The next afternoon, Fritz woke up late. The late sun's light seeped in through the open windows of their room. Breathing in deeply the fresh air, he stretched before getting out of bed. Neva was sitting alone at the table, looking over a map. Looking around he noticed that Ada and Marcelle were missing.
"They left a bit earlier. Marcelle went out looking for alchemical supplies. Ada is looking for spare clothes." Fritz grimaced, slightly as he rubbed his red eyes.
"I should probably apologize again later. Using project SKUNK was a bad idea. Hopefully she's in a better mood today."
"She seems A lot better. She rushed out of the door in the morning."
"I wish she would stop using me like a giant teddy bear."
"Me too." Neva's eyes were deadly serious.
Feeling awkward, Fritz quickly changed the topic to something else. Chatting while looking over the map, plotting their course. Eventually, A knock came at the door of their room. An unfamiliar voice called out to them.
"Miss Neva?"
"Yes, what is it?" Neva asked back. She motioned for Fritz to stay still, as she approached the door. Her hand rested on her sword ready for anything.
"We've got a new wine that we would like you to try. It's no extra charge. It's on the house, as thanks for your patronage."
"That's kind of you. Could you leave it outside? I'll get it in a moment."
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"Of course. Please let us know how it tastes." The voice replied.
Neva and Fritz looked towards each other. Neva simply shrugged as she stood up.
"Must be because we took the bridal suite." Neva replied. She leaned into the door, pressing a furry ear to wood. She waited for the retreating sound of footsteps of the staff to disappear. Once satisfied, she opened the door and grabbed a wooden tray. Neva quickly shut the door, and brought the tray inside. A bottle of wine and four wooden cups were on the tray. Neva grabbed the cork and ripped it out. Sniffing the bottle, she frowned.
"My sense of smell still isn't the same. It's hard to tell if anything is off with it." Neva said.
"Sorry. Never again. Trust me. I'll make you some cigars later." Neva looked confused. "It's a type of tobacco. I think you'll like it."
"And firewater."
"Done, but not now."
"The wine's probably fine." Neva muttered. Shrugging, She poured herself a cup of wine.
"Give me some too. I'm thirsty." Fritz said as he grabbed a cup. Ada graciously poured him some.
The wine was rich with a faint bitter aftertaste. The crimson liquid was refreshing, in the late morning.
"Not bad. A bit bitter." Neva replied as she sipped it. "Still, I have reservations about just traveling down the river. The journey would be easier on us, but it would be the most obvious course for our pursuers to guard. Our primary objective is reaching Fehrenn. Fighting is best saved as a last resort against strong opponents. Sneaking past our enemies would be prudent."
"Agreed. But traveling on foot introduces its own risks. It will take far longer, and we may end up encountering the vampire anyways. Another encounter with the vampire lady would-. Would?" Fritz felt a wash of fatigue wash over him. His thoughts seemed to ground to a standstill. He looked over towards Neva. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked at the map. Her lips parted slightly as she took another drink of wine. Fritz looked for his train of thought as he followed suit taking another sip. The red liquid rolled over his tongue, relaxing his muscles and mind. What were they discussing again he wondered?
The world seemed to sway for a moment, as he lost the ability to keep his body upright. He fell to the floor with a plop. His eyes were closing on their own. Just before the world went dark, he heard Neva hit the ground next to him.