"I can never thank you enough," choked Marisa, through tears.

An old cliche, but there's not much else a grateful mother could say. Damn. With her holding the baby, I couldn't just accuse her of not being the mother to see her reaction. Why'd Jenn let her take him in the first place if she was worried? That answer was easy, at least - Jenn was a softie, and didn't want to traumatize a mother just to root out the odd chance of deceit. Time to test the waters. Hunching down in front of her, I smiled, "You can thank us by making sure he's well taken care of."

"I… of course." There was a fleeting twinge in her face, but it went so fast I couldn't tell if it was to suppress a mocking smile or because she was genuinely worried about how she could take care of the baby without her husband.

Might be worth pressing. I tucked my lips down at the corners, and brought my eyebrows together and up. "Everything alright, Marisa? Do you feel you can care for him?" I put the slightest hint of accusation into the words.

She didn't seem to pick up on it - a good sign. "I'll… try to manage," she idly stroked the baby's head while she brought her eyes down to the road in a concerned stare. It looked like all the troubles that had been plaguing her before were renewing freshly in her mind.

I quickly broke the reverie. "Try?"

She looked back up at me. "It's nothing. We'll be fine."

That line came out a bit too readily. Was she backpedaling because she was afraid of us offering more help, and wouldn't be able to get rid of us? Or was she just too polite to ask for more help from people who risked their lives for her child? Point in her favor for saying 'we'll' instead of 'I'll', at least. Odd that she said 'it's nothing' and not just 'nothing', though.

"What's nothing?" With luck, I could use this to ensure an escort home.

"I… I just…." Her stammering was nervous, maybe frightened. Did I really just get whatever this is to trip itself up? That didn't seem right, but a small bubble of triumph glided up my spine.

I stopped it. If this was an impostor, then I had to keep my face looking concerned, lest I tip it off. "Don't worry, we're here with you. Tell us your concerns."

"I… I don't want to keep bothering you, you've done so much," she took a measured inhale of breath, either to calm her nerves or to give her time to assess my reaction - of which I gave none, "but what's to stop this from happening again? They just came into my home and took him!"

Interesting. If this was an impostor, it might've just put itself in a corner. First thing first, though. "Why would anyone else want to take him, Marisa?" I'd wanted to know this from the start.

Her lip was quivering. "Why would anyone want to take him in the first place?" She got me there.

"It might just be time to invest in a better lock," Topher chimed in. A bit rude, I thought, as she might not even have enough money to buy food. Jenn thought so too, and elbowed him in the side (though he barely noticed through his armor).

The possible impostor Marisa looked down to the ground in pained embarrassment. "I… I can't afford…." She trailed off. If this was an impostor, then I'd have to admire its gall for hinting we should give it money. If it was the mother, then I could forgive the desperation.

"It's alright, Marisa. We know you're doing the best you can," I noncommittally reassured. I waited until she brought her eyes up to meet mine. Time to gauge a reaction. "Let's get you two home. Sound good?"

There was no sign of shock or fear on her face, which was a good sign. "You've done so much already. I can make my own way back. It's not far." Trying to wave us off was a bad sign, though.

"We really want to make sure this whole mess has a happy ending. It's the least we can do," I gave a slightly larger smile than I should have, "especially if it's not too far."

She eyed me. I kept the smile up - better it just seem like a quirk than to dial it back and possibly give something away. She looked to the others. I spoke for them. "We're fine with a quick detour, aren't we?" They all agreed.

"Don't worry about the state of the house, Marisa." Jenn gave a jovial smile. "You're a new mother - we'll understand if it's a bit messy." Jenn gave me a quick look, and I comprehended - the house she takes us to (if there is one) could settle things one way or another.

She still looked hesitant. If she was the mother, my oversized smile might have made it seem like we were going to rob her. If she was the impostor, she might try to use that to weasel out of the escort. I kept a pleasant disposition while she mulled it over. Eventually she gave in. "Thank you. I'll feel much safer this way."

"Let me help you up," I offered. I got her to her feet before I tried a long shot. With concern, I said, "Whoa, you're just about ready to keel over! Should we hold onto the baby until you get back?"

She tensed slightly under my hold. "No, I'm never going to let him go again. I'll be fine." She looked up at me, smiling.

I nodded. "Topher, you're strong. Why don't you help her along?"

He moved up and held an arm out for her, which she took with a smile. Together they lead the way back down the road. I moved to Kevin and Jenn. "Is there something I should know?" asked Kevin, who'd gathered I was acting weirdly.

"Just keep an eye on Marisa," whispered Jenn. "We don't want her tripping and hurting the baby. Or something ambushing us."

Kevin looked back to me and I gave a confirming nod. He moved up to join the others.

"Can an illusion spell copy smells?" Jenn looked quite serious as she asked.

I had to think about it. "Moderate level ones, probably. At least, moderate if they had to replicate smell along with looks, sound and touch. Why?"

Jenn seemed to relax. "I'm much more reasonably sure that's the mother, then." I shot up an eyebrow. She smirked. "The baby. He's not old enough to smile yet, but he definitely thinks that's his mother. Smell plays a big part in a baby's recognition of his loved ones. On the off chance it's an illusion, though…." A line of worry stretched across her face.

"It is an off chance," I said. "Anything that could cast such an illusion could probably wipe the floor with us, and wouldn't need to bother with such subterfuge."

"Oh, that's comforting," Jenn laughed. It was a good laugh - light yet full of heart. She stopped it a bit short, though. "Sorry I made you worry for nothing."

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I shook my head. "Peace of mind isn't nothing, and I'm glad you felt you could trust me with your reservations. Although, it might've been nice to know you just needed to see the baby's expressions. Would've saved me a stressful conversation."

"Had to keep all the bases covered. Nothing she said raised any alarm bells with you, did it?"

"Nothing that couldn't be explained either way. If you're satisfied, I'm satisfied. It's good that you prepared for everything, though. Taking every precaution is one of the most important lessons an adventurer needs to learn. You're ahead of the curve, Ms. First-Day-of-D&D."

She reeled into an eye roll at that. "Don't remind me. Is this stuff what you deal with all the time?"

"Well, it's a lot less harrowing when you're just rolling dice around a table, but in general, yeah."

"I bet." Her expression shifted to thoughtful. "I do feel alive, though. And like I really accomplished something."

"You did. You helped save a child from God knows what fate. I'll forgive you for having paranoia as a class feature."

She gave me a narrowed look at that, but kept smirking. "Yeah, what were you and Kevin talking about before? You were laughing up a storm."

I smiled, remembering the meme I made. "Nothing you need to worry about. Kevin and I have been friends for years. We make each other laugh, that's all."

"How'd you two meet? School?"

"No…" I had to go back a ways. "We were twelve. It was at a summer theater camp."

Jenn fell face first into dirt. I shot down to my knees to see if she was okay. She was dirtied, but laughing profusely. The others looked over at us. "Dexterity?" Topher asked.

"Don't be silly," I admonished. "She's just drunk. Back to your business."

I helped her up. Looking back towards the others, I quietly said, "There you go. If Marisa was trying to pull a fast one, she'd have hightailed it at that opening you gave."

Jenn kept laughing. "Theater camp?"

Why was she laughing? It shouldn't be that odd. My face darkened. "And what's funny about that?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She contained herself. "What about Topher?"

"I met him a year later. We ended up being friends in school. I introduced him and Kevin… back when we were eighteen or so, I think."

"Kevin didn't go to the same school?"

"No, he went to private smart-kid school." My voice had a twinge of jealousy in it, which surprised me.

We continued on. After a minute or so, Jenn gave a snicker.

"What?" I asked.

"What did you do in theater camp?"

"You just can't let that go, can you?"

She spread her arms wide into a shrug. "I'm just trying to get a more complete picture of you guys."

I rolled my eyes, the act of which caught me a glimpse of the purplish sky through the trees. What a horrible clash of colors. "Let's see… we put on the Wizard of Oz. I played Oz, and Kevin… I'm pretty sure he was king of the flying monkeys." She let out an unflattering snort in effort to keep from laughing. "…What?"

"I bet he was great as the king of the flying monkeys."

"Oh, he was." I looked at her expectantly. "Not going to say anything about me playing Oz?"

"Eh," she said. "You're too sweet to be a figure of power."

Sweet? Had I done anything particularly sweet in her presence? "I'm inclined to view that as more insult than complement. Regardless, Oz wasn't a figure of power. Not really. He was a charlatan who got trapped in a strange world. Everything he was boiled down to special effects. 'Full of sound and fury', if you will."

She went quiet. "Trapped in a strange world, huh?" she said.

"Heh. Yeah, I guess there's some interesting parallels." I looked over to her. She was pensive, probably worried. We weren't here for long before we had to save Marisa's baby. Now that she didn't have that to drive her, she was probably feeling the weight of the situation again. Good that she deals with it, but she could use some support. "For instance, we're three guys and a girl all traveling together. Should I call you Dorothy?" I'd hoped equating her to someone who got back home might lift her spirits.

She shook her head. Must not have worked. "That'd be a strange group," she said. "Dorothy, Oz, the king of the flying monkeys and… what would Topher be?"

Maybe humor would help. "The Lollipop Guild."

"What?" She burst into laughter.

Nailed it. I grinned. "The Lollipop Guild. All three munchkins, standing one on top of the other. That's totally Topher."

We kept laughing. "Wow," she said, brushing a tear from her eye. "That's just… wow."

I gave it a minute. "So," I said, "now you know more about me than you probably should." She slowly shook her head in wincing dismissal. "What about you? Any theater in your past?"

She was about to answer when Marisa turned. "It's just down this trail," she said, cheerily.

Jenn and I glanced at each other, and both of us instantly found ourselves on the same wavelength - we had lingering doubts about Marisa. "Ready?" she whispered.

"For anything," I replied.

We followed. If Marisa was leading us into an ambush, it'd be out of sight of the main road. I looked up to Kevin and Topher, who seemed to be engaged in amiable conversation with her. Jenn and I would have to keep our eyes out for all of us, it seemed. My hand slid to my longsword.

"So, Marisa," I said, "you live outside of town, huh? By yourself?"

"With my husband," she corrected, a bit testily.

"Oh? I'm sorry. Is he away?" There was some movement from behind a tree. I tensed up, but it was just a squirrel. Nice to see something familiar.

Marisa was quiet - a bad sign. Jenn whispered to me, "What are you doing?"

I whispered back, "Trying to keep her off-balance - she'll be more likely to slip-up if she's expecting some friends to—“

"He's… been away, yes," said Marisa. Why the pause? Distraction or worry?

"How long?" Another squirrel chased the first around a tree.

"A while." Vague.

"Does he know he has a son?" I kept the tone light, but realized that might have been a faux pas.

Marisa's head tilted down - that was good, either she's waiting to spring a trap but still felt the need to stay in character, or she's genuinely upset about her husband not being… damn, that was an asshole thought.

"…No," said Marisa. A third squirrel joined the others.

Jenn elbowed me. What did she expect? I was trying to see if there was deception afoot. "Let me work," I whispered angrily.

She elbowed me again. "Not that, look!" she breathed. I followed her gaze.

Dozens of squirrels were staring at us - all of them fixated. Some perched in a line on a fallen tree, others hung from trunks, still more glared with their beady black eyes from the ground, hunched over with their tails folded in a '?' shape. Knowing to look for them, I started to notice more. And more. They had surrounded us. All were completely still, melded into the forest, not even betraying a trace of breath, showing no more movement than a painting would - a giant canvas of browns, accented with glistening black eyes. I'd never seen squirrels that acted so… focused. These were waiting. These were studying. These had a common purpose that very much involved us.

I tried to keep my eyes on all of them at once. As we moved forward, I noticed the ones we'd passed started circling around, planting themselves at new vantage points ahead. "…Marisa?" I was too freaked out to care about the crack in my voice. "Do you always have a lot of squirrels around here?"

Marisa laughed - dear god, we were going to die. In a chipper voice, far removed from her gloom a moment ago, she said, "Oh, yes. My husband loves squirrels. They've always been around."

Kevin and Topher noticed them, too. "How much further to you house?" asked Kevin.

"It's right here," she said.

I didn't want to take my eyes off the rodents, but I spent a split second to look ahead. There was a small house; a log cabin in a little clearing that still fell under the forest canopy.

Marisa quickened her pace a bit - was she getting out of the firing range? I started to draw my sword - an action which made the squirrels perk up, tense. I stopped, then slowly put the sword back, removing my hand from the hilt in as careful and calm a manner as I could muster. They returned to their previous state of passive, alien watchfulness.

We had made it to the clearing, in which there weren't any squirrels. Breathing a quick sigh of relief, I turned around, and saw that they had followed us up to the tree line, standing one next to the other, surrounding the clearing in a semicircle, still watching.

What. The. Hell.

Why would they tail us (no pun intended) and just stop there? Was there some sort of barrier around the house? Did they want us to think there was some sort of barrier around the house?

I jumped at the sound of metal and wood creaking. It was Marisa opening her front door. "I don't have very many chairs, but would you like to come inside? I could… make some mint tea, if you'd like?" She stepped inside - an action which, if I read it right, immediately broke whatever spell was on the squirrels. Most darted to the nearest trees, others chased each other, still more simply turned around and wandered into the forest. None of them, however, came any closer to the house.

"I'm sure we'd be delighted," Topher spoke for us, entering, followed by Kevin.

I nearly collapsed as the tension melted from my body. "That was weird, right?" I asked Jenn.

She looked at me, confused. "Compared to what?"