Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rhys returned from the storeroom, panting heavily from lugging down a crate of what he supposed were vegetables. He was physically exhausted (not to mention mentally from his sudden interest in studying magic earlier in the day), but was determined to show it in as few ways as possible.

"Wha-wha... what happened to Nils, now?" Rhys asked, overhearing Ninian. "Is he injured? Is everyone okay?"

(( The party got canceled, so here I am! xD;; ))

Nils heard voices. His sister, calling his name in worry, Rhys, wondering, Amelia, explaining...
Slowly, his eyes opened, and he groaned. "Ngh... W-where am I...? I-I'm..." His stomach growled loudly. "... Hungry..."

"Everyone's fine? Thank goodness. Ah--"

Rhys paused for a second, thinking about what to do.

"H-hang on, I'll go make some tea, if nobody minds. And I'll go ask Merlinus about lunch, as well."

Rhys wasn't much of a cook--Oscar and Mist had always done that in ages past--but he'd gotten used to making tea, especially since he was the most susceptible to illness. He turned around and walked into the kitchen, asking Merlinus what flavors of tea were available, as well as what food was at hand for the returned adventurers.

"I don't need food, thank you," Rhys said politely. "I ate earlier when I was upstairs. Our food-gathering group is back, though--they'd really appreciate a nice, hot meal," he added, half to Blossom and half to Merlinus.

"Ah, food-gathering! And how did the trip go?" Merlinus inquired. "Did... did they perchance locate a large, blue... tent out there?"

"Actually, they did," the priest answered. "A wyvern rider by the name of Siegell appeared and dropped off the tent. The foodstuffs appear intact so far."

Merlinus clapped his hands and did a small yet merry jig.

"Ha ha! Splendid! My produce and meats, they survived! Why, I'll bet even my des--ahem--even my, er..."

Rhys peered at Merlinus. "...Desserts?"

"Oooh, me and my big mouth..." Merlinus sighed. "And I'd so hoped to save those cookies for a special occasion!"

"But this IS a special occassion! You got your pastries back, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes, you're right. Why, I bet this is cause for celebration, wouldn't you say, O Host Club President?"

Rhys grimaced. "I... don't know. Honestly, I feel like other than the influx of food, there's not much to cheer about."

The room fell into an awkward silence. The Host Club President, turning down the chance of a party?

Shastah picked up the tent and dragged it back to the mount stables behind Fefga's house, where Siegell had gone to start making sure it was warm in there. The few pegasi already there seemed to appreciate it when the wyvern rider used the tent to cover a drafty window that was stuck open, meaning that the heat from the house would eventually actually get the stables warm. He checked that the pegasi had enough to eat-- Siegell had spent many years working with Pegasus Knights in Begnion-- and patted Shastah's side, smiling up at the great wyvern.

Soon enough, he'd gotten a nice side of meat from the storage room, one of the many they had just delivered, and left it for Shastah to eat.

On his way back into the kitchen, however, he heard something that honestly shocked him a bit. "... not much to cheer about."

Siegell furrowed his brow, an expression largely concealed by his mask, and he leaned back against the door frame, crossing his arms and cocking a brow at Rhys. "Not much to cheer about? That's not the sort of talk you need to be spreading around, now! This is exactly the sort of time people need a party!" He pushed off from the wall, walking toward Rhys and smirking a bit. "People are already depressed and feeling down. Morale is in the shitter, man. Look around, how many people look like they're having a good time?" He swept his arm back toward the living room, regardless of whether anyone in the line of sight through the doorway was having a good time or not.

"Look, Rhys, I know things look bleak. But what people need right now is reassurance. They need to see that Rhys is still the same old Rhys, the president of the Host Club, and he's going to make them feel good no matter what the circumstances are. Lemme tell you something... I know I've been rough with your club lately, and all. But I had a job recently that turned my whole perspective around. Everybody deserves to be happy, man. And it's your job to make sure that happens." He grinned and winked. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Amelia's still a bit chilly, and she probably wouldn't mind sharing a chair and a mug of hot cider with you to get warm."

Rhys kept himself busy with some tea, wearing a smile (Yes, he was wearing something else besides that, you perverts)--but the smile still felt a little forced, though.

"I know some things are going right... this did work out perfectly," Rhys muttered, just to run his feelings through with someone. "But... people are dying out there. We're still trapped in here, with no idea of if or when we're going to get out. What if we're stuck here for not just days, but weeks on end? What if, even though we may live against the monsters, we just... run out of food and out of time? We may have won today, but what about tomorrow?"

Merlinus paused, frowning as he put together luncheon meats, putting together a plate of sandwiches.

"...If you think like that, then this 'King Leander' I keep hearing about has already defeated YOU," Merlinus answered, simply, putting emphasis on the last word. "You, of all people, should realize that there's no point in living if you can't feel alive."

"..."

"...Are you just depressed that you weren't there to help?" Merlinus asked.

"..."

"One thing I've learned in my travels is that help comes in other ways than the sword or the spear," Merlinus said. "I will say no more."

He turned, having perfected the plate of sandwiches, and walked back into the living room.

"Phew... sheesh, I'm not allowed to have my angsty moments, am I?"

Rhys' frown turned slightly upside down. He was clearly amused now.

"Okay, okay. My apologies. If it's one thing I hate, it's standing by while others are out risking their lives, and I've done plenty of that in my lifetime already."

Steam was rising out of the teapot.

"But... you guys have a point. Ha ha ha."

His smile had now turned genuine.

"Alright, then. So... everyone's alive, food is abundant, former enemies have turned to allies, and we're too exhausted to do any more work. That's... five reasons to celebrate. Eh, why not? Maybe it'll work!"

The teapot was whistling now, as the water was at last boiling.

"Okay, I'm better now!"

Then he noticed Amelia turning away.

"Oh, Amelia, are you cold? Hang on; I've got the tea ready, so wait a minute and I can hand you some." he said.
He actually did understand what Siegell meant by his last statement. It was strange, but somehow, Amelia's--obliviousness, or perhaps even embarrasment--made him feel less nervous.

(I forget the process of making tea. sweatdrop Can I assume it's tea when it comes out of the pot? XD
No, wait. Maybe it's...)

Rhys poured the water slowly into a set of mugs. "Yes, yes, you're right. Nils looks like he had quite a time out there. Let's see... maybe peppermint would be a good flavor... orange? I'll try peppermint, see who likes it and who doesn't..."

He walked over to Amelia and presented her with a mug.

"So tell me, what happened out there? Since everyone's all right, it sounds like those silly monsters know better than to mess with us now, yes?" he asked, fishing for a topic to coerce the girl and/or Siegell into conversation.

(I'll be off soon, but I'll be back later tonight!)

Nils remained silent, stifling a yawn. He was still tired and his body was still weaker than usual. The thought of food and the thought of people worrying about him again kept him awake, however, but not fully alert.