AN: Hope you enjoy reading~

Chapter 5:

Though it was oh-so tempting to stay in the tearoom, in that comfortable chair, in front of that blissfully blazing fireplace, Flavio had things he needed to do in his room. And with explorers, both satisfied and weary, returning from a long day in the labyrinth, he decided to use the fading sunlight to restock his own explorers kit in his room.

In the peace and quiet of his room, and with his desk situated under the window, he had the perfect view of the beautiful sky outside. Gazing out at the blends of oranges, reds, and purples of the setting sun was soothing.

While there was a notable chill in the air, Flavio felt content.

A quiet, almost inaudible creak of the floorboards outside his room caused Flavio to tense.

Why? Why did he tense? It was just a single, simple creak of a floorboard. He was at an inn catering to explorers. At the time of day where the vast majority would start to trickle back in. Surely, that sound was just someone staggering back to their room. Or it was just simply the sound of the old building settling.

Another creak caused Flavio's heart to skip a beat.

Flavio slowly lowered the things in his hands onto the table, daring not to make a sound. He turned his head toward the door as he slowly reached for his walking stick. The line of light under the door from the hallway remained unbroken, indicating that no one was outside his door.

He stared at that single line of unbroken light, waiting for another sound. Any sound. A creak of a floorboard. An opening of a door. Something.

But it was silent.

Flavio released a slow breath. He had not realised he had all but stopped breathing.

He was…just being paranoid.

A shadow falling over the light under his door soon had his heartrate ratcheting up into the triple digits. The sight so sudden that he jumped in his chair, and he felt a course of adrenaline rush through him.

He tightened his hold on his walking aid and shakily pushed himself to his feet. A small voice in his head scolded him for being overly paranoid and foolish. Telling him that the figure outside was simply a tired or drunken explorer slowly staggering back to their room. And if it were not for the two previous unwanted flowers from an anonymous source, he normally would not think twice about such an occurrence.

But as the shadow lingered outside his doorway, a new fear rushed through him.

His door was not locked.

He had been in his room once before when the courier delivered the flowers, and it was not an issue. But, for some reason, a voice in the back of his head told him that he needed to lock the door. That, after two solid rejections, his 'courier' was going to ensure that there was not going to be a third.

Premonition or simple paranoia, it did not matter.

The adrenaline rushing through his veins allowed Flavio to forget his injured ankle and he hurried forward, mindful to be as quiet as possible. He stopped directly in front of the door and slowly, silently slid the lock into place. He winced when a quiet, but telling 'click' resounded, indicating to him, and possibly the person outside, that the door was locked.

He did feel a little bit safer knowing that he had a barrier between himself and whoever was loitering outside his room. Yet, it did not quite feel like enough.

With a chest of drawers located next to the door, Flavio wedged his walking cane behind that and the door handle. Extra reassurance should the person outside decide that extreme force was necessary. Sure, a single stick of wood would not offer much resistance. But it might give Flavio a few extra moments to prepare himself. Or at the very least, have someone else overhear all the commotion.

His heart pounding in his chest, Flavio took a step back and stared at the door. He tried to slow his heartrate by taking slow, deep breaths, silently telling himself that he was safe. No one would dare try anything outlandish at the inn. An inn filled to the brim with explorers. Cranky explorers who had spent all day in the labyrinth.

A quiet, metallic rattle sound caused Flavio to take a half step back.

He was not entirely sure what that sound was at first. Not until he heard it again and he realised, his breath catching in his throat, that it was the sound of the door handle.

His eyes immediately darted to the handle. Despite the diminishing light of the setting sun, the only source of light he had, he watched in horror as the handle slowly turned. Only to stop when the lock engaged. The sudden metallic thud of the lock was quiet, but in that exact moment in time, he had never heard a more beautiful sound.

Yet, he could not help but note the way the door handled moved. It turned slowly, cautiously, mindful not to draw attention. The one outside did not want any attention. They were not being mindful of others, oh no; they were being sly.

The lock being engaged should have been a sign to stop trying.

Whoever stood on the other side continued to try the handle. Constantly testing it, rattling it, pushing at it. They wanted inside. And they were patient enough to try over and over again.

That metallic rattling noise was deafening.

Should Flavio…say something? Shout?

He could not find his voice. Not even a whisper. He did not know what to do. He had never experienced someone standing outside his room, attempting to get inside. He was an explorer, an adventurer. He could deal with treacherous terrane. He could deal with territorial monsters.

How could he deal with the unpredictability of men?

Flavio had no idea how long he stood there, unable to move or say a word. How long he watched as the being outside tested the lock on his door, he did not know. It was simultaneously minutes and hours.

His room was pitch black when the door handle rolled back into place and the shadow blocking the hallway light under his door suddenly moved to the left. Toward the stairs. Unlike how they had first arrived, the footsteps Flavio heard were clear and purposeful. As if they wanted to leave before someone else saw them.

Flavio breathed a shaky sigh of relief and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Yet, as he looked at his door, a small shadow remained blocking a fragment of the light.

He pressed his lips together into a thin line and breathed in slowly. He had a feeling he knew what was responsible. And it was not human.

Pushing himself up to his feet, Flavio quickly closed the distance between him and the door. He removed the flimsy, but thankfully effective barricade, using his walking stick as it was intended to be used. He placed his hand on the doorhandle, and with more effort than was necessary, he unlatched the lock and slowly eased the door open. He was never as grateful as that very moment that the hinges on his door moved easily, without a sound.

There, on the floor right in front of his door was a vase of flowers. Of white irises. With a card seen amongst the petals.

Just as he had thought. And feared.

That figure, whoever they were, were the ones delivering the flowers.

Before attending to the flowers, he looked up and down the hallway. But, just like the previous two times, not a single soul to be seen. Whoever the courier was, was extremely proficient at getting away unseen.

That was…highly disturbing.

Not wanting to be out in the open longer than necessary, Flavio scooped up the flowers, backed into his room, and quickly shut and locked the door once more. To put his mind and nerves at ease, he set up the flimsy barricade once more. It truly was the best he could do with his current circumstances. His ankle would not allow him to push the chest of drawers in front of the door.

Though, if absolute necessary, he would be willing to re-injury his ankle to do just that.

Placing the vase of irises on the desk, Flavio sat down in his chair. He had to pool his nerves to reach into the white flowers to retrieve the card. After what had occurred, he feared what nonsense could be written on the note.

'I fear that someone is stealing your flowers, so I will send you flowers every day until I see them in your bedroom window.'

Window…?

Flavio's head snapped up to look at the window that resided over his desk. And his eyes widened.

The curtains were wide open. He usually left them open as he resided on the second floor of the inn. And he enjoyed gazing out the window, at the sunrise or sunset, or the starry night sky.

Could…?

Flavio threw the card onto the desk as he launched himself out of his chair and fell across the desk, uncaring that he knocked off several items as he frantically grasped the curtains and drew them closed. He spent what had to be several minutes ensuring that the curtains were covering every inch of the window. No exposed points. He could not afford even an inch of exposure.

Slowly, he drew back and sat down in his chair.

What…was going on?

Flavio rubbed his face with his hands. What should he do? Someone, for some reason, seemed to have grown an interest in him. To the point of sending him flowers.

The flowers were bad enough. But tonight, the rattling of the door handle signified that they wanted to get into his room. And they were determined to get in without anyone else knowing.

M-maybe they did not know he was inside?

No, that should not matter. Why would anyone want to get into someone's room? Especially so quietly? They surely did not have good intentions.

A telling creak of wood caused a shiver to race down Flavio's spine. Had they returned? Did they come back with something to pick the lock? Or…with help?

Crap…

Should…he confront them? Make a scene? At least loud enough for Fafnir to get involve. Or, if nothing else, get a visual on the person involved so he could keep an eye out for them.

Yeah, ok. He could do it. Think of them as a monster in the labyrinth. Get a visual. At least see who or what he was dealing with.

Pushing himself to his feet quickly, Flavio limped to the door, lifted the walking cane from its placed as the makeshift barrier and swiftly unlatched the lock. When he heard another light creak, he made the mental note that it was unlike that of the previous time. Not as loud. Not quite as intimidating. That thought gave him pause.

Instead of flinging open the door, he peeled it open carefully.

And found himself looking at a very familiar purple haired princess.

"Oh, Arianna," he sighed, his shoulders sagging with relief. "I thought you were someone else."

Arianna gazed at him, a mixture of surprised and intrigued. Which was fair, as it was not every day a teammate would all but fling open a door, ready for a confrontation only to sigh with relief. He would be curious, too.

"Ah, a drunkard had been pacing the halls making a nuisance of himself. I just about had enough, you see." A lie. A harmless one, as he highly doubted Arianna would intentionally invoke Fafnir's protectiveness toward him by bringing it up the next time she was alone with him. "Did you…see anyone?"

Arianna placed a finger against her cheek as she half-turned and gazed down the hallway toward the stairs. "No, I'm afraid I didn't. Just an elderly and seemingly sober gentleman in the foyer complaining of the cold," she answered, thankfully blissfully unaware of the feared induced tension he had just experienced. "Though, it is quite jovial downstairs. Perhaps they had joined the other guests in the dining hall."

Yes, the noise downstairs may have frightened off his unwelcomed guest.

"Ah, right." Best to change to subject. "Are you all right? You were gone for a while this afternoon."

Arianna flushed lightly and pressed both her hands against her cheeks in an attempt to hide the redness. "O-oh, yes. The cool winter wind reminded me of home. I was…a little homesick, I do suppose."

That…something in him told him that was not entirely true. But, perhaps, she was telling him a small white lie in return. He had no right to be indignant. They were sure to have their reasons.

Arianna lowered her hands and folded them in front of her once more. A habit that of hers. One, he had noted, signified she was either calmed and composed. Or was worried and concerned but did not wish for it to show.

"Were you and Sir Fafnir in the tearoom all afternoon?" she asked.

"That's right." Flavio could not lie to her about that. "Bertrand and Chloe were at the restaurant with Regina all day."

"I see." And, well, she was not exactly happy. Not angry, not disappointed, not depressed. Just not…happy. "Um, Sir Flavio, you know that I have Sir Fafnir's best interest at heart?"

"Yes…?" That was a strange thing to say.

Arianna offered him a strained smile. "I just wanted to make sure that you understood."

"Right." Flavio did not know what else to say.

"Well, good night, Sir Flavio."

"Yes, good night. Make sure to lock your door."

"Of course."

Flavio took a half step back and closed the door. He instinctively slid the lock into place and waited. And listened to Arianna's footsteps as she moved along the hallway, open the door of her room, and the door close. Then silence.

Before he turned away from the door, he replaced his make-shift barricade and shuffled back to the desk.

As he dropped down into his chair, he opened the top drawer and pulled out a blank notebook. Documenting what just occurred might help put everything into perspective. If nothing else, it would prove that he was being paranoid or if he had every right to react the way he did. It was also a good idea to make note of the time and date of everything that had happened so far. If nothing else happened again; good.

But if it did…

Better to be cautious.

What should he do with the flowers, though? He could not leave them at the front counter. Too obvious. Maybe he should just leave them on a random corner table somewhere. There were numerous decorative tables and cabinets dotted around the inn. Some already with flowers. One more vase would probably go unnoticed.

Ok. He would do that. Wait until it got darker, slip out of his room, and place the vase on some random table. He certainly was not keeping them and putting them in his window.

Hmm…maybe if he placed it in some random window, not another bedroom though as he did not want to drag anyone else into his mess, but a room that was not used for anything, maybe his mysterious admirer would think he moved rooms?

Flavio would just have to figure it out on his own.

… … … … …

It was the start of a week-long celebration of Lady Gadriel's birthday. A week of festivities. And if any business wished to truly thrive within High Lagaard, they needed to make this week count.

Despite everything, all the work that Fafnir and his guild had done, Regina's restaurant still was not popular amongst the masses in general. It was due largely in part of how she came into the scene as it were. Who she was, her family connections, how she got everything handed to her on a silver platter. Her surly attitude did not win her any favours.

She had gotten better, attitude wise. But they needed to work a lot harder to fix her reputation and prove to the public of High Lagaard that she was a hard worker.

How they were going to do that, Fafnir was not sure. Still was not sure. The locals of High Lagaard were leery toward those of high society. And, really, Regina had done little to endear herself to them. Staying in the kitchen and expecting everyone to come rushing to her was not going to cut it.

The only thing she had going for her and her restaurant was Flavio.

Really. That was not Fafnir being bias. He had witnessed firsthand potential customers sticking their heads through the door, only to check to see if Flavio was out on the floor before stepping in. Some even asked if he was in, and if told no, would just up and leave.

That definitely rankled Regina more than she would admit.

It both amused and irked Fafnir that the vast majority of customers stopped by solely to see Flavio. On one hand, he understood completely. Flavio was chatty, amicable, inviting, and an amazing people's person. On the other hand, Fafnir was greedy and jealous. For years, Flavio had turned that friendly, outgoing smile toward him. And, really, only him.

Fafnir rested his elbow upon the bar at the restaurant and watched as Flavio spoke to one of their many morning customers. His ankle had thankfully healed, for the most part. But Fafnir wanted to be cautious. So, they were remaining in town for one more day, to ensure that the injury had fully healed.

He had forgotten that it was the beginning of a week-long celebration. Regina immediately grabbed them the moment they entered the restaurant, ready to put them to task.

Honestly, Fafnir was not thrilled. He would rather be wandering around the labyrinth. But he could not turn his back on the restaurant. Running a business was a lot harder than exploring, that was for sure.

Having Flavio be a waiter (a job he gravitated toward himself as he was naturally helpful and friendly) made perfect sense. He won people over to him without even trying. To know him was to adore him, after all.

He had no idea how wonderful he truly was.

It was Fafnir's self-appointed job to ensure that no one tried to get to…cosy with him.

An elbow in the ribs from the man sitting next to him pulled Fafnir from his observations. "You're giving the customers a serious case of stink-eye there," Bertrand said. "It's almost on Regina's level."

Fafnir tore his gaze from Flavio and glared at him. "I'm not that bad," he insisted, almost insulted. No one had a glare like Regina's. She was famous for it.

Bertrand brought a mug of some kind of ale to his lips to hide the smirk. "Don't go getting protective now. We need the customers. If they're here for the food or for a certain friendly waiter, it doesn't matter. We can't afford to be picky."

"I'm not being protective; I'm just taking my role as security very seriously."

"That's the same as being protective."

"You know how some customers are like with waiters."

"Everyone has been perfectly respectable."

"So far…"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, you lot," Regina suddenly called out to, what Fafnir assumed, anyone of the guild who was listening. "Make yourselves useful and hand out these flyers."

Fafnir turned his head just in time to watch as Regina flop down a pile of hand flyers onto the bar next to him. Clearly, she had directed that request toward him and possibly Bertrand. The two guys sitting on their butts and doing nothing.

"Oh, Sir Fafnir and I will be more than happy to complete this task!" Arianna suddenly stated.

Fafnir felt a frown twitch onto his lips. He did not exactly mind. The task itself was simple enough. But after what occurred in Ginnungagap, he had developed a distain for being told what to do rather than being asked. It did not matter who or what. He just…wanted to be asked for once.

Whether Flavio had picked up on his new rebellious phase or had seen his frown from across the restaurant, he soon came across and joined them. "What me to help?"

"But Sir Flavio, you have been advised not to walk around the labyrinth today, yes? Then it would be unwise for you to walk around the possible icy paths, would it not?" Arianna expertly countered.

It…was a little abrupt, to be perfectly frank. It caught Flavio by surprise, as well.

Still, Fafnir could not argue with that unreasonably sound piece of logic. That last thing he wanted was to re-injure Flavio's ankle.

"It's alright." Flavio gave him an empathetic smile as he clamped a hand on his shoulder, obviously seeing the frown on his lips. "Nothing wrong with spending time with your sister."

Right, sister.

"But don't take too long. The restaurant is busy today, right?"

"Sure."

Flavio understood. He always did. Far better than anyone else ever could.

Fafnir just hoped that Arianna would come to understand him, too.