The halls were quiet. Silent. Still. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last, but it just felt different. Maybe because he hadn't experienced it personally, but this felt… more. Like the world was holding it's breath before taking the plunge into chaos. His arm was still nearly useless, so he stayed back at the estate, watching from a distance. Zen sighed and leaned on the railing, both wishing he could go down and being glad to stay behind. The quiet life was his dream after all, but it was a quiet life with his family alive and safe that he yearned for. He wasn't a grand tactician like Richard had become, he wasn't a master of the blade like Keith, he wasn't an expert hunter like Barret, and he wasn't a powerful spellcaster like Trace. He felt like everyone had left him behind, but he knew that wasn't the case. Six days ago, when Barret came back, he was overjoyed to he his friend again, and Barret was just as happy to see him, though would rather have seen him without wounds. Still, the quiet was not unwelcome, just strange. He left the railing and walked back inside to see Eric reclining with a glass of tea in one hand, a pencil in the other, and a few papers in front of him. "Do you ever stop working?"

Eric didn't look up, but smiled as he scribbled on the paper. "Oh, quite often. But I have a business to run still, and until I absolve my assets, I must continue to keep up with my work."

"Absolve your assets?"

"Sorry. Free my slaves and servants. I have been planning for months to release every slave I own. It will bankrupt me, but the world is changing, and so must I."

Zen looked down at the paperwork and frowned. It didn't have words, but numbers in rows and columns. "You really would destroy your livelihood?"

"Destroy mine and hundreds of others." Eric smirked as he pondered the repercussions of his actions. "I'm not just freeing the slaves that I still have, but every single one that I put control spells on. If they still have the collar they were sold with, they will suddenly be free. All across Mekkan, Keidrans will be free to do as they please, free to rise up and run away. And you know the best part? Half of my business came from the Templars! I have half a mind to break the spells now and just cause some chaos, but I know better. They wouldn't let a single slave leave alive."

"I had no idea you had that much influence. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you had this business?"

Eric put down his pencil and leaned back, thinking. "Good question… probably… nine… closing in on ten years I think? But my company is actually older than I am. My father was the one who started it, and he was going to hand it over to Rodrick, but he went into Templar service. So, I inherited everything when my father was ready to step down."

"So you already had a reputable company when you started. Certainly would help. It'll make a lot of people mad when you finally do your plan."

"You have no idea." Chuckling, he turned back to his paperwork. "I've made dealings with hundreds, if not thousands of people."

"Which makes me wonder why you are still worried about your business right now. If you plan to burn it all to the ground- metaphorically- then why are you still worried about it?"

At this, Eric set down his pencil and turned away from the papers. "Because I still have to live after all this. I won't have to worry about caring for any slaves, but I do have to worry about my own well-being, and about Kathrin."

Zen sat back down in his chair as he reached for his book. "At least you have a plan for after all this is over. I don't know what I'll do."

"Really? You have such a wide array of skills, surely there must be something you can think of?"

"Plenty I can think of, but I doubt the Brotherhood of Assassins would want me back." Zen rolled his eyes as he flipped through the heavy book. He was nearly done with it, and had enjoyed every page. "As for my so called 'wide array of skills', my wound made sure I would never do most of them again. I can't hunt, I can't fight, I can't even cook very well anymore. Even if I could do all of that, where would I go? I'm a wanted wolf. You don't just walk away from the Brotherhood."

"Okay then, what would you like to do? Surely there's something you would enjoy doing?"

Zen thought for a moment as he stared blankly at the pages. "I guess… If you had asked me this last year, or even a few months ago, I would have said that I wanted to go wherever Natani went, but our paths seem to be moving apart slowly. She spends most of her time with Keith, which I understand. But I always thought I would be there to protect her, and now it seems like it could be the other way around. Maybe I might find a place far away from everyone and spend some time alone."

Eric watched as Zen became more and more uncertain, his ears drooping and his speech slowing. "Well, once I destroy my business, I might need help keeping people away from me, so I might hire you. You still have one good hand, which is more than enough to hold a dagger."

A smile touched his lips. "I appreciate the thought. I don't know if I would trust myself to be a bodyguard, but it would at least be something."

"Even if it's not for your services as a guard, I watched you fight. You may not have noticed yourself, but you fought selflessly, protecting everyone, even those you didn't know very well. I'd be happy to have someone I trust watching my back."

"I'm glad you trust me that much. I'll certainly consider it, but who knows how far away that is? Right now, we have more pressing issues with the imminent invasion."

Eric gave a dry laugh. "True. Very true indeed."

…

Natani had her equipment laid out in front of her. A dozen daggers to go in her bindings, a stash of mana crystals for spells, some leather padding for light armor, and the earrings that she had fashioned. It wasn't much, but it was more than enough for her to tear anyone to shreds. Keith's combat gear was likewise on display, though far more orderly. In a pile lay his steel armor, the sword he carried almost everywhere, a shield that he had picked up from the armory a few days ago, some whetstones and oils for sharpening, an old shortbow he hadn't used in ages, along with some arrows for it. The only thing missing was Keith himself and his bucket helm, which he rarely took off nowadays. Making sure she had everything ready to go whenever the fighting started, she shoved it to the side, and left the borrowed room to go watch Barret and Keith spar. She was, however, blocked. "Oh! Sorry." Haelith blushed as she walked into Natani and knocked her over. Holding out a clawed hand, she helped the wolf stand back up.

"It's fine." Natani straightened her shirt and looked at the Ishtaer. "What are you doing down here? I though you were staying up in the estate?"

Haelith smiled, and sheepishly shuffled her feet. "I… I wanted to come down and be with Barret. And I am a doctor, so while I can't fight, I can still help the wounded."

Smiling widely, Natani chuckled. "You don't have to be so coy about it! I realize how much you like him. It's a bit strange since I barely know you, but it's not my place to judge."

Her muscles relaxing, Haelith rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, we could change that. Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee or tea?"

"I would kill for a good cup of coffee right now. Keiren is great and all, but he does not make strong enough coffee."

"How strong do you like yours?"

"Ever had a cup where you take a sip and it feels like you get kicked in the throat? That's how." Haelith laughed as they walked through the hallway and into the kitchen. "Just like Barret, Zen and I didn't really have a lot of money growing up, so when we finally got to try a good cup of coffee, we both realized that what we had been trying was far too weak. It's more expensive to make a good strong cup, but oh, it is so worth it."

"Absolutely. I heard from Barret that you used to work with the Brotherhood of Assassins. Is that true?"

"Yeah, but after last fall, we left them. Beating up your boss really puts a target on your back, but we've been so well protected by Edinmire that no one has been able to even try and get to us."

"You must have traveled all over the place. Did you ever make it out to Durlon?"

Natani stopped and pondered, but shook her head. "No, we never made it there. We weren't the best, but we weren't the worst either. Most targets we went after were merchants, officials, and a few military leaders, including Trace at one point, but we never made it to any city bigger than Wreathwood. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. I know that there are a lot of people in the city, and a lot of important ones at that."

"No, I never made it there." Putting the kettle on the stove, she lit the burner with a spark and sat down at the table. "Where all have you been? I remember hearing that you lived a pretty sheltered life, but you also wandered for a while after running away from home."

"Oh, nowhere special. A few towns and villages, but I had to keep moving. Before I met Raine, I had made the decision to go to the Basidian Empire, but I'm glad that plan didn't work. Valinos was interesting, but scary. Admittedly, it's still unnerving being in Trace's house or near him at all. But Barret trusts him, and I trust Barret."

"Unnerving? That's probably putting it lightly, I've seen how you move near him. It always looks like you're one unexpected poke away from snapping."

Haelith blushed and turned away, ashamed. "I didn't realize it was that bad. I spent so long with only myself and then only my father's servants that I don't know most social cues. I don't know how to mask my emotions like most other people do."

"In my experience, that's actually a good thing sometimes."

"Really?"

"It puts people off guard, makes them underestimate you, and because you don't know social norms, you can see things differently than others, making people like you great at seeing when someone else is acting strange."

"I never thought of it like that."

Natani chuckled. "Sometimes I feel like I don't listen to my emotions very much. Spending so long denying who I was certainly didn't help." They were interrupted by the whistling of a kettle, and Haelith took it off the stove, pouring it on the coffee grounds.

"The link you and Zen had… if you had the chance, would you want it back?"

"No." Natani answered very quickly, which seemed to surprise herself. "No, I wouldn't want it back. Sometimes I do, but more often than not I find myself thinking about how much I've changed since then, becoming myself again. I remember who I am now, not just who I was told I was. I know that probably doesn't make sense to you, but I can't see myself ever wanting to have a link like that again. Something similar, maybe, but the same? No."

"What about with Keith? The way you act around him is very much the way I act around Barret, or the way Trace and-"

"I get it." Natani blushed hard, burying her face in her coffee.

"That's something you're still trying to figure out, isn't it?"

Natani sighed and leaned heavily on the table. "When we first met, I had the mind of a guy in the body of a girl. I had no idea what my emotions were doing, no idea why I felt the way I did, and no idea what to do about it. Saying that it's complicated would be an understatement and a half."

"Then… how does Keith feel?"

Silence reigned for several minutes as Natani stared into her coffee. "I know how he feels, but I don't think that either of us are ready to admit anything. I spent so long denying my feelings for him and even still find myself suppressing how I feel. And I know that he's the same way, but he feels like he has to hide his feelings not because of me, but because of who he has become now. As an ambassador, he represents his entire people to the world, or at least he normally would. And if he is seen with me, or seen showing feelings for me, then that's how the world will see every Basitin. It's not ideal, but right now, having things complicated might be for the best."

Haelith was quiet, slowly sipping her coffee. Several minutes passed, and Natani thought that was the end of it, but it was not. "What if he doesn't care? Or what if you don't care? Just because the world sees you one way doesn't mean that's the only way. For centuries, my kind has been seen with mistrust and hate, and yet look at Barret: He is kind and compassionate, willing to fight beside you. The world sees all Ishtaer one way, but that's not how all of us are. So why wait? You want to know who you really are, so why not embrace everything about yourself? Every emotion and feeling, every detail and perfect imperfection in yourself makes you who you are. Just tell him how you feel. It will help both of you."

Her voice was soft and kind, her words genuine, but Natani was paralyzed with fear, and when she spoke, it was in little more than a whisper. "What if I'm wrong?"

"Then be wrong. You might be wrong, but even worse would be being right and not knowing. I promise, just tell him everything. It will be better for both of you."

Natani had no response, and opted to finish her coffee in silence. Setting the empty cup on the table, she stood up. "I… thank you. I think I understand why Barret likes you. And thank you for your advice. I… I'll have to think about it."

Haelith gave a gentle smile as she leaned over her half full cup. "It was nice to talk with you. And if you ever want to talk, you can always talk to me. I promise that I won't say a word of this to anyone else." Natani smiled, and walked back to her borrowed room, her mind and her heart torn between who she knew she was, and who she wanted to be.