Chapter 19: Half
*Yet another chapter hijacked by the characters. I'd intended to advance the plot, but certain someones insisted on delaying just a little bit longer. Anyway, I had no idea the second half of this chapter was going to happen, but Sarevok is clearly up to something. Consider this the calm before the storm I guess?
Content Warning: Excessive flirting*
Rana woke from her nap feeling quite a bit better than she did after waking up earlier this morning. Stretching until her joints popped, which left her briefly lying in a boneless heap while she considered drifting back off to sleep, she started patting around her blankets until she felt the warm ball of fur that was her new bed partner. There had been a little fear that her gift had been the product of another cruel dream.
The tiny kitten stretched and yawned before peering into her face and making that "merp" sound again, which had her smiling like a lovestruck fool.
"Hungry? Okay, let's get up and find you some vittles."
Crawling out of bed, and shivering once the wintery air hit her, she ran her fingers through her hair before beginning to braid it over one shoulder. Glancing at the fireplace, she thought about how pleasant it would be to sit in front of the warm hearth in the evenings, with her kitten curled up in her lap, purring contently. The daydream almost made her sigh with longing.
"So, what are we going to call you?" She asked it while she finished with her hair. "Sarevok's instructions were pretty vague, did he mean his definition of foolish? Or mine? Cause if it's his, then you're just not gonna have a name. So we'll pretend it's my definition, which means anything is acceptable because I'm not a snarly killjoy like he is."
It did occur to her that she was carrying on a rather lively dialogue with a creature who could not talk back. Though, considering who had gifted her with the animal, was it really all that surprising that she found the lack of snarky responses to be refreshing?
"Could call you Bob, because you're a bobtail, but that's boring and unoriginal. How about… Dibbles. You look like a Dibbles to me. What do you think?"
"Merp."
"I thought so, too. Great minds think alike."
Throwing on a black sweater that had holes in the front for her hands, and now would serve as transport for her friend, Rana picked him up and slipped him into the pockets. He immediately poked his head out, looked up at her, mewed, then ducked inside to curl up and purr.
"Of course, being the cutest creature alive means your name should have a bit more oomph. So, how about Sir Dibbles? Of Purrington. Yes, that's purr fect."
Chuckling at her own lame pun, she stepped out of her room and right into Chauntia.
"I was just coming up to tell you lunch is ready."
"Thanks, Chauntia. Hey, do you think your dad would mind setting out a bowl of whatever meat we have, and milk? We have an extra mouth to feed."
Before the girl could ask, she pulled out the kitten. Chauntia's beautiful green eyes lit up and Rana couldn't help but smile.
"Where did you get it?" She asked excitedly, stroking the little cat's head and cooing softly to him.
"It was a present. And, I think, an apology."
"From… Sarevok?" The girl asked, glancing up at Rana, then back down, as if afraid she shouldn't have said that.
Rana studied her for a moment, brow furrowed.
"How did you know?"
"Well… earlier, after I cleaned up the glass from the broken mirror, I forgot that I'd left the broom in your room. As I was walking away after retrieving it, I heard him coming up the stairs, and saw him go in your room for a minute and then leave and go to his."
"I'm not entirely sure yet if I'm going to say where this little guy came from, so I'd appreciate it if you helped keep it a secret for now."
"Of course, my lady!"
"Thanks. It's complicated. As you may have noticed already, there's a lot of… history, between most of us. It comes with all of us being together for years, usually in life or death situations, and the varying backgrounds, beliefs, and personalities. And that's putting it mildly and leaving out even more to save your sanity."
Chauntia ducked her head, laughing a little at that.
"Well, even if I hadn't seen him, he still would have been my first guess. With the priest of Helm coming in a close second, and the ranger a distant third."
Rana noticed the girl fidget and avoid her eyes when mentioning Valygar.
"Why would you have known it was him?"
"Well, I can tell there's a lot of anger between you, but the one time you were both in the dining room, sometime yesterday, you couldn't stop looking at each other when you thought the other wasn't paying attention."
"Not only can you pick locks, but you're also incredibly observant," Rana noted, tilting her head to study the girl more closely. "Maybe, if you don't mind, when neither of us have anything to do, you could tell me a little more of your time on the road with your father."
Chauntia looked both nervous and pleased by this. If anyone else had interviewed the pair, Rana would begin to become concerned about their motivations for working here. She trusted Keldorn's sense of people, though. The Inquisitor wasn't revered among his Order for nothing, and if he said they were alright, then she had no cause for worry.
"I would like that, mistress. Very much."
Rana tucked the kitten back into her pocket and she and Chauntia descended the stairs and headed towards the dining room, where Mezoar had laid out lunch.
Keldorn was already seated and eating. Jaheira was just rising from the table. Both women paused a heartbeat when they looked at one another, before Rana took a seat across from Keldorn and the druid thanked Mezoar and started to leave the room.
Jaheira paused again when Sarevok entered, looking tired. Rana watched the Deathbringer walk past her as if she weren't there. She couldn't see the Harper's face, but tension radiated out from her, her disapproval of his very existence evident in the way she held herself.
Chauntia motioned for her father to follow her into the kitchen, presumably to discuss the newest member of the family's lunch. Rana made a small plate for herself from the platters laid out on the table.
Sarevok sat one chair down from the paladin and looked at her. If it were anyone else, she would call the look in his face "expectant". Then again, she was beginning to learn how to decipher the nuances of his default scowl, as well as the arrogance or disdain that he chose to exude when it suited his mood.
She tried to hold his gaze with one of absolute neutrality, because she wanted him to sweat a little. When her kitten squirmed and resettled himself into a more comfortable position within her sweater pockets, however, she failed utterly by smiling.
There was a brief flash of victory in his eyes before the smug arrogance took over. It was a good look on him, she found herself noticing with annoyance. Maybe it was because there wasn't anything overtly sinister about it compared to other times. It could also have something to do with the fact that his eyes had begun to glow a little as he stared at her.
"Those are some impressive scratches on your arms, Sarevok." Rana drawled in an attempt to swat away the butterflies trying to take wing in her stomach.
Damnit I will not allow a present to make me forget what he's after! Or how hateful he's been! I don't care how cute and fluffy it is!
"Small price to pay for acquiring something of value."
"I was under the impression that you didn't think certain things had any value."
Keldorn looked from Rana, to Sarevok, then back to Rana, eyes narrowing as he tried to read between the lines, obviously knowing something was going on.
"While it's rare, I can be mistaken at times," he replied, and she couldn't keep her eyes from rolling. "Especially when the thing of value can be used to purchase something of even greater value."
"Oh? Such as?"
He was gravely mistaken if he thought she was going to just hop in bed with him after this. Sir Dibbles was adorable, and while he evened the scales a little, he definitely didn't tip them all the way over in Sarevok's favor.
"Another chance."
The butterflies ignored her and began mercilessly fluttering anyway.
She would have wondered what Keldorn was making of all this if she wasn't finding herself being pulled in by those golden eyes. Like so many times before. He looked sincere, but the heat in them was impossible not to notice. Not to feel.
His half of their soul brushed against hers and withdrew. He didn't try to trap her or make any demands. It felt almost like a caress. Like he'd only wanted to touch her, to remind himself what she felt like.
"Here we go," Chauntia announced cheerily, breaking the tension, as she placed a small plate of finely diced cooked chicken and a shallow bowl of milk down next to Rana's elbow.
It warmed her that the girl was giving Dibbles his own place at the dining table.
Withdrawing the ball of sleepy warmth from within her sweater, she gave Keldorn a look that said "say something, I dare you", then decided to direct it at Sarevok, too, for good measure, and placed the kitten down in front of his lunch.
Both men stared at her, and she felt Chauntia shift a little to stand behind, and to the side of Rana, as if she were silently stepping up to the line to defend the kitten's right to a spot at the table. Keldorn chuckled. Sarevok shook his head, a faint smile trying to win against the stoic indifference he was attempting to project.
The women shot a triumphant look at one another before turning to watch the kitten eat, purring happily while he alternated between the chicken and the milk, as if he couldn't decide which one to devour first.
"Have you thought up a name yet?" Sarevok asked as he began to eat as well.
Before she could reply, the kitten jerked its head up in response to his voice, then took two bounding leaps across the table to throw himself against his arm. Rana covered her mouth in an effort to stifle a laugh at not only the cat, but also the look on Sarevok's face as he froze in shock and stared down at the creature who was obviously very happy to see him.
"Shoo," he growled, trying to nudge the animal back towards Rana.
She did absolutely nothing to assist him.
Dibbles's purring intensified as he delicately sniffed at the scratches on the man's arm before beginning to lick them.
Rana finally collapsed into a fit of helpless giggles when Sarevok cast her a pleading look for help. No doubt he feared hurting him in an attempt to remove him. The man's hands were twice the size of the kitten. She suddenly realized how hard it must have been to not only catch him, but to do so without crushing him. Chauntia wisely chose that moment to go help her father with the dishes, her hand over her mouth and her shoulders shaking with silent laughter as she left.
Keldorn rose from the table, obviously done with his meal, clapped a hand on Sarevok's shoulder in sympathy, and started to depart as well. But not before giving Rana a knowing smile that made her want to throw something at him.
"I would aid you, but I'm allergic to cats," the paladin said before disappearing, leaving Rana to wonder if he'd just told his first lie as an excuse to make himself scarce.
"Rana, call him off!"
"Alright, alright, you big baby," she sniggered. "I should have known affection would make you this uncomfortable."
She leaned over to pluck the kitten away and set him back down at his food.
"It depends on the type of affection and on the one giving it," he shot back, giving her a meaningful look that threatened to excite the butterflies all over again.
Shaking her head at him, she poured herself a glass of wine and picked at the bread on her plate, ignoring the cold cuts and cheese.
"You need to eat."
"Don't start."
"Rana, if we're suddenly besieged," he began to talk louder when she rolled her eyes at that. "You'll need your strength not only to fight, but to call upon the Slayer should it be needed."
"So, how come you only got me the one?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"The one what?"
"Kitten. There were four in that alley."
"Women. Complaining that there was only a single gift when there could have been more."
"You didn't answer the question. And my gender is irrelevant here. Everyone likes presents, be it one or several, and it stands to reason that several is always better than one."
"In this case, one was more than enough trouble to capture. I was up half the night and part of this morning chasing them around, trying not to have my eyes clawed out while also making sure not to hurt them. Why are you laughing?"
"I'm sorry," she said, sounding anything but apologetic. "I wish I could have seen that."
"Hmph. Well, that one was the runt of the litter, so I tried to avoid grabbing him, but he was the only one who let me get close."
"What's wrong with runts?"
He opened his mouth to respond, looked her up and down, closed his mouth, cleared his throat,then answered.
"Nothing. I didn't mean to offend you."
"Ass. Just because I'm not freakishly overgrown doesn't mean I'm a runt."
"I am surprised that you hardly did any growing at all, considering how much you starved me when we were children."
Rana started to get angry until she realized he was teasing her.
"Hey, you didn't have to give me so much of the food you stole. You coulda saved some for yourself."
"At which point you would have smelled it on me and I would have been bitten and elbowed to death. I can't fathom how I wasn't stunted because of you."
"You'll have to excuse me if I don't feel sorry for you."
"Anyway, I figured that there's three of the damn things left, to my knowledge, so it would be to my advantage if I left them for the next time I incur your wrath."
"You have standby kittens for when you slip up and act like a bigger dick than usual?"
"Precisely."
Rana felt a little panicked at the thought of getting kittens every time he said something cruel. It's really hard to stay mad when you're drowning in a sea of meowing furballs.
Focus, girl.
"So, what are you going to start getting me once you run out of kittens? Cause, let's face it, that's gonna happen in no time."
"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
"Well, at least you're preparing for the inevitable. That's smart."
"I don't look forward to going back out there and hunting them down again, so I have some incentive to keep my temper on a tighter leash."
"Uh huh. We'll see how long that lasts."
"Indeed we will. Now, did you honor my condition or am I going to have to return him to his siblings?"
Rana looked at her kitten. Milk ran down his chin and dripped onto the table. His little tummy was distended from inhaling the entire plate of chicken Mezoar had prepared for him.
Looking back at Sarevok, and holding his gaze, she slowly reached out, picked up the cat, and enfolded him in her arms, where he immediately began purring and kneading at the soft material of her sweater.
The warrior's eyes narrowed suspiciously at her.
"Rana. What did you name him?"
"A very strong and masculine name that he loves and does not wish to change."
"Rana."
"Sarevok."
"Tell me his name."
"If I don't?"
"I'll learn of it eventually. You might as well tell me now before you grow too attached."
Too late there.
Quietly, she shifted her legs under the table until she was in a good enough position to spring away should she need to. If he thought he was going to take Dibbles away, he had another thing coming.
"His name…" She tightened her grip on her kitten. "Is Sir Dibbles of Purrington."
For two entire seconds, neither moved, just stared at one another. Then Sarevok made to rise, and Rana exploded into motion.
Just as she was almost out of the dining room, Sarevok caught her from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back against him.
"I have to applaud you on your gall for not only trying to get away with a name like that, but to actually say it to me, as well." He said softly into her ear.
"We can throw down right now, Sarevok, you aren't taking him away. Fight me."
She didn't know exactly what his response would be to her declaration of war, but she definitely didn't expect him to laugh. Her kitten, who had merely clung tighter to her during the attempted escape, resumed his purring and wiggled a little to get comfortable in her arms.
"It pleases me that you like your gift so much that it's made you take leave of your senses to the point you would challenge me while I already hold every advantage."
"Not every advantage. You're not going to jeopardize your new chance this early by forcing me to surrender him."
"Ah, so you acknowledge that another chance has been given."
"Wait, no, that's not-"
"By accepting him, little one, you accepted what he stood for, as well as tacitly agreeing to my one condition."
Rana huffed. She should have expected him to fight dirty.
"Fine. I'll reconsider his name."
"Thank you for upholding your end of the bargain. Though, I must confess that I wrote down that stipulation knowing you would ignore it. So, I suppose I never actually intended to go through with my threat to take him back."
"You ass!"
She pushed on his arm and he reluctantly let her go. Whirling around to face him, her angry tirade died on her lips when she looked up into his eyes and saw the hunger burning in them.
"Put the cat down, Rana," he said quietly and took a step closer to her.
As if he'd understood, the little gray kitten lept out of her arms before she could decide if she wanted to comply or not. Galloping loudly to her chair, he jumped up onto it, then back onto the table to lick up stray droplets of milk.
Without any preamble, Sarevok snatched her by her nape and pulled her against him, his other hand wrapping around her hip.
"Now. You know how I feel about you not wanting to ascend," he murmured against her neck. "That hasn't changed."
She wanted to reply, but she couldn't. His thumb brushed back and forth over her hip bone, beneath her sweater. His lips brushed her throat teasingly, making her legs weak.
"I do... apologize, though, for the rest."
"Who are you, and what have you done with Sarevok?" She asked, hating that her voice sounded husky.
"You should be more concerned with what I'm going to do with you."
It scared her how easily he broke through her defenses. How quickly he could make her forget everything. There was a shred of comfort in the knowledge, though, that he wasn't consistently like this. Gods help her if he was.
"Tell me you forgive me," he whispered when he drew back enough to look her in the eyes.
Because it was a command, she found it fairly easy to dig in her heels and resist telling him what he wanted to hear. He grinned at her sudden look of stubbornness, as if he'd expected it. She tried to ignore how devastating an effect that had on her.
"Three little words, Rana," he told her, his lips brushing tauntingly against hers.
She bit his bottom lip.
He froze, completely caught off guard. She released him, but her smirk of victory was wiped away when he groaned and yanked her into a harsh, demanding kiss.
His hunger was palpable in the way his hands drug her closer to him, until their bodies were pressed tightly enough together that she could feel his heart hammering in his chest. She whimpered into his mouth when she felt him hard against her abdomen, and she didn't know if she should be tantalized or terrified at the size of him.
It was as if he couldn't have her close enough, but she could tell he was trying to hold back, to not lose himself completely. She wanted him to, though. They couldn't be on even ground if she was the only one losing her footing. Then again, teasing him would do neither of them any favors.
Rana told herself to just enjoy this moment. She deserved something that felt good after her talk with Keldorn, and the dream, and that incident in the bathroom earlier this morning.
The sound of the front door opening, and her sister's voice, made her reflexively try to step away, to end the kiss. Sarevok tightened his hold on her.
"Say the words, little one," he growled, eyes glowing down at her, his breaths heaving.
"Never," she whispered back stubbornly, panting.
"Very well. We'll see what your sister has to say when she walks in here and sees us."
Panic shot through her, and she tried to wiggle out of his grip.
"Do that again and I'll take you right here," he groaned, his voice nearly hoarse with need.
Imoen and Haer'Dalis's footsteps grew closer.
"Okay! Okay! You're forgiven! Now let me go or I'll start biting again!"
"Ah, little one, we need to work on your threats, if that's what that was supposed to be," he chuckled, but he stepped away and turned to go back to his seat at the table.
Taking a deep breath, trying to settle her body down, she sat back down as well, grabbing up the kitten, needing something to hold onto.
"Your eyes are going to give you away, pet."
"You don't have to sound so damn smug," she hissed.
"There will come a time, very soon, where we won't be interrupted. If I sound smug, it's only because I'm feeling confident that without these lackwits constantly getting in my way, you'll be mine. And once you are…"
He trailed off and Rana wanted to strangle him, but because she didn't know if that was due to how much he was not helping her get control, or because she wanted to know what else he was going to say, she settled on just glaring at him instead.
"Oh, hey you," Imoen's cheery voice sounded from behind her, and Rana turned to smile in greeting.
"We just got back from… EEK! Where did that come from?!"
Imoen's squeal made Sarevok wince, which pleased Rana. Bounding toward her sister, Imoen extricated the cat from her reluctant grip and began fawning over him.
"Where did you get him?! Nevermind, what's his name?! Awww babe, I want a kitten!"
"Anything your heart desires, my wildflower."
Rana couldn't decide if the tiefling's immediate willingness to give Imoen what she wanted made her envious or nauseous. A sound of disgust from behind her told her what Sarevok thought of it.
"His name is still… undecided. Kind of," Rana admitted, sounding as if she were forced to say those words under pain of death.
"Oh, let me name him! Please!"
Rana huffed. He was hers. But, she supposed, naming him would distract her sister from how she came to have the kitten.
"Go ahead."
"Well… he is a bobtail. Bob? No, too obvious. He's gray. Ash? Dusty? And he's really floofy. Hmmm."
"There's plenty of time to come up with something now that we're back at the Rookery."
Rana slowly turned her gaze to the bard.
"What did you just call my home?"
"Our home," Imoen amended.
"The Rookery! My Raven, tis a perfect moniker for your roost. Your clever sister and I thought of it while we were making our way home, as there are a good many of the birds nesting in the trees. And, as I'm sure you are aware, the rook is a member of the same family as the raven, my Raven."
"No. Absolutely not. We are not calling my house that. How did-"
"Rook! That's his name!" Imoen exclaimed.
"Merp! "
"No! Damnit, it's insulting to name a cat after a bird! It'd be like getting a wolfhound and naming him Kitten. No, I forbid it."
"Awww, you old stick in the mud. Look, I think he likes the name. Do you want to be called Rook?"
"Merp! "
The kitten purred and licked at Imoen's hand.
"Hah! It's decided then!"
"He's not old enough to know what he wants," Rana snarled, taking her cat back and glaring at the couple.
"What name were you thinking of then?"
"Sir Dibbles."
They all looked at the cat, who was staring up at Rana. Quietly.
"Doesn't look like he likes that name," Sarevok said, and her elbow tingled.
"But he likes Rook."
"Merp! "
"I hate you all."
"Aww don't be such a sore loser, sis. Here, check out this cloak I bought in town earlier."
Imoen pulled out a plain gray cloak made of a scratchy woolen material from her bag and handed it to her. It felt like carpet.
"Um… it's… hideous? I hope you didn't blow the rest of your savings on this."
"Not all of it. I have a few gold left," Imoen replied, grinning at her sister's stern expression. "And it's supposed to be hideous. It makes its wearer undetectable. Even by magic! Imagine how much ass I can kick while I'm stealthin' through ranks of enemy mages and clerics."
Rana examined the garment again, this time with a lot more interest.
"Have you tested it?"
"Not yet. I was thinking of seeing if I could sneak into Keldorn's room and steal Carsomyr or his wedding ring without him noticing me. If he can't detect me, then no one can."
"That's just what you need," she heard Sarevok mutter sarcastically under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear, and possibly Haer'Dalis, too, judging by the sudden grin on the bard's face.
"I'll buy it off you," Rana said, trying to mentally tally how much gold she had on her… then hoping Imoen hadn't paid more than fifty-seven for it, 'cause that's about all she had.
"Hah! Not so hideous now is it? I'm not selling it, but I may be tempted to trade it for Rook."
"Not happening."
"Well, okay then, no cloak for you."
Rana rolled her eyes and started feeding bits of cheese to Rook, still grumpy about his name.
Chauntia walked in, bearing a pitcher of wine to replace with the empty one at the table. While Imoen and Haer'Dalis sat down to eat, Rana glanced up at Sarevok to see him gazing thoughtfully at the cloak now draped over the chair next to her sister. When he noticed her looking at him, he spoke.
"I just remembered the gold I had hidden away in Baldur's Gate. I can't recall how much it was, but it should still be there."
Rana stilled, then dropped her eyes and began feeding her kitten with much more intent and focus than it required. A cold sweat broke out when Sarevok noticed her sudden quiet.
"Rana… tell me you didn't find it and take it."
She cleared her throat and glanced at her sister, who was smirking triumphantly at the man. He noticed.
"Rana. Did you steal my gold?"
"Is it stealing if you were already dead? I mean, how was I supposed to know you'd be coming back? I figured you wouldn't be needing it anymore, and it would have been a shame to just leave it."
Sarevok closed his eyes and took a deep breath, obviously putting in some effort not to lose his temper. She would be willing to bet that he didn't expect to have it tested so soon.
"How. Much?"
"Pardon?"
"How much gold was there?"
"Oh. Um… an amount?"
He just looked at her.
"Uh, like…" she coughed and mumbled the answer.
"Pardon?"
She huffed and repeated it just as quietly.
"Rana-"
"Two hundred thousand!" Imoen exclaimed gleefully.
The room went quiet. It felt like the silence preceding the breaking of a storm.
"What did you spend it on?" He asked through clenched teeth.
"Huh? Oh, nothing actually. I just put it into a hidden spot of my own."
He looked like he wanted to soul search her to see if she was being serious.
"I forgot about your little magpie hoards. How many are there now?" Imoen asked with a mouth full of food.
"Like four."
"Like four? You don't know?" Sarevok asked incredulously.
"I do know. But that's not information I'm just gonna give away."
"How much gold do you have?"
"An amount," she replied stubbornly.
"Fine. You can subtract my two hundred thousand from that amount, because you're taking me to it when this is all over."
"Am I? I'm pleased you think I'll still be around. Ya know, unascended and all."
He glared at her.
"I misspoke-"
"Uh huh."
"-you'll mark it on a map."
"Will I? What if I can't remember exactly where I hid it? Or what traps I set to keep it safe? Sure would suck if you couldn't find it and you didn't get any help 'cause I'd be too busy goddessing and all."
He gave her the kind of murderous look that could make hardened war veterans lose their bladders.
She smiled coyly back at him.
"Alright," he said after a moment, his tone oddly calm. "How much did this house, the Rookery, cost you?"
Rana felt like she'd just tripped over her own feet.
"Why?"
"You owe me two hundred thousand gold. You can't repay it because it's not here. And it obviously won't be forthcoming anytime soon. I will accept your half of this estate as collateral until my gold has been returned."
"Now wait just a damn minute-" Rana yelled, shooting to her feet.
Haer'Dalis roared with laughter and even Imoen chuckled at this turn of events.
"Do you have two hundred thousand gold on you?"
"No! But my half of the price for this place doesn't even equal that!"
"Was it more?"
"No-"
"Then I'm afraid I'll need part of Imoen's half as well."
"Now, hold on-" Imoen shouted, rising from her chair as well.
Haer'Dalis was doubled over, holding his stomach, laughing so hard that barely any noise came out of him.
"I know you don't have two hundred thousand, because you kindly informed us of how broke you are a few moments ago. I'm willing to accept only Rana's portion, though, if you won't put up a fight about me owning half of your home. I can be reasonable."
Rana sputtered, looking back and forth from a thoughtful Imoen to a cocky Sarevok.
"Alright. Mine and Haer'Dalis's room is in my half, as well as the dining room and the sitting room on the west side."
"Imoen!"
"Sorry, sis. At least this way he doesn't own like three fourths of this place. Half ain't so bad."
Rana snarled at Sarevok's meaningful look.
"No, half isn't so bad," he agreed, clearly not just talking about the house.
Scooping up a bloated Rook, who had been attempting to clean her plate, Rana gave the three traitors a death glare before turning to walk out.
"Where are you going?"
She didn't answer, just stormed towards the stairs. After ascending them, she stomped to the door to her room, but was pulled back before she could open it.
"Ah ah, little one," Sarevok chided her. "This is my room now, remember?"