Much later, Rolf blinked awake and peeked out from the pillows and blankets she was buried under. The Gnome smiled at Ari before snuggling closer to the Half-Elf. “Good morning to you, Ariiiiii! Ohhh, it smells great!! What are we having today? Ice cream? A whole raw potato??? OR… MY FAVOURITE, SHOE FLAVOURED WORMS???!!”

Ari chimed in with excitement, “Those items sound delightful! We don’t have shoe flavoured worms in my city but I would love to taste them!”

“You guys eat those things for breakfast? That’s…. Fascinating. I just usually have some human souls, a pint of beer and a side of the screams of the damned. They taste delicious! You should try them, darlings.” Aey turned towards the two and joined in the conversation.

Yam and Bread and stared at the three in disgust. “Those things sound disgusting. How the hell are you guys alive?” Bread sunk deeper into Yam’s arms to show her disgust at the three’s weird taste in food. Yam fluffed Bread’s fur reassuringly and looked at the three judgmentally. She picked up the four separate plates of fish and placed them on the kitchen counters and gestured for Ari to grab the plate with the biggest fish, followed by Rolf, herself, and then Aey. Looking at the small and burnt fish on her plate with grievances, Aey called out to Yam with a wink. “C’mon love, I’m a growing Tiefling, don’t I deserve more food?” 

“Darlin’, I don’t think you need to grow any more,” Yam snapped, rolling her eyes. “You won’t fit through the damn door if you do.” She turned back to the others and sighed, stroking Bread gently as she addressed them. “Eat and then get out. I don’t want you all here another night.”

Rolf and Ari chirped in agreement and started on their fish, while Aey picked hers up and swallowed it in one bite. Yam stood up and shoved the Tiefling out the door, closing it in her face. A second later, a wail sounded from outside.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam pleasssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee,” Aey’s voice cried from the other side of the door. “Can’t we stay another night? Just one more?”

“No!” Yam hissed back. “Remember, the original plan was only one night, and now you’ve all stayed for, like, three. Get out.”

Aey wailed again, evidently just being annoying for the sake of being annoying. “Yaaaam, c’mon. Please?”

Yam snarled and flung open the door, teeth bared and ears flattened. Aey’s face lit up and before Yam could say anything, she ducked under the Tabaxi’s arm and slipped inside the house. She stood in the middle of the kitchen, arms raised to either side in triumph.

“Aha! I’ve done it,” the Tiefling announced, sounding extremely proud of herself. Ari blinked at her, eyes bright with curiosity.

“What have you done, Aey?”

“Evaded the monstrous beast and entered its domain!” Aey continued, laughing maniacally. While she was laughing, Yam grabbed her shoulders and steered her out of the house again; her laughter was audible even after the door was slammed shut. Rolf let out a squeak of amusement and Ari snorted, covering her face with a hand as Yam turned back around. She dusted off her paws and sighed in relief.

“Are you both done? Good. Get out.”

Ari shrugged and hopped down off her barstool chair, heading straight for the door. Rolf, on the other hand, hesitated, wringing out her hands and looking nervous.

“Thank you, Yam,” Ari chirped as she opened the door and stepped out. The door closed and a second later, a scream rang out, a high-pitched yell of pure terror. Yam ran for the door and wrenched it open to see Ari pressed against the wall, trembling. Her eyes were wide with fear and she was shaking like a leaf exposed to the spring breeze on a particularly windy day.

“What? What is it?” Rolf dashed out after Yam, staring around wildly. She seemed just as panicked as Ari, who had opened her mouth to scream again. Yam narrowed her eyes, trying to see what had frightened Ari so much.

And then she saw it.

Rising from the earth.

A mound of stone, climbing upwards in a steady pillar.

A pillar the height of Yam’s ankles.

“Awe, what’s that?” Aey appeared out of nowhere, swooping down and snatching up the pebble-sized stone. “Hello! What are you, little guy?”

The rock didn’t move.

“Is… she… hallucinating?” Rolf whispered in Yam’s ear as the two watched Aey croon at the stone. Both their gazes swung around to stare at Ari, who was still silently screaming.

“Nah, she’s probably still drunk,” Yam muttered back. “I dunno about Ari though.”

As they watched Aey pat the rock, staring at it happily, something unexpected happened.

The stone rose up on its own pair of gray legs. Soon after that, two pinprick eyes opened on its jagged surface and it began to bounce up and down on Aey’s palm, bobbing around in excitement. Aey let out an “aweeee!” and the rock stopped its bouncing.

“Ohhh,” Yam muttered in realisation. “Of course. A rock- well, pebble giant.”

“A what?” Ari, still trembling, hissed. Yam pointed at the rock, which had started to bounce again.

“A rock giant. An animate rock? At least Aey is interacting with something that’s actually alive, instead of fighting my frying pan.”

“...oh,” Ari replied, her fear fading as she glanced at the bouncing rock. Aey approached the group again, dancing rock in hand.

“Guys, this is Gerald McKimmon-Sanders-Johnson the Seventh, or ‘Gerald’ for short.”

“...Gerald?” Everyone chimed in simultaneously, each sounding as concerned as the next. Aey nodded and Yam stared at her blankly.

“Well… congratulations? Now go. All of you. Go.”