Tez wanders heavily down the stairs into the common room somewhat later that night, muttering to herself and holding her enormous belly. It's dark outside, and the inn is only lit by the fire in the large hearth, which she moves over to sit next to.

Cassio is sitting away from the fire, just gazing out into the darkness, he is so oblivious that he doesn't even notice her come down

Cassio appears to be deep in thought, as he stares out the little window

Tez flops in a convenient chair and stares at Cassio for a while.

Cassio shakes his head, his long brown-golden hair falling wildly everywhere, "Gods, just let it go."

Cassio looks around and notices Tez, looks a bit abashed at being heard, thinking he was alone.

Tez "Let what go?"

Cassio changes expressing drastically in an instant, takes on a wide smile, "Oh, nothing really. Just thinking."

Cassio "What brings you down here do late?"

Tez , as always, dispenses with social niceties like pretending not to listen in on other people's conversations. With themselves. She regards his attidude shift suspiciously. "Couldn't sleep." She yawns, half-covering it with her hand. "What were you thinking about?"

Cassio frowns like a child, looks down at the ground, his head low. "Expectations."

Tez scoots her chair closer and tilts her head to one side. "What were you expecting?"

Cassio ignores the sound of the rain as it begins to fall, strong wet drops resounding on the building against the comfortable sound of the hearth blazes.

Cassio "I'm expecting many things, but that really isn't what is waying on me so."

Tez waits expectantly

Cassio "Its the expectations of others I think about tonight."

Tez "what do you mean?

Cassio "Can I perform to the level that Chimrea expects? Can I make Kerem respect me? Can I do my will and still support Ferazis?"

Cassio sighs and leans back in his chair with a creak

Tez bites her lip, thinking. "

Tez "Probably."

Cassio just stares at Tez for a moment, with an analyzing look

Tez smiles in return.

Cassio "You're different though. I mean, from the others. Maybe you are more like a deathless god, the kind that no not of death."

Tez "Oh... I killed my god actually."

Tez makes a weighing motion. "These things just sort of happen, you know?"

Cassio "Oh, I'm sure you had your reasons. There had to be some divine providence involved anyway, to bring down a god like that."

Cassio "Really, thats an amazing thing. Its hardly any mortal woman that can bring down one of the deathless gods."

Cassio kind of frowns once more, "Or does your lot do that often? Take on gods and their divine fury?"

Tez "Agnes helped... " She frowns sadly. "We were chasing the assassin that was sent after Alquas, and we captured him, then went to visit Akalatan, and he called me the Chosen One, and he was really big after I said he was small." She breaks off her story thoughtfully. "We talk to gods a lot. And spirits."

Cassio "Who is Alquas, Agnes, and Alkatan?"

Tez "Hmm Alquas is this foreign guy who's funny around women so I'm staying with him. Agnes was... is... was... my friend... she's only in my head now though. Akalatan is the Blood God." She rubs her pregnant belly, "He's in me now."

Cassio blinks

Cassio "I'm not sure I can search all the depths of these people and events. This is an deep and revealing matter, as I see it."

Cassio smiles just slightly again, "But I think I'm needed here. I can feel it deep in my marrow."

Tez "Revealing about what?" She doesn't seem particularly concerned about any of the events she'd relayed aside from Agnes' losing her body.

Cassio "I just mean that there seems to be more story here then you have cast with your breath upon me."

Tez "Oh." She considers that. "Yes. But so much has happened since I came here."

Cassio "Isn't that what the sleepless nights are for? The telling of lurid tales and dazzling adventures before the fire among close friends and comrades?"

Tez laughs, "Yes, I think so. What do you want to hear about?"

Cassio "How about the chase and defeat of the assassin who sought the noble blood of Alquas?"

Cassio "This to me seems like a great starting point."

Tez looks into the fire for a time, trying to gather her thoughts. "Alquas... yes. He is a noble of the house of Ei`Qeddim. He came here with his father. They don't get along."

Cassio draws instant parallels

Tez "His family's enemies sent The Praelector after them, an assassin. He had some sort of magic given to him by the God Z'Tarr."

Cassio moves to lay down by the fire, beside Tex and stares up at her dreamily

Cassio "He sounds like quite a man.

Tez "We found them... Agnes and Kerem and Chimrea and I... Kani had been... her spirit was gone. The Praelector was trying to kill Alquas when we got there... "

Cassio "Kani?"

Tez "Alquas is funny. He buys me things when I ask him. I think I make him nervous though. Kani was his slave, I think he loved her, except he didn't think of her as a real person."

Cassio frowns, "A truly noble man must treat everyone with respect, as a person, even their slaves and serfs."

Tez "He was nicer than the rest of them."

Cassio shrugs

Cassio "There is a wide divide between those we do right and those who are nice."

Tez twists a strand of her long, black hair around her fingers, watching Cassio thoughtfully. "Yes. He... was surprised to meet women like us." She grins, then laughs. "We do not do what he says. Not like where he's from. I would not like to live there."

Tez "He also loves Chimrea I think."

Cassio looks struck for a moment, and then chuckles to himself, "Serves him right. Though if he loved you I bet he'd fair worse."

Tez laughs again. "No, he does not love me. Maybe Kerem does, and Agnes... but... I don't know anymore. It's not easy."

Cassio "Nothing worthwile ever is."

Cassio sits, "I mean, take me."

Tez sighs a little, then looks over at him.

Cassio "I could have stayed a lazy worthless scholar living off the scraps of my mentor my whole life."

Cassio "That would have been easy, but not rewarding. So, now here I am."

Tez "You do not look lazy."

Cassio "Looks can be deceiving. I've been known to hoist all my work off onto underlings on many occasions, all so I could go and carouse with Lucio."

Cassio smiles a boyish smile