[Jessari]

"I don't think I could work as a bouncer. Seems a little too dangerous for my liking."

"Nah, with those legs, you'd make a better waitress than a bouncer."

"Hey," Ruach frowned, flipping her hand so her wedding band was obvious. "Married, remember?"



Teddy: 96/145
Ruach: 127/195

[Jessari]

Theo looked wounded. "I didn't mean it, Rue."

"You mean I don't have great legs?"



Teddy: 97/145
Ruach: 128/195

[Jessari]

Theo's mouth opened then shut again as he searched for a response that wouldn't get him smacked. He finally settled on saying nothing at all. Ruach chuckled.



Teddy: 98/145
Ruach: 129/195

[Jessari]

"So, I've always wondered: why is the tavern called 'Spirit's Ire'?"

Theo paused before answering. "It's tied in with the story I was talking about earlier."


Teddy: 99/145
Ruach: 130/195

[Jessari]

Ruach waited patiently for his answer.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone else."



Teddy: 100/145
Ruach: 131/195

[Jessari]

"I already told you I wouldn't, silly."

"Well, it all began when my brothers and sisters were much younger than they are now. My father was on an expedition in this rainforest."



Teddy: 101/145
Ruach: 132/195

[Jessari]

"Sounds exciting!" Ruach exclaimed. "Why weren't you with them?"

Theo gave her a self-conscious little smile. "Because they hadn't adopted me yet."



Teddy: 102/145
Ruach: 133/195

[Jessari]

Ruach's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. I can't remember much about my parents, and the Dumas family has always treated my like one of their own."



Teddy: 103/145
Ruach: 134/195

[Jessari]

Ruach smiled warmly, then nodded for him to continue his story.

"Well, the adults had begun setting up camp and the kids were rowdy. They were told to go play, but not to wander too far."



Teddy: 104/145
Ruach: 135/195

[Jessari]

"Sounds like a dangerous thing to say to children."

"Well, they'd been on several expeditions with my father before, and he trusted them. So anyway, they went off to play."



Teddy: 105/145
Ruach: 136/195

[Jessari]

Ruach continued to listen intently.

"Not too far away, they discovered a cave. Kane talked everyone into going inside to explore."



Teddy: 106/145
Ruach: 137/195

[Jessari]

"Kane's the eldest, I'm guessing?"

"Yep. Well, they didn't have a flashlight or anything, but this cave had weird moss growing all over the walls and ceiling. It glowed, bright enough so they could see."



Teddy: 107/145
Ruach: 137/195

[Jessari]

"That sounds pretty neat."

"Further down into the cave, they found a small room. Colored lights flickered all over them, but none of them could discover the source."



Teddy: 108/145
Ruach: 139/195

[Jessari]

"Was there anything else in the room?"

"I was getting to that. There were lots of things, strange things they'd never seen before."



Teddy: 109/145
Ruach: 140/195

[Jessari]

"Did they tell you about any of the things they saw?"

"Cassidy said one of the things that caught his attention was a glass sphere about the size of your fist. It was making a melodic humming noise."



Teddy: 110/145
Ruach: 141/195