Rose was many things, but patient was not one of them.
Honestly, it was no real surprise that the people of Gododdin were less than welcoming after the circumstances surrounding Sorey and Rose's arrival, but—though the two of them could tolerate the occasional guarded glance or terse exchange—neither of them were about to cough up a thousand gald to stay at the only inn in town. That, as Rose said, was murder, and she should know.
"You can't just charge us whatever you want!" she snapped, slamming her fist on the counter. This was the last thing they needed right now; the humans' clothes were almost soaked through with sweat after a full day forging through Igraine in search of power, and the seraphim's nerves were frayed from fatigue. "I know for a fact that your highest rate is supposed to be seven-fifty! Why the exception?"
The teenage receptionist swallowed, intimidated, but did not back down. "Two rooms," she corrected Rose, but did not meet her eyes, instead staring fixedly at the account book lying open before her. "And a thousand gald's actually a bargain. It should be fifteen hundred. But Ma told me Slenge says we—"
"I don't care what Slenge says," interrupted Rose, and though Sorey stepped forward to rest a conciliatory hand on her shoulder, she shrugged it off immediately. To her, haggling was just another kind of battle, and she would brook no interference. "Because we asked for one room, not two, and that's what we'll be getting. Seven-fifty, and not a gald more."
Rose's tone was final, but the girl behind the counter shook her head, a frantic light in her eyes. "S-sorry, miss, but it's not right for a young man and young lady to share a room," she stammered, blushing faintly as her eyes flicked between Rose and Sorey. "Ma will kill me if she hears I let sin into this house. If you don't have a thousand for two rooms, I'll take the seven-fifty for one, and one of you can sleep out here in the lobby, free of charge."
Sorey opened his mouth to ask why they couldn't just stay in the same room like they had in every other inn they'd visited, but Rose cut him off with a roll of her eyes. "This is my husband," she asserted, more than a little impatiently, and tucked her arm around Sorey's waist. He tried not to look startled, but it still took a moment for him to gather his wits and slide his arm uncertainly around Rose's shoulders. "We are married."
The girl blinked at them, bemused, and Sorey found himself thankful for once that humans couldn't see the seraphim, because none of their expressions lent any credence to their story. Dezel, for instance, looked about ready to kill someone. (More than usual.) "O-oh, I see," she returned hesitantly; it was all too clear that she didn't really believe them, but was afraid to say so directly. "It's just… I don't see any rings. Most married folks, they have rings."
"She's hopeless," sighed Edna, twirling her parasol boredly. "Come on, Sorey. Just take the room already and make Rose sleep out here. This is giving me a headache."
Rose ignored her—less because the girl couldn't see her, thought Sorey, and more because she refused to back down. "He couldn't afford rings," growled Rose testily. "And I don't blame him. Those things are damn expensive and far from worth it. Better to get something useful, like these knives." She rested a hand lightly on one of their hilts in a subtle threat.
"Hey, uh, Rose? My love?" began Sorey, eyeing the girl as she took a nervous step back, but Rose didn't so much as look at him. "I'm okay with getting two rooms. They need the gald more than we do, anyway. Since they probably don't get a lot of business from out of town."
As Rose turned stiffly towards Sorey, her eyes flashed cerulean lightning, and he understood fleetingly how her victims must feel just before their lives ended. "They get our business," she said, probably referring to the Sparrowfeathers. "And they won't for much longer if this keeps up!"
"I—I'm sorry, miss," managed the girl, avoiding all eye contact as Rose shot her a glare. "I-it's just that… you two don't act like any husband and wife I've ever seen." Her voice quavered as if about to break, but she spoke with conviction; her perseverance was honestly admirable. "Even if you're the Sh-Shepherd, I can't just let you do whatever you like. Th-this is a respectable town!"
"So that's it," murmured Mikleo, exchanging a glance with Sorey as understanding dawned on them both. This girl didn't believe he was really the Shepherd, and in all likelihood, she didn't understand why Slenge had requested that she provide a discount. Sorey couldn't blame her for her skepticism. Sometimes, he couldn't believe he was the Shepherd, either.
He opened his mouth to accept the girl's offer and end the argument once and for all, but Rose had other ideas. "Oh, for the love of—!" She did not finish her sentence, opting instead to pull Sorey into a kiss passionate with frustration. He had no time to react; his eyes flew wide as she pressed her mouth against his, and his every muscle tensed at the unexpected collision of their lips, but he forced himself to relax. Questioning Rose's motives would just lead to more trouble.
It wasn't until she pulled away that Sorey's thoughts became clear again; he hadn't realized they had become so indistinct. Kissing wasn't half as unpleasant or uncomfortable as he had always pictured it, but it was certainly a little messier than he had anticipated. Sorey had to struggle against the instinct to wipe his mouth, lest Rose's story lose all credibility.
"Oh my," murmured Lailah, raising an astonished hand to her mouth in Sorey's peripheral vision, and he started, glancing around self-consciously at his seraphic companions. Dezel appeared as stunned and furious as he would have expected, but only shifted in place. To his apprehension, Edna wore a faint smirk.
Sorey looked over at Mikleo apprehensively to find his expression veiled, blank and motionless as he stared at the floor. Sorey had to fight an inexplicable urge to apologize. He knew Mikleo's moods almost as well as his own, and if he didn't know better, he'd say he was brooding.
As was his right, really. After all, they had both known they loved one another for years. In which ways they loved one another had always been open to debate, but even if their feelings had not yet defined themselves as specifically romantic, kissing someone else still felt like cheating.
"That's about all the sin I got in me for tonight," said Rose, flinging her purse down on the counter with a dangerous metallic thud, and Sorey jerked his head back up to find the girl blinking at them, her mouth hanging slightly open in shock. "We're married. One room. One thousand gald. Hop to it."
"That was absolutely ridiculous," barked Dezel, looking murderous, as soon as Mikleo shut the door behind them. "There were so many other ways you could have handled that. Better ways. What the hell were you thinking?"
"I wasn't," said Rose, somehow managing to look both smug and stung in response to Dezel's tongue-lashing. "I was acting, in all senses. And it worked, didn't it?" She seated herself on the bed, taking out her knives—perhaps in a subtle warning not to argue. "Leave me alone."
"If you were going to pay for both rooms, there was no reason for you to insist on staying in the one," muttered Dezel, crossing his arms, and Sorey turned back to the conversation at hand. "Especially if it meant pulling a stunt like that."
Rose shrugged. "Saving money wasn't the point, for once. I had to teach her that the customer is always right. Besides," she added, more defensively, "I based that act on Lailah's improv, so it's not like it was supposed to be perfect anyway, just good enough to get us what we wanted. No offense." She did not look up to see Lailah turn her face away in a huff.
"I'd have thought kissing Sorey like that would have made her less likely to let you two stay in the same room," remarked Lailah, an edge to her voice, but Rose either didn't catch it or didn't care. Based on her mood, Sorey supposed it was the latter. "You must have flustered her enough that she gave up."
"Yeah, well, I actually liked her," said Rose unexpectedly, pulling out a rag and beginning the process of polishing her blades—quite as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "She stood her ground, and it took a lot to wear her down."
"It did," agreed Edna, leaning on her umbrella, and eyed Sorey's expression out the corner of her eye. Her scrutiny felt a little too close for his comfort, and he blushed automatically, though he didn't quite understand why. "But she wasn't the only one you flustered, was she? Maybe you should spare a few thoughts for your darling husband."
Rose paused briefly to look up at Sorey, but it felt more like she was looking through him, as she returned to her work within a few seconds. "If that girl hadn't been so shocked, I'm pretty sure you would have given us away back there. You're pretty cute when you're not expecting to get kissed. I'd try it again sometime if I loved you like anything other than a brother," she added nonchalantly, "but as it is, I think once was enough."
Tension Sorey hadn't initially noticed dissipated at her words, and Dezel let out a long breath. Even Mikleo visibly relaxed, although he still wore a scowl as he finally spoke up. "I know it's been a long day, but can you at least try to see beyond yourself for a few seconds?" he asked, not bothering to hide his irritation. "Put down your knives and think about how Sorey must feel for a minute."
"Mikleo," mumbled Sorey. A part of him was grateful that all the seraph's indignation seemed to have centered itself around Rose, and that their own relationship was left undamaged, but she had only done it because it was necessary. "It's fine. She didn't mean to…"
As he trailed off, something seemed to occur to Rose as she froze abruptly mid-motion. "That… wasn't your first kiss, was it?" she asked, peering at Sorey closely, and all eyes turned to him. Lailah in particular seemed interested in his response, fidgeting with the hem of her bolero, but Sorey couldn't discern her reason for asking. Other than her constant curiosity about the nature of his relationship with Mikleo, of course.
There was no reason for Sorey to lie, and he had never been good at it anyway, so he settled for an attempt at a smile. "Uh, yeah, it kinda was," he replied, running a hand awkwardly through his hair; it almost sounded like a question. Dezel barely stifled a laugh, and Lailah gave a little gasp. Sorey cleared his throat, more to drown out the others' reactions than because he needed to do so. "S-sorry."
"The hell are you apologizing for?" asked Rose, raising her eyebrows, and set down her knives. "If anyone should say sorry, it's me. I was so focused on my own frustration, I pulled you into that kiss without thinking of your feelings at all. Or Mikleo's," she added, tossing him a knowing wink, and Lailah giggled. "So yeah, sorry about that."
"I—I didn't mean—!" stuttered Mikleo, turning red, and Sorey smiled at him. He was almost as bad a liar as he was. Even if their relationship was not (yet) romantic, Mikleo had a tendency to get defensive whenever anyone implied it was. Which really didn't help their case, of course, but that was part of what Sorey liked about him.
"Sure you didn't," sighed Edna, poking him with her parasol, and Lailah tried in vain to suppress her smile with a dainty hand. "Lovesickleo."
Sorey made an effort to ignore them as their usual argument reignited. Edna may have complained of a headache earlier, but she certainly didn't seem above sparing Sorey the same fate. "It's okay, Rose. Just… please… don't do it again."
"I promise," said Rose, smiling, and extended her pinky. Sorey took a few steps forward to accept the gesture, and Lailah gave a relieved sigh as all seemed to be well within the group again. Or at least, thought Sorey—looking back over at Mikleo and Edna—all seemed to be normal.
"Hey, don't I get an apology, too?" demanded Dezel, as Rose took up her knives again and resumed her polishing.
"Why would you get an apology?" she shot back, making a valiant effort at scorn, although she sounded more curious than anything else. "You don't have any skin in the game, unless there's something you're not telling me."
"Never mind," muttered Dezel, pulling his hat farther down over his eyes. "I just figured, if you were in an apologetic mood…"
"I never am," yawned Rose, but the last word was quickly cut off by a yelp as her finger almost slipped. She flailed briefly with her knives, but miraculously managed to avoid doing any damage this time. "Okay, bedtime," she said, setting her weapons gingerly aside. "Dezel, if you polish and sharpen my blades for me, I won't interrogate you about why you asked me to apologize."
"Fine," responded Dezel shortly, but Sorey could tell he was struggling not to smile.
"Thanks, Dezel," said Rose, handing him both her knives as carefully as if they were her child. "I'd say I owe you one, but I'd be lying. Also, don't cut yourself," she added, almost as an afterthought. "Since you're blind and all."
"You should be asking me not to cut you," retorted Dezel as he set to work, although he didn't seem especially annoyed. "I can read the wind just fine, and you know it. I'm much more likely to hurt you than myself if you keep up like this."
Rather than respond in words, Rose simply rolled her eyes and fell backwards onto the bed, and Mikleo and Sorey exchanged a bewildered glance. "Aren't you even going to take your boots off?" asked Mikleo, scratching his head. "Or… take a bath? Or anything?"
"In the morning," mumbled Rose, throwing an elbow over her face. "I'm tired from arguing. But if you guys wanna take a bath, go right ahead." She raised her hand to gesture vaguely at the tub in the corner before letting her arm flop back to her side. "Have fun. I'll just be here."
"Thanks, Rose," said Sorey, striding forward to set up the screen. What with passing the trial of fire and receiving his first kiss, it had definitely been a long enough day to warrant a little bit of relaxation.
The faint sound of blades on a whetstone, courtesy of Dezel, was soft and rhythmic enough that Sorey almost found himself falling asleep, the other three seraphim resting inside him.
It had been long enough since he'd had a proper bath in a real inn that he'd almost forgotten how soothing it could be to sit and soak in water of the perfect temperature. Especially since he'd made a point of apologizing to Mikleo, smoothing out the last lingering snags that had resulted from that particular encounter. All was indeed well.
Still, something felt unfinished. He'd gotten the chance to talk things out with Mikleo, but he hadn't really obtained any such closure with Rose herself. Just… please… don't do it again. The words sounded too harsh in his memory. There had to have been a better way to say that…
"Hey, Rose," began Sorey, even before he registered the desire to speak, and cleared his throat. There was no answer, save a pause in Dezel's sharpening. "You know I really do love you, right? Just… not like that?"
It felt important to articulate his feelings, somehow, but Rose did not respond. Dezel gave a faint snuffling sound that might have been laughter. There was a long enough silence that Sorey assumed she was asleep, and he gave a sigh as he wondered how he could express such a sentiment once they had both put the situation farther from their minds—but then she spoke.
"I know, and I love you too, Sorey," said Rose, a sleepy smile in her voice. "No hetero."