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<p >Raain brought a bucket of left over stew into the stables where she found Griegg at work removing cobwebs.

"Sorry for the mess, Griegg," she said while pouring the stew into a food trough.

"Eh, it's not so bad," Griegg said, and looked around again. "Well, maybe it is bad."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy adding your duties to our own, never realized how much work you actually do out here."

"Arun was that busy guarding room keys?" Griegg chuckled with exasperation and sarcasm.

"It's amazing how much time depression takes up. When someone as young as him thinks his best friend has died, it takes a toll. He couldn't stop talking about you and how much he missed you, and how much he regretted not giving you a proper goodbye before you left, he felt bad for acting that way," Raain told him.

"I get that he was upset about having extra duties, but he's not that young any more, he's ready for more responsibility, he's holding himself back."

"Yeah, well, you try convincing him of that--"

"I did try, I have tried. He still thinks he's young and incapable. He has no idea how much potential he has. If he'd just slow down a little, he could do amazing things, absolutely amazing!" It was an old conversation.

"Well," Raain replied, "he is a Hobb. They are not known for their attention spans or for taking responsibility."

"That's hogwash," Griegg said with a touch of anger. "Anyone is capable of making the choices to act right and to focus on one thing at a time."

"Though I get where you're coming from, and with my training I definitely am of the same mindset. But the more I look at him, and the more I meet other people, or hear stories of other people, the more I tend to disagree with that. You have to have seen a lot of, shall we say, short attention span people in your travels."

"None of those are near as gifted at Arun."

"That doesn't mean a thing. It only shows that there are variables in all people. Some are brilliant and focused, some are idiots incapable of anything, and then there are all variants between."

"I suppose, but I still think he could do better than he has been. He's still too wrapped up in fun. I might take him with me back to Kaillic," Griegg said thoughtfully.

"Back?! You're going back, but you just got here? Why are you going back to a place where you were almost killed?" Raain was concerned.

"Matthew sent a bird scroll," Griegg said.

"Already?! When did he find out you were alive?"

"I don't know, perhaps when I showed up back in town. I don't know how he didn't know that I was alive, he usually has a pretty good handle on things like that."

"Did you get anything that covered your head?" Raain asked.

"I did get a new cloak after losing the green one, I kept it on the whole journey home, it was raining most of it."

"How powerful of a cloak is it? You should take it up to the Sanctuary to get it examined. If it blocks Matthew's mind, there could be others hiding from him purposefully."

"That's a scary thought," Griegg said and Raain nodded.

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