{-Noa-}

Maybe it was because he hadn’t spent that much time around Allyna before, but he couldn’t help feeling like something was… off about her. There was something about her actions or words that set off some kind of warning in his mind. He didn’t know what that warning was, or why he was having it, though. He had no reason to doubt her. He really didn’t want to, either, so he tried his best not to.

When they got back to the inn, everyone more or less settled back into the spots they’d been in before they left. Kaylin almost immediately went back to working on the coats, though she wasn’t as focused on it as she’d been before; she was making a conscious effort to stay a part of the conversation.

“So, I was wondering, and you seemed super annoyed before…” Allyna began. She wasn’t necessarily cautious, but more like she might’ve accepted what this might lead to. “What was Seldir talking about earlier? About how you had already gotten hurt enough for one day? You look completely fine to me. I mean, yeah, your shirt’s seen better days, but you’ve also been traveling this long…”

Rennyn sighed and, casually, revealed one of the sets of bandages he’d acquired that morning. “I went off to fight some monsters Dhymos sent out. Maybe I’ll admit to being a little too quick to go in there, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

“Barely,” Seldir corrected. “Barely something that you could handle.”

“But that means you’re admitting I could, right? Don’t see why it bothers you so much…”

Allyna frowned. “Really? You know, you didn’t want me to get hurt, but you apparently forgot that I’m the older one. I don’t want to see you hurt, either. And this definitely isn’t making me feel any better about leaving you to wander the world.”

“I’ve got fourteen other lives of experience,” Rennyn pointed out. “I know what I’m doing. I’ll know when it’s too much and when it’s time to back out. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Then stop giving us reasons to,” was Kaylin’s mumbled response. “Prove to us you’re capable of slowing down by doing it right now. Just relax and take this opportunity to recover. You’ll be thankful for it when something major does happen.”

Everyone else gave their nods of agreement, but like always, Rennyn mumbled something that likely wasn’t acceptance.

Allyna sighed. “Well, anyway, there was one other thing I wanted to ask you guys. You know how we kind of talked about what you’d done before? I… wanted to see if we could find anything about that. I feel like, if we go to the library here, we might be able to find something. It’s just a hunch but, hey, it seems like we’re all at least a little curious, so…”

Lyrei was definitely interested and Noa was almost ready to admit the same curiosity when Rennyn gave the blunt response of, “That sounds like a terrible idea.”

“They’re only going to get more interested the more you try to stop them,” Kaylin pointed out. “You need to stop fighting this. We’re all going to figure it out in one way or another. At least let it be on good terms, won’t you?”

He furiously shook his head. “People got hurt last time someone looked into stuff like that. I’m not going to risk something like that happening again.” He glared at all of them. “Do you really want something like that to happen? We can’t be sure that this is going to magically be okay. We can’t risk that.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Can’t risk… what, exactly..?” Noa dared to ask. He didn’t want to. But it was a question that was being left unanswered time and time again. “You’ve never said what happened. Just that it did and that we should avoid it…”

Seldir nodded. “Whether you like it or not, we need to talk about it. The sooner the better.”

“Dhymos found out,” Rennyn mumbled, “and he wasn’t happy about it. Where I was looking… there were people there. People that all got caught up in my own stupid decisions. I don’t know what happened in the end. All I know is that that wasn’t how things were supposed to end, but that’s how they did. I don’t want any of you, and especially those completely unrelated, caught up in this.”

“That’s admirable, but that’s not what’s going to happen here,” Kaylin said. “All of that happened because you didn’t listen to my warnings. This time is different, though. It won’t hurt to try.”

“And you can confidently say that?”

“I wouldn’t be saying it at all if I wasn’t completely sure of it.”

Allyna nodded. “I think it’s worth a try, too. Don’t you all want to possibly learn about this whole thing?”

“Oh, the curiosity’s been killing me since we met,” Lyrei remarked casually. “Besides, I literally grew up in a library. If anyone’s going to be able to find information in there, it’s me.”

Noa didn’t really know how he wanted to approach the situation, but eventually decided to nod. “Maybe we’ll find something that could help us. Or… at least give us something to do, while we wait for King Merith to be able to talk with us.”

“Exactly!” Allyna said excitedly. “I don’t have anything better to do, I doubt you have anything better to do, so it’s ultimately fine, right? Better than lying around here.”

“All of you should go,” Kaylin said. “I need to stay here and work on the coats, but that’ll help keep the rest of you occupied. It’s certainly going to be safer than whatever Rennyn is going to throw himself into if he stays with me.”

Rennyn’s frown deepened. “There’s not a way I’m going to be convincing any of you that this is definitely a bad idea, is there?”

“Do you remember what I keep telling you?” was the beginning of Kaylin’s simple response. “That only happened because you didn’t listen to me. And now, I’m telling you it’s safe to go and see what you can learn.”

He sighed. “You’re sure you’ll be alright here without me..?”

“Of course I am. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

Allyna perked up. “Does that mean what I think it does? Are we going?”

“I’m not convincing the rest of you not to go,” he remarked, “and I don’t want to leave you alone. So, yeah, I guess we’re going.”

Lyrei was already up and darting for the door. She probably would’ve left, too, if Seldir hadn’t shouted, “We still don’t know where we’re going, remember?”

With no regards to the crowd around her, she called back, “Then hurry up and figure it out! I’m not gonna wait forever!”

“I’ll go ask the innkeeper,” Allyna offered. She, too, was clearly excited to be nearly ready to go, and she went off immediately to find the innkeeper.

“As a fair warning,” Seldir remarked, his eyes still on Lyrei, “we’re probably going to be gone for a while. Once Lyrei starts researching something, it’s going to take her a while before she’s ready to take a break.”

“If that’s what it takes…” Rennyn mumbled.

Noa resolved to offer a more positive outlook, saying, “I really do think we could learn something. Maybe not about all of this, but there’s bound to be all kinds of books in a library for the capital. It’ll be a day well spent, I think.”

Rennyn didn’t seem to think so, but he likely already understood he didn’t have a say in the matter anymore. Once Allyna came back with instructions, they were on their way to the library. Despite everything Noa had said before, though… he couldn’t help but wonder if he was looking forward to what they might find, or if he dreaded it.