"It took six weeks before he taught me my first major spell." Amadeo grips a strip of cured leather, that familiar ephemeral armor forming over him.

"And look at you now." Hope smiles, nudging him gently with her bare feet, having changed out of her armor and into more comfortable clothes.

"It was hard work. But it was worth it. After all, had I not taken up wizardry, I probably wouldn't have left Misery, gone to Mysthaven and met you three numbskulls."

"Oi!" Tyrion responds, snorting a bit to hide his laughter.

"So what are our plans for tomorrow?" Anna asks, stretching with a long yawn.

"I think the best start is to head straight to my folks and see how they're faring. We can figure out the next stages of what to do after that, but I think it might be good to visit our old landlord and try to convince him of the folly in his logic." Amadeo rubs his eyes and stands, stopping when an unearthly howl echoes from outside. "She'll be out there till the sun comes. We'd best get some sleep while we can."

"How does anyone sleep with that thing out there?" Hope shudders, her tail twitching near the tip like a cat's.

"As well as they're able. You'll be safe here, I promise. No force in this world can get rid of a permanently placed Nine Sided Tower, save a stupidly powerful force of magic on an equivalent scale." Amadeo responds, patting her shoulder. "I've dealt with that sound for so long that it's practically a lullaby to me." He grabs a log from a firewood stack, setting it on the embers and watching it slowly blaze with renewed vigor. "Good night, you guys."

"Good night." Comes the resounding response from the party, as they all drift off to their separate rooms. The warmth of the fireplace fills the rooms with a cozy feeling, but the ghostly cry outside invades their thoughts, producing images of undead specters rising from their graves, climbing the tower to drag the party to their doom.

The wizard shifts in his sleep, his dreams turning to his family, the strange goop that liquidized the bandits, that voice that emitted from someone it clearly didn't belong to, and settling on the evening before their encounter with Dane; that quiet moment in the middle of the night, just him and Hope...Then her face shifts, black holes staring at him with white dots that glow with demonic fury, before she screeches at him!

Amadeo wakes with a start as the door to his room reverberates with soft knocking. "Amadeo? Are you asleep?" Hope's voice calls out almost in a whisper that carries under the door.

He stumbles from his bed and opens the door with a groan, wearing a pair of short trousers that show off his strong legs. "I was. What time is it?" He looks out the window of his room, the night sky still shining down on him.

"It's only been about twenty minutes. Sorry, but we just can't get to sleep with that noise, so..." She steps aside, revealing bed rolls laid out by the fire, the table and seating pushed aside to make room.

Anna's head peeks out from under her blanket with a giggle. "It's like a slumber party!"

Tyrion chuckles, laying back and stretching out. "You are such a kid sometimes."

Amadeo can't help but to smile at the sight. He sighs, going to his pack and undoing his own bedroll, following Hope into the common room. He ays the roll out beside hers, scooting into it. "Don't tell me you're not enjoying this too, little man."

"Oh, I very much am. What's the sense in growing up if you can't be a little childish now and again?" The halfling slips beneath his blanket, Hope following suit and sighing contentedly.

"I much prefer this. Having separate rooms after almost a week in the same one feels weird to me now." The devilkin turns over, looking out the window before shivering. A lump slides over her hip, indicating her tail has wrapped around her. Something grips her hand and she nearly jumps before realizing it's connected to the wizard.

Amadeo smiles, squeezing her hand softly. "You're safe. We're all together." He closes his eyes, drifting back to sleep as easy as breathing.

Hope nods, warmth radiating through her cheeks and spreading throughout her body. Her eyes scan over Amadeo's face before she closes them, taking in the racing beat of her heart and the calming of the noises outside as sweet dreams find her. Throughout the night, they twist and turn, but their hands never part.