Amelia was too concerned about Sandy to leave the inebriated woman alone in her shop. So she enlisted the help of a few of the dwarves to lug her through the portal and up to one of the guest rooms on the cottage's second floor. Amelia made sure to tuck her in, and left a note for her on the back of the door, which included directions to the WC, just in case.

After that, she wandered out to Alder's clearing, where the four were laughing and having a tremendous time, embroiled in a game Bill was running. Amelia fetched them some more drinks and snacks, and a stack of blank paper they needed. She invited Bill, Dan, and Ann to stay in the guest rooms if it got too late for them to go home, and they said they'd keep it in mind. She suspected they'd play until they collapsed, sleeping on the sofas in the game room next to Alder. It's what she'd do. So she left a pile of blankets and pillows in one of the corners, out of the way but where they could see them.

She still wanted to join the fun, but the evening's events and chat with Pancake still rattled around in her head. The confrontation with Mr. U had been more awkward than scary, really. Despite his arrogance and fancy attempts at spellcasting, she had been more worried about the shop being damaged. She was concerned about his obsession with Donald, but there wasn't much she could do about that. A conversation with both Donald and Bert confirmed that there was no practical way to 'unbond' the core, so she and he were stuck together. Donald did seem to be in a better mood after the showdown, so that was good. He had even backed off a little on the 'unleash thingy-tion' demands, even.

Amelia found herself drifting around the building as night truly fell outside. The lamps and fireplaces in the cottage kept it bright and cheery, as well as warm and dry. Unsurprisingly, though, quite a few people were still at work in the various spaces around the structure. Tyni in the kitchen, showing one of the goblins how to knead dough. Tuuka and Pint in the brewery, doing something with gauges and pipes. Scorper and Bellows carving and clanging away in the workshop. She stopped on the art floor for a while, watching Elisabet chiseling at a block of granite, a delicate rose emerging from the stone chip by chip. Onni was in a playpen on the floor nearby, happily watching a mobile hung from the roof. Lumi was just next door, working on a painting. As Amelia continued up the stairs, she heard someone singing in the music room, but she couldn't be sure who.

When she finally emerged in the lounge, it was strangely quiet. The room certainly got used on occasion, but for the moment everybody seemed engrossed in work or hobbies, so the only ones in here were herself and the birds in their nests.

It took her a moment, but she located the cubbies that Blue and Beige called home. She had to stand on a chair to reach but she lightly rapped on their doors. Both birds popped their heads out, their sashes in place like usual. Blue seemed to be chewing on something but swallowed quickly.

"Uh, just wanted to say thanks, guys! I really appreciate you guys coming to the rescue like that. Hopefully, stuff like that won't happen again, but it's nice to know I have friends. You guys need anything? Can I get you anything?"

Both birds shook their heads in the negative.

"Okay. Well, let me know if there's anything I can do for you. Oh! Um, is it okay if I keep calling you Beige and Blue? Or would you prefer your other names?"

Beige winked at her and gestured to the wood above each of their doors with her wing. Carved into the wood, in extremely elaborate script, were inscriptions that she had to squint to see properly. They read 'Blue, Amelia's other friend' and 'Beige, Amelia's friend'. Both birds looked extremely proud of the labels.

"Okay! Well, good, 'cause you are my friends. Glad you guys are here! 'Night!"

As she stepped down from her chair, both birds curtsied, heads low.

"Aww, don't do that, guys!" Amelia responded but curtsied in reply.

She settled on one of the sofas as her friends closed their doors and returned to their nests. The leather cushion whooshed as she snuggled down into the soft seat. The moon was full, so even though it was dark out, she could still see the trees down below. It was a beautiful evening, all things considered.

Her friends were all busy enjoying themselves, and at least for now, all was at peace. It was nice just to sit and think by herself, mulling over what she'd learned.

Despite what the goat had said, she didn't think any of the inhabitants of the hollow were 'ghastly' or 'awful'. As far as she knew, they all behaved and treated each other, and those around, with respect. They all seemed to be good neighbors, quiet and a bit shy. Maybe they looked ugly or scary, but lots of things were scary when they were unknown. Miss Annie looked mean but made the best battenberg and told hilarious stories of teaching industrial arts to school children. Miss Jennifer taught swimming when she was younger. Mr. Ainsley, despite his horrible hat and weird metal boots, was a complete gentleman. She thought of the goblins and dwarves toiling away happily on useful, beautiful things, happy to share their skills and knowledge with anybody who wanted to learn. It was difficult to picture them as bad.

But then again, everybody said serial killers were good neighbors, too. And the Mongols had been good at arts and crafts, and kind to their horses. So she wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

Amelia sat in the room alone, watching the trees and the twinkling stars. This was quite the conundrum. When she first came here, lonely and a little nervous, she had been so happy to meet Whisper, Beige, and Blue. And Lark and Alder. Briar. Then the boys. And so on. She'd worked in the woods, just trying to make the place better, not just for herself, but for all the inhabitants to enjoy. Then she had opened the hollows for visitors, and that had been wonderful. Everybody enjoyed the pretty wood and lovely scenery and of course the fantastic inhabitants. Where had it gone wrong?

Hmm, maybe she did have an idea about that.

"Donald? You up?"

[Placement mode available. Select a location and extend your domain.]

"What? No demands to unleash foo-tion?"

[Unnecessary. Agents Annihilation and Ruination were already unleashed. Detection range limited in mobile mode. Options limited in mobile mode.]

"Huh. Is that why you keep bugging me to place you? So you could do stuff?"

[Correct. Select a location and extend your domain.]

"Right, you said that. I don't want a 'domain'. It doesn't sound nice."

[Previous dungeon masters were not 'nice'. I am not 'nice'.]

"Okay, but history is history. We all can change. Tell you what, you work on trying to be nice, and I'll work on trying to want a domain. We'll help each other. As friends. Deal?"

[Processing.]

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Oookay."

[Proposal accepted. We shall be ... friends.]

"See, was that so hard? Now tell me a little about yourself. What's your favorite color? Type of music? Hobbies?"

----------------------------------------

If she hadn't already been having nightmares before, the conversation with Donald certainly would have given them to her. It wasn't that he liked origami and bluegrass covers of metal music, although that was a little peculiar. No, it was his descriptions of his previous 'masters'. Not nice people. And apparently really really bad bosses. The fixation with naming contracted creatures things like 'Abomination' and 'Immolation' didn't even scratch the surface. It was no wonder all her friends were so happy with a little kindness. They hadn't known much in their lifetimes.

She didn't get their complete history but learned enough to understand a few motivations. When your boss had all the power, it was hard to choose the right thing. And if you were 'contracted' (which she still wasn't clear on), you didn't even have a choice. And the previous controllers of Donald had some really egregious orders. She thought back to some of the stories Picker and Briar had mentioned when they had first camped together in Whimsy. The pictures in the book that Lark had acquired. What Pola had told them. It was no wonder that those who had taken refuge in the hollow had nowhere else to go. They'd raided, plundered, or burned just about everyplace else, and were extremely persona non grata, even if they were forced to do those nasty things.

Not that all of her friends were innocents, she was sure. But many, if not all, really did seem eager to turn a new leaf. This place was both a refuge and a retirement community of sorts. A place to lie low and try to move on.

She still wasn't entirely sure how to feel about everything, but the past was the past. Nothing she could do about that. The future, though, she could work on. Maybe rein in any bad impulses or old habits that cropped up. Try to make this a decent place. Maybe not a place of 'goodness and light', but darkness had a beauty all its own, didn't it?

With that thought, Amelia peeled herself off the sofa and made her way to bed. She had to lay on the very edge since Shock and Pancake were curled up together in a ball right in the center. But that was okay. You had to make some concessions for friends, sometimes.

----------------------------------------

"Here, drink this. Briar says it's good for head pain and 'the morning after'. I think she means hangovers, but she always wiggles her eyebrows in a funny way when she says it."

"Thanks, dear! Feel like the hammers o' Hades are a poundin' on my skull. That brandy packs a wallop, don't it?"

"Uh, I wouldn't know. I only drink a little bit at a time. Not like Briar or Pancake. Those two put it away like it was water or something."

Sandy sniffed at the steaming herbal drink but downed it in one go.

"My! It doesn't even taste bad! Minty, sorta." she declared.

Tyni brought over a heaped plate of food, hot from the stove. "You missed breakfast, Crumb. Here you go--get that in ya. Greasy, so it'll slide right down!"

Sandy eyed the plate of fried things. Everything was fried. Eggs, bacon, sausage, bread, even the mushrooms. She wiped a tear from her eye.

"Dear, that is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I love you!" she sniffled, then started tucking in.

"Hair of the dog, bunny?" asked Tuuka, a wide grin on his bearded face as he proffered a foamy mug.

"Don't mind if I do, good sir! You lads sure know how to treat a lady!"

"Go on now, Sandyska, any friend of Amelia's is a friend of ours. One of us!"

"Hear hear!" agreed Tyni.

"Knock, knock!"

"Hey Bill! Guys, come in! Breakfast? Tyni fries a mean, well, anything!" Amelia greeted the trio of gamers. They were still wearing the same clothes as yesterday and looked like they had only woken a bit ago.

"Oooh! If it isn't an imposition? That smells wonderful!" They all were eyeing Sandy's rapidly disappearing heart attack on a plate.

"Of course not, laddy! Three fried everythings, coming up! Grab some counter space!"

"I should introduce everybody! Sorry about that! Bill, Dan, Ann, you all know Sandy, right? This is Tyni, our very own chef. And that's Tuuka, our brewmaster."

Tuuka looked pleased at the title. "Ale? Brandy? Cider? I think we might have some lager as well, I'd have to check the cellar."

All three demurred. "Uh, no, thanks. Bit early for me. Maybe later?" said Bill.

"It's late somewhere, but suit yourself. More for me!" the dwarf guffawed, taking a quaff from his own flagon.

"How did the game go? Did you have fun with Alder?" asked Amelia.

"Well, we might have created a monster. We only stopped when Bill here fell asleep mid-roll. That tree was hooked. He, uh, he's actually running his own game, right now. We left our stuff for him to use." Bill and Ann nodded in agreement.

"Really? Who is he playing with?" Amelia craned her neck to look out the front window, even though she knew she couldn't see his clearing from the cottage.

"Uh, get this, squirrels and birds!" Dan pronounced.

"Yeah, makes sense. They always come by in the morning to report on the goings-on in the hollow. Not surprised he'd recruit them. Good for him!"

"He's very creative. I guess a few hundred years as a tree gives you time to daydream and think!"

"Breakfast up! Milk? Water? Juice?"

"Milk please!" "Juice!" "Water for me" "Oh my, this is scrumptious!"

Tyni and Amelia watched in joy as their four guests devoured the food. They both enjoyed seeing others enjoy themselves.

"When you guys are done eating, you're welcome to use the baths or showers. Or sauna. I'll show you to the bathhouse. This late in the morning, it'll be mostly empty, but there's always plenty of room."

"Thanks! Sorry to house crash like this. We really did just come by yesterday to ask about gaming, not to take up residence!" Bill said.

"Don't be silly! Glad to have you. We have plenty of room. Next time, don't sleep out in the game room. We have guest rooms upstairs, and in a pinch, we can find a spot for you down in the warren."

"Warren?" Dan asked, perking up. Sandy looked interested, as well.

"Oh! Tell you what, once you guys finish eating, and shower, Maisie and Monty'll be here for a tour. You can join us! If you have time?"

----------------------------------------

They were chatting on the seats in the living room, freshly scrubbed, when the two artisans arrived. After introductions, Amelia started the tour with the tower.

They spent time chatting with many of the dwarves and goblins whom they saw at their various tasks. The print shop was a huge hit with Bill and Dan, and they got engrossed in a discussion about custom character sheets and handouts. Ann spent the most time with Bellows in the smithy. Apparently, the lady was a smith herself, and the two talked shop until the others got antsy. Monty loved the smithy, of course, and joined in with Ann and Bellows. But the metal shop drew his particular attention. Maisie bonded with Elisabet over art in the studios and coo'ed and fussed with little Onni. Of course, Tyni wouldn't let them go until they'd had lunch, so it was early afternoon before they all finally made their way through the portal to Sandy's back room.

It was only about ten minutes later, however, when Sandy was back.

"Dear, I know I drank a teensy bit more than I should have, last night, but I'm pretty sure I would have remembered that! Is it your doing?" she asked Amelia.

"Um, what? The glass in the parking lot? Sorry, I was going to sweep that up, but got distracted. There was a, um, thingy, last night. No big deal, didn't want to worry you."

"Glass? No, dear. I mean the pub. Attached to my shop. Which wasn't there yesterday."

"Pub?" Amelia asked, confused.

She followed the shopkeeper back through the portal. There was a new doorway on the same wall as the portal, perpendicular to the one that led out into the shop. Sandy opened it and waved Amelia through.

Sure enough, it led into a picturesque pub. The furnishings looked identical to the lounge at the top of the tower, all black leather and dark wood. Dark was definitely the motif--dark wood paneling, dim lighting, a deep shag carpet that was somewhere between midnight blue and vanta black. An opening for a dumbwaiter was behind the bar, strangely enough, even though the building was a single floor.

"Huh. I didn't put this here." Amelia said, looking around. It was dim, but somehow still inviting. Nooks for privacy, combined with open areas for socialization. There were several dart boards, and a pile of board games on a table in the corner.

"Again, I ain't compainin'', dear. Bit darker than my taste, but I like it! Might need help manning the place, if'n it gets busy, though."

Amelia opened the front door and squinted as she stepped out into the afternoon sun. She took a look at the signboard next to the door, nodded, then came back in. On a hunch, she closed the door and looked at it with her true sight. There was a second doorknob, superimposed over the first. Carefully, she opened the door again, turning the alternate knob. This time, instead of opening onto the gravel car park in front of the shop, it looked onto an entirely different scene. She recognized the view from the top of the low mound in the woods, including the fly agaric toadstools that surrounded the base below the trilithon.

She closed the door again.

"Um, actually, I think I know some people that could help. They're a bit, uh, odd, though. Good people."

"Wonderful, dear! You have such interesting friends, but I'm sure we'll get on like a house afire!" replied Sandy cheerfully.

Amelia cleared her throat nervously. "Now, about the name ..."