May 3043

Dear Sindaraen,

I must thank you for your most gracious hospitality in allowing me to share the house you acquired at such great expense. I have indeed enjoyed my time there, and I hope that my presence has served to enliven both the atmosphere and the decor. However, I am afraid the time has come for me to bid you a regretful farewell, and to establish an independent home for myself. My household is increasing beyond the bounds I can reasonably expect you to support, and is due to be growing further in the near future, so it is best if we part ways now.

In addition, I must admit to some concern over the state of our friendship. You and I have been friends and allies through a variety of difficult and dangerous situations, and have always come through laughing, if not always victorious. Often, I think this was because of the nature of our travels—we never had a home base, nor anyone we needed to feel responsible to. It was you and I against the idiots of the world, and the idiots always lost. There was no need to worry about repercussions, because we were long gone before any could become apparent.

However, since settling in Glenzor, things have changed. I have tried to adapt my strategies to a different style of adventuring, but I've seen little sign that you are willing to do the same. If we are going to be members of a group as tightly integrated as this one has become, we must expand the circle of our personal responsibility beyond our own persons. I know that you are capable of great deeds—I have seen it often in our travels together—but feats of might are only the smallest measure of a man. I feel that your impulsive and egocentric nature, your reflexive reactions to threats and taunts, and your reluctance to adopt even the most meager of social graces have weakened your standing within the group, perhaps beyond repair.

I beg you to reconsider your arrogant and confrontational stance. Your behavior has long irritated the less tolerant members of the company, but when even I, your supposed "best friend," find myself ignored, insulted, and treated with caustic disrespect on a regular basis, I think the time has come for you to seriously examine your own actions and motivations. It comes down to a very simple concept, Sind, which seems to have eluded you—that all actions have consequences. When you treat people poorly, they will respond poorly to you. If you wish for the Company and the rest of the world to treat you with more respect, you must be willing to make some adjustments to your behavior.

You have been given many chances and many warnings. Your early personality clashes with Mikhael and Callous have been largely forgotten, and your missteps with SkinEater were criticized but forgiven. I feel that you are rapidly running out of chances, however.

This latest mishap with Simon has only frustrated me further. I have made excuses for you and vouched for your character and asked the others to be tolerant, but there is only so much I can do. No one wants to travel with a man who will turn a Polymorph Other on a party member, nor one who will ignore his current mission in order to gain revenge for a personal insult. I agree that Simon overstepped the bounds as well—and I hope to confront him about it soon—but your reaction was impulsive, exaggerated, and irresponsible. Your response when I attempted to intervene was brutal and hurtful. I find it harder and harder to justify to MYSELF why I tolerate your behavior, much less justify it to our companions.

Sindaraen, I do value your friendship. I know that you have the capacity within you to be trustworthy, honorable, and loyal. Perhaps there are reasons you don't wish to share these virtues with the company, but I can no longer pretend to understand them. If you will not change, I will no longer make allowances based on nostalgia for days past. Please accept this letter as a serious warning. Although there are perfectly practical reasons why I must move out of our shared dwelling at this time, you must know that your disrespect and inconsideration have played no small part in my decision. If indeed you will be "happy to see me gone," then I, and the rest of the Scintillating Company, will be less than sad to part ways with you when our current term of service has expired.

Most sincerely,

Lairunya Telperin