I woke slowly, with sunlight and birdsong streaming in through the open window on a gentle breeze. With eyes still closed, I stretched, lazily, rolling onto my side and into the open arm of the sleeping man laying next to me. He stirred at the movement, and I felt his body adjust to bring me closer before I was enveloped in a gentle bear hug.
"Good morning." He muttered into my hair, sleepily.
"It is." I murmured back, smiling.
"How did you sleep?" He asked, planting a light kiss on the top of my head. I snuggled closer, burying my face into his chest.
"Better than I have in weeks." I confessed. "You?"
"No dreams." He replied, in surprise. "It's been a while since I slept without dreaming. Unless this is a dream."
"It might be." I sighed, breathing him in.
We lay together for a while, whispering and snuggling and snoozing and waking back up and snoozing again. I was drifting between sleep and consciousness, fading in and out, and I felt a calloused fingertip stroke the bridge of my nose, repeatedly, before brushing my hair from my face and tracing the line of my jaw. I smiled, my eyes fluttering open to look at him. His face was serious, his eyes full of tenderness, and I tilted my chin to softly kiss him.
"You are so beautiful." He breathed, sighing as he continued to study my face. "I look at you and I still can't believe that you're real. That you're mine. Last night was...so lovely."
"It was." I agreed, smiling. "Though, you do know that everyone else in our party is going to think something happened between us."
"Something did happen between us." He said, nonchalantly.
"I mean something physical." I said, running my hand appreciatively over his broad chest, covered only by his thin shirt. He placed his hand on top of mine and held it over his heart.
"Some of it was pretty physical."
"Not the way they're going to think."
"I thought you didn't care what people thought." He said, quietly.
"I don't. Do you?"
"Right now? I'm finding it hard to care about anything outside of this room." He admitted, with a half-smile that made my heart flutter in my chest.
"You're low-key a smooth operator, you know that?" I grinned up at him.
"I know what those words mean, though not necessarily in that order. I'm detecting from your tone that it was a compliment? So thank you." He grinned back, kissing me again. "I love you." He sighed. "It's so nice to be able to say it out loud."
"I love you too." I whispered, unable to keep the smile from my face. "I never want to leave this room again. But I don't suppose the Blight's one of those things that just blows over by itself, so we should probably think about getting up soon."
He sighed, reluctantly.
"You're right." He agreed. "As much as I want to lay here with you all day, breakfast doesn't sound like such a terrible idea either."
I shifted my position ever-so-slightly, and found myself even more comfortable than I was before. I let my eyes close again as I snuggled closer to him, and he made no signs of moving either. I have no idea how much longer we might have stayed there, just enjoying the closeness, if a knock on the door hadn't burst our little bubble of contentment.
"Who is it?" Alistair called, a small frown cracking through the peaceful expression on his face. Grayson's muffled reply made me groan and I pulled the covers over my head.
"I'm not here." I muttered, sleepily, as Alistair rolled half-heartedly away from me and rose from the bed, padding barefoot across the stone floor to greet our fellow Warden. I heard the door open, followed by a long, pregnant silence. I didn't have to see Grayson to picture the knowing grin plastered on his face.
"Grayson! Good morning. I was just...I know it's late, I wasn't feeling very well, and I guess I slept in. Too much ale, you know?" Alistair said, far too quickly.
"That's alright." He replied, brightly. "I came to speak to Lauren, anyway."
"Lauren? Hmm...Lauren…" Alistair's tone implied that he couldn't think who Grayson could possibly be referring to and I groaned audibly at his complete inability to lie convincingly, and sat upright, tossing the covers to the side.
"What do you want?" I asked, more confrontational than I had meant to be. Grayson's grin only widened.
"I've arranged fittings for everyone, with the armourer. It's your turn." He replied, as I swung my legs out of bed and made my way over to them, rubbing sleep from my eyes.
"How did you know I was in here?" I asked, grumpily.
"Oh, you mean besides that display last night?" He raised an eyebrow and Alistair's face flushed scarlett at the reminder. "Larry slept outside the door all night." He said, standing back and gesturing at the mabari, who wagged his tail at me in greeting.
"Snitch." I said, fondly, reaching out and scratching his ear. "Well, just for the record, nothing happened." I said, unsure as to why I felt so defensive.
"Oh, sure, sure…" Grayson started, before apparently noting the sincerity in both of our faces, and he frowned. "Wait, you're serious? You just slept in the same bed all night and...you two are infuriating."
I rolled my eyes, dismissively, and turned back to Alistair.
"I'll head along to the armourer now. Grab me some breakfast for when I get back? Nothing heavy, maybe just some bacon. And a couple of sausages. Oh, and some eggs...maybe an omelet? And if you could have some bread toasted...not much, just maybe about four slices? Oh, and if they have any-"
"Alright, I've got it. A light breakfast, nothing much, just everything in the pantry." He replied, smiling affectionately.
"Nailed it." I grinned in response. I pulled on my boots but decided against changing out of the clothes I'd slept in, figuring there wasn't much point of going through the rigmarole of donning armour just to remove it again for the fitting. Grayson waited impatiently at the door as I laced up my boots, going deliberately slowly in protest of the huffing noises he was making. I shouldered my dagger holster, kissed Alistair goodbye and left, following Grayson down the hallway and back into the main bar.
I was surprised to see that it was busy - not as busy as it had been the previous night, but busier than I would have expected it to be when the sun was up. I recognised the man I had threatened the night before and stiffened when I saw him glaring at me - clearly the lack of a Qunari at my back had emboldened him, as the fear that I had seen in his eyes was now replaced with undiluted contempt. He was surrounded by men, and there was something in the way they whispered to each other as I passed that was almost conspiratory. I glared back, but didn't stop walking, deciding that I had more important things to worry about. I saw no sign of any of our companions and felt selfishly grateful that Alistair was more than likely going to bear the brunt of their interrogations while I was safely elsewhere.
Grayson and I walked through the streets in silence. Despite my decision to ignore the men in the bar, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that was fluttering in my chest. There was something about their reaction to my entrance that made me think they weren't just there for a day session. I wondered if they had been waiting for me, and what might have happened if I had come down alone. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that Grayson's silence hadn't registered as hostile, until he stopped walking abruptly and turned to face me. I looked up at him, startled out of my reverie by his sudden change in demeanor.
"What are you doing?" He demanded. I frowned up at him in confusion.
"I don't understand the question."
"With Alistair. What are you doing?"
"What am I…? Nothing! Well, not nothing, but...hang on, I still don't understand the question. Are you mad at me or something?"
"Yes, I'm mad at you! You two are...look, there are people who can't be together. All over the world, there are people who should be together who can't be, who are separated because of sickness, or death, or politics, or war. You two have found each other in spite of all of this, you have a chance to be happy and you're just...you're wasting time! It's infuriating to watch."
"Woah, Grayson." I blinked, taken-aback by his tirade. "What is this actually about?"
He frowned down at me, seemingly unable to answer my question. I studied his face and recognised something in his eyes other than annoyance and realisation dawned on me.
"Is this about Morrigan?"
He hesitated, and I guessed that I was right.
"Gray, I'm sorry. I don't know what Morrigan's deal is. I don't know where she disappears to and I don't know why she's gone dark on you all of a sudden. But Alistair and I aren't wasting time. We're cherishing every second we have together."
He took a step back and ran a hand through his hair, frowning. I had never seen him look so old before. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his usually smiling face seemed to sag as he looked down at me.
"Hey." I said, softly, stepping towards him and wrapping my arms around his waist. He immediately reciprocated the hug, clinging to me fiercely and burying his face in my hair. "I don't know what to say. I'm sorry your heart's hurting. If you'd like I could try talking to Morrigan about-"
"No." He cut me off, quickly. "No, she would hate that. She'd think I was a coward, and I was asking you to fight my battles for me." He sighed, deeply, stepping out of our embrace. "This is something I have to face alone. I'm sorry I projected my problems onto you and Alistair. Don't get me wrong, you are infuriating. But I suppose it's also kind of sweet...in an annoying sort of way."
"Okay...well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you. Always. And I'm sure Alistair will find all sorts of ways to drive me insane, and you'll be there for me when it happens. You're my best friend. And I'm yours too, dummy." I punched his arm, playfully. He grinned, and some of the shadows on his face were chased away.
"Thanks. I'm just...she's at the armourer right now. I just left her to come and get you. When she saw me this morning her reception was so frosty she may as well have used Winter's Grasp on me. I don't know what I've done but it must have been terrible." He said, miserably.
"You haven't done anything." I assured him, as we started to walk again. "Don't think like that. You're great. If she has a problem, it's her problem."
"Maybe." He said, thoughtfully, before quickly changing the subject. "I was thinking reinforced leather would work best for you, with your fighting style. Obviously it's up to you, that's just my opinion."
"I've only ever fought in splint-mail, but leather would probably be more my style." I agreed, feeling an unexpected spark of excitement. "I've never had armour made for me before. I've only been fighting in odds and ends that I've picked up from different places."
"I know. Your greaves and gauntlets aren't too bad but you look ridiculous in that mail. Like a child who got into their father's armoury."
"Oh, thanks. You've only let me run around looking ridiculous for, oh…" I checked my watchless wrist, pointedly, though I needn't have - he would have no idea what watch was. "Two months? Best friends don't let best friends look bad."
"It would have been better if you'd kept that helmet from Ostagar. That was my favourite." He grinned, and I shuddered at the reminder.
"That helmet. That should have been my first sign that Alistair fancied me. Clearly he was trying to make sure that no other man would ever want to have sex with me. That was a chastity helmet if ever there was one." I said, seriously.
"Oh, I don't know. I thought it was kind of cute." He replied, grinning.
"You thought I was cute?" I asked, squinting up at him. He shrugged.
"Yeah. I'm man enough to admit that when I first met you, I found you attractive." He said, nonchalantly, as if this information wasn't horrifying. "But then we got to know each other and…" He shrugged. "Well, you know how we are. It's a different kind of love."
"Ah, okay, so you thought I was attractive until you got to know me. So it's my personality that's unattractive. Right, right, right, got it, got it, got it." I replied, loudly speaking over him as he tried to protest.
"That's not what I meant." He said, with an easy smile. "What about you? Have you been harbouring secret feelings of attraction towards me all this time?"
"Ew." I said, simply.
"Well, quite." He agreed, the amused smile not quite leaving his face.
We fell into our familiar pattern of easy banter as we walked, but the second Wade's Emporium came into view his mouth became a hard line and there was so much tension in his jaw that it made me feel tense. I gave him a slap on the back for encouragement but let the silence rest. I wasn't quite sure what I could say to make him feel any better about the fact that the woman he was in love with had all the warmth of an ice cube.
He held the door for me, and I walked in to see Morrigan standing impatiently while a short man that I recognised as Wade buzzed around her effervescently. He didn't seem to have a measuring tape, and appeared to be taking her measurements using only his finger-lengths, and I suppressed a chortle at the bemused look on the beautiful witch's face.
"Morning, Morrigan." I grinned, swinging my dagger holster from my shoulders and setting it down on one of the many work benches dotted around inside the emporium. "How's business?"
She scoffed and rolled her eyes in response.
"That's good. I'm great too, thanks for asking." I replied, light-heartedly.
Wade barely seemed to notice our entrance, wrapped up in his work as he was, but there was another, quieter man behind the counter who stepped forward and held out a hand in greeting.
"Welcome, welcome, you must be Lauren." He said, looking thrilled at the arrival of another paying customer. "You can call me Herren. I am ever so sorry, we did think Wade would be finished with your friend by now, but…" He gestured, hopelessly at his partner. "He's something of a perfectionist."
"I've heard great things." I said, politely.
"Don't rush me, Herren!" Wade called in response to the first man's passive aggressive comment. "If you don't take the time to do something right, why bother doing it at all, hmmm?"
"Uh...yes, Wade." Herren replied, looking crestfallen. The words "long-suffering" popped into my head as I watched their exchange. I had the distinct impression that this conversation took place with relative frequency. "Please, make yourselves comfortable while you wait."
One glance at Grayson told me he wouldn't be comfortable while Morrigan was in the same room as him, but I obliged, jumping up to sit on the nearest workbench.
"So, did you have anything in particular in mind?" Herren asked. "He can do some amazing things with steel plate."
"Actually, I had thought that leather would be a nice change." I replied, winking at Grayson.
"Quite right, quite right." He said, his eyes darting nervously over to Wade. I wondered who was more impatient for the blacksmith to finish: Morrigan, Herren or Grayson, who was trying and failing not to look in the witch's direction.
We sat for another twenty minutes or so, with Herren painfully trying to make small talk and Grayson being studiously silent, before eventually Wade declared that he was done. Morrigan left swiftly, without so much as a parting word, and the blacksmith immediately hauled me from my perch and dragged me to the wooden stool that Morrigan had been standing on, bodily lifting me onto it. He fussed and grabbed and spun me around several times, muttering to himself as he worked. It felt like I stood there for days, but it can't have been much more than an hour. At one point, Herren nervously asked if he was almost done.
"Yes, yes, fine, yes." Wade replied, dismissively, and Grayson rose from his seat, with a parting nod, and I figured he was headed back to The Pearl to fetch Alistair for his turn.
The excitement I had felt at getting some new bespoke armour had well and truly worn off by the time I exited the emporium a little while later, and I shuddered to think what the fitting would be like, or even if the armour would be ready before the Blight was over.
On my way back to The Pearl, I took my time, just strolling along, absent-mindedly singing a made-up song to myself about the breakfast that I couldn't wait to inhale upon my return.
"Bacon and sausage and eggs and bacon,
and sausage and eggs and bacon and eggs,
and toast and sausage and eggs and bacon,
Bacon and sausage is good for a Lauren.
Bacon and sausage and eggs and bacon,
And sausage and eggs and bacon and eggs,
And toast and sausage and eggs and bacon,
Bacon and sausage is good for...for…"
I faded out, frowning to myself as a feeling of deep unease settled over me. I couldn't quite place it. It wasn't a world away from the feeling I had right before I started to sense Darkspawn, but I knew that couldn't be it. I felt the overwhelming need to look over my shoulder, but I forced myself to keep walking, picking up my pace only slightly. I knew I was being followed.
A movement to my left caught my eye and I glanced around. The street was full of people but there were armoured men on either side of me, picking their way through the crowd towards me. My heart pounded in my chest and I cursed myself when I realised the familiar weight of my dagger holster was absent - I must have left them in Wade's in my hurry to get out of there.
They weren't guardsmen, and they were keeping their distance, but a cursory sweep told me that I was outnumbered by at least ten to one. I knew if it came down to a brawl there would be no way out, but I was smart and quick and The Pearl wasn't far away. If I sped up now, I would tip them off to the fact I was aware of their presence. But if I kept my current pace, there was nothing to stop them from surrounding me. It was fight or flight, and I knew I couldn't take all of them in a fight - not when I was unarmed and unarmoured. I steeled myself and broke into a run, and the crowd around me erupted in shouts and protests as my pursuers followed suit, clamouring to reach me through the swarms of bystanders, shoving and jostling as they barrelled through the busy street.
I was sprinting, and I felt the distance between us grow as they started to fall behind. There were more of them, but I was faster and they were weighed down with mail and weapons. My feet pounded the cobbled ground as I flew through the busy streets, dodging and weaving through the throngs of people. I was so busy trying to get away from my pursuers that I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings and it wasn't long until I realised I was hopelessly lost.
That's okay. You'll figure it out. The voice in my head that sounded like Grayson assured me. Get out of sight first. One thing at a time.
I kept up my pace even after the last of the men disappeared from view behind me. I ran until my legs ached and my chest burned with the cold air, and then I ran some more until eventually, I met a dead end. I stopped in my tracks and whirled around, sighing in relief when I saw that the side street I had turned down was empty but for some foul-smelling barrels of...something and some boarded up doors. Whatever part of town I was in now clearly wasn't the nicest of areas, but at least I was alone.
I wondered absently who the men worked for. My first instinct was that they might have been Loghain's men, but that didn't seem to fit. Surely if Loghain knew we were here, we would have the entire guard searching for us. They could have been Crows, but they didn't seem to fit the profile. They were too obvious to be elite assassins. If the Crows had found me unarmed, wandering unfamiliar streets, I was quite sure I would be dead before I even knew they were there. They might have been working for Marjolaine, but that didn't make much sense to me, either. Or, I supposed, they could have just been your run-of-the-mill bad guys. I decided that the only thing that mattered now was getting back to Alistair and Grayson. My friends would know what to do about this new threat. I'd probably get a thorough ear-bashing for leaving my weapons behind, but I knew I deserved it.
Once my breathing had returned to normal and my hands stopped shaking, I straightened myself up and made to leave the alley, planning to ask for directions back to The Pearl at the nearest tavern or shop, but I had only taken a few steps when a large, burly man blocked my exit. I didn't recognise him, but if the cruel, triumphant smile on his face wasn't enough of an indication that I hadn't escaped my pursuers quite as effectively as I had first thought, he removed all doubt by bellowing,
"Over here! I found her!"
I backed away, instinctively, even though I knew there was nowhere to run. My eyes darted around the alleyway, looking for something, anything that would help. The doors to the dilapidated buildings around me were heavily boarded up and the roofs were too high to reach. When more men joined the first and they slowly started towards me, my battle brain engaged and I kicked over the barrels I had noticed earlier, sending them rolling towards my would-be attackers. The men yelled and one of them lost his balance and fell into two of his companions, distracting them while I threw myself against one of the boarded up doors with all my strength. It didn't budge, and I launched myself at it again, shoving and kicking frantically. One of the boards fell to the ground with a clatter, but I had run out of time. The men had recovered and they were pissed. I heard the unmistakable chorus of blades being drawn and I whipped around to face them. I retreated until my back hit the wall.
"Hey, guys. Can we talk about this?" I asked, with a sickly laugh. It was difficult to appear composed and confident when there was sweat running down my forehead. My heart was hammering so loudly in my chest I was certain they could hear it. "You know, a life of crime seldom has a happy ending. You there!" I singled out one of the approaching men. "Surely this isn't the life you dreamed of when you were a little boy. Didn't you have aspirations of something nobler than cornering an unarmed girl in an alleyway?"
"Quiet, bitch." He snarled, spitting. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, I bristled at that word. I wasn't about to just stand there and give up. These were just goons. Nameless, generic goons. Yeah, I was outnumbered seven to one right at that moment, and I had no weapons, and I was wearing a linen dress, but I was a god damn Grey Warden and I had just told the man I loved that I loved him, and he told me he loved me back. I wasn't going out like this. This wasn't how my story ended.
"Look, I don't like killing humans." I said, lowering myself into a defensive stance. "But I'm willing to make exactly seven exceptions if you don't turn around in the next three seconds."
A few of them laughed at this, and I couldn't say I blamed them. I didn't exactly cut an imposing figure. The large man who had first found me actually sheathed his weapon as he approached, and I saw another man ready a canvas sack and realised that they weren't planning on killing me here. This was a kidnap operation. I was not going in a fucking sack.
As the man made to grab me I ducked out of his reach and rolled forward, grabbing the sword from his belt as I went. Before anyone could react, I rose to my feet, sending the now unarmed man face-first into the wall with a swift back-kick and slashing the sword in an arc in front of me, forcing the rest of the men to back away. I heard Goon #1 crumple to a heap behind me, dazed, and the rest of them froze, eyeing me warily. Nobody was laughing anymore.
The stand-off lasted only seconds, before they seemed to remember that they still greatly outnumbered me and attacked. I deflected two blades at once and dodged a third, and then we were dancing. I was ducking and dodging and weaving and kicking and slashing and parrying. Two more men fell, one nursing the bloody stump where his hand used to be and the other unconscious with a vicious gash on the side of his head where my sword hilt had met his temple. That still left four, and they weren't taking me lightly anymore. I had a few close calls, but my adrenaline sent my battle brain into overdrive and I was moving faster than I could ever remember moving before. They were more skilled than I had anticipated, but I was too quick.
I incapacitated another man by knocking him out cold with his own helmet, before winding another with an elbow to the torso. He dropped to one knee, clutching his stomach, and I used his back as a springboard, leaping into the air and taking out a third man with a swift, sweeping kick to the jaw that sent him hurtling into a wall. He crumpled to the ground where he remained, motionless. I turned to face the last man standing, who was watching me with a mixture of fear and confusion. I let my sword arm drop to my side and looked around at his companions lying on the ground around us, and back at him, raising an eyebrow in a silent question. Really? You still think this is a good idea?
He stepped back, hastily sheathing his sword and holding his hands up in a sign of surrender, and I had my answer.
"Smart move." I growled, striding towards him. He started to back away but I grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him roughly against the wall, holding my sword point to the soft, exposed flesh of his throat. "Why were you after me? Who do you work for?" I demanded, in a soft, dangerous voice.
"D-D-D-Daryn!" He choked out, his eyes wide with fear.
I screwed my face up in confusion.
"Who?"
Before he could respond, a dull blow to the side of my head sent me sprawling and the sword in my hand went clattering across the cobbled ground, just out of reach. I landed hard on my side with a grunt and tried to scramble towards my weapon, but the man who had attacked me grabbed my ankles, dragging me across the rough ground. I twisted around to face him and recognised him instantly. He must have been hiding out of sight around the corner and waited until my back was turned. Snake.
"You?!" I spat in disgust, kicking my legs free of his grip and moving to stand up, but he smacked me hard across the face with the back of his gauntleted hand, sending me back down to kiss the hard ground. I turned my face towards him again, glaring at him with pure hatred. Hot blood trickled down the side of my face where his gauntlet had broken the skin. He said something in response, but that last blow to the head had been harder than I had realised, and it was like someone had turned the volume down on the world. Rough arms from behind me hoisted me to my feet, locking my arms in place. I struggled to break free, but my strength was failing me now. I went back to glaring at the man who had hit me. "Seriously? All of this because I told you not to grab ass and made you buy a round of drinks?"
The short, fat, ginger man from the night before - Daryn, I assumed - stepped towards me, smirking.
"Oh, believe me. I've done far worse to men for far less." He reached into his belt and pulled out a roll of parchment. "You pissed me off something fierce. That's probably why I recognised you straight away." He unrolled the parchment for me to see. My blood froze in my veins when I realised it was one of my ransom posters. "Oh yeah, that's right. Teyrn Loghain's going to pay me a pretty penny for turning you in."
Some of the other men around me had started to recover, and I wondered if I could appeal to one of their senses, if they had any left.
"What's wrong with you people? We're in the middle of a Blight! There are only three people in the whole of Ferelden who even have a chance of stopping it and you're going to hand one of them over to some insane tyrant? For what? For gold?" I laughed, humorlessly. "How much do you think your blood money will be worth when the entire world has fallen to the Darkspawn?"
I started to struggle again and the man holding me tightened his grip on my arms, painfully, and I winced.
"Look. I don't have the time or the crayons to explain this to you, but Loghain has gone completely mad." I seethed, through clenched teeth. "And none of this will matter, none of it, if the Archdemon lives."
"Well, we know that." Daryn said, grinning wickedly. "That's why we're only fixing to turn you over. Here, Foster, how many Grey Wardens does it take to end a Blight?"
"Damned if I know, but what hope would this one have if she can't even end a man? All seven of us she took down and there's not a mortal wound among us." The man holding me replied.
"That was on purpose." I spat. "I don't kill people. I kill Darkspawn. And I'm very good at it. But I'll be no good to anyone sitting in Loghain's dungeon."
"Enough talk." Daryn drawled, in a bored voice. I opened my mouth to respond, and the last thing I saw was a gauntleted fist flying towards my face and the whole world turned red and black.
AN: First of all, a huge thanks and congratulations to Chimera Spyke for getting the 100th review! I'll leave an author's note on this story when the Gift Fic is up.
Thanks as always to my amazing beta, Kira Tamarion. I sent her this chapter tonight and she sent it back to me within an hour. She is a machine. If you haven't already, you should check out her DA stories. You can find her page under my favourite authors list. You won't regret it.
And thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and subscribed so far. Keep 'em coming! I love hearing from you!
aLeXaNdRaSaInSbUrY: Welcome to the family! Thanks for joining us, we're happy to have you.
LeliMor29: I love Isabela, writing her dialogue was so much fun. She's so filthy. Everyone needs a friend like that. And don't worry, I might be a little slow to upload from time to time (cause life and stuff) but I have no plans to abandon this story until the bitter end.
Giggle813: Sorry to disappoint with the lack of steam, Lauren and Alistair have the combined emotional maturity of an acorn. A young acorn. They'll find their steam, but they'll probably frustrate the life out of everyone else first!
adriannewhitt: I'm glad you've come over to the dark side of OC real world inserts! And I'm glad you stuck it out through the beginning, hopefully I can keep you laughing (or at least entertained) from here on in!
Nikatomic: Apologies for your lack of sleep, I take partial responisibility. I love that you love the banter, it's my favourite part to write. Sometimes I have to stop myself so that I can continue with the actual story because I could write party banter all day every day and they would never get anything done.
Guest: Glad you enoyed spin the bottle. It's the worst party game I could think of (except Articulate but that's only bad for me because I get too involved and competitive. Relationships have been ended).