Lovisa quietly hummed as she sat on the rooftop deck of the High Tide, sharpening one of her hunting knives. The rest of her knives were laid out on the table before her, lined up in order of blade length. It was cooler that day, with greyish clouds obscuring the sun from view and a bit of a chilled wind coming in from the north. From where she sat, she could see the occasional flock of birds fly over the water and towards the orchards; she could also see the little disturbances in the waters of the lake as fish came to feed at the surface.

All were signs that rain was coming.

Picking up a small cup, she poured a fresh layer of water over her whetstone before carefully dragging the edge of her knife against the stone at an angle. It was her favorite knife to use for gutting a kill, with a special sharpened semi-circle cut out of the spine to lessen the chance of catching muscle when opening up the abdomen of an animal. Her father had made it for her when she had been a teenager—back when Warren was first teaching her how to hunt.

After ten strokes, she flipped the knife over and brought the blade's edge along the stone ten more times. She then wiped it off on the leg of her trousers before flicking her thumb across the edge.

'Perfect,' she thought, a grin coming to her lips. Sheathing the gutting knife, she grabbed a longer, wider knife and slid it from its sheath. A small frown came to her lips when she spotted a chip in the cutting edge. 'Oh, that's right…I was supposed to get this one worked on before I had to use it again. Maybe tomorrow, I'll stop by and have Jannik work on it; knowing him, he'll have it fixed in no time, which is good considering we're leaving the day after tomorrow. There's no way I'm going to go to Dale without this…'

As she sheathed the knife once more, she cocked her brow: She could hear voices coming up the stairwell. 'I hope all my knives don't frighten them.' She quietly chuckled to herself before grabbing a long, thin blade; this one she used for skinning animals and deboning fish.

She had just started to pull it across the whetstone when the door opened. To her surprise, Fili and Ori stepped out, each holding a bag filled with balls of yarn, knitting needles, and a partially finished project. Upon seeing her, they paused in their steps; they hadn't expected to find anyone up here.

"Hello, Lovisa," Fili said, a smile coming to his lips. "I didn't think we'd find anyone up here."

'That's the same reason I came up here,' she replied, chuckling. 'I didn't want to frighten the guests by sharpening my knives in the common room, but sharpening them in my own room is a pain, as it's almost a guarantee that I'll spill water all over my bed.' She beckoned the pair to come sit at the table beside hers.

"That…is a lot of different knives for hunting," Ori commented when he saw just the six sheathed blades on her table. He pulled out a chair and plopped down.

"It looks like a good variety, though," Fili said, a small grin on his lips. "I see some skinning knives, some field dressing knives…" He set his bag down on the table before also taking a seat.

Picking up the gutting knife, she offered it to the prince so he could look it over. 'I only ever bring one or two of them with me when I go out on a hunt, but it's nice to have spare knives waiting for me back home.'

"I like the curve on this one. I've never seen a knife with one before," Fili said, looking the knife over. "It looks like it'd be good for breaking through cartilage."

"Or sharpening pencils," Ori said matter-of-factly, earning a snort from the prince. "A pencil could fit perfectly in that curve, so you'd only need to drag it through."

'I never thought of that before,' Lovisa laughed. 'I may have to keep that in mind for when I write to Elle and Eira in the future.'

"Where did you get it, if you don't mind my asking?" Fili questioned. Sliding it back into the sheath, he set it back down on Lovisa's table and pulled out his knitting project: A capelet that was destined to be gifted to Tauriel.

'My father made it for me when I was younger. He based it off a hunting knife Warren had at the time. The hook makes it easier to slice open the abdomen without having to worry about damaging the meat. It's a bit too small to go through cartilage on animals bigger than a rabbit, though.'

He nodded in understanding; though he knew it was a foolish thought, he couldn't help but wonder if by 'Warren', she meant Baylee's father. He knew it was impossible, though, as that would mean that Mister Braddock was over a hundred years old. "I may have to have a knife made with a similar design," he chuckled. "It'd make field dressing so much easier."

'It is a handy little thing,' she signed with a chuckle. 'It's the only knife I keep on me at all times. It's proven handy for more than just hunting.'

"Have you ever used it against a person?" Ori asked, his brows furrowing. He also had his project out—a scarf that would eventually be gifted to Dwalin—and was working on it.

'I've never used it against a person, no. But to threaten a person is an entirely different matter,' she answered, a wry grin coming to her lips. 'Now orcs, on the other hand…I've used it plenty of times against those bastards.'

Ori's nose scrunched up slightly at the thought. "I've fought enough o' those t' last me a lifetime."

"Orcs aren't much of a problem for us anymore, thankfully," Fili chuckled. "Not after the war. I remember Gandalf saying that the battle had wiped out the majority of the orc population here in the north."

Lovisa tilted her head slightly. 'Is that so? I hadn't heard that before. But that does explain why my hunting trips have been so safe and fruitful the last few years…'

"Did you have to deal with orcs very much in the past?" Ori asked.

She nodded, unsheathing the last knife she needed to sharpen. 'Yes. My favored hunting grounds were in the northern reaches of Mirkwood—dangerous territory, I know. But that was where the best boar and elk could be found. But it was also close to the Grey Mountains, where orcs and other foul creatures had taken up residence.' Lightly shaking her head, she let out a small sigh as she flicked her thumb across the knife's edge; it wasn't terribly dull, but could stand to be sharper.

"I'm surprised you'd go that far north to hunt," Fili admitted. "I'm not sure I'd be willing to go that far—not when the Withered Heath is so close at hand."

'I was more worried about the dragon living inside Erebor than the ones in the Withered Heath,' she told him. 'In my earlier years, Smaug was still leaving the mountain on a regular basis to hunt for food and, being half-dwarf, I knew he'd find me a good snack if he caught me.'

Ori frowned and shook his head. "I don't think I would have been able t' go out an' hunt if I knew there was the chance o' a dragon snatching me up at any point."

'I had no choice. Between my father dying, trade between realms lessening due to Smaug's presence, and having a Master who was just as corrupt as the one you lads met, I needed the food and money that my kills brought in. Animal skins and bones were always in demand.'

"That makes sense," Ori murmured, his brows furrowing as he was forced to undo part of his row of stitches. "Though, it's hard to believe that there was a Master who was more corrupt than the one we met."

Fili nodded in agreement. "Didn't the one we met die of exposure after running away with a sack full of gold?" Glancing at Lovisa, he saw her make a knocking motion in the air; the sign for 'yes'. "Doesn't surprise me. I heard his manservant died because of his greed, too. Something about trying to run off with a dress full of coins only to end up lodged in a troll's throat…"

Lovisa snorted while Ori made a disgusted face. "That must have been an extremely unpleasant way to die," said the latter. "With the rancid smell o' troll breath fillin' your nose an' lungs…"

Again, Lovisa snorted. 'Alfrid died as he lived: A coward who constantly got himself into messes.'

"Was he just as bad or worse than the Master?" Fili asked her, amusement in his voice.

'Sometimes just as bad, but most often, he was worse. He was the one who actually went out among the people to do the Master's dirty work. And when I say 'dirty work', I mean it—he was known for worming his way into the most disgusting places in order to do his spy work.'

"At least he didn't get smuggled in through a privy," Ori murmured.

Lovisa gave him an odd look. 'Smuggled in through a what now?'

His cheeks turned a bit pink when he realized she had heard him. "Through a privy," he said. "Bard…smuggled us into his home through his privy."

"After smuggling us into Laketown in barrels filled with fish," Fili added.

Ori shuddered at the memory of being curled up in a barrel and surrounded by fish.

A rather perplexed look came to Lovisa's face and she raised her hands to sign something, but thought better of it and lowered them again. A few seconds later, however, she raised them and did sign something to them. 'He really smuggled you into his home through his privy?' When the two nodded, she let out a sigh. 'Sounds like one of the harebrained ideas he, Baylee, and Will would come up with when they were younger—only this time, there was no Primrose around to put a halt to it almost immediately.'

Fili couldn't help but snicker. "I still have a hard time picturing Bard as anything but serious," he admitted, "so whenever I hear about his exploits from his younger years, it's always an interesting mental image I get."

'Has Baylee told you about the time she and Bard broke into the Master's home and stole some wine from him?'

Both Ori and Fili's eyes widened. "They did what now?" questioned the former, a grin coming to his lips.

Lovisa nodded. 'Broke into the Master's home and stole wine and sweets from him. Then they, along with Will and Primrose rowed out into the middle of the Long Lake and got drunk.' There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. 'They're unaware that I know, however.'

"How did you find out about it?" Fili asked. He was having to quickly glance between her and his project, as he was just starting a new row.

'I overheard Alfrid complaining to a merchant about not having gotten his full shipment of Dorwinion wine and that whoever had delivered the one bottle he had left also stole the Master's raspberry tarts. Earlier that morning, the kids had come back home, hungover and exhausted, so it wasn't terribly hard to put two and two together.'

Ori snorted, his brow rising slightly. "But how did you know it was Baylee and Bard who did the thievin'? It could have been Miss Primrose or Will who did it."

Lovisa shook her head. 'Will had just had a growth spurt, so he was too clumsy to do any sort of sneaking and Primrose wouldn't steal unless it was a final resort—it's extremely unladylike to steal, you see,' she signed with a chuckle.

Fili nodded in understanding, a small laugh leaving his mouth. "And I take it Baylee is small enough that she can go wholly unnoticed at times?"

She nodded, a small grin on her lips. 'Combine that with Bard's stealth and you've the recipe for a very mischievous pair of teenagers.'

Will let out a quiet sigh as he sat behind the bar, holding an embroidery hoop with his left hand while the right carefully threaded a needle through the green fabric. He kept his left arm resting on the countertop in order to keep it steady, but despite his efforts, the limb still trembled a bit and he could feel a painful twitch in the side of his neck every once in a while. It was a sensation he had grown used to long ago, but that didn't make it feel any less annoying.

'At least I can do something,' he thought, his brows creasing slightly in concentration. His neck was twitching, but he forced himself to ignore it, even as it made his fingers spasm when pulling the needle through. 'It may not be the most productive thing in the world, but it's better than nothing…I just wish I could be making some furniture or repairing some shelving instead of staying at the inn like this.' A soft sigh left his mouth and he shook his head slightly, clearing it of the thought.

"Embroidering, are you? That's a sight I didn't think I'd see anytime soon."

He looked over to find Adela walking towards him, a smile on her lips and a bowl of soup in hand. Setting down the hoop, he sat upright and gave her a smile in return. "My arm's not behavin' enough t' let me whittle," he said. Once she set the soup down, he hooked his arm around her waist and brought her down onto his knee.

She quietly giggled against his lips when he stole a kiss from her. "Need me t' fetch that ointment your uncle made for you?" she offered, brushing a few strands of hair from his face. "That always seems t' help ease the nerves."

"Sadly, I already put some on." Closing his eyes, he rested his chin atop her shoulder and slowly breathed in her scent. "How're things goin' in the kitchen?" She smelled like a mixture of warm bread, cinnamon, and sugar; it was a combination that he had always thought suited her perfectly.

"Quite well. Galiene an' me have been comin' up with a list o' things we'll need t' place orders for soon. We've got Gawen and your auntie sittin' down at the island, doin' a bunch o' vegetable prep for us."

He nodded in understanding. "How's his ankle doin'? Uncle said it was fairly bruised when he last checked it."

"The swelling's gone down quite a bit since his fall yesterday. Luckily, the lad's excellent at hopping around on one foot, so he can still move about the kitchen fairly well. It's making your auntie jealous."

"I can only imagine," he snorted. He knew Demelza hated having to sit so often; even with the metal brace supporting her weight, her leg tired easily. "She still finds enough time t' come out here and check on me, though."

Kissing his forehead, Adela closed her eyes as well as she enjoyed their closeness. "Mmm…She goes stir crazy rather quickly. I daresay she's worse than Baylee when it comes t' sittin' still. Especially when she wants t' try an' get her nephew t' buy the inn a new chandelier."

He snorted again, his eyes opening to look up at her; there was a playful grin on her lips. "She's never going t' give that up, is she?"

"I'm afraid not, love." She kissed his temple before reaching over and plucking up his embroidery hoop to look at his project. "Oh, now that is adorable!" Will had embroidered a lineup of five hedgehogs, each one in a different pose and surrounded by different sorts of plants. The one he had been working on when she arrived was in a sitting-up position and had mushrooms all around it. "I think I might need you to embroider some chickens onto one of my aprons someday."

His cheeks turning a bit pink, Will let out a soft laugh. "If I ever again find myself as bored as I currently am, then I'll happily put some chickens on your apron for you."

Setting the hoop back down on the counter, she chuckled softly. "Part of me hopes that happens again sometime soon, but another part o' me hopes it doesn't," she teased. She looked up at him, about to kiss his cheek, when she saw a confused frown come to his lips. "What's wrong, love?"

"I…honestly don't know," he admitted, his brows furrowing. "All o' a sudden, I just got really sad for some reason."

She frowned. "I didn't upset you with my little joke, did I?"

"No, o' course you didn't," he assured her. Kissing her temple, he gave her a gentle squeeze. "If anything, you've given me an idea about what t' do for your birthday come Yavannië." A small, cheeky grin came to his lips and he kissed her cheek. "But in all seriousness, I promise I'm alright. It lasted all o' thirty seconds, anyway." That had been a lie; he still felt an intense grief that left his chest aching, but he hid it well.

There was a small pout on Adela's lips as she looked down at him, a skeptical brow raised. "If you say so," she said, lightly tapping the end of his nose. "But if I find out you're lyin' t' me, William Braddock…" She wagged a playfully scolding finger at him.

He feigned a pout in turn. "Now what in the world makes you think I'd ever lie t' the love o' my life, hmm?"

"I don't know," she chuckled, starting to slide off his lap, "since the only time you've actually lied t' me was because you didn't want t' spoil a surprise for me." She kissed the top of his head before motioning at the all-but-forgotten bowl of soup on the counter. "Now be a good lad an' eat your lunch while I get back t' bakin', alright? Fish soup's no good cold."

A soft laugh left his mouth and he nodded in understanding. "Alright. Don't wear yourself out with all that kneadin' you have t' do."

"Lucky for me, I don't have t' do any more kneadin'," she grinned. "Just prepping a bunch o' hand pies." Turning, she started to head back towards the kitchen.

Will watched her walk off, a small and silly smile coming to his lips when he was unable to stop himself from looking at her hindquarters. Upon realizing that he was staring, however, he shook his head and forced himself to look at his lunch. Admittedly, he didn't feel particularly hungry anymore—not since the strange bout of depression had come to him.

'I wonder why I'm feeling like this?' he thought, scooting his stool closer to the counter. 'There's nothing for me to be sad over. Dad's healing well, auntie's healing well, Adela and the rest of the staff are as happy as can be…' Spooning a bit of soup into his mouth, he glanced around the common room. 'Business has been good, too…maybe it's just stress making me feel strange? Since I know there are so many other things I should be doing instead of tending to the inn…Things I could be doing to earn money for that house…'

Shaking his head again, he sighed. "I shouldn't be thinkin' like that," he murmured, using his spoon to lift up a piece of fish. "I'm lucky that I'm able-bodied enough t' help da' and 'Lee out with the inn…"

Ori hummed softly to himself as he headed back towards his room after using the privy. It was rather late at night and most of the Hide Tide's patrons had either gone home or returned to their rooms by that point. As he walked past the railing overlooking the common room, curiosity got the better of him and he walked over, resting his hands on the banister while peering down to the first floor.

Only a handful of people were left in the common room, with two of them being Eira and Domeka, who were sweeping the floor. His brows furrowed slightly when he spotted Rán, Fifika, and Hunil sitting at a small table near the corner of the room. Rán had his face buried in his arms and Fifika was lightly rubbing his back, a look of concern on her face.

'I wonder what happened to him?' he thought, turning away from the railing. 'I hope it's nothing too serious…We don't need something bad happening to him when we're heading back to Dale the day after tomorrow.' Shaking his head, he once again started to make his way back to his room.

But, just when he was two doors away from his room, curiosity made him stop again. The door to Baylee's room had been left ajar and, when he crept closer with the intention of closing it for her, he could hear quiet sobbing coming from inside. He grew concerned and he pushed the door open just the slightest bit more, allowing him to peek at the room's occupants.

Inside, he saw that Baylee was curled up in a small ball on the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest and her face buried in it as she cried. Lovisa sat beside her, a mixture of worry and pity on her features as she gently rubbed the young woman's back.

"W-what happened?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Lovisa's eyes widened and she looked at the door in shock. 'How long have you been there?'

His cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I-I just got here," he answered, his voice quiet. "I saw the door was ajar, so I was goin' t' close it, but then I heard cryin'…" He rubbed the side of his neck. "I-I can go if you'd like."

She shook her head and motioned for him to come further into the room. 'She told Rán that he wasn't the one her heart chose,' she signed. 'Poor thing feels awful.'

'So that's why Rán had his face hidden,' he thought with a frown. His voice soft, he then asked, "Do you know if he took it well…?"

Baylee took him a bit by surprised by raising her hand and making a knocking motion in the air—the sign for 'yes'. Half a moment later, she sniffled and, not lifting her head from the pillow, she signed, 'He took it very well, but I saw his heart breaking in his eyes as I told him.'

He winced slightly at that. "I'm sorry, 'Lee," he said, reaching over and gently patting her arm. "At least the two o' you can still be friends, right?"

'I hope,' was all she signed.

Lovisa tilted her head slightly as she looked at Ori. 'Wouldn't it be hard for them to have a friendship? Given that Rán's in love with her, but can't have her, I would imagine that the lingering emotions would just make things awkward, especially if Bofur were around.'

He shook his head. "He doesn't seem like that sort o' person. Even though I don't like him much, it's obvious he does genuinely care for Baylee an' enjoys her companionship. I don't think he's goin' t' let some unrequited feelings keep him from havin' a friendship with her." He then shrugged. "An', for all we know, he'll get over the heartbreak an' become friends with Bofur."

A sound came from Baylee, though it was hard to tell whether it was a snort or a sob. 'I would be beyond happy if they eventually became friends,' she signed. 'I don't know if it'll ever happen, though. They dislike each other too much.'

"Only because they've been rivals for your heart. Now that Bofur's won it, there is a chance that they could become friends." Once again, he lightly patted her arm. "It's a small chance, but it's still there."

Though she knew it would go unseen by the human, Lovisa nodded in agreement. 'And even if those two don't become friends, that doesn't mean you can't still be friends with Rán,' she signed, Ori reading her words aloud so Baylee could know what was being said.

"And I'm sure Rán will heal from this quickly," he told her. "Rán's half dwarf an' I'm sure I don't need t' tell you that even half-dwarves bounce back quickly from any sort o' hurt they've been dealt." He saw her peek out from behind the pillow and he gave her a small, pitying smile. "Aye, you might've broken his heart, but he's handsome an' enough o' a gentleman that I'm sure all the single lasses in Dale will be linin' up t' try an' win him over now that he knows you're unavailable."

That time, he could tell that the small noise Baylee made was a snort. 'They were lining up before this whole mess,' she signed.

'Can't blame them, to be honest,' Lovisa signed, Ori still translating. 'If I were a decade or two younger, I'd be tempted to try for him.'

Baylee snorted again. 'He's not too much younger than you, Lovisa. He's just in his sixties'

Lovisa looked at her in confusion. 'He's in his sixties?' When Baylee nodded, she a cheeky grin came to her lips. 'He's aging quite well, then. He looks like he's a human in his late twenties at most!' Shaking her head, she quietly chuckled. 'Maybe I should join that lineup, then…Do you happen to know what his favorite game meat is? I might be able to get a leg up on the competition,' she joked, hoping to get at least a small laugh out of Baylee.

And it worked. Muffled laughter came from the human as she continued to hug onto the pillow. Both Ori and Lovisa felt relieved by the sound, even if it was short-lived.

Reaching over, Lovisa lightly rubbed her back again. 'Would you like me to get you some tea, love?' she asked.

"Yes, please," Baylee answered, finally speaking aloud. Ori frowned slightly; her voice was hoarse and painful sounding.

'She must have been crying for quite some time before I noticed the opened door,' he thought. 'I know she cares about Rán, but I didn't think having to tell him that Bofur won her heart would affect her this much…'

'Would you like some tea, Ori?' Lovisa asked as she stood up.

He shook his head. "No, thank you. I was actually just about to head t' bed, but I'll stay with her until you get back."

She nodded in understanding and, after giving him a thankful pat on the shoulder, she took her leave of the room.

Baylee let out a heavy sigh as the door shut and, letting go of the pillow, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Seeing the worry on Ori's face, she gave him a halfhearted smile. "I'll be fine," she quietly assured him. "I just…I just hate that I had t' hurt him like that."

"I believe it." He moved to sit on the edge of the bed and reached over, setting his hand on her shoulder. "But as much as it hurts, you did the right thing. It would have been far worse t' keep up the charade that you love him when you don't."

Leaning over slightly, she rested her head against his shoulder. "I know," she murmured. "An' I know I also made this worse by just not tellin' him sooner. But…" Her eyes closed and she let out another sigh. "I just couldn't do it the day we went for that ride."

"Why not?" He looked down at her, confusion in his voice. "Did he just not give you the chance?"

"T' be perfectly honest, I had plenty o' chances t' tell him." She ran a hand through her hair; for the first time in weeks, she had no braids in her hair and it felt almost strange to not have them. "But…he ended up confessing somethin' to me. Somethin' about his past that had affected him deeply. After that, I couldn't bring myself t' tell him. Not then."

He nodded slowly in understanding; for some reason it felt like there was something else about the situation that Baylee wasn't telling him. He wasn't going to prod her, however; if she wanted to tell him, she would. "I see," he murmured. "Well…it's still good that you got it over with before we got back t' Dale. He'll be hurtin' for a while, but his heart will heal and there'll be plenty o' other gems in the mine for him t' pursue."

"I hope that'll be the case."

"Why wouldn't it be?" His brow rose slightly as he glanced down at her, concern on his face.

She shrugged. "I don't know…I suppose I'm just afraid that half dwarves have their Ones like full blooded dwarves do."

He rubbed the side of his neck, sighing. "Not much is known about half dwarves an' how much they take after their dwarven side. For all we know, it may have t' do with which parent they were closer t' when growing up. So, in Lovisa's case, she may have a One or love her craft too much t' fall in love while in Rán's case, he might be able t' fall in love multiple times like a human. At least, I'm assuming Rán was raised more by his human parent than the dwarven one, given that he doesn't speak Khuzdul or use Iglishmêk."

"Aye, he was raised by humans," she told him. "But…what if it turns out that Rán's love does take after his mother's side?"

He looked down at her, a small frown on his lips. "…You're really afraid you were his One, aren't you?"

She bit her lower lip. "Y-yes an' no."

"Yes an' no?"

"I don't think I was his One," she said. Sitting upright again, she brought her knees to her chest before wrapping her arms around them. "But I…I do think there's a possibility I might've been his Second Chance."

A serious look came to Ori's face, making her stomach drop. "…What makes you think that?" he questioned.

"That talk he and I had, where he told me something about his past? Part of it involved a person he was close to," she explained, not wanting to go into too much detail. "The way he spoke about them made it seem like they were definitely more than friends. But that person's no longer in his life."

Ori slowly nodded, his brows furrowed as he thought over her words. "I mean…it's not impossible," he said at length. "An' it's not unheard of for two people t' share a One or Second Chance—it's quite rare, aye, but not unheard of."

She tilted her head, curiosity coming to her features. "What happens if they have the same One? Do they just…share each other or somethin'?"

He was just barely able to contain a sarcastic snort. "I've never heard o' two dwarves sharing a lover in that fashion," he told her. "In the few cases I've heard about two dwarves havin' the same One, there's always been a winner an' a loser."

"I had the feelin' you'd say that," she sighed.

Setting his hand on her shoulder, he gave it a small squeeze. "I know you don't like that you had t' hurt Rán," he began, "but whether you were his Second Chance or not, you did do the right thing by turnin' him down. Your heart chose Bofur, not Rán, an' if you hadn't told him, then things would have only gotten messier, with there even bein' a chance that you'd lose both o' them."

She nodded in understanding, a small sigh leaving her mouth. "I know," she said. "I don't think it helps that I've been away from Bofur for nearly a month, either. I've been missin' him like crazy…but Rán's been so affectionate towards me, I think part o' me had started to think that it was him I had chosen. If that makes any sort o' sense."

"It makes perfect sense," he assured her. "Especially since I've noticed you're the sort o' person who needs physical affection. Your mind knows that you chose Bofur, but the part o' you that was starved for his touch started t' latch onto Rán." He gave her a small smile. "Mahal only knows that, if I were in your shoes, I'd more than likely be havin' the same dilemma, since I'm also someone who needs physical affection."

"That's good t' know," she said with a small chuckle. Despite his assurances, though, she couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't just her trying to make up for being touch-starved. What if she did love both Bofur and Rán? "Do you think I should try avoidin' him for a few days? Not just t' help clear my head, but also t' give him some space so he can clear his head a bit as well."

"Aye, that might be for the best. It's not like you'll be very far away, either, given that we'll be leaving the day after tomorrow, so he won't have t' worry about you running off an' gettin' kidnapped or anything."

"That's very true." Letting go of her legs, she leaned over towards him once more; this time, however, she hugged him. "Thank you for helpin' talk me through this," she murmured. "I would have told all this t' Lovisa, but…well, she's not as knowledgeable on this subject as you."

He returned the hug, giving her a gentle squeeze as he quietly laughed. "You make it sound like I'm some sort o' relationship expert," he joked.

"You know more than Lovisa," she said with a chuckle, "and I certainly don't know very much about relationships. Therefore, you are the relationship expert." A small grin came to her lips when Ori blew a raspberry at her. "What? Prim isn't here, so I can't ask her about this situation. Neither is Will."

His brow rose slightly. "Would one o' them have encountered this kind of situation before?"

She shrugged. "Will might've, but truthfully, I doubt Prim has. At least, outside o' her books."

"…Don't tell me she reads those dirty romance novels."

Baylee let out an unladylike snort. "Mahal's beard, no! She reads actual novels, though she does have a preference for ones that are more romantic." She suddenly covered her mouth as she yawned and it was then Ori noticed just how tired she looked, with dark circles under her eyes that were still a bit red from crying.

"Have you not been sleeping well?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Her cheeks reddened as she watched him cover his mouth when he yawned as well. "Not really, no," she sighed. "Not because o' dreams, though, thank Mahal. Just anxiousness about havin' t' tell Rán about…you know."

Nodding in understanding, he let out a small sigh of his own. "Well, now that you've gotten it done an' over with, hopefully you'll be able t' get some better sleep. With us leaving the day after tomorrow, you're going t' want t' rest up."

"Aye, I know. I have been managing t' sleep in a bit, though."

At that, Ori couldn't help but snort. "Baylee, it hardly counts as sleeping in when you you've been sleeping until just past sunrise when, normally, you get up just before sunrise."

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up. It's been a rough couple of months, to be honest. Things are going a bit better now, though, but I haven't been able to get the gumption to work on my fics until a few days ago. In happier news, though, I got a hold of the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo and ugh. I thought the Crows in the Shadow and Bone show were awesome, but they're even cooler in the book!