- wait, in the corner, is that -

"Tural? Is that really you?"

!!  He turns and looks - 

"Venn???"

-  he has no idea why she'd be here of all places but he's so happy. He jumps to his feet runs her way ("Oh Venn, it's been far too long, come here"), picking her up effortlessly and -

(- her mind flashes back to the awkward conversation she and Blai had in the quinzee about default expectations, so she has the presence of mind to -)  

Grab onto his back, tucking her head past his before he can kiss her the way he's clearly expecting, whispering rapidly "Hi Tural it's wonderful to see you and also I'm involved with someone and cannot kiss you, sorry -" 

Oh! That's certainly a surprise.

 "-sorry!", he whispers back, finishing the twirl he's already started and then setting her down gently. In a more normal tone, he continues. "Oh, it's so good to see you! Though - what are you doing up here, when you left Almas you said you were going to Isarn, you can't have gotten that lost -"

This is officially the most interesting thing happening in the room over and above Paret failing embarrassingly at his card trick. Everyone is watching them. Including Paret, causing him to fail embarrassingly at his card trick for the fourth time.

Including the someone she is arguably involved with, descending the staircase.

She gently ends the hug, heart still beating fast. "I did go to Isarn, and I'll have you know spent nine entire months there, but I ended up befriending a gnomish cleric who'd served up here for twenty years, and she managed to convince me with her stories that I needed to see it for myself..." She beams up at him. "And you - I'm guessing your wizards dragged you up here to partake in the bountiful spellbooks of Crusader's Fort? How's that been going?"

He's grinning. "Yeah, I caved when Doris finally hit fifth - we're doing a fort circuit now, actually, making sure they remember it well enough that they can Teleport well." 

He looks around curiously. "So what's got you at Fort #11?" 

Is it this guy who has decided that this friendly reunion probably is not an imminent threat to life limb or sanity and has gone to get himself a bowl of stew?

Venn's eyes actually do flick in Blai's direction, though she catches it before anyone here might notice. 

"Oh, I think they just keep me around for my sunny personality," she says, smiling innocently. "it's either that or the healing, nobody's told me which yet." She glances around in a way that invites audience participation. 

(Anyone stationed here, maybe. But Tural knows Venn and is really quite good at reading people, and he doesn't miss it. The fort Commander? Of a Chelish fort??)

He raises an eyebrow at her.

"It's the musical entertainment. I hadn't even noticed it was magic," Txell volunteers with a perfectly straight face.

"Definitely the expertise on quasits," volunteers someone else.

He laughs heartily. "Wait, she does music? Are you sure? I could have sworn she was just a bad archer with cantrips." 

"Nope, she's a Good archer. That's why they let her borrow the Holy bow on patrol."

And at that she bursts into laughter. "Alright, alright, if you're all done singing my accolades, might I bother with some introductions?"

Tural does a deeply-exaggerated bow. "By all means, Lady Urdina. Please forgive this one's impudence."

(He's really not used to this kind of banter at a Chelish fort! He's pretty sure it's either because she's here or a hint as to why she's here, but which?)

"Ooh, she's a lady? I didn't know that, I'll have to watch my ettiquettes or whatever."

"Alright, alright. Everyone, this is my friend Tural Starsong - we adventured together for a bit when we were both in Almas. He's one of those funny archers who refuse to wear armor so they can shoot more arrows, but more importantly, he has pretty hair that he's very proud of."

He poses, holding some of it up to the light. (It is very pretty.)

"Tural, these are some of my friends from Fort #11 - " she'll go through and introduce the heckling crowd one by one, with a little fact or funny tidbit for each of them.

"And this is Txell. Honestly, I haven't really figured out what she does besides make funny hand motions? Sometimes glitter or grease appears afterwards; I'm still trying to figure out if it's related or just a coincidence."

(Does Blai seem interested in joining?)

Blai is the commander of the entire fort and must not be observed to hesitate to enter a social situation and sit therein if he so chooses lest he look ridiculous, and so he is sitting with Lt. Espina at the next table over because that was something he was able to do decisively.

"Yeah, things just happen around me," says Txell, turning Venn's hair hot pink with an innocent expression on her face. "The handwaving's a nervous tic. Miracle they let me join the army."

Wait, what did she -

HEY