Kel rose at dawn, still troubled by the events of the night before. What she needed, Kel decided, was some exercise. A nice workout would distract her from her confused thoughts. She grabbed her glaive off the wall and headed to the practice courts.
Kel was not surprised to discover that the practice courts were empty. Most sane people would still be in bed after the reception.
Years of rising early had forced Kel into a habit she couldn't break. Not that she tried very hard. She was so busy nowadays, being an early riser was useful. Oh well, she sighed, at least she didn't have the hangover most of the men would wake with this morning. There were advantages to drinking only fruit juices.
Kel began the pattern dance slowly, getting faster and faster until her glaive was a blur of steel and wood flashing through the crisp morning air.
The Lady Knight finished and sighed in contentment. She hadn't had time for a workout that hard in ages, and it was exactly what she'd needed. Massaging sore muscles, she returned to her room to bathe before breakfast.
-- Kel was enjoying her breakfast in the empty mess hall when a tray was set down across from her with a clatter. She looked up into a pair of bright blue eyes that could belong to only one person. "Isn't it a bit early for you to be up?" she asked.
"I could ask the same of you," said Dom, gesturing at her half-eaten breakfast and damp hair. She smiled, conceding defeat as he sat down. "But seriously," he said, beginning to eat. "You look like you've been awake for hours. Don't you ever sleep?"
Kel shrugged. "I don't sleep much these days. Anyway, I needed to get some glaive practice in without worrying about possibly beheading some refugee that just wanted to ask a question about the crops."
Dom didn't miss her comment about her lack of sleep. He made a mental note to keep and eye on her. Kel pushed herself too hard. He ignored it for the moment, however, and teased "Most people practice after the sun rises."
Kel stuck her tongue out at him. "Like you would know, you slug-a-bed. Do you even know what a sunrise looks like?"
"Of course." Dom pretended to be offended, then laughed. They continued to banter as men started to stagger in. The trickle had grown to a stream by the time Kel stood.
"Well, nice as it's been to chat with you, I should get to work."
Dom raised an eyebrow. "Work? You're on vacation, Kel. Can't you think of anything more relaxing to do?"
Kel looked down her nose at him and adopted a haughty tone. "Unlike some people, us knights have to actually work." Dom stared at her, a strange expression on his face. "What?"
"Don't. EVER. Do. That. Again." Dom said, emphasizing every word. "You remind me of Neal far too much for comfort."
Kel made a face at him and picked up her tray, leaving before Dom could damage her ego further.
Neal came up just as she was leaving the table. "What about me?"
Kel and Dom could only laugh at his utter cluelessness. "That," Dom said, "is for us to know and for you, never to find out." Kel smiled as she left Neal sputtering behind her. The encounter with Neal had been the perfect end to a perfect morning.