Lan rolled the hairpin between his thumb and forefinger after so long trying to do what he thought was right. Something had really worked out the way he hoped it would. But it was too soon to congratulate himself. Much as he wanted to return it to his mother immediately, no one would be awake when he arrived. And he still needed to take a guild job the next day. With a promise to himself to return it the moment he got back. Lan started for the inn.

It was late enough that few people were out but not dark enough for the street to fill again. As if marching in line, Lan walked a few streets behind the lantern lighter as the man followed the last remnants of the fading sun. Just a week ago, a time like this would have made him feel the closest thing to happiness, getting to walk around in a world at a standstill, but now it left him feeling a little melancholic. Now it was only a reminder that the day was ending.

The moment Lan stepped into the inn’s hall, he was swept up in a warm light and sweet smell, and almost as if being slapped awake from a daydream, Lan felt the fatigue chased away as he passed over the threshold of the inn. Lan stood there for a moment. It wasn’t the energy of the night before. If that would happen again tonight, then it was yet to come.

All around the inn were groups of adventurers talking and laughing as they ate and drank in their own worlds. And yet the atmosphere in the hall was rich and magnetic. Like he had stepped into a fable before the first page had been turned.

‘Oh, welcome back, Lan,’ Leah stopped mid-step and smiled at him, with two trays filled with drinks and food in each hand. ‘Did you end up going on a job? She asked, looking at Lan. Although his wounds had been healed, he was covered in dirt and blood.

‘Oh no, I went… shopping,’ Lan said, making her giggle.

‘Then you’re doing it wrong.’ she smiled, and Lan wished he could engrave the image into his memory. ‘I can have some food ready for when you are done cleaning up if you want.

‘What? Oh, that would be great.’ He smiled sheepishly, hoping she didn’t notice the pause.

After getting clean and dressing in the clothes that Leah had somehow managed to get for him, Lan made his way down the stairs. Where he ran into Leah, who was carrying more trays. Forget fables. Her will and stamina were a thing of legends.

Lan felt the fatigue start to creep in his muscles just watching her before she smiled, nodded to a table, and then carried on. Stepping down the last few steps, Lan turned and was greeted with smiles by Lock and the others.

Despite the night before, Lan had secretly, in the part of his mind that even he would not acknowledge, feared that they would have ignored him. As if they had fulfilled their obligation the night before and now no longer needed to deal with him. Clearly, he had worried about nothing.

Suddenly, Lan’s face reddened, but it wasn’t because of his thoughts. Lan felt his skin heat as his eyes fell on Olivia, and the beautiful Mage gave him a sweet smile and patted the seat next to her, where a plate of food sat waiting for him.

‘So it looks like you plan on sticking around.’ Sora said, grinning as Lan sat down.

‘Looks like it.’ Lan tried to smile back, finding it hard as Olivia beamed at him.

‘How was your day? Any good hunts?’ Lan asked, trying to not look at her.

‘It was great.’ Sora grinned at Vulk, who just grumbled.

‘I take it Vulk won.’ Lan smiled, guessing he wouldn’t get any more levels in poison resist that night. Vulk grumbled as a heavy breeze buffeted the windows. Which was odd as it hadn’t even been windy when he was outside.

‘More importantly, I lost.’ Olivia smiled triumphantly. ‘That means I am buying.’ she looked around, getting a few winces.

‘What’s wrong? You look a little on edge.’ Vasha asked, leaning over the table to look at Lan’s face.

‘Do I?’ Lan looked away. Before sighing and turning to Olivia, although he didn’t want to bring this up, there was also no way he couldn’t. ‘Can I have a word in private?’ He asked the golden-haired Mage.

‘Oh? Whatever it is, I am sure that you can say it in front of everyone,’ She said with all the sweetness that one person could manage, which only made the others more curious.

‘Right… uh, thanks for paying for my room.’ Lan said eventually.

‘Oh, you’re welcome,’ Olivia smiled, although Lan couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew where he was going and was only waiting for him to get there. While he tried to think of the best way to put the question.

‘Last night… We… no, that’s not right. Wait, the mark…’ Lan went on, realising there really was no winning. Either nothing had happened, and he was about to make himself look like a fool. Or something did, and he had forgotten, which alone should be punishable by death.

‘What are you getting at, Lan?’ Vulk Asked, and Lan found himself explaining about the Lover’s kiss mark.

The whole time the gathered adventurers listened without a word or expression. They were so quiet, in fact, that they drew the attention of those sitting at other tables who started to listen in. When Lan finished, there was a moment of stillness.

Then, like a rolling Storm, Vulk broke into booming laughter.

‘All day! All Light’s damn day. You walked around with a pair of glowing lips on your face!’ he slammed the table, drawing more attention to them. ‘You must have looked a right tit!’

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Sora fell out of his chair, and Vasha had tears in her eyes as she squeezed her hands together to stay calm.

Drevin tried to hide his chuckling, and Lock wouldn’t look Lan’s way, while Cassandra seemed far more interested in her drink. All while Olivia vibrated in her seat.

‘Somehow!…’ Vulk sucked in air before he passed out. ‘Somehow, even with all that, you manage to scare off three cutpurses. When you couldn’t even see straight!’ Vulk pounded his fist over the other as the tables around exploded in laughter.

Lock squeezed his eyes shut, and Drevin got up and walked away. Lan didn’t really think it was that funny, and just as he started to sink in his chair, Vulk appeared before him and slapped him on the back.

‘Oh Lan, I haven't laughed like that in years. Thank you,’ He chuckled, and Lan could swear he heard thunder again, but it was coming from outside this time. That was odd. There hadn’t been a single cloud in the sky. ‘Well done, Olivia. I would have just drawn things on his face.’ The red-haired dwarf laughed again.

‘I don’t know what you are talking about,’ Olivia sat up straight and stuck out her chest. ‘It was only a good luck charm. Right, Lan?’ she said to Lan before sticking her tongue out at Vulk.

‘If nothing else, it is a good reminder to check my tome more.’

‘Ah, you would learn that anyway,’ Vulk said, slapping him on the back again, driving Lan’s solar plexus into the table. ‘More importantly. You’re behind.’ He said, leaning in close to Lan and setting a mug on the table.

Looking into the mug, Lan found a dark red liquid. Wine and not beer? Lan thought as he picked up the mug and drank. One gulp and his jaw squeezed like a vice from the tautness of the wine.

‘Light and Stars,’ he said as a shiver ran up his spine.

‘It’s cheap and unpleasant,’ the beautiful Mage said, swirling the contents of a wine glass that wasn’t there a moment ago as she looked dispassionately at its contents. ‘But you’ll get used to it,’ Olivia said to him. ‘That is unless you are a certain dwarf.’ she added, looking over to the sour-faced Vulk.

So this was what vengeance looked like. Although it had only been one, Olivia had been unlucky enough to have lost a round the night before. Knowing how it had affected him, Lan didn’t even want to think about what she would have felt.

‘Speaking of which… drink!’ Olivia cried, and Drevin, who was away from the table near enough, dove over it to grab his mug.

With a fear reflex Lan didn’t know he had, he clamped the mug to his face and started to pull. As he did, every gulp made the sour wine slowly sweeter until it was like drinking liquid sugar mixed with cherries. Vasha was the first to finish, slamming her mug on the table and letting out a…

‘Woohoo,’ as she shot her hands into the air. Olivia finished next, followed by Drevin, Lock and Lan, and by the time Sora finished, Vulk had the last few gulps of his second mug left.

‘Light damn it.’ the red-haired dwarf shouted, slamming his mug and rubbing his jaw. ‘ah! This isn’t fair. You know dwarfs can’t stand sour things.’ Lan didn’t know that, but from the looks of it, it really did seem like a biological thing.

Even still, Lan couldn’t really bring himself to care, knowing that if he ever had to drink the Forget me not again, it would be like the first time. Vulk shrunk down until his head was in line with his shoulders and grumbled.

‘Oh, and it’s never been a problem that you have a higher tolerance for alcohol.’ Olivia asked.

‘and a big mouth.’ Drevin added.

‘Uh, fine, just do your worst, you witch.’ He huffed.

With more glee than someone who had just been called a witch should have. Olivia reached into the air, the space in front of her rippling as her hand vanished. A moment later, she drew her hand back, holding a crystalline blue bottle covered in icicles and frost that spread over the table as she sat it down.

‘You can’t be serious,’ Vulk looked around for support. ‘At least with the Forget Me Not, the bottle itself wasn’t dangerous. This is just an ice potion.’ Vulk tried reasoning. ‘I mean, look, it’s frozen to the damn table.

‘I have to say, he is not wrong, Olivia. Is this really safe?’ Lock shrugged, making Olivia huff.

‘Of course, I wouldn’t give you all something dangerous. Well, not too dangerous anyway. This is called Everwinter, which is very expensive, so you should be glad I am sharing it with you.’ The Mage pouted.

‘Well, didn’t you say that your Forget Me Not had magic in it as well,’ Drevin half shrugged, which was enough to make the others agree, much to the evident dismay of Vulk.

At that, Olivia broke the bottle from the table, unstopped it and poured the blue liquid that frosted the glass as it filled.

With one more look around the table as if to say, “You all did this to me, you could have stopped it, but you didn’t, and now my death is on your hands.” The wiry-haired dwarf picked up the shot glass and, with the determination of a man who had looked in the eyes of death and found it wanting, downed the shot.

Not even a moment later, his eyes shot open as his hands clamped to his temples, his beard freezing as his breath came out in a torrent of snow. A gust that seemed like it would not end as Vulk shook, shivered, and fell out of his chair. A moment later, the ice on Vulk’s face melted, and all that was left was the Mage's uproarious and completely self-satisfied giggles.

‘What the light was that?’ Sora asked as Vulk coughed out the last of the snow.

‘It’s just as I said, Everwinter.’ Olivia said, leaning on her arm. ‘It’s a magic liquor meant to embody winter. One of thirteen mage liquors, by the way.’ Olivia winked at Lan.

‘I thought that was the end of me.’ Vulk grabbed Lan’s shoulder to steady himself, which was a worrying thought as there was no way that Lan could stop the inevitable if the dwarf started to fall.

‘Oh, don’t be like that, although it is made for Mages and is quite pleasant for us. For non-mages, it just feels like having a blizzard in your head.’ Olivia grinned.

‘I have never felt my brain feel like that before.’

‘Hmm, we call it brain freeze, and it serves you right.’ Olivia narrowed her eyes. ‘It gets worse with each shot.’ Although the last comment seemed to be meant for Vulk, the mood around the table changed. As Lan looked around, he found determined looks.

‘This is the first time Olivia has been mad enough to bring a special drink after losing.’ Lock explained, seeing Lan's confused look.

‘Yeah, there is no way that it doesn’t get worse. We just have to make sure Vulk loses every time.’ Sora whispered, getting a nod from the rest, including Lan.

By the time Olivia called for all of them to drink, the inn had started to pick up, just enough that the chatter began to bleed into one other. The day that seemed like it would never end now looked like another great night, if not a wholly forgotten one. When someone patted Lan on the shoulder.

Turning, he found a worried-looking Leah.

‘Lan, there is a woman here to see you.’ She said, looking toward the doors. Confused, Lan followed her eyes and felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach as his eyes landed on Eliza.

She was wearing a different dress than earlier, this one a dark blue, as she stood looking around at the inn’s patrons like they were wild animals, which only drew more attention to her, those around wondering why she was acting that way as she clutched a bundle of papers to her chest.

‘Why… why now.’ Lan thought as the colour in the room seemed to drain around her.

‘If you had someone waiting for you, then you shouldn’t have stayed out drinking.’ Leah said, sounding a little disapproving.

‘Is that your lover?’ Olivia asked, in a serious tone, for the first time since meeting her.

‘Was.’ Lan breathed.