Zel, like the others, was quietly eating his lunch. Things were so horribly quiet now that the mood was starting to feel depressed. Perhaps it was the issue of the task they'd been given: the whole, restore the spirits or Cethin is probably going to use them to do something absolutely horrible, thing. Actually, it would be wishful thinking to say that that wasn't bothering them. Really, he'd been given hard tasks before-- this wasn't the first time, but there was so much more riding on it this time... and he'd always had magic in his arsenal before...<br/><br/>Zelgadis wasn't the most cheerful person in the world, but this wasn't the time to get depressed-- so early in their mission! Theoretically, he'd probably suck at pep talks, having never given or gotten one before, but their group needed a boost right now. And he had to face it: Ahmaht had good views but wasn't quite a master at their language, Larea was mute, and Sigrun was Sigrun, so he had to try.<br/><br/>Zel finished the last of his lunch and stood up, but he didn't start back on the trail like one might expect. Instead, he took a breath and prepared to take the plunge and try to sound optimistic. "Alright you guys," he started, "We've been given an important job to do, so I get it if some of us are feeling a bit nervous. Really though, we can't start off a mission looking so down in the dumps. No matter what doubts we may all be having this isn't the time to go crawling into a hole. We're all going to have to fight and give this mission everything we have if we want to succeed. And I mean<span style="font-style: italic">all</span>of us. A team is appointed to a mission so that each member can help out the others. Now, I'm not the best team player, but no one could take on something like this alone."<br/><br/>"Back where Sylph's forest used to be, Origin said that the four of us have strong hearts. That's not something I want to prove wrong. Now I'll modify that old proverb and say that a strong heart should be a happy heart. I think we need to revise our plan of action a bit. First: Ahmaht, you have the most entertaining stories, so while we travel you should share them to keep our spirits up. When we get to Serris Ona we'll get Sigrun a new weapon so she can fight like she's meant to. And Larea," Zel turned to look directly at the mute girl now, "As for your job, I want you to smile-- as much as possible." The stone man gave a soft smile of his own, "You have a nice smile, and it should do well to cheer the rest of us up too. In other words, I'm putting you in charge of the group's esteem; our heart and drive. Think you can handle that?" Zel gave another soft smile after he received an affirmative answer.<br/><br/>"Right," he said, turning toward the trail again. "Let's get moving. We have places to go and spirits to see."