Before she went to bed last night, Priscilla had pulled back the curtains in her room to try and allow the maximum amount of sunlight to come in, even though they were surrounded by trees.
Her plan worked, a fortuitous sunbeam breaking through the canopy to slap gently against her eyelids. Priscilla had always been sensitive to light and couldn’t fall asleep if she wasn’t surrounded by complete darkness.
With a groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position, squinting at the window. The world was still filled with the dusky haze of early morning. It may not have been dawn exactly, but it was pretty damn close.
“Good morning!” Asha chirped.
Priscilla mumbled something that was almost coherent as she rolled out of bed. Her body was sore, especially her thighs, and she began to go through her normal stretch routine to help ease the pain and to give her mind enough time to shake off the cobwebs of sleep.
By the time Priscilla looked at herself in the mirror, her body felt limber and loose. She quickly combed the knots out and tied her hair up with the same green ribbon from yesterday. Her outfit was nothing impressive, being a near identical copy from yesterday’s just with a warm yellow shirt. Again, Priscilla debated about putting on the armor as well before deciding that she’d start wearing it tomorrow. She wanted to give Sulaiman one more day to get used to her before springing yet another change on him.
A knock at the door revealed one of the inn’s workers with a basin of water to wash up in and the offer to fetch breakfast, both of which Priscilla accepted gratefully. She splashed some water on her face to fully refresh herself and rinse out her mouth. Breakfast was a hearty porridge and an apple, both of which were scarfed down though Priscilla found herself already missing Bella’s cooking.
There was nothing left to do except double check her pack and go fetch Sulaiman. She didn’t know how seriously he took her words from last night, but she suspected that he had to be awake by now.
She knocked three times on his door and waited.
The sight that greeted her when he opened her door was one that had Priscilla reminding herself to not ogle her traveling companion, no matter how unfairly attractive he may be. Sulaiman’s hair had a few water droplets falling off it and he looked as if he had been in the middle of getting ready. He had trousers on, but his shirt was unlaced and had his well toned chest on unintentional display. Sulaiman’s eyes were wide as he came to an abrupt stop, as if her appearance had shocked him.
“I thought I told you we’re getting ready at dawn,” Priscilla said wryly, glancing at his bare feet rather than his unlaced shirt. She just raised both eyebrows and was fascinated to see a dark flush on his cheeks before he shut down his expression. He firmly shut the door closed in her face and she chuckled.
She only had to wait a few minutes before Sulaiman came out clad in full armor and his pack swung across his back. He didn’t acknowledge her at all as he stalked down the stairs and Priscilla rolled her eyes. Nineteen-year-olds were some of the biggest drama queens, no matter what universe they may be from.
Their ride began in silence once more, Sulaiman’s gaze never wavering from staring directly ahead of him. He didn’t seem to be in the talking mood which sucked because Priscilla definitely was. She desperately just wanted to yap away with Asha, talking about everything and nothing to pass the time, but Sulaiman would definitely want to know where she got a sentient artifact from and frankly, she didn’t have any type of answer to give him. Her best guess is that somehow the original had ties with the cult, but how that happened was anyone’s guess.
Priscilla lasted one and a half hours before watching the scenery became too mundane. She could only look at the same type of flowers for so long before they all started to blur together.
“Is this normally how you travel?” Priscilla asked, sliding a glance to her companion. “Brooding in silence the whole time?”
His eyes narrowed but he didn’t look away from ahead of him. Priscilla rolled her eyes at his stubbornness.
“If you don’t chat with me,” Priscilla said lightly with a threatening smile, “then I will start singing to stave off the boredom.”
Sulaiman remained silent for sixty seconds (Priscilla counted), so she began to hum. This body’s voice didn’t actually sound too bad, somewhere around a mezzo-soprano if she was recalling things correctly. She only helped out with the choir club for a semester because she weedled out a promise from their president to do perform some of the tavern songs from TDE in exchange for designing costumes for their winter performances. The president happily took the bargain and though she didn’t listen attentively when he chatted her ear off, some of the choir knowledge did work its way into her brain because she was around it so much.
Priscilla may never be a professional singer, but it seemed she could at least carry a tune, and the only song that was coming to mind that might not make her cough up blood was those very same tavern tunes she forced the choir into singing, and were incidentally one of the few things that annoyed Sulaiman with a burning passion. She tapped out the beat with her finger and took a deep breath.
“Oh, you can search far and wide for many a year,” Priscilla sang, just loud enough to carry to Sulaiman but not disturb the wildlife, “and you’ll never find a lass quite like Dinah! Oh, she’s quick on her feet to give you a beer, but that bitter taste can’t compare to her sweet v–”
“We just talk as we ride,” Sulaiman said stiffly, cutting her off before she could get to the dirty part of the chorus.
“Is there anything in particular you’d care to talk about?” Priscilla asked, trying to not smile like the cat who caught the canary to come out and play.
He glared at her for a long moment but sighed and spoke when Priscilla took another deep breath to pick up where she left off.
“Where’d you get that dagger from?” Sulaiman asked, throwing Priscilla off with the unexpected question. She turned to look down at the dagger the mother had given her, having forgotten about it once she adjusted to its weight.
“Mistress Thornewood said something about a woman traveling alone will face danger and gave it to me before I left.”
Sulaiman eyed it with suspicion. “Do you even know how to use that?”
“Stab the pointy end in your enemies,” Priscilla said confidently and let out a peal of laughter at the outraged face Sulaiman gave her.
“You shouldn’t keep weapons you don’t know how to use on your person,” he said stiffly. “You put yourself and others in danger if you use it improperly.”
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That was a good point and echoed the sentiment of some of her MMA teacher’s lessons about not trying out new techniques in the midst of battle.
“You’re right,” Priscilla said and ignored the shock in his eyes at that admission. “How are you supposed to use a dagger?”
It took a moment for Sulaiman to recover from his shock to realize she asked him a question.
“Are you using it for defensive purposes or offensive?”
“Both probably.”
“You really shouldn’t try to use it offensively until you’ve handled it enough that you won’t stab yourself just by holding it,” Sulaiman said, his voice full of judgment, “but if you do decide to make the dumb decision to do so, then focus on keeping the blade pointed away from your body. If you want to keep the blade functional, don’t try to stab anyone because it could get caught on bone and it will require you to commit enough power behind the strike to get through flesh and muscle; novices tend to overextend themselves and get punished quickly by their opponents.”
Priscilla tried to keep the smile off her face as she listened to his lecture because it reminded her of all the times Sulaiman tried to hammer in the importance of safety into the party, but she didn’t quite succeed and he caught it, gaze narrowing again.
“It isn’t a laughing matter,” Sulaiman said. “If you act like a fool around a blade, you’ll end up dead.”
“I know, I know.”
Sulaiman glared at her.
“Really, I do get it,” Priscilla said, “and I am taking you seriously, though it may not seem like it. I didn’t bring this dagger to play around with, it was thrust upon me and I do appreciate you taking the time to give me some tips on how not to gut myself.”
That seemed to take some of the angry wind out of his sails.
Sulaiman looked away, frowning and falling into silence again.
Priscilla really did try to accept that he seemed to be done talking but after five minutes of complete silence, she broke again.
“If you keep frowning so hard,” Priscilla said, “your face will get stuck like that.”
Sulaiman gave her a look that told her just what he thought about that.
“That’s not how that works,” he said derisively.
“So you say,” Priscilla said, “but have you ever seen those really old men that have a frown permanently etched into their eyebrows?”
“You…” Sulaiman stared at her like she was some sort of exotic and repulsive creature. “Each time you open your mouth, I’m baffled by your stupidity.”
Priscilla laughed and gave him a big smile.
“I gotta keep you on your toes,” Priscilla said and Sulaiman let out a deep sigh.
The rest of the day continued like that, with Priscilla drawing Sulaiman into a conversation even if the main thing he did was insult her intelligence and poke holes in her arguments. It was toed the line of friendly banter and straight up insults but Priscilla took it in stride – just having him talk to her instead of spending the entire time in silence helped time pass by more quickly.
They arrived at the next rest station just a few minutes before dusk truly fell. This rest station was in the middle of a large clearing that was extremely busy with several wagons parked next to the inn. Priscilla admired the night’s sky as they rode up, staring at the two moons high above. The larger of the moon was called Lepta and the smaller moon was called Signa. Priscilla recalled there was a fable in this world of two sisters who had to run away from their home, fleeing to the sky so that they could never be separated again. She made a mental note to find that tale in a book sometime so she could read it to Asha.
The stable was full and the inn busy as Priscilla and Sulaiman pushed their way to the innkeeper.
“Two rooms please,” Priscilla said once she had the innkeeper’s attention.
The innkeeper checked his books and grimaced.
“We only have one available right now,” he said apologetically.
“Is there a couch in the room? And can we get an additional blanket?”
The man nodded.
“We’ll take it,” Priscilla said, paying the man before Sulaiman could get a word in edgewise. She took the room key and all but dragged Sulaiman through the crowd and up the stairs, where it was slightly less crowded.
She sighed when she felt Sulaiman’s gaze on her back.
“Don’t give me that look,” Priscilla said, “we’re not going to share a bed. I’ll sleep on the couch or the floor if the couch’s shit, though you will have to give up a pillow in return for my magnanimous sacrifice.”
She opened up their door and walked in quickly, Sulaiman following her at a more moderate pace. The room was bigger than the last one she stayed in and was in an odd L-like shape.
To Priscilla’s delight, the couch didn’t look too uncomfortable.
“You should take the bed,” Sulaiman said as he closed the door. “You paid for the room.”
“Uh-uh,” Priscilla said, waving her hand to dismiss the idea. “You’re the one who has to be in tip-top shape if we encounter any trouble on the road.”
She put her pack down on the floor and looked back to Sulaiman, who was just staring at her with confusion again, though it was more subdued than earlier.
“You do owe me a pillow though,” Priscilla said, hands on her hips, “preferably a very comfortable one. That’s non-negotiable.”
Something almost like a smile graced Sulaiman’s lips, softening his face.
“Fine,” he said, walking to the bed and tossing one in her direction. Priscilla caught it with her face and thought it was sufficiently fluffy, so she tossed it on the couch.
She identified where the nearest window was and checked her compass before Priscilla began to push the couch. It was pretty damn heavy but she managed.
“What are you doing?” Sulaiman asked.
“To wake with the sun,” Priscilla grunted as she pushed the couch the last inch she needed, “it needs to actively annoy me.”
She dusted off her hands, satisfied with the placement.
“You’re…”
“Ridiculous?” Priscilla offered with a smile. “I know. Want to go eat dinner now?”
He kept staring for half a moment longer before sighing and nodding. The dinner at this inn was adequate considering just how many people it was trying to feed. The highlight of the meal was the small slice of apple pie Priscilla snatched. It was the last available and she was so glad she was quicker than the granny who had been going for it. She gave the woman a shrug and got a glare in return.
“Stealing from your elders?” Sulaiman said in a deadpan voice. “You stoop to new lows.”
Priscilla stuck her tongue out at him. “It didn’t have her name on it, it was still fair game.”
Sulaiman rolled his eyes and they finished their meal quickly to get out of the mass of people.
“I’ll get dressed for bed over here,” Priscilla said, taking her nightgown to what she thought might be intended to be a reading nook around the L bend. Priscilla herself didn’t have any problems with being nude around others, as she did work in the fashion industry after all, but she knew that not everyone shared that some comfortability with nudity. Certainly not Sulaiman, anyhow.
“You should get dressed too,” Priscilla called out as she began to strip. She changed quickly and began a few cool down stretches as she listened to the sounds of Sulaiman rummaging through his clothes. She would not be one to initiate the whole ‘accidentally’ stumbling onto someone changing trope, no siree, not her. While she waited, she shifted her clothing around on the floor to hide her whisper to Asha, asking it to change into something less noticeable. Asha decided on a thin, almost translucent glove.
She gave him a few minutes before calling, “You done?”
“Yeah.”
Priscilla tucked her dirty clothes into the pack and hid her right hand from Sulaiman best she could. She couldn't risk talking with Asha or asking Asha to change forms from a rock to glove with him in the room, so Priscilla quickly tucked herself under the extra blanket one of the workers had brought up while they were at dinner so Sulaiman wouldn’t ask her why she was wearing a glove to bed. Her body was tired after riding all day and surrounding herself by steady warmth already had her eyelids drooping.
“I’m headed to bed now,” Priscilla said as she shifted on the couch to get comfortable, “sleep well.”
It may have been her overactive imagination and the haziness of sleep taking over that made the world fuzzy, but Priscilla thought that she may have heard Sulaiman say it back.