Sting and Selena didn't see each other for a while due to work; Sting remained buried under paperwork and job requests for the guild while Senna's restaurant was getting a lot of business thanks to tourism.

The town was busy preparing for the upcoming festival, which would celebrate the founding of the Sabertooth Guild. Banners and other various decorations were being placed throughout the town- on lamp posts, on window sills, on fencing, and over doorways. Vendors were preparing their goods for sale and enjoying the boost in revenue as much as Senna was. And with tourism at its peak, there were plenty of new faces in town as well. Among these, was a decent-looking young man named Corrin.

Corrin would frequent The Rocky Grove, taking advantage of Senna's deals, and he seemed charming and considerate to everyone who interacted with him. Any time he chatted with Senna, he'd make her laugh, make her smile, they'd flirt, and they seemed to have a real connection. It had been a long time since Senna had felt that sort of connection with a guy before, so when Corrin asked her out on a date, she happily agreed. This didn't sit well with Sting, however, and he wasn't sure why.

The moment Sting could get a break from everything, he had headed to The Rocky Grove and was surprised to see Senna and Corrin together. They appeared to be in some sort of casually romantic relationship, but Sting didn't like the guy's vibes at all. He had asked Senna about Corrin and he felt bad for warning her about the bad vibes that he was getting from him when Senna seemed so happy. Senna had simply brushed it off, not knowing Sting well enough to trust what he said right off the bat- taking it with a grain of salt. The more Sting tried to push it, though, the more Senna was wondering if he was just jealous. There had even been one night before a date that Senna had yelled at Sting for it.

"Why do you keep butting in like this?" Senna demanded, grateful that the restaurant was closed for the day.

"Because I'm worried about you, alright? I don't like that guy's vibes, he gives me the creeps!" Sting insisted, unsure of why she was being so stubborn.

"I can take care of myself, Sting, I'm not a child!"

Sting fell silent, seeing her on the verge of tears.

"Why can't you just be happy for me..?"

"Senna..."

Senna tried to hold back her tears, but one slipped free. She quickly wiped it away. "I think you should go..."

Sting left that night in defeat, angry and confused. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about Corrin and he was not going to leave Senna on her own with the guy, so he decided to shadow them on dates and stayed just out of sight to keep an eye on things. If he couldn't do it himself, he would assign someone from the guild to do it.

After a while, though, Sting couldn't find anything out of the ordinary and wondered if it was just his imagination. This was a first for him, as he had never been wrong about vibes before. On the final night, however, he would be proven right.

After deciding to call it a night, Sting began to make his way back home- only to stop when he heard Senna's distressed voice coming from somewhere nearby.

"Damn it..!"

Sting immediately heads back towards Senna and when he saw what was going on, his blood boiled: Corrin was trying to have his way with Senna in an alleyway despite her protests.

Sting sprang into action, rushing towards them before kicking Corrin away from her.

"W-What the hell..?" Corrin pushed himself up from where he had landed on the cold road. He could see Sting looming over him, Senna clutching her arms about herself.

"Are you alright, Senna?" Sting asked, keeping his eyes on Corrin.

"Y-Yes."

Sting could hear the panic in her voice and his eyes narrowed at Corrin. "You better get the hell out of here, right now."

"W-Who the hell are you?" Corrin demanded, pushing himself to his feet. "Can't you see we're busy?"

Sting glared at him, a white aura beginning to glow around him. "You ever come near her again and I'll kill you."

Corrin balked and took off, stumbling over his own feet along the way. As he ran off, Sting turned to Senna and looked her over.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, touching her cheek for a moment.

Senna nodded, her cheeks flushed.

Sting could smell the alcohol and sighed. "That jerk, how dare he try to take advantage of you!" He looked back the way Corrin had run. "I swear, if I ever see him again, I-" He stopped midsentence as Senna pressed into him. "Senna?"

"I-I just want to go home..."

Sting sighed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Alright, let's get you home."

As they walked, Senna looped her arm through Sting's and clung to him- worried that Corrin might come back despite Sting's warning. Sting let her lead the way to her home, seeing that she led them back to The Rocky Grove.

"You live here, too?"

Senna nodded, leading him toward the back of the building where a small set of stairs led up to a second-floor balcony. Sting led her up to the door, standing with her while she unlocked the door, but Senna was having some difficulties getting the key into the lock so Sting put his hand over hers and gave her a little assistance.

"Thanks..."

Sting helped her inside, getting her into the armchair before going to her kitchen area and getting her some water. "Here."

Senna took the glass, thanking him. She felt off, more than just the alcohol, and she didn't like having the sinking feeling that Corrin would come back. It was a good thing that he didn't know where she lived, but he knew The Rocky Grove so figuring out that she lived upstairs wouldn't take much.

While Senna nursed her water, Sting took a look around. Senna's home was simple with a large open space that made up the kitchen, dining, and living rooms. He could see two other doors, assuming that they led to the bedroom and the bathroom. Her walls and floors, even the ceiling, were made of sturdy hardwood with a soft earthen brown color. A brownish-red brick fireplace sat in front of the couch, but he could tell that it hadn't been used in at least a few days. She had accented the very earthy and natural tones with blues, pinks, oranges, and neutral tones like gray and beige. Potted plants sat on various tables, hung from the walls, or were placed in large planters in various corners. There was some artwork on her walls, too.

Sting looked back at Senna, seeing that she seemed to have calmed down enough. "You going to be OK, Senna?"

Senna didn't hear him right away but nodded when he repeated his question. She felt hot, though, and it was a different kind of heat enveloping her.

Sting could see that her face was flushed and wondered if she was getting sick on top of being drunk still. "Are you feeling alright? You're burning up."

Senna leaned into his hand as it rested on her cheek for a moment. "I'm alright..."

Sting's cheeks began to tingle as she leaned into him like that, offering him a different kind of smile than she usually did. "I'm going to go check the perimeter, make sure that asshole is really gone, OK? Do you need anything before I do?"

Senna had so many thoughts running through her mind at that moment, but she shook her head. "I'll be OK..." She watched as Sting nodded and took his leave, noticing that he seemed hesitant to do so. Once the door clicked shut, however, she let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding in. She hurried to the bathroom and closed the door, getting the shower started. She slipped out of her clothes and into the shower, letting the cool water wash over her in hopes that it would help her calm down.