"You're back!" cried BBoy, from underneath a table, although it sounded a bit more like "Yur backsh!". "Whersh thuh poi?"
Ducky pointed to a dark corner, where Derby and Fquist were merging the Pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie pie topic with the War Tavern, so it would be in their larders and not uselessly laying around in a (however dark and mysterious) corner.
"Great!" cried Hesheit, exuberantly. "And while you were gone, the miscellaneous food and drinks replenished in a completely unexplained way! We can stay here for the rest of our days, baring annoying adventures."
"My thoughts exactly." said Tyf, slumped in a chair. "I've been part of enough adventures recently for a pulitzer prize award and full length animated movie. From now on, I just want to relax, and no adventures for as long as possible."
And just when the others were murmuring agreement, there was a crash, as the door exploded inwards. A mysterious figure stood in the doorway, as was usual.
"My eyes hurt!" cried the mysterious figure. There was some nervous laughter at the old running gag from the 'Taverners, and then the new arrival lifted its face..
or would have, if it had a face to lift.

Meanwhile, Ancoysnd strolled peacefully along a sunlit trail through the not-quite-so-dark-or-forbidden-forest, humming Beethoven's 10th symphony without knowing it. Today was a big day for him. Today...