Landslide

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Part 7
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A few days later found Tir wandering around outside the inn's kitchen, breathing in the cold air that had come with the first snowfall of the year, during the previous night. There wasn't much of it, barely enough to cover the ground, but he squatted down anyhow, patting a handful of it into a a carefully round ball before standing up and chucking it over the town as far as he could, watching it fall apart to powder in the air.

Unbeknownst to Tir, there was a set of eyes watching him carefully - Gremio was standing just inside the doorway, smiling to himself. After a full week of rest, nourishment, and a drink now and then to keep himself from thinking too hard, he thought he was in as good shape as he'd ever been. Thoughts of the quest and the danger that awaited were forgotten as he watched Tir acting somewhat like the boy he used to be.

Tir started another snowball, and then on second thought, flopped in the snow throwing his arms and legs back and forth, amused at his own childish antics. He lay there, not wanting to get up and ruin his creation.

Gremio sighed peacefully at the sight, and considered joining him in his play, just as he had when they were both young. Unwilling to perhaps make his Young Master self-conscious, he opted instead to remain watching in silence, simply remembering carefree days in Gregminster, when Toran had been the Scarlet Moon Empire, and neither of them had anything more to be concerned about than whether dinner had been left in too long.

Tir paused abruptly, and he climbed back to his knees, constructing another snowball and eyeing the roofs of the houses in front of him. At the last moment, he whirled around, sending the snowball towards Gremio with surprising speed and accuracy... for a snowball.

Gremio threw up his hands just barely in time, sending a spray of white over him as the snowball scattered, and he laughed. "I see you're still the same rascal you always have been, Young Master." He paused, considering Tir's behavior lately. "Or, if that is a hint, I will leave you be..."

Grinning broadly, Tir began to create another snowball. "But Miiii-oooo," he whined in a purposefully childish voice. "Don't you want to come and play?"

Gremio couldn't help but grin back, and he leaned down and scooped up a handful of snow in his bare fingers as well. "I would not object at all, certainly..."

Tir went running immediately, laughing, to hide behind a tree, further away from the inn and the houses, towards the edge of town. "You'll have to catch me first! I'm sure I can still run faster than you!"

Gremio laughed as well as he followed, leaning down to scoop up a bit more snow and pat it onto his snowball as he went. "Perhaps, but you can't go on running forever, can you?"

"If you don't catch me, I most certainly can..." Tir told him, peeking out from behind the tree.

"Oh, I'll catch up eventually." Gremio stalked around the side of the tree, not exactly concealing his moves. "I do intend to follow you wherever you may go, you realize."

Tir raced away from the tree to hide behind a bush, frantically trying to gather more snow into a ball. "Heh heh...but I am used to you as my shadow, I can stay far enough ahead...can't I?"

Gremio leapt around beside him, almost diving to get the snowball thrown on course before Tir reached safety. "Never!" he declared, rolling to his knees in the snow.

Tir laughed loudly, just barely escaping the snowball and darting behind another tree. Having gathered more snow, he turned back to aim it where Gremio had been on his knees, only to find that he had vanished. Peering around at the various trees and bushes, he called out. "Gremio....?"

Gremio waited, grinning. The only sound he made was the faint scraping of his fingers through the snow as he quietly packed another snowball.

Peeking out from behind his tree, Tir found that Gremio was still nowhere to be seen. "Hey... this isn't funny!"

Gremio chuckled quietly to himself, barricaded behind two barrels placed by the door to the inn's kitchen, just a short distance from the tree Tir was hidden behind. "I beg to differ, Young Master..." he murmured under his breath.

Tir finally gave in and came out from behind his tree, starting back towards the inn with a vaguely worried expression on his face, snowball long forgotten. "...Gremio?"

It was just what Gremio had been waiting for. Carefully leaning out from behind the barrels, he let the snowball fly.

Tir caught it square in his chest, and after a moment of stunned silence, snatched up more snow and went flying towards the two barrels. "I am going to get you! And just like I did a long time ago, I'm going to stick this snow right down your shirt, Gremio!"

"Oh dear..." Gremio laughed as he tried to get to his feet and slipped slightly in the process. It turned out to be his fatal error, for Tir caught up easily and tackled him, dumping the handful of snow right on his head.

"I have you now!"

Gremio shrieked loudly as the cold hit his neck, but he couldn't stop laughing as he grabbed Tir around the waist, trying to wrestle him to the ground. "It's a good thing for both of us," he panted, leaving puffs of white breath in the winter air, "that Cleo isn't here to see this."

Tir wriggled about fiercely, trying to climb on top of Gremio with more snow in his hand. "No," he breathed, laughing again, "it's a pity she's not here so we could double team her!"

Gremio laughed harder, and got a mouthful of snow for his efforts. Trying not to choke, he spat it out. "Y-Young Master... you're as incorrigible as ever!"

Tir gave up on the snow for the moment, having draped himself half over Gremio in their war. Instead, to Gremio's horror, he slipped his cold hands into Gremio's shirt to tickle him mercilessly, prompting a loud yelp. "G-g-goodness!" Gremio giggled, trying to squirm away. "As if c-cold hands or tickling weren't enough b-by themselves..."

Laughing merrily, Tir continued to tickle him a little longer, and then finally stopped quite suddenly, letting one arm drape across him, burying his face in the crook between Gremio's head and shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

Gremio was still gasping for breath, his chest heaving, but after a moment he wrapped his arms around Tir tightly, and Tir smiled to himself. "Thank you..." he murmured.

"Thank you, Young Master," Gremio corrected him with a smile. "It does my heart good to hear you laugh again, honestly..."

Tir laughed softly. "I'm cold..." he whispered in Gremio's ear. "Will you make me some cocoa?"

"Of course, of course," Gremio told him with a nod. "It does seem you've won our little game, after all, and you deserve a prize." He smiled, patting him on the back. "You will have to let me up first, of course."

Tir looked down at Gremio quite seriously. "What if I don't want to?"

Part of Gremio tensed, worried about what might cause Tir to suggest such a thing with such a serious expression on his face. Trying to mask his unease, Gremio only gave him a knowing look. "Then you'll get no cocoa, I'm afraid."

Tir lifted his hand and ran his fingers across Gremio's cheek, smiling slightly. "Such a tough decision..." he murmured. "Hot cocoa... or stay here and cuddle Gremio, dumping more snow on his head..."

Though somewhat relieved, Gremio gave another quiet yelp. "If it's all the same, Young Master, I believe the cocoa would be more enjoyable for the both of us..."

Tir chuckled, and impulsively leaned to kiss Gremio's cheek. "I agree... but the other will just give me opportunity to make you come sit close with me by the fire later."

Gremio pretended to sigh in exasperation. "I suppose you will have your cocoa either way..." That is, if the kitchen staff would let him borrow a bit of space for a little while, he thought...


Inside, Flik had been sitting by an upstairs window, watching the two of them from above. A piece of paper was in his hands, and he was carefully tearing out tiny chunks of it here and there when Viktor entered, looking at him curiously as he closed the door. "What do you have there...?"

Flik colored slightly and tried to shove the paper inside his journal. "Nothing... I was just... being bored and stupid." He blushed further and attempted to smile.

Sitting down on the bed, Viktor raised an eyebrow. "If you say so... From the looks of things under your seat there, looks like you wanted it to be snowing inside as well as outside. Not that it is snowing anymore out there, but..."

Flik grinned at Viktor being so perceptive, and pulled the folded up paper out of his book, handing it over. "Open it up..."

Viktor did so, and nodded appreciatively as he revealed an intricate torn paper snowflake. "Heh, I meant there's little bits of white stuff all over the floor, but this works too."

Glancing out the window, Flik nodded thoughtfully. "I think it may snow again tonight, or early tomorrow morning."

With a shrug, Viktor handed Flik back his project. "If you say so - you're the expert on that stuff. Even if you come from a ways further south..."

"Yeah... just always had a fascination with the weather," Flik commented, slipping the paper back into his journal. "At the moment I'm torn between going to lay in the snow, going to sit by the fire, or simply flopping down on the bed and dozing off again. I'm finally feeling a little better, and it seems that Gremio is too... so perhaps after this weather passes, we'll be on our way again...?"

"Heh, yeah," Viktor agreed with a grin. "Did you see him and Tir running around outside a second ago? It was cute..." He sobered a bit, thinking. "You know, it would be nice if we didn't have to move on again. It's not bad just relaxing and enjoying ourselves here..."

Flik nodded and got up from his chair to pace across the room and back again. "I can't say I mind either... but we're only going to be able to stall here for so long before Gremio insists we move on."

Viktor sighed, leaning back on his elbows on the bed. "I keep hoping maybe he'll forget."

Shaking his head, Flik came to sit down beside him. "Not a chance."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

Flik raised an eyebrow as Viktor pulled a flask from his belt, lying back to free his hands while he popped the cap off. "Did you refill that downstairs?"

"Heh, actually I've filled it up a few times since we got here," Viktor chuckled. "Another reason it's nice to stay put sometimes."

Flik laughed softly. "Yeah, that's one of several things I miss about having a place to go home to..."

"The free booze?" Viktor smirked up at him, propping himself up again with one elbow while he took a long gulp.

Flik flopped back on the pillows and nodded. "The ability to hole up in my room, drinking, writing..."

Viktor nodded. "Well, I can do a little something about one of those," he told Flik, handing him the flask.

With a grin, Flik took a drink, then sighed after a moment. "I am... in a strange mood."

To his surprise, Viktor sighed also, staring up at the ceiling. "Me too, I guess..."

Flik raised an eyebrow, rolling onto his side to look at him. "Is anything wrong?"

"Nah," Viktor told him, shaking his head as he reached out for his flask again. "Wouldn't mind a little more of that though."

Handing it back, Flik nodded absently as if he wanted to say something, but didn't. Instead, he just watched as Viktor took another long drink, tilting his head back. With the two of them, it was never necessary to talk just to talk, and so they remained silent, aside from Viktor taking another drink.

Flik rolled over suddenly, throwing an arm across Viktor and settling close beside him. "This was so nice the other day, I thought..."

Viktor paused for a moment, and nodded. "Yeah... it is."

Flik closed his eyes to feel the warmth of Viktor, the taste of alcohol in his mouth, both serving to make him slightly drowsy. "Mmm...."

Likewise, Viktor simply enjoyed it for a moment, then fumbled with the cap of the flask, putting it back on before he tossed the flask aside and wrapped his arms around Flik tightly, breathing in the scent and the feel of him. Flik smiled at Viktor's embrace and trailed his fingers up and down Viktor's arm. "I think this trip... and its... circumstances... has really made me appreciate things a little more..."

Viktor inhaled sharply, nodding against him, but remained silent. Seeing this, Flik leaned his face closer to tickle Viktor's neck with his breath. "And moments like these... this is what it's really about, don't you think...?"

Viktor just sighed and rolled over to his side, holding Flik closely. "...Maybe..."

With a frown, Flik held him tighter. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"Nothing," Viktor told him, closing his eyes.

"Then why don't I believe you?"

Viktor shrugged lightly, still holding Flik against him. "...You and your dreams must be contagious... I had this dream about North Window."

Despite the teasing, Flik knew enough to recognize the edge in Viktor's voice, and he nodded. "Want to talk about it...?" he offered, running his hands over Viktor's back.

Viktor shook his head, leaning it against Flik's tiredly. "There's not really anything to talk about."

"Are you sure?"

Viktor nodded just a little. "It wasn't even a bad dream, as dreams go... I was just there," he explained. "Before we put up the castle, when it was just ruins and graves. And I was walking around there. Nothing to it at all."

"But it's still the emotion behind that kind of thing that gets to you..." Flik told him, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "Well, to me at least, when I dream about Warrior's Village... the things that happened there... or Odessa... That kind of thing doesn't go away easily, and dreams bring it back very acutely and without conscious permission."

Viktor shrugged, squeezing Flik's waist somewhat in the process. "I... Well, at least you wake up from dreams..." he mumbled.

Flik nodded in agreement. "Better having you here to wake up to...."

After a moment's hesitation, Viktor let his head drop back on the bed. "I guess."

Starting to get frustrated, Flik nudged him in the ribs. "Viktor, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Flik - I'm serious," Viktor insisted, squinting at him curiously.

Flik narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. "All right... I'll believe you if you say so... It just seems that every answer you give me is hesitant and uncommitted."

Viktor frowned slightly. "Uh, okay..."

When Flik said nothing more, Viktor sighed, and laid back to look at the ceiling again. "It's just... in the dream, it was so... well... I was back in this place where..." He stopped, and shook his head. "It's hard to explain."

Obviously he was trying hard - he just wasn't good at talking about this sort of thing. Leaning on one elbow, Flik looked at him, waiting to see if he would go on. "You don't have to force yourself to talk if you don't want to. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable."

Viktor's eyes flickered over to Flik's for a moment, then stared back at the ceiling blankly. "It's just sort of disconcerting to go from the state of mind where everyone you ever cared about is nothing more than a heap of dirt and a rough wooden cross, to waking up and seeing... someone else lying in your arms."

"I'm not really sure what you mean..." Flik began slowly, his face carefully blank. "You'd rather wake up alone?"

Viktor breathed a sharp, quiet laugh. "Don't start thinking I don't like waking up next to you, Lightning," he assured Flik. "I do. It was just sort of a jolt, is all. And my first reaction was... heh, kinda like yours, I guess."

Flik nodded, reaching out a hand to brush against Viktor's cheek, but not moving closer again yet. "Sometimes after a dream like that, I wake up and feel like I have to sit there and relive my whole life to get back to the frame of mind I exist in now. You know those mornings where I... where I just crawl into your arms and bury my face against your chest?" He sighed. "It's those mornings, those times... when I just want you to hold me tightly and remind me it is all just bad dreams...."

Viktor nodded back, still staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah... except me, I just wanted to get away fast..." He chuckled bitterly. "It'll sound stupid, but it felt like I was cheating something to have you there with me."

"Not stupid," Flik told him, shaking his head, "but why do you feel that way? You think we don't deserve what we have? The peace or happiness?"

Viktor looked over at Flik in surprise. "No, that's not it at all. It was just like..." He shrugged again, this time helplessly. "It was like I... well, I'd lost everyone, but there you are anyway, and if word got out, maybe something would realize they didn't get everyone yet and..." He shook his head again, muttering. "Like I said, stupid."

Suddenly, Flik understood. Reaching towards Viktor rather forcefully, he pulled him close again. "It's not going to happen," he said firmly. "We've both said it - we're... we're... stuck with each other... Viktor..."

The look in Viktor's eyes eased a bit, and he leaned in to nuzzle at Flik's neck, kissing him softly. "Yeah... but you'll forgive me for being a little freaked out, huh?"

Flik kissed him back and nodded. "Absolutely...but you'll have to make it up to me."

Viktor sighed, wrapping his arms around Flik again. "Sometime. Right now I just want to stay like this for awhile."

Smiling, Flik hugged Viktor tightly with a sigh. "I would never say no to you holding me for hours on end."

Viktor breathed deeply again, slipping downward in Flik's arms to rest his head against Flik's chest, listening to the beat of his heart. "Sounds good," he murmured.


Downstairs, Gremio was humming to himself as he hovered over the large stove, stirring the meat, onions, and herbs that he had browning in the pan. The innkeeper here was generous, he thought to himself - to truly give his Young Master a prize for their little contest outdoors earlier, he'd asked not only for a moment in the kitchen to make a bit of the cocoa, but just a little corner so he could whip up some of his special stew. The inn's kitchen was stocked rather differently than the one he'd spent so much time in back in Gregminster, but Tir had agreed to go pick up a few more things while he got started.

As it turned out, the innkeeper's sister Mirelle, functioning as cook for the time being, had just finished with lunch a short time ago, and didn't need to start dinner yet. Seeing that he seemed to know how to treat the equipment, she'd quickly taken off to oversee other tasks, and so Gremio had the kitchen all to himself - which he'd sorely missed ever since they'd left Gregminster. A burbling noise from the pot on the next burner told him that the water was boiling, and he poured off some into a smaller pot, leaving the meat to itself for a moment while he put together the cocoa. "Let's see... Young Master likes just a dash of vanilla... Ah, here it is."

He finished just in time and was waiting for it to cool, as Tir walked in with a bag of a few essential ingredients, his cheeks red from the cold. "Perfect!" Gremio declared, handing him one of the two mugs as he set the bag on the counter. "You're just in time to be all warmed up from the inside out."

Tir smiled as he took an experimental sip, and nodded. "It's just right," he told Gremio as he sat down in a chair, safely out of Gremio's way as he bustled back to the stove to check on the meat.

"Everything went well?" Gremio asked as he pulled out the carrots Tir had brought, and set about slicing them on the counter. "The marketplace was easy to find? I was sure I saw it from my window..."

"Just where you said it would be," Tir informed him, settling down to watch Gremio work his magic. "The man told me that the vegetables weren't the best at this time of year, but I told him it didn't matter, because they'd be in your hands."

Gremio laughed, and tasted a small slice of carrot thoughtfully. "He's right, but perhaps you are as well - I believe we can make do."

Glancing over his shoulder as he brushed the carrots into a bowl and reached for the potatoes, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Tir sitting behind, watching just as if nothing had changed after all the years that had gone by. He began humming again, an old song he'd learned from his mother, from the days long past when he'd helped her with dinner in their own humble kitchen. Thoughts of true runes or uncertainty were the furthest thing from his mind as he went through a ritual he'd performed many times for his Young Master.

The meat was cooked, the spice had been added, and Gremio was just putting in the vegetables when the cook returned and sniffed at the air. "Hmm, perhaps I should just leave the kitchen to you all evening," she remarked with a laugh. "I'm afraid our other guests will be eating less well than your boy here - we've just taken on a new maid, and she's not quite accomplished at what proper cleaning entails. I'll just have to fix up something quickly when I'm..." She paused, raising an eyebrow at the peaceful smile on Gremio's face as she got an idea. "I don't suppose you'd want to cook for our other guests? I'm sure my brother would consider your room paid for..."

Gremio glanced at Tir, who had started to grin at the question, and he began to grin himself. "Milady, I'd be delighted to cook a full meal or two," he agreed. "Though it's been some time since I cooked for more than the two of us, and some friends... and it's somewhat short notice," he realized, his face falling slightly. "I'm not sure I could get all the vegetables sliced in time - in fact, we'd need to buy more-"

"The expense will be paid by us," the innkeeper put in from just behind his sister, as he held up a bag that jingled with the tell-tale clink of coins. "I was just passing by, and I smelled a recipe I knew wasn't one of ours. I second the idea, and I'd gladly consider your bill up until tonight paid if you'd be willing to do us this favor. I'd like to have a taste of that myself."

"I-I'd love to..." Gremio started in wonder. It had been so long since he'd gotten to share what he considered his special gift with others, and it was something he always enjoyed. "I could make biscuits too, and... but is there enough time?" he wondered.

"I could help with the shopping," Tir offered, standing up. "Just tell me what else you need, Gremio, and I'll see that you get it."

"I'll help with the slicing and so on when I'm finished dealing with our new girl," Mirelle told him. "Maybe I'll even pick up a few tips, hmm? To be honest, I'm not much of a cook, but there was no one else asking for the job..."

Gremio's face had brightened considerably as they spoke, and finally he nodded. "Leave it to us for now, then," he declared, with a nod to Tir. "I'll get started with what we have here right away, once I've figured out what else we need from the market... How many people should we prepare for, anyway...?"


Being somewhat reluctant to leave the casual comfort of their room and bed, Viktor and Flik came down for dinner slightly late. It would probably be lukewarm leftovers for them, Viktor originally thought - not that he minded, the afternoon had been a nice one - but as soon as they'd descended the stairs, it became rather clear that this was not the case at all.

Flik smelled it too, and he glanced at Viktor. "You're the one who's so enthusiastic about food," he began, looking puzzled, "but..."

Viktor nodded emphatically. "I'd recognize that smell from a thousand paces."

"Upstairs is considerably less than a thousand paces," Flik teased him as they entered the dining hall, and the scent of meat and vegetables grew stronger among those who still remained at the tables, finishing their meals. "I suppose there's some kind of story behind this..."

Peeking inside the kitchen curiously, Viktor found what they were expecting - Gremio was busily moving pots and trays from one place to another, trying to keep out of the serving girls' way, while Tir looked on with amusement, holding an assortment of cooking utensils. "Oh, Viktor, Flik!" Gremio greeted them with a smile when he caught sight of them. "How is it? I'm afraid I've never made so much stew all at once before - good heavens, look at the size of this pot," he exclaimed, shaking his head at the vessel he was taking off the stove. "Never, even during those early days in the army..."

Viktor laughed. "Actually, we haven't eaten yet - we just got down here."

"Oh, well, it's just as well - dinner got started a little late anyhow."

Flik moved aside as one of the serving girls swept by into the dining hall. "So... do you mind telling us why you're cooking stew for the entire inn?" he asked, trying to ignore the wink the girl had given him. "Or are you too busy?"

"No, not really - just let me take this last batch out of the oven..." Setting a tray of biscuits on the counter to cool, he removed the heavy mitts he wore and took a deep breath. "There... now I can relax for just a moment. You can set those down and rest too, Young Master," he added, glancing over at Tir. "I won't be needing any of them for a little while."

Tir grinned as he set the assortment of spoons, ladles, and knives aside. "This all began with him making me cocoa."

"I thought it would be a nice treat for him if I could make a bit of my stew as well," Gremio explained. "The cook didn't mind us using the kitchen... and then it turned out that she was a bit busy..."

Flik laughed out loud as Gremio recounted the odd series of events that had led to this end, but Viktor gave a mock frown. "You were going to make stew for Tir, and not us? I'll have to thank that cook..."

Gremio looked slightly sheepish. "It never even occurred to me... I was so caught up in using a real kitchen again, and the idea of making stew for my Young Master again, as I've done so many times..."

"Don't worry about it," Flik told him with a grin. "You'll be getting your stew anyway now, bear."

Viktor smirked as Flik nudged him in the ribs. "Yeah, but if everyone else is having it too, is it still such a special treat?"

"I think so," Tir spoke up, smiling at Gremio.

"Heh, of course." Viktor's smirk turned slightly mischievous. "Hey, and a bonus - if they like your cooking so much that they're waiving the charges, Flik and I can get as drunk and rowdy as we like tonight without danger of being kicked out!"

Flik grimaced, and this time elbowed him. "Speak for yourself. I don't have that danger anyway, except when I'm with you."

"Bah - you probably would eventually, if I wasn't there to get in trouble first." Resting a hand on Flik's shoulder, he tugged him back towards the dining hall. "Let's see if we can find a seat and get in on this dinner - I'm starved. Oh, hey," he added, realizing something. "Have you two eaten yet, or have you just been working?"

"Not yet," Gremio admitted. "I'll eat in a little while - I need to keep an eye on things here - but if you'd like to go eat with them, Young Master? My, this started off as making you dinner, and now nearly everyone else has eaten before you got your own stew..."

Tir just shrugged. "It was worth it to see you in action again," he said simply. "I can wait."

"No, you go along and eat with Viktor and Flik," Gremio urged him. "So long as you don't go along with Viktor's little plan of getting drunk and rowdy... I'll need to do some cleaning up after everyone is finished, so I may not be out there for some time, but..."

"We'll take care of him, Gremio," Flik assured him. "Don't worry about it."

There were still a few places empty in the dining hall, and Viktor managed to find the one table that remained unoccupied - somewhat small, but big enough for the three of them. Between the food, the fellowship, and - in Viktor's case - the drinks, their troubles were quickly forgotten.


Once Gremio had finished up with the cleaning, with the assistance of Mirelle and the serving girls, the innkeeper caught him just as he was about to head into the common room, where he'd caught sight of Tir's head nodding as he sat before the fire. "Thank you, thank you very much for making the dinner tonight," the innkeeper began as Gremio paused. "I've received lots of compliments which I was instructed to pass on to you - though I'm sure I can't recall just how many. And I quite enjoyed the meal myself."

Gremio just laughed in delight. "It was my pleasure, sir - it's been some time since I had a real kitchen to cook in, and real ingredients. And I do enjoy making people happy with my special stew..."

The innkeeper paused for a moment, then lowered his voice. "You know," he told Gremio, "Mirelle... she's not bad at cooking, but it's not what she really wanted to do. If you aren't in any rush to get somewhere else, or if you don't have anywhere specific you're headed... We'd be glad to hire you on full time, as our regular cook. You could keep a room right here at the inn, or take one somewhere else in town, if you preferred. Would you be interested?"

Gremio's eyes lit up for a moment, but then his eyes fell on Tir, dozing in front of the fire, and his expression changed. "...I thank you very much for the offer," he said softly, "and for waiving our bill... but I'm sorry to say I do have someplace I need to be. In fact, I think... I think we'll be moving on tomorrow morning. I'm sorry - you've been so generous, and I'd like to do something to repay you..."

The innkeeper just shook his head. "No, you've been good to us as well, and I've seen too many people passing through this inn to expect that one of them should want to stay on."

Gremio smiled faintly. "If I didn't have other responsibilities to attend to, I'd have liked to, I think... but I do."

"That's what I meant," the innkeeper chuckled. "People who stay at inns are always on their way somewhere, aren't they? I'll just thank you again, then, and wish you good travels."

"...Thank you, sir."

"And if you ever come by this way again," he added, "and you feel like using a real kitchen, I'm sure something can be arranged."

Gremio nodded slightly. "I may take you up on that someday," he agreed, his thoughts suddenly nearly as anxious as they had been a week previous. "...If I do come this way again."

Excusing himself, he headed towards the chair where Tir sat before the fire, sparing a glance at the other end of the room, where Viktor's voice carried easily, talking about some battle or other that may or may not have taken place. Though knowing what he had seen himself just during the Gate Rune War, Gremio thought, Viktor had no need to exaggerate to come up with impressive war stories.

When he'd reached Tir's side, he bent down to gently wake him. "Young Master, Young Master..." he murmured softly, as Tir stirred in his seat and yawned. "I believe you'd be more comfortable upstairs in your bed, wouldn't you? Come, I'll walk with you..."

As they headed for their room, Gremio cautiously hovering just a step or two behind, he wondered if he should tell Tir they were moving on again. It would be good to give him time to prepare...

But no, he decided. They had had a perfectly nice day, with no fears of the path ahead of them, and Tir deserved to end it with a peaceful, easy sleep. Tomorrow morning would come soon enough, he thought as Tir slipped into bed. Their journey and all the worries that came with it would start anew, but after he'd rested.