“Nope. Never." “What happened? Did you win?"

Janette knew what winning meant. It meant getting the ring back, and maybe getting the chance to go home again.

"So. We lost."

Hey, I don‘t care as long as you come back in one piece. Alright?" She lifted her hand to stroke her fingers across his cheek.

Gregory let out a slow breath as the nature of the defeat seemed to flood back into the fore of his thoughts.

“We were a mess, Jan. It was barely even a contest. The only thing we had going for us was surprise and that’s not going to last." He lowered his head and closed his eyes, touching his brow lightly against hers.

“Hey. Look at me," she ordered.

He did as he was told and found himself looking right into those twin seas of sparkling sapphire.

“Don't Let yourself get Like this." She raised herself to her tiptoes and settled a tender kiss on his lips to comfort the obviously troubled male. "This was a win. Plain and simple. Bolut didn't think you could beat him, but you did. Algra didn't think you'd beat her, but you did. No one outside this camp thought you'd come out of there alive today, but here you are. Every time someone's put you down, you've stood up to them and here you are still standing. So you're in a faster race now. Don't give up at the first hurdle."

"I kind of thought getting beaten to a bloody pulp was the first hurdle, Jan. I remember literally sinking the Landing with my face."

“Hey! I'LL tell you what's a setback and what isn't." She flicked the tip of his nose with her finger to make sure he was paying attention rather than letting his gloomy thoughts get the best of him. "Now, Bolut's packing up his camp to head north before winter gets here. Or at least that’s the word around here. So, you're going to kiss me, then you're going to see him and wish him well since he's done so much for us. Then Algra's waiting for you in the forest.”

"Is she naked?" Gregory's eyebrows perked up. Janette smacked his bare chest with the palm of her hand.

“Hey, I'm just Looking for a happy ending here," he teased.

“Right, that's it. I'm leaving you. I'm packing my bags and going off to Live with the Leprechauns." Her words might have had a bit more bite had she not been in the process of entwining her arms over his shoulders and lifting herself to kiss his cheek as she spoke.

“There are Leprechauns now?" He Looked alarmed.

Janette kept the presence of leprechauns to herself, though her laughter at his question eased his worries on the matter. Getting back a magic ring, winning fights against angry orcs, and trying not to die were proving to be quite formidable tasks. He didn't want to add finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow to his to-do list.

The girl wiggled herself out of his grip, and her Laughter melted from amused to delighted when he put up another little fight on the matter. It involved a moderate amount of tickling and the occasional stolen squeeze of her smooth, firm bum. Eventually she managed to slip away from him and cast him a reproving Look that was undermined somewhat by the way her lips quivered with a suppressed smile.

“I'm going to go back to the tent. Valise has been trying to teach me how to speak orc between my dancing Lessons with Talina. It's made me really want one of those doohickeys." She pointed to the amulet around Gregory's neck that served to translate the Language for him, and allow him to be understood by the green behemoths.

“But, at Least it keeps me occupied."

“I thought you hated that sort of thing. I remember you could barely stay awake in French class."

“Yeah, well, it beats worrying about you all the time, you big dope. Besides, when am I ever gonna go to France?" She cast him one last little smile before turning around to take her leave.

Gregory waited a beat before calling out to her again. "Hey, Jan?"

"Him?" She cast a look at him over her shoulder.

“Thanks for the help.” That brought the smile back, all the brighter on her red lips. "Any time!"

With that, she disappeared back into the bustling area of the camp.