Over the next week, Alice slowly recovered her strength. She was frustrated, sick of everyone walking on eggshells around her, constantly snapping at anyone who showed the slightest deference to her, and generally a pain in the ass to be around. Her friends had taken to holding regur meetings without her each morning, trying to find the best way to get through to her. Jenni participated, feeling responsible for Alice's condition, even if no one else thought that made sense, but willing to include her input. In fact, Jenni was the one person that Alice didn't get angry at, instead treating her with almost motherly concern, spending more time ensuring that Jenni was treated well than she put into her own well-being.

  Finally, Deirdre growled and stood, sinking a dagger into the table. "I will sp her out of this nonsense. Life is pain, but you move on or die. We have all lost so much. What she has lost is not small, but she still has much to lose - and much to gain. Who is to say if a cure cannot be found some day, if she grows strong enough? But whining here about life will not make her grow strong."

  Bridgette sighed, crossing her arms under her prodigious breasts as she leaned back in her chair and considered Deirdre's statement. Finally, she nodded. "You have my permission, for what it's worth. I wish I could be the one to do it, but I can't. I ... just can't be as harsh with her as she needs. But I trust you, do what needs to be done. And no matter how upset she gets, you're still my friend." Deirdre gave a curt nod, pulling her knife from the table and walking upstairs, the friends staring after her.

  Dan leaned over to Colin, whispering, "Hey uh, what do think the odds of them causing damage to that room are? You can fix it if they break something, right?"

  Colin heard a door sm open, then closed, and the shattering of a piece of furniture along with the raised voices of Deirdre and Alice. Then something else rge hit a wall, and a cracking noise was audible even to Dan's human ears. Colin grimaced, looking at Dan. "I'm afraid to say, nobody's that good."

  ---

  Deirdre stalked into the room where Alice y, basking in her misery. "Go away," Alice snarled from under the covers. "I'm resting." Deirdre smmed the door shut, throwing the lock home to prevent intruders. She turned back to the bed and with a quick pull, she yanked the covers off the bed, dumping Alice unceremoniously unto the ground with a shriek of anger.

  "What the fuck?" Alice yelled, getting to her feet. She was wearing leggings and a pin gray t-shirt, but looked disheveled, clearly not taking care of herself in several days. "Leave me alone!"

  "You've rested long enough," Deirdre said. "It's time to be strong."

  "You don't know what it's like, so get the fuck out," Alice shot back. "Nobody understands what I lost, it's just non-stop pity from people who don't understand." Deirdre stepped forward, Alice gulping and moving around the bed, pcing the nightstand between the two women. Deirdre picked up the nightstand and threw it against the wall with all her might, shattering it with a burst of wood splinters. Alice blinked in surprise, staring at the destruction and then back to the angry elven woman.

  "You think you're the only person who lost something important? The only one who has had bad shit happen to them? Who then was treated like a baby afterward and had to fight to be strong again?"

  "Well, no, obviously everyone vanished..." Deirdre stepped forward again, Alice scampering across the bed to put space between the two women once more. Alice was starting to panic. "Knock it off, leave me alone! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

  Deirdre kicked at the bed, knocking it across the room and into Alice, the legs of the bed snapping as it moved across the floor. The now-destroyed remnants of the bed fell into Alice, pinning her against the wall. Deirdre stepped forward and spped Alice across the face with her open palm, making the blow as insulting as possible.

  "My mother died when I was eight, you selfish asshole. My father took me and fled into the mountains where he spent the next six years too drunk to work because he was so depressed. I had to raise myself and take care of him, running the ranch by myself while going through puberty with an anatomy textbook as my only guide. Everyone pitied me, told me how sorry they were for me, but still let me sign his name on loans and pay his taxes, because they knew he couldn't do it himself. Bad shit happens to good people. You get up, you callus over the pain, and you move the fuck on with your life. You find a way to grow and thrive despite the hurt and the loss."

  Deirdre pulled a dagger from a sheath, spinning it around in her fingers for Alice to see, before smming it into the wall right next to Alice's temple as the shocked woman just stared at the furious elf. "Or you wallow in self-pity and might as well be dead for all the good you do us. We can find another healer, one who will wear more clothes. We leave tomorrow, headed to Iowa so we can help your town. Stay here and whine about how hard life is, little flower. Or woman the fuck up and come with us. I don't care which one you do, but your friends need help."

  With that, Deirdre turned and stalked back out of the room, smming the door behind her. Alice remained standing, staring vacantly at the knife next to her head, repying the elven woman's conversation.

  ---

  As Deirdre walked into the common room again, everyone's eyes were fixed to her. She turned to Dan, apologetic. "I am sorry for the loss of the furniture. I was ... enthusiastic."

  "No, no, that's totally fine. I can fix or repce whatever got broken. I can't repce Jenni, and Alice is responsible for saving her. I'd burn this whole tavern down if it helped either woman."

  Deirdre's expression cracked, a smile showing through. "Let us hope that is not required. With luck, I reached her." Bridgette came over, giving the shorter elf a hug and thanking her. After that, the friends cleared out and spent the rest of the day helping around the town, working on chores, and preparing to depart the next morning. They had spent far longer than anticipated in Danville, but had accomplished much in that time.

  Most of the damage from the mysterious Xavier and his team had been repaired by this point, the adventurers helping fix broken buildings and continuing to work on combat training with the newly created militia. Deirdre and Colin had taken them hunting numerous times, tracking down bands of kobolds and goblins, with many of the vilgers even unlocking basic warrior csses, increasing their combat ability and survivability. The newly minted adventurers were cautiously excited about their csses and the ability to gain in strength, vowing to protect their town even more vigorously than before.

  The following morning, Bridgette came and got Deirdre, quietly letting her know that Alice had requested to speak with her. The elf went upstairs, the two women locked in the bedroom for close to an hour before they finally came downstairs. Both looked like they had spent a lot of time crying, but somehow Alice looked stronger for the experience. She was dressed for adventuring, for a change, wearing her healer's robe despite the cold outside, having managed to transform its appearance into a sensual looking silk kimono instead of the usual sheer sundress.

  Finally, it was time to depart. Alice and Jenni clung to each other sobbing, both women promising to do anything for the other, regardless of the cost. Dan awkwardly exchanged hugs with Bridgette, and the rest of the party said their farewells. With one st round of hugs and goodbyes, the four adventurers walked out of Danville, headed east toward Iowa. The trip had changed them all, forcing them to mature and confront things they hadn't wanted to, but they were stronger for the pain.