“Serena.”

Serena jerked her head off the pillow, eyes fluttering open. Standing over her, silhouetted against the early morning blue, Werond grinned.

“Oh, sorry,” she said quietly. “didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s…” Serena groggily signed, pushing herself up against the pillows. “fine. You…feeling okay?”

“Yeah. I’m thirsty, but other than that, feel fine.”

“Good, that’s –” A silent yawn cut off her signs. “that’s good.”

“I didn’t need to wake you up, I would have been –”

“I wanted to check on you.”

“Right, but –”

“Werond.” Serena said firmly.

Werond grimaced.

She turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, next to Serena’s legs; Werond wore an outfit similar to yesterday, a purple tunic matched with a pair of black pants. She reached for a pair of boots next to the bed, similar to the ones she wore yesterday.

“I know, I know. You’re right, it’s good that I woke you up.” Werond said, stuffing a foot into one of the boots. “I just…hate that work wants me there before dawn. It’s always excessive. Nothing I can do.”

Serena nodded, pulling the blankets over her bare body; her underclothes did nothing against unbearable chill of the room.

Werond shivered and laced up her boot, moving to stuff the next one on.

“Listen,” she continued. “I…know taking off like this after yesterday isn’t…good. But I have to go into work today, I’ve been putting it off for way too long.” Werond kicked her boot against the bedframe and began to lace it up. “I hate it too and…I’m sorry about it. Thank you for sleeping with me though, I…didn’t know if I’d wake up next to you or…not.”

Of course she’d sleep with her, Serena wouldn’t just leave Werond after last night. She moved her hands to say as much, only to stop and keep them under the covers.

Werond turned to her, a worried look painted across her face.

“Are you…are we, uhm – okay, I guess?”

Serena stared at Werond, who sighed and scooted closer.

“That, that was a stupid question, sorry.” Werond wrung her hands. “Listen I – can we, to make it up to you, because I can’t – work is so demanding and I need to, I mean…”

Werond hung her head, her voice failing her. Words itched on Serena’s fingers, but she refrained from pulling her hands out.

With a jolt, Werond straightened back up, scooted closer, and laid a hand on Serena’s leg through the blanket, a pleading look buried deep within her amber eyes.

“The other day was shit, I know.” Werond whispered. “There isn’t an excuse for what I did, and I feel even worse having to ditch you so early in the morning. I’ll make it up to you, at dinner tonight. We can talk, have some time to ourselves…I can at least tell you my schedule, so we can start finding some time to ourselves again, just like the caravan. I just…I have to go. I’ll be back later. If I could stay away another day, I would – I swear I would Serena. But I can’t. So please, let me make it better, afterwards. You have every right to blow me off but…” She bit her lip and leaned in slightly. “is that something we can do?”

Serena stared into Werond’s eyes, feeling the anxiety the radiated off her body, feeling her own nervousness so early in the morning. She squeezed her eyes shut.

A small part of her, as loath as she was to admit it, wanted to say no. Say no, and have Werond feel what Serena felt the moment she’d walked in on her passed out form. But what would that accomplish aside from making her feel like a fool?

She opened her eyes; Werond still wore a look of concern, scooting just a bit closer to her.

“Serena?” she asked, voice small.

Frustration boiled in Serena’s chest at her own thoughts.

Hands still tucked under the sheets, Serena leaned forward and kissed Werond, softly, gently, surprising her.

Serena pulled back as suddenly as she leaned in; Werond almost came with her, staring at her with wide eyes.

Werond held her gaze for a moment, before a small, relieved smile broke across her lips. She stood up from the bed.

“T-thank you.” Werond said, voice thick. “I’ll, um…see you later.”

Serena nodded.

Werond stood for a moment, wringing her hands, before turning on her heel and walking towards the door. As she opened it to the still dark hallway, she lingered in the threshold for a moment, and turned to glance back at Serena; before she could pull a hand from out the blanket, Werond turned back around, stepped through, and shut the door quietly behind her.

Serena’s gaze lingered on the door. After a moment, she sighed, and scooted back down in the bed.

She laid her head on the pillows, letting her eyes slowly close…

A knock from the door jolted her awake.

“Miss?” Graham called from the other side.

Serena forced her eyes back open, only to squeeze them shut as the light from the balcony poured over her face.

Hadn’t she just closed her eyes?

“Miss?” Graham said again. “I do hope you’re awake. Breakfast is ready downstairs, if you’re hungry.”

Groggily, she rubbed her face with one hand, digging out the sand from her eyes; Serena reached over and rapped her knuckles twice on the nightstand.

“Oh, you are awake! Very good, I will be downstairs if you need me.”

Graham retreated from the door, his footsteps fading as he walked down the hallway and towards the stairs.

With a silent groan, Serena sat up in bed; not for the first time in her life did she wish for a spell that could force her awake. She shoved the blanket off her body, and shivered as the cool air washed over her; perhaps it was time to find something proper to sleep in, aside from just her underclothes.

As she rubbed her face, willing the sleep away, her thoughts slowly began to drift to what felt like only a moment ago. Serena sighed and glanced out balcony, staring at the buildings drenched in golden light.

She wanted to be happy that their brief conversation had ended on what felt like a positive note, yet Serena couldn’t help but feel frustration at agreeing to Werond’s request. Even in Werond’s place, with her embarrassment and pleading, Serena still felt as though she had given in to what Werond had wanted, despite not having any real discussion regarding the issue.

It was only exacerbated by the fact that their conversation had been cut so short yesterday; barely a moment after they had held one another, Werond had passed out again, whether from exhaustion or something else, Serena couldn’t tell. She only knew that she was lucky to have even gotten Werond back to bed before she had crashed onto the hardwood floor.

She had remained passed out for the rest of the day, and well into the night. It wasn’t until she’d woken up and attempted to relieve herself, Serena helping her stumble to the washroom, did Werond mention that she had work the next morning.

Serena stood up from the bed, wobbling slightly, and began to collect her discarded clothes from the nightstand, whisking the wrinkles away as she did.

Was it okay for her to be so frustrated? After all, Werond couldn’t help when she had to work, and if she had to leave, then there wasn’t anything Serena could do. That was life.

Serena frowned as she slipped on her tunic and began to button it up.

No, she had a right to be frustrated. Werond couldn’t control her schedule, but she could control how much she drank, and how much she chose to tell Serena about it. Nine Hells, what was to stop her from doing it again on the way home tonight?

She yanked on her long skirt, sinching it tight; Serena adjusted it so that it sat comfortably, then plopped back down on the bed, burying her face into her hands.

Werond wouldn’t do that. She’d waken Serena up when she didn’t have to and made sure that she’d be at dinner so they could talk. Her words felt genuine, and though Serena still felt that frustration at how quick she was to accept Werond’s pleas, perhaps it was for the best.

Serena shoved herself up; her head felt foggy, and she couldn’t bear to entertain her own thoughts any longer. She strode over to the door, opened it, and stepped into the hallway.

Despite being on the second story, the smell of freshly cooked eggs wafted over her, distracting her. Serena’s stomach rumbled as she descended the stairs, causing her to grin in embarrassment.

As she made her way through the foyer and into the living room, the faint sounds of conversation and utensils scraping on plates emanated from the kitchen. Serena glanced briefly out the windows at the front of the room, the rising sun casting a beautiful orange glow on the patio outside.

Expecting to be the last one awake, Serena was surprised to find only Pavel enjoying the spread laid out by Graham, one smaller than the morning before. A large tray of scrambled eggs dominated the center of the island, with plates of toast, still sizzling bacon, small dishes of fruit, and spreads of jams and preserves clustered around it, the fresh scents of each plate combing into a storm powerful enough to illicit another growl from Serena.

Graham, white apron pulled over his typical outfit, grinned as Serena plopped down next to Pavel, hunched over a rather large plate of naked eggs.

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“I would have woken you up earlier had I know you to be that hungry.” Graham said. Serena shook her head.

“I didn’t know either.” She began to reach for a serving spoon when she froze. “Did Werond eat anything before she left?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t let her leave without something, even if it was just toast and jam.”

Serena nodded, relieved; she wouldn’t put it past Werond to rush out of the house without eating first.

As Serena began scooping a pile of eggs onto her plate, she glanced over at Pavel, who remained hunched over his own plate, continuing to shovel eggs into his mouth. He wore his splint mail as though it was everyday wear.

Serena placed the serving spoon down and reached across the island for a jug of water. “Pavel – why – armor?” She signed with one hand, pouring herself a glass.

Pavel gulped down his own water before responding.

“Going back to the coliseum, want to get some more training in.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to.”

Serena paused; there was a hardness in Pavel’s voice, as though he was daring her to ask more. It wasn’t hostility, but neither was it polite.

“Okay.” Serena signed. “Are you going by yourself?”

“Yeah,” Pavel said, shoving more eggs down his throat; he chewed for a moment before continuing. “Jo and Cruck’aa didn’t want to go. I would have asked you, but I didn’t want to wake you or Werond after the other day.

Serena grimaced. “Oh. That makes sense. Well, did you want someone to spar with you?”

Pavel glanced up from the plate, blue eyes wide.

“You want to come with me?”

Serena shrugged. “Sure. Werond had to go to work, and I don’t really have anything to do today. Let me eat first, and then I can head over with you.”

By now, Pavel had abandoned his plate, sitting straight in his stool; he turned towards Serena, splint mail chinking softly as he leaned an arm against the edge of the island.

“Would you be using your magic?” he asked.

Serena narrowed her eyes, fork full of eggs halfway to her mouth, and nodded.

“Right, ridiculous question. Well, I ask because I’ve never sparred against magic before. I mean, I’ve fought sorcerers and wizards but…I always killed them at the end.”

“Lovely.” Serena signed with one hand.

“Yeah. I just don’t know how we’ll be able to spar together if you can’t…I dunno, weaken your magic? Or something?”

Before Serena could inform Pavel that such a feat wasn’t possible for her, Graham cleared his throat.

“Excuse the interruption, but I believe the organizers have something for that.” He said, drying his hands with a towel. “There should be some of them who can create a weak anti-magic field that you both could fight in. Wouldn’t dampen your magic all that much, but it would be enough to no longer be lethal. Though with the fire you fling…” Graham grinned. “I’m not too sure.”

Serena grinned back and shook her head; he gave her too much credit.

“Oh, and then they could use that little spell from last time to dull my sword and flail, that makes sense.” Pavel said, rubbing his chin. “That makes sense. Sounds like fun, honestly.”

“That it does. I sorely wish I could accompany both of you, but Miss Torohar has me running errands today. You both know how to get back?”

“Yup, memorized it from last time.”

“Wonderful. Well, there’s a few spare keys in the foyer. They both open the gate and the front door, so you shouldn’t have any issues getting back in. When will you be back though if I may ask?”

“Couldn’t tell you. It’ll probably depend on how we’re feeling after the first go around. Though I won’t know that until we get there.” Pavel gestured at Serena. “You finished yet?”

Serena placed her fork down. “Pavel I just sat down.”

“Just shovel it all in like I did.”

She narrowed her eyes at Pavel’s grin.

“You know, maybe I’ll get a bit more. Feeling pretty hungry this morning anyways.”

“Fantastic.”

…

Jo shut the bedroom door behind herself and frowned. It had been sometime since she’d woken up this late.

She couldn’t blame herself though; the sparring session with Pavel had proved to be rougher than she’d anticipated, her body now racked with soreness. It had been sometime since Jo had pushed herself that hard; oddly enough, the attack on the caravan hadn’t caused a fraction of the soreness she felt after one session with Pavel.

Jo glanced at the door across from her own; she was glad that she didn’t have to share a room with anyone with how much sleep she needed, especially not after the argument Cruck’aa and Pavel had had last night. The moment they’d shut their door, Cruck’aa almost exploded at Pavel. Jo could barely make out their words between two closed doors, though she had a hunch what Cruck’aa had been complaining about.

She shook her head, and pushed off the door, making her way towards the stairs.

Whatever Werond did in her free time concerned none of them. Even if they came back every night to her passed out form, it was none of Jo’s, or anyone else’s concern. Werond was free to do what she wanted. After all, it was her house.

“Doesn’t matter.” Jo mumbled to herself, expelling the thoughts from her head. She had more important issues to tackle.

Jo had nothing to do, nothing that demanded her attention, and just the thought of doing nothing scared her more than any battle ever could. The notion of a break had been beaten out of her by her old Sargent, and for better or worse, Jo still operated as though she were simply on leave. What then was she to do today, if putting her feet up wasn’t an option?

As Jo stepped off the stairs and into the foyer, the solution leapt into her mind. She scratched her chin, eyes narrowed, as it rattled around in her head, her pace through the living room slowed almost to a halt.

She shouldn’t do it alone, that much was certain. Though Jo knew that, at least for today, she’d be going nowhere that presented a threat to her, another set of eyes, another set of hands, would help immensely. Perhaps she’d ask Pavel or Cruck’aa if they’d wish to accompany her. Serena would more than likely be available as well, and more than willing to help, but that depended on what she planned on doing with Werond that morning.

Jo grinned. Serena would more than likely be too busy to help for quite some time, especially after the other day.

“Good morning miss.” Graham said from the other side of the island as Jo stepped into the kitchen, his own plate of eggs in front of him. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, pretty soundly actually.” Jo said, sitting down at the island; though they’d been left out for a while, the weak aroma of eggs elicited a growl from her stomach. And from the look of the half-finished tray, Jo wasn’t the first to dig into today’s spread. “Didn’t think I was this hungry though.”

Graham laughed, setting down his fork. “Miss Serena said much of the same actually, when she came down.”

“Oh? She get up before me?”

“Yes, her and Mr. Pavel. Though if you’re looking for them, they left for the coliseum barely half an hour ago.”

Jo scoffed as she scooped a spoonful of cold eggs onto her plate, as she remembered Pavel’s question when they were walking back. “What, is Pavel going for more training?”

“Indeed, he is.” Graham’s face scrunched in thought. “He woke up first, came in when I had barely finished the eggs. Already wearing his armor as well. Wide awake, though he looked rather grim…perhaps serious is a better word though. He didn’t seem to cheer up until Miss Serena came down and offered to join him.”

Jo nodded as she bit into a mouthful of egg; she wasn’t surprised, especially not after the caravan attack. No doubt that Pavel felt as though he was lacking. What other reason would he be so eager to train, after all his easy work from the caravan.

“I must admit, he did have me worried.” Graham said. He cocked his head at Jo. “Any idea how he’s feeling lately?”

“Nope, not a clue.” Jo said, reaching for a glass of water. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Graham nodded and looked back down towards his eggs; he studied them for a moment, before grabbing the plate and taking it to the wash basin. As he did, a pair of heavy footsteps descended the stairs, thumping through the foyer and into the living room.

Cruck’aa, eyes barely cracked and brown feathers ruffled, stalked into the kitchen, and planted himself down next to Jo. Without a word, he reached across the island, and grabbed at one of the apples that sat next to the eggs.

Jo stared at him as Cruck’aa bit into the apple and closed his eyes, looking as though his mind was somewhere else.

“Not even a ‘good morning’, huh?” She asked.

Cruck’aa grunted. Jo grinned and turned towards Graham.

“You’ll have to excuse him, he’s apparently not a morning person.”

“No problem at all,” Graham said with his back turned towards them. “I gathered as much from yesterday morning. No offense, of course.”

Cruck’aa grunted again.

“Pavel kept me up.” He croaked, taking another bite of the apple.

Jo pointed her fork at him. “He kept you up, or you kept yourself up arguing at him?”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, yes. On one hand, Pavel is at fault for keeping you up doing…whatever it is you believed him to do. On the other hand, you’re an ass for continuing to yell at Pavel well beyond the point of –”

Jo cut herself off and grinned as Cruck’aa stared a beady eye her way.

“Seems I figured out what actually happened.” Jo turned her attention towards Graham. “Hey, Graham, I think I plan on being out of the house all day today, just running some errands. Do I need to grab a key from you if I come back before anyone else?”

Graham nodded without looking back.

“Yes, there’s some spare keys hanging up in the foyer by the door. Should be at least one left. They work on both the gate and the front door. You’re welcome to borrow one.”

“Where are you going?” Cruck’aa asked, as Jo stood up and grabbed her plate. She walked around the island and placed it next to the wash basin. Graham nodded to her as she did.

“Dunno.” Jo said, walking back around towards Cruck’aa. “I figure with Pavel and Serena back out at the coliseum, I’d better start cracking at that job of ours. At least get some leads.”

Cruck’aa narrowed his eyes at Jo, then glanced over at Graham’s turned back, then glanced back at Jo. She shrugged and waved a hand; Graham wasn’t going to ask.

“If that’s the case, I’m coming with you.” Cruck’aa said, standing up from his barstool, leaving his apple unfinished. “Need to get out anyways, ceiling is making me feel…cooped up.”

“Sounds fine with me.” Jo looked at Graham. “Looks like we’re leaving then. Be back in a couple of hours.”

“Right. Have a safe trip!” Graham said, shooting a smile over his shoulder towards them. Jo nodded and turned as she and Cruck’aa made their way through the living and into the foyer.

“Did you have to say something around him?” The Aarakocra grumbled. “Last thing we need is him asking questions.”

“He’s not going to ask questions.” Jo replied, as she plucked one of the keys that hung on a pair of hooks, just to the left of the door. “Grahams got more important things to do than wonder where we go all day.”

“And how do you know that?” Cruck’aa asked, pushing the front door open. “He may very well –”

“Oh, shut up.” Jo rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to argue this right now, I’m not Pavel.”

Cruck’aa grumbled but didn’t push the issue.

The city was bustling, despite the earliness of the morning; the sidewalk in front of Werond’s house was already packed with crowds of people, some more hurried than others. The road seemed busier than usual however, as a large line of wagons meandered their way though, completely clogging the street. As Jo and Cruck’aa stepped onto the sidewalk, Jo realized that, further down the road, two wagons had crashed into each other, causing a major obstruction for the traffic behind them. The teamsters were out in the street, arguing something fierce, as the rest of the traffic slowly crawled around them.

Jo shook her head and gestured towards the scene. “How do you suppose that happens?”

“Idiots, that’s how.” Cruck’aa said. “Where are we going?”

“Left, way we came when we got here.”

Cruck’aa nodded, gesturing towards the crowds. “Lead the way then. And tell me what you plan on doing.”

“Well,” Jo said, skirting to the edge of the sidewalk. “we’re looking for a hole, right?”

“As far as I know of.” Cruck’aa said, keeping up with her.

“Right. So, from what Larion said, there’s an inn with some tunnel that leads to the outside of Waterdeep. Pretty straightforward. You know the layout of the city?”

Cruck’aa frowned. “Not in the slightest.”

“From what I know, and from what I saw, the upper front half of Waterdeep is where we want to look. The city itself is on a plateau, which juts out pretty far near the bottom of it. Pretty ingenious way to defend the place, considering you’d have to scale the cliff, then find a way to scale the walls.” Jo shook her head. “Anyways, remember when we came in from the South Gate? The cliff sort of…recedes every couple feet, before it’s right smack under the walls, going all the way towards the North Gate, where it meets the ground. Following me?”

Cruck’aa nodded as they stopped at the first intersection, waiting for the wagons to cross.

“Okay. In my head, it would be damn impossible to have a secret exit next to the cliffs that jut out. Makes more sense to me that it’d be somewhere where the cliffs are directly under the walls. But I’m not sure where that would be. Couldn’t really get much on the wagon.”

“So, we’re going to go find that section of the city?” Cruck’aa asked as they began to cross.

“Yeah. I figured we can go down one of these streets,” Jo gestured towards the road. “and see if there are any cartography shops or something similar. If we can find a map of the city, then –”

As they stepped back onto the sidewalk, Cruck’aa grabbed Jo’s arm, forcing her to halt on the edge. He frowned at her in confusion, as though she grew a second head, while Jo stared back, equally confused.

“Why would we need a map when I can just fly up and take a look myself?” He asked as though Jo was an idiot.

She frowned.

“Because you’d be the only one to see anything, and two pairs of eyes are better than one.”

“What, you’re doubting my memory?”

“I’m saying I’d like to see it too Cruck’aa.”

“Well,” he said, releasing her and stepping back onto the street. “you do that. I’ll find you after I’m done.”

Before Jo could argue, Cruck’aa swept out his brown and white wings from his back, startling the crowds around him. Without any acknowledgement, Cruck’aa leapt into the air, and with three pumps of his wings, soared high above the city.

Jo sighed as the people around her gawked and pointed at Cruck’aa’s shrinking form.

“Wonder how those Griffon Riders are going to take that.” She grumbled, before turning on her heel and resuming her walk.