As I awoke and made my way down to the common room, I found Alke and Calliope enthusiastically instructing our host in making an Aresian fondue. A little heavy for breakfast, but it was indeed delicious. As we gathered, we discovered that it was each of our birthdays. Whether some twist of fate regarding the prophecy, or a coincidence, the mood was high as we made plans to enjoy the day.
Vallus kindly sent word she had booked out the baths as a place for us to relax and enjoy ourselves- cannily this also meant that our foes were denied a meeting place to plan and react to the events of the night before.
As I returned to my room before we left, I found a gift waiting for me. Whilst there was no label, the small earthen pot had an alpine plant, which was marked with a small twig, of the same oak of the throne I grew for Damon within the necropolis.
We retired for the rest of the day to the baths. Various friends visited us during the day, but more than anything it was a moment of safety, a release of tensions built up over weeks.
We needed this.