(A week after Lost Keep defeated the Wyrm)
"GAHHHH!" Maria screamed before sucking on her sore thumb.
"You know, since you're always using your fingers for the harp, I assumed you'd be good at hammering nails. Guess I was wrong." Rion said as he handed off the plank of wood he was carrying to someone else.
"Shut up!" Maria snapped as she lifted another nail. "Shouldn't Ezra be doing this!?"
"He can't. He's helping at the blacksmith right now. Apparently Frank has too many jobs to handle alone."
Maria rolled her eyes. "I bet he's with his creepy shopkeeper ex."
"Oh? Are you jealous?" Rion teased.
Maria nodded.
"Extremely so. If only I could have her jar of eyeballs for myself."
Rion chuckled, then shielded his eyes from the setting sun.
"Either way, look how far along the village has come. With the Wyrm dead, everyone's had a big boost in motivation." Even a week later the amount of progress made in the rebuilding effort was plain to see. While the melancholic atmosphere wasn't completely gone yet Rion saw more people laughing and smiling everyday, Hearan would be just fine…
Maria slammed down another nail, her face lighting up when she got it right.
"So motivated they're forcing one of their heroes to hammer nails. How ridiculous!"
Rion rolled his eyes.
(Says the girl who's clearly enjoying it.)
"Well, you don't have to worry about it for long. We're leaving tomorrow..." He said.
"Oh you've decided, where to?" Maria asked.
"Eliso." Rion said, resting his hands on his hips.
"Huh. Why Eliso?"
"Well, it's not far, all things considered, and it's the City of Mages. Maybe they know a way to restore my memory."
Maria smiled.
"I heard they sell wonderful harp strings there. I'm in!"
Rion chuckled.
"Glad to hear it, Maria..."
He sighed.
"The only question is—…"
"Hey, guys! My shift with Frank just wrapped up."
Rion looked up, surprised.
"Oh, hey, Ezra."
Ezra smiled, "Here Maria catch." He threw he a beautiful necklace toward her. "Present from frank."
Maria catch it a big smile spreading across her face.
"So what were you two talking about?" Ezra asked.
Maria nearly dropped her necklace.
"W-well, you know, w-we were just—"
"Talking about our next stop," Rion interrupted. "It's Eliso, the City of Mages."
Maria's eyes widened in shock as if to say WHY'D YOU TELL HIM!? Rion ignored her.
The two met eyes. Ezra looked down, then back up.
"I'm going to talk to Ma tonight. I'll give you an answer then..."
Rion nodded, then rested a hand on Ezra's shoulder before walking past him.
"I'm sure you know this but regrets are inevitable, but the worst thing in life is being left with the big regrets. The life-changing ones." His hand pulled away. "Ezra, you're an amazing guy. I'd hate for you to be stuck here in your thirties regretting not going with us just as much as I'd hate for you to be with us fighting a battle you never wanted to fight. Choose what's right for you."
With that, Rion started home, Maria following after him.
"Cool line, but a bit on the long side. Maybe edit it down."
"Shut up!" Rion snapped back.
Ezra watched them go, smiled faintly then gazed up at the setting sun before following after them.
—
Once they got back, they found a huge dinner prepared for them by Ezra's mom: meat, mashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls, and a spicy gravy.
"I made this especially for you guys, so eat up!"
And eat up they did.
Rion found it hard to describe just how good everything was, but among all the food he'd eaten since his "waking up"... or was it his "birth?"... whatever the case, this had to be his favorite.
The meat was juicy, the potatoes were creamy and soft, and the gravy was hot—but not too hot—providing the perfect kick. That wasn't even mentioning the rolls and vegetables, which were delicious in their own right.
By the time dinner was over, Rion's plate was clean and his belly was full.
"That was delicious. Thank you, Mrs. Rain."
"Yeah, I loved every dish!" Maria said.
"I'm glad."
Ezra's mom then turned to her son.
"What's wrong, Ezra? It's not like you to leave food on your plate."
Ezra swallowed, then slowly looked up.
"Sorry, Ma. It's delicious... it's just... can we talk for a minute?"
There was a brief silence before Ezra's mom stood.
"Let's go outside."
She turned toward Rion and Maria.
"You two can get seconds if you'd like."
With that, the two left the room and exited through the front door, it slowly closing shut behind them.
"You think he'll be okay?" Maria asked.
Rion leaned back in his chair.
"Of course he will..."
He smiled.
"He's Ezra after all."
(And thus, Lost Keep's adventure continues…)