Eilistraee passed her hand over the two and both awoke instantly.

"Goddammit Gator!" Sigmundurr started, then he saw Eilistraee and his eyes went wide. "Oh fuck."

Kallid just stared at the goddess.

"Sig, Kallid, this is Eilistraee. She is..."

But Eilistraee finished for her, "I am glad to meet you both. My name is Eilistraee."

"Eilistraee!" Kallid said with reverence. "You are the drow goddess!"

"I am, Kallid. But rise. You needn't fear me. I'll do you no harm."

"She saved us all," Kreet explained.

Sigmundurr turned around and saw the drow standing transfixed by the goddess. He raised his sword from the ground. "No thanks to you, you stupid kobold! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"They wouldn't have killed you, Sig."

"I know what they would have done to me, Gator. Next time, would you mind letting me make my own fucking decisions? You've got no right!"

"Sorry, Sig. I... It was all I could think of!"

"Well that bitch isn't getting away scot-free anyway," Sigmundurr declared and advanced on where the drow stood, immobile.

"Hold, human. You will not harm any of my people. It was not my wish to rouse you, in fact. You may thank your friend here for that."

Sigmundurr stopped in his tracks, as if he had just recalled who he was in the presence of.

"Now, Kreet, take your friends Outside. I wish to stay and speak with my people for a time. You will not be followed."

The three stepped across the gate threshold and into the grassy path beyond. But Sigmundurr stopped and turned back once they'd cleared the gates as they slowly began to close.

Kreet and Kallid stopped alongside him.

"That is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Sigmundurr said frankly, an odd note of wistfulness in his voice.

"It's not every day you see a goddess," Kallid agreed, then added. "Say, Kreet - you're a cleric. Have you ever actually seen Pelor?"

She shook her head. "They say his true form is just pure white light. There is some sort of hierarchy among the gods I understand, though I've never been quite clear on how it works. Eilistraee is a lesser goddess, but still a considerable one, especially among the drow. Few drow actually worship her, but none would gainsay a manifestation like that regardless! She is a force of good, which is rare among the drow gods."

"A man could lose himself to her," Sigmundur said as the gates boomed closed.

They turned around and continued down the path. There was no way of knowing where they were, what time it was, or where the path was leading - but the night was cool, the stars were bright, and no one felt like sleeping. The fireflies flickered, echoing the starlight in yellow green spots across the path.

"Funny," Kreet said, breaking the silence. "I thought you'd have some sort of lewd comment, Sig. Reverence isn't like you normally."

"She is no normal woman. Even I can see that."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd swear you had a bit of the romantic in you."

"Hey, I may be crude, but only the blind wouldn't recognize beauty. What about you, Kallid? You wanna bang a goddess?"

The kobold sputtered, "Wha? You're joking. A kobold doesn't aspire to such heights. That gets you dead, real quick! No, I'm happy with my own little goddess." He took Kreet's hand and she didn't protest.

"You're probably right, Kal," Sigmundurr agreed and hefted his sword over his shoulder. "Ultimate female beauty though... well, in drow form anyway. That's something beyond lusting for. Even for me."

A voice spoke softly behind them. "Not ultimate, human. But thank you. For you, that's pretty high praise!"

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"Eilistraee?" all three cried in unison as they spun to see the avatar of the goddess walking with them.

"You don't mind if I travel with you for a while, do you? The night is inviting and, who knows? You might have use of me still."

"You're coming with us!?" Kreet asked.

"For a time. I'm afraid I can only be with you at night. Sort of my 'thing'. But, if you don't mind... I've not spent enough time with mortals recently."

"We would be honored," Sigmundurr said, making a valiant attempt at a bow. Kallid attempted to mimic him as well. Kreet managed to stifle a chuckle at least.

"Well thank you, Sigmundurr," she said, and kissed his beard.

"Urpf" was what he said, as best can be described, and she laughed at that.

"Oh, lighten up you three. As an avatar, I'm as close to being one of you as I can be. I get a little tired of the grovelling and worshiping sometimes. Can't I just be one of you for a while?"

"It's not easy," Kreet said. "But we'll try, won't we guys?"

"I'll try!" Kallid said, about as happy has Kreet had ever seen him.

"You might catch me staring sometimes," Sigmundurr confessed. "I can only barely manage not to do so now."

The goddess shrugged. "You think I manifest like this just to be ignored? Stare away. That's the idea! Just try not to run into any trees."

"Well, if you're going to be traveling with us, maybe you can tell us where this path leads? Or even where Kreet's home is?"

"I could," she said. "But where's the fun in that? Sorry Kreet, but I'm not going to be able to help very much to get you home. Well, not to direct you anyway. The fates will have to smile on you for that. Your patron asked me to help you out of the Underdark. This is my price for that intervention. I want to walk with you for a while."

"My patron?" Kreet asked, confused.

"Oh, you know. Big white guy? Kinda bright?"

They all laughed at that. It felt weird to laugh with a goddess, but good nevertheless.

"The drow built my gate a long distance from the nearest human town. We won't reach it till the day after tomorrow, and it's a very small village. But it will be a safe trip. Once there, you can ask around to get your bearings. I suspect Sigmundurr will recognize the names and the area, even if you and Kallid do not."

"I hope so. I've been in the Underdark so long I've no idea how far I am from where I entered it," Sigmundurr said. "That must have been a month ago at least!"

"Well, if you can't tell us where we're going, at least do you know what time it is? I feel like I should be getting sleepy by now, but I'm not for some reason. How long before daybreak? Kallid's not going to like that much. Oh, Kallid! I forgot to ask! Have you ever been Outside before?" Kreet asked, turning back to her friend.

The little kobold nodded, "Oh yes. Many times. But just for a little bit. My old master used to go out hunting. Never during the day of course. But you said you had something for that, right?"

Kreet dug out her improvised sunglasses. "I have these. But they won't help much. Not until you get used to the light. But we'll travel by night mostly, so you'll have time to get used to it."

"Where will we stay during the day?"

"Well, once we reach a village, we'll stay in an inn I hope. Sigmundurr, you still have my gold, right?"

"Yup. Right here."

"You have a good plan, Kreet," Eilistraee said. "As for daybreak, the night is young. We've got hours yet. And there's a cave you can spend the day in. Don't worry, it's not part of the Underdark. But it will help Kallid, and will keep you out of trouble while I'm away. As for the sleep, I'm keeping that away now. You'll sleep all day in the cave, but I'll be sure nothing disturbs you. But the night... Ah... Isn't it glorious?"

Kreet pulled Kallid to her as they looked up at the stars.

"It is," Kallid said, but Kreet noticed he wasn't looking at them. He was looking at her, his eyes as blue as ever.

Sigmundurr wasn't either, but he looked away in embarrassment when Eilistraee caught him.

"Sorry," he said. "I can't help myself!"

"Ah, mortal man. No, you can't. I understand. Let me help you..."

And with that, her hair became even longer, forming a silver dress of sorts around herself.

"Eilistraee," he said when she was finished.

"Yes?"

"I think that's worse," he laughed.

"Oh? Sorry! I just thought my body was a bit too..."

"It is. Perfection," Sigmundurr said, but pointedly turned away.

She wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head on his massive shoulder.

"No, Sigmundurr. You said before I was the embodiment of female perfection. You were wrong about that. Female perfection is achieved when with child."

"Oh!" Kallid chirped up. "Kreet is pregnant! She's pregnant!"

Eilistraee looked at Kreet.

"No, Kallid," Kreet said to him. "I'm not pregnant. Sorry, in all the confusion, I haven't had time to tell you that. Eilistraee checked."

"Oh," Kallid said, and his eyes lost the blue glow. They walked on in silence for a while, still hand in hand, but Kreet could feel his dejection. But then he looked up at her again.

"Kreet," he said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Back there. When you put me to sleep..."

She nodded. "Yes?"

"Eilistraee woke us up, didn't she? I saw her in my dream."

"She did."

"And... she didn't have to wake me up, did she?"

"No. I asked her to."

"And you knew you weren't pregnant?"

"Yes. But wait... don't jump to conclusions, Kal."

"You wanted me to stay with you, didn't you? Even when you knew you weren't pregnant?"

They walked on a way, Kreet looking at him and he looking at her. "Yes, Kallid. I wanted you to stay with me."

Kallid beamed, literally. She could have sworn the blue light in his eyes was as bright as the moon shining through the trees above them. Thankfully he didn't say or ask anything more about it. He just squeezed her hand.

"Slave for life," Kreet thought to herself. "I hope you're happy, you damned selfish kobold."

And yet, she was happy. She looked away from Kallid, but if her smile wasn't evidence enough of that, the blue glow in her own eyes gave it away regardless.

"It's this night," she thought. "I'll come to my senses in the daylight. But, he's so damn cute." Then she thought of something, and looked at Eilistraee. The goddess smiled and shrugged, maybe a bit guiltily.

"Well," Kreet thought. "When under the spell of a goddess, there's not a whole lot you can do but go with the flow..."