The gently falling snow drifted past her window. She was beyond restless. Raine wanted to move, to get out, to do anything anywhere else. But she waited still, and every time Lynn walked past she would perk up, only to find disappointment once more. Richard was in a similar mindset, and was likewise very bored. He had taken to helping Maren and Aidu with the tavern work, and they were actually being paid rather well. Sythe did his best, but most people didn't want a wolf near them. He had tried to just sit in a corner and sulking, but Aidu did not like that. She had put him to work cleaning tables and dishes, and while he grumbled, he at least was busy and not standing around feeling useless, and when he wasn't working, he was usually chasing around Mrs. Nibbly, pulling her off of tables he had just cleaned.
Even Karen was growing tired of standing around, and she was helping Sythe when she wasn't pestering the tavern patrons. Most people didn't mind, Karen was charismatic enough that most people just smiled and laughed with her when she jumped into a conversation, and those who didn't like her she learned to leave alone.
Aidu was an… interesting woman. While she was usually the sweetest person ever, she was best kept that way. Only once had Raine seen her truly mad when some drunk caught a table on fire. Never had the city been so quiet as when she was yelling and scolding him. She put the fear of god back into that poor sap, and then picked him up with one arm, throwing him out the door and into the middle of the street. No none messed with her.
Raine was also trying her best to stay busy, but she wasn't helping downstairs. Aidu had seen her reading once, and had given Raine the key to her personal library, which was tucked away at the back of the building. While it was mostly books for cooking recipes, building maintenance manuals, there were a few more… interesting books. While Aidu certainly didn't seem like the kind of person to use magic, there were a shockingly large number of spellbooks that ranged from the most basic magic like minor illusions all the way to some highly advanced rune calligraphy manuals. Raine suspected these were not things a normal tavern wench should have, but Aidu was far from normal. She studied the runes, recipes, and anything else she could get her hands on, though she resisted the temptation to practice any magic. When Lynn was ready, she would be too.
It had been three weeks since Lynn had talked to them about his plans. He would often work on his bureaucratic work in the main room, and would make notes of whoever came in, but would never let anyone see what he was actually writing. The tavern was closing up on December 13, and as the last patrons said their goodbyes, the voice of Aidu echoed through the inn "Tavern is officially closed! If ya'lls want food, come and make it yourself!" Raine was carrying a cook book back to her room when she was stopped by Lynn standing in her doorway.
"Tonight. Midnight. Be awake, be ready." Without waiting for a response, he crossed the hallway and closed the door. As Raine processed what had just happened, her blood pumped, and her heart raced. Finally! Something to do! Midnight was only 4 hours away, she could stay awake that long.
"Hey, you're supposed to be awake." Raine woke up to a weight on her chest. Madelyn was kneeling over her.
"Sorry. Didn't think I'd actually fall asleep." Madelyn hopped down without a sound as Raine sat up. Glancing out the window again, it was snowing rather hard. "I swear, I just wanted to read in a more comfortable position."
"It's fine. Come on, Master Lynn is waiting." Raine followed her down the hall, to the stairs, where Lynn stood in the dim light of the fireplace's embers.
"Ah, you slept alright, miss Raine?" Even at midnight, Lynn was as formal as ever.
"Well enough. What are we doing?"
"You are eager. Good. Your mission will not be easy, but Madelyn will be with you to help you. As you know, the Templars have seven siege factories scattered in and around the city, each producing parts for weapons of war. They each create pieces of the machine, before being sent to the eastern factory for final assembly, then from there to the front lines. For the last two weeks, miss Madelyn has been my eyes and ears, keeping me up to date on production timetables, patrol schedules, and more. This is fine, but we now need someone new. We need you.
"You have a knowledge of runes and magic that we Basitins are incapable of understanding, as we ourselves lack the ability to use magic, and therefore we do not study it. As we saw on the way into the city, the Templar weapons are engraved with runes, allowing them to be moved without soldiers or draft horses. Madelyn has identified where they are making these runes, and you will be investigating them tonight, and returning well before dawn.
"On the eastern side of the city is the main assembly complex, where all the parts are put together. With the cold and the recent snow, patrols have been reduced, and thus we have an opportunity to move. Your task, should you chose to accept it, will be to infiltrate the main assembly compound, locate the rune blueprints, analyse them, and return without interfering."
"Sounds simple enough." Raine said.
"Simple, yes. Easy? No. As you have yet to master your shapeshifting, you are still a wolf, and if you are seen or captured, you will most likely be killed."
"I'll be fine. Madelyn will be with me."
"I can only help so much." Maddie said. "If you get spotted, I might not be able to help get you out."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take. When do we leave?"
"Now." Lynn turned away and stared from the balcony toward the fireplace. "Good luck."