Knock, Knock
Kamey knocked on the door to the guild master's office.
"What is it?" Thrall hollered with an impatient tone. His face was buried in paper work that scaled even higher than Leo's. The adventurers guild was plagued with work and not enough hands to deal with it.
Kamey didn't flinch at Thrall's irritated tone she as was already used to such responses.
"Vice guild master Sir Frost is here and needs to speak with you about a certain proposal." She replied through the door calmly and clearly.
"Sir Frost? A Proposal?" Thrall looked up from his desk and glanced at the closed door, confusion clear in his eyes. Eventually however he shook his head and replied to Kamey in a far less annoyed tone.
"Please show him in then." Frost was of high importance to the guild considering his B-rank strength and his actions during the monster stampede. Thrall had to treat him with a great deal of respect.
Kamey smiled behind the door before heading back down the stairs. Thrall meanwhile quickly moved to tidy the place up a little.
"Vice guild master." Frost showed a friendly smile and nodded towards Thrall once Kamey ushered him in.
"Sir Frost, please take a seat. How can I be of service?" Thrall had managed to clear the guest sofas as well as most of the coffee table thus allowing them to both engage in discussion.
Frost accepted Thrall's offer and sat on the sofa in a comfortable manner. Thrall then gave Kamey a glance before sitting opposite him and in response Kamey politely left to get refreshments.
"I'm here vice guild master to deliver a proposal to the adventurer's guild, something that requires the sign off of those in upper management." Frost leaned forward and spoke with a formal tone like he had with Leo. Thrall's disposition changed the moment Frost spoke in a formal tone, he donned the title of vice guild master immediately.
"Very well please explain your proposal in detail so I can give you an informed response."
"Thank you, vice guild master. First off I've already discussed the proposal with young lord and he was quite agreeable to it.
He pointed me in the direction of the guilds to seek more tangible aid." Frost then explained to Thrall about his territory, the current state, military force, future plans etc... before moving onto what help the adventurer guild could provide as well as the benefits of providing such aid.
By the end of Frost's explanation Thrall was leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed, a heavy frown on his face as he thought deeply. Kamey had returned and was standing behind him with a look of amazement.
Thrall was silent for a few minutes before letting out a deep sigh.
"There's going to be a celebratory party tomorrow night that'll have all manner of tasty foods, you and I will both get to attend it as guests of honour." As Frost described the party to the young cub his mouth began to salivate, clearly looking forward to such an event.
"The next morning however we'll head back home." A moment later his joy was replaced with a sense of loneliness. The images of the two young phoenix kin, the mighty fenrir and all other monsters he'd become friends with flashed through his eyes.
"Aroow" He let out a quiet whimper, he missed his new home. Frost also thought of home at that moment, the kids, his monsters and probably most of all, Maya.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder apparently. He hardly had any time to think about anything else but fighting over the past few days. So after finally getting a chance to remember her face he was lost in a trance and wide natural smile grew on his lips. He missed her.
The two, dungeon core and young tiger remained entwined as they both thought of home.
Eventually however they came back to reality, Frost had Kiba return to the monster stables while he entered the manor. Another discussion was sure to take place at dinner.
A servant led Frost to the dining room wherein many people were waiting. Leo, Cassandra, Douglas, Bastion, Jaina, Ryuu and Luna were all present at the grand table. The three men didn't look their best but they were no longer covered in blood and incapable of movement. A group of medical practitioners were present next the servants, keeping an eye on the high value patients.
"Frost" Douglas noticed Frost enter first and spoke his name with a gentle smile. His voice was no longer strained but he still looked rather white in the face and Frost could sense that he was still quite feeble.
"Good to see that you're all back in one piece...well mostly...sorry Bastion." Frost replied with a well meaning statement but quickly felt guilty as he remembered Bastion.
The old dwarf was sitting next to his daughter with a pair of crutches resting by his chair. His left leg was gone. The damage was beyond repair for Joseph and Gilianna's skills, so it needed to be amputated to prevent further corrosion of the body and a case of permanent pain. His arms were also badly damaged preventing him from ever wielding his axe again.
Frost saw that his arms were trembling with every movement, perhaps even using cutlery would prove to be an ordeal in the beginning. Bastion had a long road ahead of him.
"Baaaahhhhh no need for apologies, Jaina was always saying I needed to lose some weight hahahahahahahaha." Bastion replied joyfully and laughed without restraint but it was clear that he was masking his pain with humour. Ryuu, Douglas and the rest showed complicated expressions while Jaina started crying.
A sombre atmosphere filled the room before Cassandra tapped her glass with a fork, drawing everyone's attention.
"No tears tonight, this is a celebration of victory, only positive feelings should be shared." Cassandra looked at the crying Jaina with a gentle, motherly expression. The young dwarf struggled but eventually pulled herself together and presented a rather awkward smile.
"Frost please sit so we can begin." She turned that same gaze to Frost who instantly felt a warmth in his heart. He sat down at his chair which was next to Leo.
"Tonight we'll feast on delicacies and be thankful that our family and friends are still with us after all we've been through. Yes, we're hurt but we're alive and that's what matters in the end." Cassandra's voice spread through the room like an oriole, bringing joy to all those who heard it.
Douglas, Ryuu, Bastion and Frost nodded in agreement before the servants started piling in to announce grand menu.