Twilight rapped softly on the door.  "Come J'layah, it is time."  The
muffled groan from within brought a smile to her lips.  This young pup
had much to learn - least of all the art of carousing (and dealing with
the inevitable hangover the following morning).  "I shall await you
downstairs."

J'layah waited for the pounding in her skull to abate before standing
up.  She stumbled over to her clothing and armour and began dressing - a
difficult task given her current condition.  She splashed a little water
from the pitcher over her head, hoping to clear it a little, rinsed her
mouth out in a vain effort get rid of the foul taste, then cast a quick
glance over the room to ensure she hadn't left anything behind.  

She hobbled downstairs (gods, even her *feet* hurt!), trying to recall
whether she'd made a fool of herself last night.  Mercifully, any
memories of the previous evening eluded her, and she found the others
breaking their fast in the common room.  Balefire was eating with great
gusto, and he roared a boisterous welcome.  "Ho J'layah! Come join us in
this fine repast!"  He gestured at the table, groaning under the weight
of freshly baked breads and pastries, cheeses, fruit and a variety of
steaming beverages.  Her stomach turned at the thought of food, and the
colour drained from her face.  "Uh, no thank you.  I am feeling somewhat
'fragile' today."  How did he *do* it?  Last night, she had seen him
down enough ale to fell an ox, and here he was the following morning -
shovelling food down his maw as though he hadn't eaten for a week!  

She sat next to Mea, who was nibbling daintily on a piece of
honey-smothered bread. She  still found it difficult to believe a woman
of her beauty and grace could be such a ruthless, efficient killer.  Mea
paused mid-bite and leaned over to whisper - not unkindly, "your boots
are on the wrong feet" before resuming her meal.  J'layah groaned
inwardly and tried to remove them without seeming too obvious. This was
not a good omen.  Here she sat, about to embark on a dangerous quest -
one which required her to be in possession of all her faculties, and she
couldn't even dress for the occasion!  A rosy blush crept up her cheeks
and in an attempt to hide her embarrassment from the others she looked
down, pretending to examine Balefire's ring where it hung from a leather
thong around her neck, glowing softly.  It was beginning to feel very,
very heavy.

When she felt her cheeks cool sufficiently she looked up at her
companions, her gaze carefully avoiding the platters of food on the
table.  "Does anyone know of a good cure for er......overindulgence of
the alcoholic variety?"  Tabanallis, sitting opposite her, bit into a
pastry and its custard filling shot across the table, landing on her
plate with a sickening "squelch".  J'layah's skin took on a greenish
cast. "Preferrably a fast-acting cure!"