As Alisande thanks the armored warrior, Zephyros solemnly nods and says, "Think nothing of it."

Zephyros stands at the mine entrance and counts each person as they leave the crumbling mine. Ensuring no one is left behind and the first back in should his count come back short. When the last person is accounted for, Ironheart give a sigh of relief. The bull of a man turns his attention to the talk of another dragon in the area. 'One wyrm was bad enough... now we have two to deal with?' He thinks as he watches the sky with trepidation.

"I'm ready to leave now! If Phandalin is in trouble, we should make haste." Zephyros says to no one in particular. Hearing Alisande invite Don-Jon along makes the battle hardened warrior cringe as he has decidedly listened to enough of the cowboys fabricated lies to last a lifetime. However, the warrior remains resolute to being on guard and doesn't voice his disdain for the man.

As the group discusses heading back to Phandalin, You watch as Boggin blocks Don-Jon's ability to reenter the mine. Don-Jon looks to be about to push the dwarf out of his way when Alisande suggests the cowboy return to town with them. He turns with anger and fear fresh in his mind, but the emotions melt away quickly as the noble woman flatters him. "Ahh shoot... my employer will need to be updated on the status of the mine anyways. Very well, I'll come back to Phandalin." The cowboy walks over to Torrin and asks, "Are you okay? Can you handle inspecting the mine for safety or do we need to bring in a specialist? Oh and effective immediately you are now the mine's Chief Foreman, congratulations."

Torrin sits up slowly and then stands as Don-Jon walks over to him. Before he addresses the cowboy his gaze fixes on Lyra, "Thank you for saving my life. I am in your debt." He turns back to Don-Jon and snorts as if the cowboy said something ridiculous. "Of course we can handle the inspection." The dwarven leader turns to the mountain above the mine. Where you all see deep gouges carved out of the mountainside. He shakes his head in disbelief. Again speaking to Don-Jon, Torrin says, "Chief Foreman huh... Safe travels Master Overseer. We'll be here when you return."

Sister Garaele is about to run to Torrin's side when she sees Lyra intervene. She can't help but smile as she watches the young cleric work with such fervent passion for helping those around her. She touches her head and anyone watching sees the elven woman's head wound heal instantly. She walks over to Alisande and places a healing hand on her for 7 HP. "There you go dear. Does that feel better?"

"It's just a bruise, won't slow me down none," Gareth says, referring to the mark already coming up on the side of his face where the rock got him. "I think we should leave right away. The thought of that dragon making it to Phandalin...they're completely defenseless."

Gareth doesn't say his next thought out loud. If the dragon is in Phandalin, he doesn't foresee them being able to do much about it. They might be able to get some people to safety, but they had a snowball's chance in Avernus of taking the thing down themselves. Hells, he wasn't sure even a platoon of soldiers from Neverwinter would be able to take a dragon that massive down. 

Hearing Gareth speak, Sister Garaele walks over to the hunter and gently caresses his cheek as the deep purple and black bruise mostly subsides, healing 7 HP.

After a brief discussion, the group decides to head out right away to return to Phandalin.

 Rasziel,

 The journey takes about five hours and the sun is just beginning to set as you approach the outskirts of the town. Thankfully, the town is relatively quiet. Children are playing outside. Townsfolk are going about their daily activities, unworried and in routine. As you enter the town, Sister Garaele thanks each of you for your escort and lets you all know she will pay you for your trouble once she stops back by her home and agrees to meet you at the Stonehill Inn later.

Don-Jon heads straight to Stonehill Inn, stating he wants to secure a room and begin writing a letter to the Neverwinter Consortium about current events regarding the mine. 

Eldrin gives a deep and reverent bow to each of his original allies and offers a respectful nod to Alisande and Rasziel in turn. He says his goodbyes and heads off towards Adabra's home. 

The evening is yours. What would you like to do?

Meira walks alongside Lyra most of the way back. "You certainly seem to stuck on calling that man Don Juan," she says to her quietly. With a slight grin she continues. "You still hoping for your own Don Juan to come for you?" 

For part of the trip she slips her dulcimer from her back and plays it as she walks, singing for a bit: 

'The wind was on the withered heath,
but in the forest stirred no leaf:
there shadows lay by night and day,
and dark things silent crept beneath.
The wind came down from mountains cold,
and like a tide it roared and rolled;
the branches groaned, the forest moaned,
and leaves were laid upon the mould.
The wind went on from West to East;
all movement in the forest ceased,
but shrill and harsh across the marsh
its whistling voices were released.
The grasses hissed, their tassles bent,
the reeds were rattling -- on it went
o'er shaken pool under the heavens cool
where racing clouds were torn and rent.
It passed the lonely Mountain bare
and swept above the dragon's lair:
there black and dark lay boulders stark
and flying smoke was in the air.
It left the world and took its flight
over the wide seas of the night,
The moon set sail upon the gale,
and stars were fanned to leaping light.'

As they arrive back in Phandalin, Meira seems relieved to see that everything is fine and there is no sign of this new green dragon. She does bid goodbye to Eldrin as he leaves them. "Although I'm sure we will see you around town now and then. Best of luck." 

She then turns to whisper to Lyra, "Any thoughts for the evening? Be nice to just relax for a bit."  

During the walk back to Phandalin Rasziel would try to use the time productively by inquiring with the incompetent overseer of the gold mine about the Neverwinter Consortium and it's interests in the region. He too is relieved to see that Phandalin hadn't been destroyed, after all it would not have been good for business. Not having had the chance yet to acquaint himself with the town he would be interested in making contact with any representatives of the Black Network there. Other than that he would find a room at the Stonehill Inn where he would also spend the evening, seeking the company of Alisande and any of the other adventurers present, curious to hear if any of them had plans for the immediate future, particularly if such endeavours could be deemed profitable.

Alisande thanks Sister Garaele for her kindness, rolling her shoulders as the soreness subsides almost immediately. The wizard finds herself marvelling at the wondrousness of divine magic, pondering not for the first time whether there might be a means to access these blessings connected to the balance of life and death through the Weave directly without recourse to an intermediary like a god. Nevertheless, she murmurs heartfelt words of gratitude to Lady Luck and continues on the voyage back to Phandalin. 

Along the way, she keeps a wary eye out for the dragon that scarred the mountainside and almost brought the mine around them. When Meira begins to play the dulcimer, Alisande is moved by the song's eerie and ancient mood. "However bleak and foreboding the world may appear, Nature moves ever onward. Implacable and indifferent to the travails against which we mortals restlessly chafe." She remarks appreciatively, applauding the bard's performance. "A timely and timeless reminder. You play well."

Upon arrival in Phandalin, she exchanges cordial farewells with Sister Garaele and Eldrin.

"I mean to inquire about this green dragon." She announces to Rasziel and any others who may be in her vicinity, as Lyra and Meira steal away for a moment of quiet conversation. "It is a mercy that we have not returned to find the town in ashes, but it behooves us to make wise use of the reprieve we have been afforded."

She glances at the Stonehill Inn over her shoulder, before turning to Zephyros and Gareth. "Innkeepers are often rich veins of information - provided one possesses the patience to sift for truth amidst the scurrilous gossip and idle fancy. If you are not presently bound elsewhere, I would welcome your company." 

Gareth startles a bit when Sister Garaele caresses his cheek, but the pain of the bruise quickly fades away to nothing. He doesn't think he will ever get used to the touch of healing magic, how downright miraculous it really is. 

The journey back to Phandalin is uneventful, and thankfully the town has not been ravaged by a massive green dragon. The ranger breaths a sigh of relief. He bids farewell to Eldrin as the wizard takes his leave. While the elf had been somewhat stiff and overly formal in his mannerisms, Gareth had come to respect his competence and intelligence. Their party would be the lesser for his absence. Luckily, it seems like they'd picked up two new interesting and competent people in the forms of Alisande and Rasziel. 

"We haven't really had a chance to get to know each other what with all the danger and threat of imminent destruction," Gareth jokes as the party returns to the Stonehill Inn. "I'd love to hear more about what brought you to Phandalin." The ranger directs his question to the two new arrivals. "I believe you mentioned something about 'mercantile expansion' and 'bibliophilia,' Lady Alisande?"

When Alisande mentions questioning the innkeeper, Gareth nods. "That's a good idea. Toblen is a good sort. If he's seen the green dragon flying about, he'll let us know."

Zephyros' brow furrows with curiosity as Rasziel mentions an accountant scouting ahead for them. His red tailed hawk had deftly flown out of the crumbling mine upon the incident and had returned to the warrior upon his exit. Making a mental note to learn more about this "accountant", Ironheart asks Felagi to make scouting patrols to the north and south to ensure the group didn't wander into an ambush from the sides.

The warrior walks near the front of the group as they travel back to Phandalin, lost in thought regarding his past... his lost love... his... attention snaps back to the present as Meira's song reaches his ears. He finds they traveled several miles and he hadn't been paying attention and chastens himself for it. However, the song lured him in. 'The moon set sail upon the gale...' His thoughts return to the fateful day he lost his wife. 'My moon and my stars.'  "My love," Zephyros says out loud, embarrassed when he recognizes the song had come to an end.

Zephyros says to Sister Garaele, "Please think nothing of it. No payment is required my lady." He gives a bow of respect to the elven woman as she departs the group. Turning to Eldrin, the warrior says, "I expect to see you soon master wizard. I look forward to the magical trinkets and potions you and Adabra will create together." The bull of a man completely ignores Don-Jon as he tells the group of his intentions and walks towards the Stonehill Inn.

As Alisande grabs Ironheart's attention, Zephyros takes a step closer to the woman to listen intently. He turns his face to Gareth and shifts his trident to the crook of his left arm as he continues to listen. When both appear to have finished their thought Zephyros nods in agreement and says, "I will meet you there shortly. I could do with a nice hot meal. However, I plan to seek the Townmaster first to give a report of our endeavors." 

With that, the armored man walks through town directly to the town hall looking for the Townmaster. While there, he checks the job board for any additional postings. Then he heads into town hall. If Mr. Harbin isn't there, he heads over to the Townmaster's home next door and knocks on the door. "Hello Mr. Harbin. Are you home?" Once the Townmaster answers, Zephyros continues, "We have completed our contract with Don-Jon Raskin, and saved Big Al from a dire fate with Orcs. His ranch hands didn't survive the attack unfortunately. You should know we had an encounter with the white dragon. It attacked us on the road to Butterskull Ranch, looking for an easy meal. It didn't find one. Unfortunately, that isn't the worst of the news to report. A ginormous green dragon was spotted near Mountain's Toe Gold Mine. We feared the worst when we watched it fly towards Phandalin. Have you heard any additional reports or sightings? It would be good to know where the dragon went."

Lyra is not entirely at ease as they make the journey back to Phandalin. Even though the party has grown considerably with the addition of Alisande, Rasziel, Sister Garaele, and even Don-Jon, the halfling still finds herself glancing at the skies from time to time, fearful that a dragon might appear suddenly and swoop down upon them.

The headache caused by the falling rock doesn't help. She could have used her magic to heal herself at any moment, but… what if they ran into trouble later? Wouldn't it be wiser to save it, just in case? So, she decides to keep going as she is. Hadn't she seen Zephyros and the others endure far worse wounds? Surely she can do the same now!

Meira's question snaps her out of these thoughts, and the cleric looks at her in confusion. "Don-Ju…?" she blinks. "Oh, come on, Meira. Don't mock me, you know I'm just teasing him. It's just a personal joke that makes me laugh a bit." She stops for a moment, then steps closer to the rogue, seeking comfort in her closeness. "I'm scared, Meira. Not one dragon, but two? How are we going to deal with that?" She shakes her head and adds, "I'm sorry. You were singing such a beautiful song, and now I've ruined the mood."

Relief floods her when they reach Phandalin without issue and find the town still safe. When Eldrin bids farewell, the halfling walks up to him and embraces him—let’s hope he knelt a bit for that! "I'm counting on a new batch of richly flavored healing potions, okay? I've spoken highly of the cherry-flavored one to Tymora, and now she expects more and more flavors!" she jokes, then waves the Elf goodbye.

When Meira asks what to do now that they're in Phandalin, Lyra suggests, "I need to rest a bit first. Let's follow the others to the inn and eat and drink a little?  Then… I'll need to find Mary Gilmore and deliver the bad news about Frederic—unless the dwarves who came here before already have? In any case, I need to give her the envelope I found on Frederic’s body. Would you come with me?"

(ooc: Assuming she can get a short rest now, she recovers 4 HPs using 2 hit die. I rolled two ones, omg! 😂)

A bit uncharacteristically for her, Meira seems unhappy when Lyra balks at her teasing her about 'Don Juan'. The moment passes quickly as the halfling shares her fears about the dragons. She gently puts an arm around her as they walk. "You didn't ruin anything. We will certainly find a way to deal with those dragons. We already faced down that white one and forced it to flee. Will figure out a way if we have to face that green dragon," she says softly, trying to sound completely confident to the cleric. Even if she really has no idea what they would do having such a creature. "You know, we all are a good team. I'm not sure about those two new folks, but perhaps they would help us too," she continues as they continue journeying back. 

Meira had listened to Lyra's conversation with Eldrin about healing potion flavors, looking on with a grin.  As the elf was departing, she shouted after him. "Remember! No lavender flavors! Some people are highly allergic to that!" 

Listening to her suggestions, she nods. "We can let Zephyros handle reporting in. We'll get something at the inn just like you said. And of course I will accompany you to speak with Mary Gilmore.  I wouldn't just leave you to do that on your own."  She leads the way into the Stonehill Inn, finding a nice table where they and all the party might be able to sit. Once they all arrive of course.