly acquired this thirst for knowledge?"
For a few minutes, Selene did not answer. Puck assumed that she had fallen asleep; and as he curled up next to Selene, she whispered, in a barely audible voice, "I don't want to lose again."
Puck's head shot up and he flicked his ears. "M'lady?"
"I lost Gorion, because I didn't know how to protect myself; he sacrificed himself for me. I don't know anything, I can't do anything. I lost to that armored man, I lost to Ether, and there's so much I don't know about my own plane." Puck noticed a two gleaming eyes in the dark, focused on him- no, focused on Selene, who laid on the ground, underneath her blanket with her eyes closed, on the verge of sleep.
"I don't want to lose again." Puck deftly deftly flicked a rock with his tail towards the beady eyes. The eyes flew upward, and a pitch black crow easily dodged the bullet silently. Circling around the camp once, twice, it peeled off and headed away. Puck stared after the crow wordlessly, listening to his mistress' deep breathing.
"She may follow your blood, Bhaal," he whispered to the night. "But she will not follow in your footsteps."