The road to the Yawning Portal was a long and chilly one, a walk that Jo was not prepared for. She shivered and stuck her hands under her armpits, leather armor offering nothing for the bite of the cold air.

Her companions, however, felt no such discomfort; Pavel seemed oblivious to the frigid air, and Sosem’s robes seemed thick enough to ward off the chill, though he was forced to pull them tight. And Cruck’aa, in his usual fashion, seemed too angry to concern himself with being cold.

Another shiver ripped up Jo’s spine; she cursed quietly and wished they hadn’t left Serena behind.

It had been a while since she’d been out this late; with how long the tournament lasted, much of the streets remained barren, the occasional City Watch or drunk straggler the only signs of life. The upright stone bricks of buildings that made up the street were dark, everyone closed up for the night, save for the occasional late-night restaurant or bar. But even those seemed nearly empty, barely any sounds of merriment emanating from their cracked doors and closed windows. It was peaceful, albeit somewhat lonely.

Jo glanced back, realizing that she had been leading their small group for some time. Pavel and Sosem still strode side by side, locked in some conversation regarding alcohol or something else; Jo hadn’t caught the topic. Cruck’aa still remained a few paces behind them, feathers puffed up, brows furrowed.

With a shake of her head, she turned back and hunched over as she walked, fighting off the urge to shiver. She wouldn’t have minded some conversation to pass the time, but she hadn’t a clue what Pavel and Sosem were discussing, each throwing terms and names about that didn’t sound like they were in Common. Even if she asked, Jo felt as though they’d continue at break-neck pace, a speed that she just wasn’t able to match at the moment. And of course, the thought of speaking with Cruck’aa made her skin crawl.

It seemed to be a lonely walk for her then, but perhaps the dullness would do her good. Though Jo had been healed, weariness seeped into her bones, and she knew that the moment she sat down, she’d pass out. Her body couldn’t handle much else.

“There he is!”

Jo leapt into the air, as a shrill shriek shattered the silence of the night; from one of the side streets, a pack of women, perhaps eight or more, came rushing out, sprinting towards them with a fervor that shouldn’t exist at night.

None of them looked older than thirty, and each appeared to be dressed in the typical tunics, pants, and skirts that were commonplace in Waterdeep fashion. Yet every single one of them displayed a measure of excitement that Jo had never seen before. Their eyes sparkled, their voices high, bodies almost shaking in what could have only been anticipation. When they shoved past Jo, she was almost thrown into the street.

They rushed Pavel and Sosem, quickly flinging away the older cleric as they mobbed Pavel. Pairs grabbed each of his arms, the rest surrounding him completely, their squeals of excitement all blending unintelligibly together. Pavel’s eyes widened – easily visible as he stood half a foot taller than them all – though from fear or confusion, Jo couldn’t tell.

“Pavel!” One of the women shrieked. “Oh Pavel, you were amazing in the tournament!”

“Yeah!” Yelled another. “The way you flung yourself onto that giant?!”

The group descended into another fit of excitement; Sosem quickly stepped over to Jo and offered her a glance.

“How did you learn to do that?” One on Pavel’s arm asked, her voice airy.

“Uh, it’s obvious he just knew!” Said another, on the opposite arm. “Because he’s a genius! Right Pavel?!”

“Such a genius!”

“And strong too!”

“So strong…”

“But handsome too! You don’t see that all the time.”

“Pavel was by far the best looking out of everyone!”

The group fell into a storm of shouting and giggling, each woman tugging at Pavel, pulling him this way and that. Confusion filled Pavel’s eyes, his mouth slightly open; each time he tried to speak, the mob of women cut him off, shrieking with excitement.

The corners of Jo’s lips twitched as she fought back a grin.

“You know,” Sosem said. “I hadn’t thought Pavel would have a fan club this fast. I mean, he did well, but this –”

“What are you doing out here anyways?” A woman behind Pavel asked. “Don’t you know how dangerous it is to walk alone at night?! You need to walk with us, we’ll keep you safe!” Everyone shrieked in agreement.

“B-but I’m not alone, and I’m armed…” Pavel finally said; his voice was drowned out by a chorus of unmistakably fake laughter.

“…this is…something else.” Sosem finished.

“I don’t think he knows what to do.” Jo replied.

“Well, would you?”

“Ah – yes!” She sputtered.

Cruck’aa suddenly popped around the group, stepping to the left of Pavel, eyes wide with fury. Jo’s heart leapt into her throat, though she couldn’t help but smile at the catastrophe to come.

“Alright!” Cruck’aa shouted; surprisingly, all the woman hanging off Pavel stopped and glared at him. “Seriously, what did any of you hope to accomplish here!? We’re trying to –”

“And what did you hope to accomplish with your performance?” A woman on Pavel’s chest said.

“Nothing, from the looks of it.” Another said.

“Worst fight I’ve ever seen.” Said a third, on Pavel’s arm.

“Just, flapped and squawked, all I saw.” Said a fourth, behind Pavel.

In typical fashion, the Aarakocra puffed up.

“What I did made sense!” He shouted. “I never once got hurt, unlike Pavel –”

“Which means he’s brave!” The one on Pavel’s chest shouted. “Unlike you, you chicken!”

“Chicken!” The group shouted in unison.

Cruck’aa’s eye twitched, and for a moment, Jo worried that she’d have to pull him away. However, to the chorus of more jeers from the women, Cruck’aa flipped on his heel and marched off. He stomped past Jo and Sosem, offering neither of them so much as a glance.

“Should we –” Sosem began.

Jo shushed him.

“Sooo Pavel,” The woman on his chest said, trailing a finger up and down his chest. “whatta say? Come hang with us? We could get something to eat? Huh? Please?”

“It’ll be fun!”

“It’s not even that late!”

“I know the perfect place!”

“And the perfect thing to do afterwards!”

“We could talk all night.”

“All night!”

Pavel kept glancing around as each of the women badgered and pleaded with him. Jo whistled and shook her head. Despite the confusion etched across Pavel’s face, it seemed that they’d have one less for dinner tonight.

In a flash, something suddenly clicked in Pavel’s mind, confusion giving way to a blinding clarity. He raised his hands and smiled a knowing smile.

“Ladies,” Pavel said, slowly extracting himself from their collective grasp and stepping back. “I appreciate all that you want, but I made a promise tonight. I can’t go back on that.”

Wails went up.

“But Paaaavel!”

“C’mon!”

“It’s just for a night!”

“You’ll be with us! All of us!”

“Please? Pretty please? It’ll be so much fun!”

“Ladies, please!” Pavel shook his head. “I already promised myself to another tonight!”

He pointed to Sosem.

The cleric’s eyes went wide; Jo stuffed her fist into her mouth, struggling to contain her laughter, as all the woman turned towards him. Their faces dropped, hopes shattered like a brick through a window.

“Um, Pavel,” One of them hesitantly said. “what…um. You promised yourself?”

“Yes, I did.” Pavel said proudly. “And I intend to repay him tonight when it’s just the two of us. Hopefully I can make up for all he did for me. It’s the least I can do!”

Sosem began to sputter as a muttering went through the women; one had even begun to cry. Jo covered her face with her hands, trying, and failing, to stifle her laughter.

“Ah, well…never mind then.” A woman from behind said, thoroughly defeated.

“Maybe you can catch me at a different time?” Pavel said. “I’d be happy to talk later.”

“Uh, right, uh…” Another said. “We should uhm…probably go then, right?” The others nodded.

“Well, if you are leaving, it was nice to meet all of you!” Pavel said.

And then he stuck out his hand for a handshake.

The laughter finally ripped its way out of Jo, her body shaking, chest aching, as she almost fell to the sidewalk. Beside her, Sosem squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head.

Her laughter only grew as Pavel managed to shake each woman’s hand, sending them off with a smile. All of them looked lost, as though their world had come crashing down around them, reality shattered by only a few words. They trudged down the street, their shoulders slumped, and left the way they came.

It took a moment for Jo to contain herself, completely out of breath, wheezing as though she’d run a mile. Beside her, Sosem stared in disbelief as Pavel walked over to them.

“Pavel, I…” Sosem began. “I just…don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before.”

“Odd way to put it.” Pavel said, resting his hands on his belt. “But I already said we’d drink, and I don’t intent to go back on that.”

“Yeah but…” Sosem slowly said. “You turned them all down! I…I’m a man of the cloth and I don’t think even I could do that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone, let alone a group of people, so smitten with someone else.”

Pavel cocked his head and frowned.

“Smitten?”

“Uh…yeah? Wasn’t it obvious?”

“I don’t think they were smitten for me.”

Abject confusion fell across Sosem’s face. He glanced at Jo, who could only offer him a shrug through her giggles.

“Well, if they weren’t smitten for you, Pavel,” Sosem said. “then what did they want?”

This time, Pavel shot his own confused glance at Sosem.

“I think that was obvious, don’t you think?”

“No!” Sosem yelled, startling Jo. “What did you think they wanted?!”

“To talk about the tournament!”

Sosem buried his face into his hands as another wave of laughter rolled over Jo, sending her toppling to the sidewalk.