Dragonstone 56

Chapter 56
Our Heroes get Samurai Chick past the dead camel and back into the sanctuary, as she insists they collect her weapons and then passes out. Mayam notes that the wound is not severe, and fears poison.
Egil and Ferai head out into the canyon and find bits of demon scattered around. They muse over its size and bizare appearace, and Ferai finds an arm with what look like four claw marks in it. "It looks as if some roaring wild beast has clawed the demon's arm."
Yay, random bullshit magic! \~/
Back inside, Mayam and Arin determine that Samurai Chick is not poisoned, but exhausted as if from some heavy labor. They stitch up the wound and apply a poultice of gwynthyme, which is like Tolkien's athelas except it's minty. \~/ Alos also gets bandaged up, since it seems he was kicked by a camel.
A paragraph is devoted to the Ilsitters butchering the dead camel, and then we cut to Samurai Chick waking up to find Burel asleep in a chair by her bed. She jerks up, the sheet falling away from her, and McKiernan is sure to mention her "firm breasts." Burel reassures her that the demon is dead and her weapons are recovered. After a brief recap, Samurai Chick says she's hungry, and Burel leaves to get her breakfast. "As he rushed away she smiled and slid down under the covers; for the first time in her life she was ready to be cared for by a man."
Um . . . why? Sure, she's been training him, but she's encountered male warriors before. She's even encountered male warriors who accepted her as a peer; Egil has never said a thing against her, and neither has Delon. She's been proud and independent and unyielding, so why would she suddenly relish being tended by a man? This goes against everything we know about her background and personality.
Actually, I know exactly why she's behaving this way: McKiernan wants to pair everyone up romantically, and Burel is Samurai Chick's partner. Never mind that it makes no sense whatsoever, we're going to have romance, dammit! \~/
We jump ahead to Samurai Chick trying to explain what happened to everyone else. From her perspective, everything went red and then she was being carried away by Burel. Burel mimics the "enraged chuff" sound, and Ferai identifies it as a tiger due to her time in the circus. No conclusions are reached, and the scene ends.
Later that day, everyone except Samurai Chick and Alos emerges from the tunnel, armed and armored, in case another demon appears - you know, LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE THE FIRST TIME. No new demons are found. Burel attempts to collect the demon head, but it burns itself to ashes when he brings it into the tunnel.
Our Heroes relax for another two weeks while Samurai Chick and Alos heal. Samurai Chick is still "golden" \~/ and "yellow." \~/ We're told that some of the Ilsitters are especially sad to see their fucktoy Burel leave, but that "these last two weeks Burel had not pleasured any of those who had yet to speak their abstemious vows."
The construction of that sentence makes it look like he only fucked those who had already said their vows \~/. Also, "abstemious?" It's accurate, but it's pretty obscure.
But yeah, Burel has broken it off with all his many sex-nuns because his heart has been captured by Samurai Chick. Because that makes sense. And because a man who is accustomed to having multiple partners with no hint of commitment is going to quickly and easily discard that lifestyle for a monogamous relationship based on weapon skill.
There's some more chatter, Alos is cowardly, and they set out again.
Drinks: 6
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