Angie left the room ahead of everyone else. On her way out she stated “We leave first thing in the morning! I hope you all get some good rest in the meantime.” It felt wrong to wait that long, yet I understood why. It stained my skin at this point. I couldn’t, wouldn’t, push washing and getting into clean clothes off. But I wanted to get this insane trip over with as soon as possible. I doubted if even a small part of me held any hope that she was still alright. I was simply going along with everyone else's wishes, was what I told myself.

Stepping downstairs, I followed the others into the common room. It was still quiet, though a few men in working clothes were about now. Drowning themselves and the food they ate, from what it seemed.

We took a table off to the side, adjacent to the wall. One of the tapestries hung on the wall above us, and the orc caught me staring for a little too long. “Don’t recognize it?” The look he gave me told nothing of his intent with the question.

“No, I must admit, this is my first time in the city proper. At least since I was very small.” As the word left my lips, I saw the Matrin’s begin to curl in turn. “Don’t you da-”

“Alright, fine, I’ll avoid it for now. But your grace period will be short lived. I imagine we’ll be traveling together for a while.”

“Yes, you will have to get used to Q’s…delightful sense of humor.” The orc met my eyes as he said this. I could tell he had long gotten used to Q’s humor, despite what he wanted. Looking between them I couldn’t see any real tension, but they also seemed distant. Q wasn’t joking with the orc so much as he just happened to be there at the same time. Then it hit me that I didn’t see Maud across from me.

She had apparently sat down next to me, but it was eerily easy to forget she was there. She must have begun writing as soon as we sat down, as she was in the midst of some scribbling as I took her in.

“Maud, I believe our friend here has taken a particular interest in you.” Despite myself, my face flushed. Which was clearly his intention, as when I turned to face him Q’s grin was ear to ear.

“I do not. Not that she isn’t-” I was cut off yet again today.

This time it was the innkeeper coming over to ask for what we wanted to eat. The only thing that helped me identify him was his stark white apron, in contrast to the darkened working clothes the other men wore. He had made some comment about his staff not coming in until later at night, so he’d be the one to serve us. I hadn’t paid enough attention, still thinking through how I was going to explain myself. I did notice the look he gave Maud when she handed him the paper she had been writing in.

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“Gods lass, are you thinkin of feedin a cow?”

“Our friend here has been the ‘banshee wailin in the rafters’ that you have been receiving complaints for the last few days. This meal will be her first since arriving, so she needs a lot to get back up to her normal equilibrium.” The innkeeper looked towards me. Being identified quicker than I realized led me to shrink in on myself, hoping to hide away from his stare.

“Well, I can never let a guest go hungry. It will be but a moment.” He rushed off towards the bar.

Leaving me to focus back on what we were talking about before. Maud was now looking at me, which made it all the harder to speak.

“Now what were you saying about her before?” Q clearly wanted to instigate more. So much for that grace period. The orc wasn’t coming to my rescue either, leaving me to the wolf.

“I was saying, she is lovely and polite, but we just met and I’ve never been one to rush into things like this.” I could feel my face grow warmer as I spoke, but I had to meet their eyes. It would be worse otherwise.

Suddenly Q’s grin slipped away, and the look he gave me was far more serious. “Oh, I do hope you haven't actually taken a fancy to our dear Maud here.”

I decided to push my luck and try being sly myself. “Oh ho, is that some jealousy from a Matrin I see?” His face at the mentioning of the Matrin name seemed distressed more than bemused, but I pushed further. “I can promise you, you aren’t someone I would take any interest in. At least not in the regard I believe you are thinking of.” By the time I had finished my speech, he was grinning again, though it was definitely not as wide.

“You are not either, if we are being honest here.” I had not been expecting Maud to be the one to respond to me. Especially as she cut Q off right as he began to speak.

He took the comment in stride though, laughing out very suddenly.

“Oh, if I made him laugh, I must have misspoke. I mean that in no rude way, rather, I have not taken much of an interest in others in the way you are speaking.”

“Yes, it is a shame. Our dear Maud here has broken a fair few hearts on our journeys. I was hoping you wouldn’t be the next.”

“Most of those folks just want to try something different.”

“Speaking from experience, Drake? I know I’ve seen you send away as many women as Maud has. Not found your special man out here?” Drake stared down Q, who took the look with a surprising amount of stride. I know I would crumble if he turned towards me.

Before the tension was able to build to a climax, the innkeeper returned with our food. When he set my plate before me, it took a minute to take everything in. Longer than it did to eat, if I must be honest. The various greens making up the dish felt familiar. I could have named each one as they passed my lips, if I was taking my time with it. I never realized how quickly I could eat if given the opportunity. Each bite was mere seconds, and by then I was already working on my next one. It didn’t seem particularly fantastic by any means, though the innkeeper, Warren, seemed to think so. By the end of the first plate, a second was already out. It was nice, eating alongside the others. Felt more refreshing than I had expected or hoped. I just hoped this feeling was enough.