Chapter 12

When Lex woke up the next morning he was slumped over his desk back in the Watch Tower and for a moment all he felt was sharp pain in his back. He slowly sat up with a small groan and pried off the piece of parchment that clung to his face and then yawned. The events of last night came crashing back to him like a great big wave and Lex quickly bowed his head again and made a frustrated noise into his hands.

You fucked up, his thoughts screamed. You fucked up so bad.

Lex couldn't even look at Brie after he pulled back but he could just imagine the expression on her face as he turned and ran away. He was beyond ashamed with his behavior. The increased amount of alcohol he had drank during the banquet was no excuse for him to lose control of his willpower but more importantly Lex was disappointed in himself for hurting Brie's feelings.

How could you do that? You took her out for a nice evening, practically set the whole night up for it to end with a kiss and then you went and messed everything up.

Lex couldn't handle being alone with his thoughts and so he quickly stood up from his desk and began stripping off his clothes. He angrily tossed the tunic across the room, wishing he could burn it, and changed into a worn pair of leather breaches and a loose green tunic. Then he shoved an old pair of boots on and exited his room. He swiftly walked down to first floor of the Watch Tower and took off into the street, going nowhere in particular. He walked around the city for a long time, mostly ignoring anybody who tried to greet him. After a couple hours spent wandering aimlessly, the despondent Captain ended up at the Waterfront District and he quietly entered the Bloated Float Inn with sagged shoulders, still feeling angry with himself.

Ormil spotted Lex from his usual spot behind the counter and he quickly waved him over.

"I heard through the grapevine that you took Brie to the banquet last night," the Elf gushed as Lex took a seat on one of the wooden stools. "How was it?"

"Ormil I am not in the mood."

"You could tell me a little bit-"

"Can you drop it?" Lex responded with a scowl.

"Did something happen? Lex? Lex!"

Lex ignored Ormil's protests and quickly left the Inn. Ormil watched him leave, a frown on his golden face, and he wondered if something had happened between the two guards as he wiped a cloth across the counter with a small sigh.

Avoiding the problem wasn't going very well. Lex had both the desire to pretend nothing had ever happened between him and Brie and make amends by being honest. There was no way he could entirely avoid her; they worked together now. After a couple hours spent walking around the Imperial gardens Lex finally found the courage to go the Brie and at the very least apologize.

Even if she hates me then I can say I'm sorry and give her the option to request a transfer to patrol a different section of the city away from me.

With that firm thought Lex changed directions and within ten minutes he was standing outside Brie's door. He reached up and hesitated for half a second before knocking lightly on the wood.

There was no response. Lex waited for a while and then knocked a little louder but Brie was either not answering the door or away from home. Eventually the Imperial gave up and turned away with a defeated sigh. He quickly returned to the Watch Tower and barricaded himself in his room for the rest of the afternoon.

Brie forced herself to get out of bed after rolling around for several minutes trying to fall back asleep again. It was no use, and so she quickly got dressed and decided to hit up the shops for some food supplies since her cupboard was close to empty.

However, her day took a turn once she opened the door and was surprised by a courier who was just about to knock. They both startled, and then the wood Elf hastily handed the letter to Brie and walked away. She stared down at the tan envelope for a moment and when she recognized the handwriting of her name Brie's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly turned it over. The familiar family seal in blue wax glared up at her and she sucked in a deep breath before cracking it open.

Surprisingly, it was from her sister. Brie's eyes quickly darted across the fancy scrawl of Annalise's handwriting and the content of the letter made her stomach drop. She quickly finished reading with shaking hands and then tucked the letter away into her pocket with numb fingers. Her mind was blank as she somehow got the door closed and locked it without really being consciously present. Then Brie took off at a dead run towards nothing in particular, and did not return to her apartment until the next morning.

It was early Morndas morning and Lex looked fairly miserable as he sat at his usual table waiting to see if Brie was going to arrive. He had little appetite as he nervously pushed his food around on his plate, wondering to himself if the Elf had had anything to do with last night's robbery. However, he was more worried about repairing their relationship than the robbery that had occurred late the night before. Lex knew a part of him wanted to pursue something more intimate with Brie but it was obvious by their failed encounter that he was far from being ready to open up in that matter again. It left him feeling hopeless and even more alone than ever before.

Before Brie... I never thought about my sad little existence. It was easier to ignore but now it's been brought to light and now I can't seem to shake it...

The door to the Watch Tower opened and Lex's eyes shot up when he heard the movement. However, the guard he was looking for didn't appear, and so after nearly waiting for half an hour for Brie to show up the Captain gave up and began his patrol with a grim expression.

Lex was surprised when he arrived in the gardens district and spotted Brie's small form as she strolled past one of the many tombs located in the Green Emperor Way. A small breeze played with strands of her soft brown hair and he watched as she turned her head towards the sound of his noisy armour and their eyes met for the briefest second before she quickly turned away and kept walking. Lex couldn't tell if she was upset with him or not but he respectfully kept his distance for most of the morning until they both ended up near the gates of the Arcane University.

It was then that he noticed a small cut dashed across her pale cheek. Brie stood several paces away from Lex with her hands clasped behind her back and she stared out at nothing in particular. Lex tried not to stare but it was hard for him to do and more often than not he found himself glancing over at the Elf, wishing he could say something but not knowing what he could say to make the tension between them better.

She looks like she hasn't slept... It's probably because of me.

Lex felt obligated to at least ask about the robbery. He thought that if Brie knew anything about it then it might help break the tension. So, he sucked in a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"Brie?"

He watched Brie blink as she was brought back to the present moment. She turned her head ever so slightly but did not meet his gaze.

"Did you uh, have anything to do with the break in last night?"

He immediately regretted asking the question the moment it left his lips. Brie silently looked up at Lex with the most furious expression he'd ever seen from her as she stared directly at him for one long moment. Lex was taken aback by her reaction and he nervously opened and closed his mouth, unable to come up with the proper thing to say. He didn't need to, as Brie finally looked back down and she briskly strode away from him without saying a word.

Lunchtime was just as tense. Brie sat quietly across from the Captain with her eyes glued to the table. A bowl of stew rested in front of her but she didn't touch it and eventually she got up from the table before Lex was finished eating and left the Watch Tower. When Lex made his way down to the Waterfront District in the afternoon he found Brie was already there and speaking with one of the pirates of the Marie Elena. However, as Lex began to approach her Brie stiffened and she abruptly stopped talking and walked away. He watched her go with a defeated sigh and did not follow. The pair spent the rest of the evening patrolling separate areas of the Waterfront and Brie did not join Lex for dinner later on in the evening.

This behavior continued for the rest of the week. Lex would show up in the gardens and find Brie already wandering around. It was awkward and uncomfortable for them to be near each other and so they'd often patrol several feet away or further. It was three days before Brie even said a single word to Lex, and even then, it was distant and only related to work. Dark circles had begun to form under her eyes and Lex was beginning to grow worried with each day that passed and she refused to eat breakfast, barely touched her meal at lunch and wouldn't join him at the Bloated Float for dinner.

At some point in the middle of the week Lex tried to approach the topic of their kissing mishap. It went terribly wrong as Brie bunched her hands into fists and quickly turned on her heel. He watched the Elf as she practically ran away from him with sagged shoulders and a tight feeling in his chest. He didn't know what to do anymore. Every time he tried to make things better it felt like he was only doing a greater job of pushing a wedge between them and he wondered if they could ever recover from it. Lex missed her smiles. He missed Brie's sarcastic comments, her flirting glances and carefree expressions. He didn't realize just how much he appreciated everything about her until she had taken it all away.

It was a gloomy Fredas morning and Brie stepped into the Watch Tower with a small sigh. She hadn't slept a wink the night before and it was obvious by the dark bags under her eyes as she removed her long black coat and hung it up on a nearby rack. It had rained the night before but had appeared to let up when Brie exited her apartment. She glanced around the room with tired eyes and spotted Lex sitting at his usual table. He looked miserable, and Brie knew it was partially her fault but she couldn't bring herself to change it.

The day continued as normal. Brie managed to get down a few bites of porridge before she felt sick to her stomach and stopped eating. When Lex was ready, the pair wandered around the Green Emperor way until noon when they stopped for lunch. Instead of eating, Brie would disappear during that hour and when Lex finally made his way down to the Waterfront to patrol he'd find her already there.

For the first time all week Brie joined him when they stopped patrol for dinner. It was a somber affair in the Bloated Float Inn. Lex could feel Ormil's gaze burning a hole in the back of his head as the pair quietly sat at a table in the corner of the Inn. He refused to acknowledge the Elf and silently ate his food while Brie sat across from him with crossed arms. She leaned against the back of her chair and stared out at the room with a glazed expression. Her thoughts were preoccupied and she didn't notice the concerned glances Ormil shot her way throughout the night.

When Lex was finished eating they once again took up their post near the Waterfront properties. Nothing very eventful happened while they were there. Two beggars got into a small scrap near the lakeside and Brie simply watched Lex break up the fight by himself, opting not to get involved.

Eventually she ended up near the boulder located near the water's edge where she and Lex had spoken twice before. She stared out at the dark water, silent as a mouse.

Lex finished chastising the two beggars and sent them in opposite directions with a stern warning. When he was finished, he turned around, searching for Brie in the faint light of dusk. He spotted her sitting on the boulder near the water's edge and he slowly walked towards her, wishing he could make things right.

"Brie..."

The Elf blinked, and she sucked in a deep breath before glancing up at him.

"You can go home," Lex continued softly.

"Why?"

"I-It's Fredas," Lex stammered, taken aback by Brie's sharp response. "I always let you go early on Fredas."

"Oh, "Brie mumbled, and she sighed. "Okay."

Brie slipped down off of the boulder and began striding away. She could hear Lex as he followed behind her, his armour chinking lightly as he walked. She paused and glanced back at the Imperial with a confused expression.

"Are you finished as well?"

"Yeah, I have a ton of paperwork waiting for me."

"Oh."

It was the most they had spoken in almost a week. The air between them was still terribly awkward. Brie turned back around and the pair silently continued making their way back to the Watch Tower. Just as they were beginning to ascend the stairs towards the city gates a few raindrops fell lightly on Brie's skin and she squinted up at the dark clouds that swirled high above their heads. It began to rain, lightly at first, and then more earnestly the closer they got to the watch tower.

Just as they approached the front door it seemed like the sky had cracked open and a torrential downpour began to fall down on the city. Brie started to run, with Lex right behind her as they quickly took refuge inside.

The door slammed behind Lex and he wiped at the strands of his wet hair with a small sigh. Beside him, Brie was also wiping her wet hair out from her face and then she shuffled over to the window and looked outside.

"Guess I'm not going anywhere," she mumbled quietly to herself.

Lex coughed lightly, clearing his throat, and Brie turned to him.

"Why don't you stay and have something to eat? Wait out the storm..."

Brie was silent for a moment. She wasn't particularly fond of the rain and so after a long moment she sighed and turned away from the window. She silently walked over to a free table and sat down. A moment later Lex walked over and asked what she wanted.

"Uh," Brie murmured quietly. "Maybe just a bowl of soup."

Her appetite hadn't returned very much but as Lex nodded and began walking towards the kitchen her stomach growled and she knew she needed to eat something even if she didn't want to.

Lex returned a few minutes later with two bowls of soup and as usual they were both silent as they ate. He noticed the way Brie took small determined bites, and he was pleasantly surprised when she finished the entire bowl. He had grown worried over the last few days when he saw that she barely ate more than a few bites of any meal and it gave him a small glimmer of hope to see her finish the bowl of soup and a piece of bread.

During the course of their dinner the rain lessened some but it did not stop entirely. Brie was tired, and she really couldn't bring herself to wait and see if the rain stopped anymore. She was also uncomfortable to be around Lex for much longer. His sad glances were almost too much and so after a while she admitted defeat and began to stand up.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah," Brie responded quietly as she tucked her chair in. "It's probably going to rain all night. I'll just run home."

"Okay."

Lex stood up as well. Brie wandered over to where her coat was still hanging up on the rack and the Captain watched as she grabbed it and slipped it on. At first, he didn't notice the small tan envelope as it fell from a pocket of her coat and softly landed on the stone floor. He was too preoccupied with watching Brie as she quietly bade him goodnight and exited the watch tower while pulling her hood up. It was only after she left that he noticed the foreign object on the floor and he bent down with a small frown and picked it up.

The envelope was worn and folded. The seal had broken off at some point and only a small remnant of the dark blue wax remained. Lex unfurled the parchment and flipped it around, searching for a name. He was surprised to see Brie's name written in a fancy scrawl across the front. It was somewhat smudged and Lex considered opening the contents of the letter but quickly thought against it.

It's none of my business he thought firmly. I'll keep it safe and return the letter to her on Morndas.

A thought suddenly invaded his mind. Lex knew that he was being ridiculous but the moment he thought it a flurry of panic coursed through his body and he couldn't rid the feeling as he began walking up the stairs towards his sleeping quarters. He placed the worn envelope down on his polished oak desk and began removing his armour, all the while unable to shake the thought from his mind.

A little while Lex swiftly exited his room and locked the door. He hadn't been able to concentrate on his work and so he gave up and decided to deliver the letter to Brie and insist on speaking to her properly. He pulled his black coat tighter around his body and slipped the hood up as he entered the watch tower a few minutes later and began briskly walking down the rain-soaked street towards Brie's apartment.