'Agreed.'
The two shared a quick kiss in the privacy offered by the Necking Tree, and then returned to the hustle and bustle of the mob to rejoin Passepout.
As they walked back, Volo shared a few softly voiced thoughts with the Harper agent. 'You know,' he pointed out, 'there is no guarantee that Rassendyll will make a more peaceful High Blade. With all that talk of returning Mulmaster to its former glory, who knows what can happen?'
'Agreed,' Chesslyn answered.
'And Fullstaff and McKern are both nice guys and all, don't get me wrong, but they aren't exactly the type of guys who aren't willing to have the end justify the means.'
'Why do you think I didn't let them know of my Harper affiliation?' she pointed out. 'Even though Honor was my nearest and dearest teacher and mentor, I only share that little secret tidbit with those nearest and closest to my heart.'
Volo brightened for a moment, and immediately hid his reaction, as there were some things the master traveler felt embarrassment about acknowledging.
As they approached the spot from whence they had come, Volo saw Passepout get slapped by a serving wench and saw a burly bouncer about to add his own two cents' worth of contusions to the beleaguered thespian.
'Duty calls,' Volo replied, as he set off to help his friend.
'For both of us,' Chesslyn answered, squeezing the master traveler's hand. 'Farewell.'
' 'Til we meet again, and may it be soon.'
'Agreed.'
With nary another kiss the two parted, and set off to right the matters at hand, Chesslyn back to the temple where she worked, and the master traveler to aid the about to be assaulted Passepout, his boon companion, and once again, friend in need. About the Author Brian M. Thomsen is TSR's Director of Books and Periodicals. As an editor, he has been nominated for both the prestigious Hugo and Tucker awards, served as judge for the World Fantasy Awards, and edited and acquired numerous award-nominated novels, including Cyteen by C. J. Cherryh (Hugo winner for Best Novel). He is also the author of over twenty short stories for various anthologies. His first novel, Once Around the Realms, was published in 1995.
