Drasna felt her heart sink as she stepped into the monastery for the first time in weeks. She wasn’t able to give the damages an extensive look before she charged down the mountain. She began to feel better as she watched her fellow monks hard at work making repairs, even Korin was busy lugging a mountain of lumber. She spotted several new structures and training dummies scattered around the grounds. She smiled, as the destruction the earthquake had caused it may have been for the best. New spaces had opened up allowing for significant expansion, even in such little time. Despite the progress and additions, the loss of the monastery's older charm made her sad.

  Drasna turned to Isobella, “I feel bad I wasn’t able to help out with the rebuilding.”

  A bulky man approached the two ladies and let out a pleased and loud chuckle, it was master Tao. The once large around the waist monks looked uncharacteristically fit since the last time Drasna had seen him.

  “Nonsense, my dear Drasna! Those bridges you built for us helped out a lot, if not for them, we’d be weeks behind schedule. It is a pleasure to see you again to miss Isobella, I’m glad you’re both safe.”

  “Master Tao! You look great!”

  Isobella nodded, “I came to provide financial aid, you have always been pleasant neighbors.”

  Tao shook his head, “That’s quite generous, but we could never ask for so much money.”

  “It would be no trouble, please let us discuss the matter.”

  Drasna smirked, “I’ll let you two talk it over, I’m gonna go find a way to be useful and gather my things.”

  Drasna made haste to her room in the dragon house, though she’d been forced to stop and catch up with her fellow dragon monks along the way. They’d all heard the news that she would be moving to the chateau, but all expressed happiness for her. Fortune had smiled upon Drasna, as her room was spared in the disaster. She got to work and gathered all of her admittedly few things, but most importantly, the belly dancing outfit, kept extra safe under her bed.

  She took a final glance around her room, it was never much to begin with, but it was hers and she loved it. She knew a part of her would miss living with her fellow monks, but she could visit whenever she wanted. Confident she had everything she left to see where she could make herself useful, however, she ran into a familiar half-elf on the way out.

  “Anti!”

  “Well well, look what the cat dragged in, I’m glad you’re safe, and congratulations!”

  Drasna blushed and scratched her head, “Thanks, I was surprised when she asked me to move in, Izzy’s gotten pretty bold, I think I finally cracked that shell of hers.”

  Anti crossed her arms, “We all knew you would.”

  “Hey, I wanted to run something by you. Her birthday is next week, but get this, she’s never actually celebrated it before.”

  Anti nodded in understanding, “Without parents, a noble is often too busy for such things. I've had a few parties, but after I turned 10, I stopped. I had another when I was 18 and 21, but none since then.”

  Drasna sighed, “So it's a noble thing, of course…, but I still want to throw her party. Could you and a few others maybe come to visit her?”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Anti giggled, “I’ll be there, I’m sure everyone will be more than happy to get in the good graces of your cash cow.”

  Drasna felt her vision turn red, “Watch it!”

  “Kidding kidding! I’ll talk to some people for you.”

  “Thanks Anti, now I’m gonna go help out before I leave again”

  “Of course, bye for now.”

  It didn’t take long before Drasna spotted a pile of lumber next to the long death house. She moved closer and reached for a plank, but another hand beat her to it, one that was tan and muscular. Drasna turned to find Korin looking at her with a slight pout, the red head lifted the wood and slung it over her shoulder.

  “Finally decide to work, slacker?”

  Drasna frowned, “The path was blocked up until a few days ago, besides I’ve been building bridges.”

  “Yeah yeah, just get to work before I slug you for being lazy.”

  Drasna scoffed, “You’re not after revenge I hope?”

  “Nah, I’m over that, you're pretty strong blondie. That just means you’ll be all the more satisfying to beat down next time.”

  Drasna chuckled and picked up a plank of wood, “I wouldn’t miss it! Now where are these going?”

  “Run them over there and toss them up, Long Death is getting a second floor.”

  “What? That’s not fair, I want a second floor!”

  Korin rolled her eyes, “Cry about it, then get moving.”

  Drasna watched Korin walk off and followed with a smile. She’d tried to talk to the red head after the match several times, but could never track her down. She was glad there was no bad blood between them. The blond held onto a small hope that she could become close friends like she and Anti were with enough time.

  Isobella sat on a stone bench by one of the waterfalls of the monastery with Tao beside her. She felt calm and soothed by the sound of the water crashing down. The fine mist spirited on her like perfume, and the scent of fresh air brought her immense tranquility, even if the bench was hard and cold. She cleared her throat and looked over to Tao who smiled at her.

  “This is a wonderful place, the Coldstone Monastery. I'm glad to see the earthquake hasn’t broken any of the spirit of this place. I would be sad if Drasna lost her connection here.”

  “You two really love each other, you should’ve seen her charge down the mountain like a goat, afraid of nothing but your own safety.”

  Isobella paused to determine if her next statement was true, but quickly committed, “I love her more than anything. That's why I asked her to live with me.

  “She’s really grown into something special because of you, and if I may be so bold, you have done quite a bit of growing yourself. I’m proud of you both, and wish you many years of happiness together.”

  Isobella felt her face burn pink, “That being said, I would like to offer my assistance to help you rebuild. Extra supplies, new structures, better equipment, please just say the word.”

  “You’re most generous, I’d be too afraid of hurting your feelings to refuse. We would be most appreciative if you could cover the cost of materials. Us monks can rebuild just fine, but our resources on the mountain are limited, and many of us are lacking in money to donate.”

  Isobella shook her head, “Of course, I know just the handful of merchants to reach out to, however, there is something I will need from you in return.”

  “Of course, Miss Isobella, but whatever can we do for you? We only have one Drasna after all.”

  Isobella giggled at the joke, “There is a cave Drasna and I found on the way up here. It is of great importance that it be sealed away and nothing be taken from within. It is full of crystals, but I believe an old and evil magic is held inside and will bring ruin.”

  “That sounds serious, if you feel so strongly about it, I suppose we have no choice but to take your word for it. I can gather a few people and take care of it as early as tomorrow.”

  “Excellent.”