The common room of the inn doesn't hold much appeal with its lack of service and prominent bloodstains, so Ras and Aeri find another tavern with a more hospitable climate. They pass many long hours talking of the people they've lost: friends, family, and more. Gnome and dragon, side by side, each find themselves experiencing a mix of emotions with the telling of each story. Smiles, tears, rueful shakes of the head, and more than a few moments of shared silence pass between them.
Near the end of their conversation, Aeri lets out a sigh - which, though heavy, also visibly relaxes the gnome-dragon, as though she is blowing away a weight that has long been on her shoulders. "This has done me good, Ras. I'm not sure I've been this at ease in centuries. Or enjoyed myself, either." She plays with her cup on the table for a moment. "Silver dragons are pretty social you know? We like to be around people. Like, people people. Not just other dragons, but the other races. We take forms like yours, walk among you, talk and act like you. In many major cities the shop owner down the street or your favorite waitress could actually be a silver dragon in disguise, living a life that they could never get in the solitude that most dragons prefer."
She drains the cup and flips it over, making a tower of sorts on the table. "The Hand of the Seldarine was my home for a long, long time. The elves of the Hand patrolled the North, you see. Their hippogriffs were a sign of hope and help to those who wandered the Spine of the World. I patrolled as well, but I had a different role, one often taken up by silver dragons. I was to watch and protect against a certain threat... for it is the way of drow to strike out against surface elves, to make war and raid and cause all manner of evil."
She stops for a moment, obviously pained. "But when I came up against a certain drow, I didn't snuff him out like I should have. I was young, and curious. I was naive. I was duped." She sniffles, and her eyes shine with silver tears. "And because of my mistake, my lack of vigilance, they all died. All my friends died... or worse, in the awful abomination that place became."
Aeri leans her head on Ras' shoulder, her sobs shaking him. The other patrons in the tavern don't pay the two much heed. There are plenty of tears to go around Targos today.
"I am so... angry. At that drow. At myself. It's been a part of me for so long now that I... I just don't know what to do with myself anymore." Aeri's words are whispered into Ras' shoulder, her hands tight on his arm. "It kills me that my newest friend continues to be hurt by my past failures. I... understand if you never want to speak with me again, Rastix."
She waits in silence, listening for his answer.
