Firelight breathes between the trees, warming the little pocket of camp while the trail drops away into darkness beyond. The group stays close, shoulders loosening by degrees now that the truth is out.
Remedy
We have food, maps, and a mistake to clean up.
Zara
I can keep the checklist straight, if we are still pretending this is a normal trip.
Gerard
Normal is gone. Efficient is still possible.
Tanner
I, uh, brought the extra cord and the charge pack. I can set them out.
Tanner kneels by the supplies, busying his hands. Chuck leans against a tree a little apart, quiet but listening. Bruce remains near the edge of the firelight, guilt plain in every small movement.
Bruce
I do not expect trust. I can still carry, scout, or stay out of the way. Your choice.
For a moment, nobody rushes to answer. The wind moves softly through the pines, and the camp settles into a cautious, workable silence.
✓ Quest Accepted
Handle Bruce's role in the expedition
✓ Quest Accepted
Set the next move into the mountain
“"Go back to the lodge, Bruce. Don't follow us."”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Remedy keeps her voice even and the firelit clearing quiets around it. Bruce listens without interrupting, then lowers their head and nods once, as if accepting the edge of the order. The group watches to see whether they flinch or defy it.
Bruce
Understood. I will head back to the lodge.
Zara's shoulders ease a fraction, while Gerard uncrosses his arms and looks from Bruce to Remedy like the decision just found its shape. Tanner pauses with the cord in both hands, and Chuck's eyes flick briefly to his notes before returning to the fire.
Zara
That is... better than I expected.
Gerard
Good. Then we have one fewer unknown in the dark.
Bruce crouches by the pack pile and slides a folded slip from beneath the map, setting it beside Chuck's pages. The paper catches the firelight, marked with a short list of trail hazards and a time estimate for the lower approach.
Bruce
Take that. It is everything I should have led with.
Chuck
That helps. More than the lecture did.
For a beat, no one moves to stop Bruce. The camp settles into a fragile working peace, with the next stretch of mountain waiting beyond the trees.
Quest Complete
Handle Bruce's role in the expedition