I'm going to fall asleep.

You don’t remember falling asleep, but when you wake up with your headache, you know that you did. You blink a few times and roll to your side, finding that aside from you, the bed is empty. The sunlight cutting through the blinds and into your room indicates that there’s probably no cloud in sight. You feel yourself getting warm and push off the blankets covering you.

You lie in bed for a few more minutes, contemplating the day ahead. It's not supposed to be stressful; it's just a day to plan your next moves. The idea of staying in this region didn’t seem so bad until Scarlet mentioned the internal power struggle. It's a reminder of the challenges you've faced and the ones that lie ahead.

Just as you’re lost in your thoughts, a familiar aroma wafts into your room: the unmistakable scent of coffee. You run your fingers through your hair, a gesture of comfort and anticipation, and let out a deep, contented sigh. The others are awake, and that comforting smell is a reassuring confirmation of it.

As you step out of the bedroom, your eyes meet Gwendolion's, Mikko's, and Arabella's. Gwendolion, her spirits seemingly lifted after the previous night's events, greets you with a broad smile, her two-tone eyes sparkling. Her cheerfulness is infectious, but you notice a hint of envy and annoyance in the others' expressions, which they struggle to conceal. Their emotions, a mix of envy and annoyance, flicker across their faces before they regain their composure. "Good morning, Gwen.”

You smile, but Gwendolion’s cheerful introduction stirs something in the others, a mix of annoyance and envy that they try to hide. “Good morning, Gwen.”

Arabella tilts her head to one side, arching her eyebrows. “I’m glad to see you’re alive and well.”

“Likewise,” you tell her. Arabella looks away to glance at Gwendolion, who’s perking her chest out as she looks at you. “How is everyone?”

“Some better than others,” Mikko says, looking at her twin, who is beaming at you.

You try to ignore Mikko’s tone and sit down at a table. Gwendolion finally looks away and turns to her cereal. “Everyone settling fine here, then?”

Arabella clears her throat as she pushes a mug of coffee towards you. She pulls out an empty chair and slides into it. “This is the most welcome I’ve felt anywhere. When I bought this, uhm, house, they didn’t even ask me where my owner or keeper was.”

You nod, taking a sip of the coffee. It’s black with no other additions. The flavor wakes you up as all the sourness and bitterness washes down your throat. Mikko leans into the table, smiling slightly, not looking at anything in particular. “Arabella and I also walked around for a bit without anyone staring. It was really, really nice!!”

You assumed that anything non-human would have been seen as undesirable because of how small this place was. You’re happy to be wrong. Your eyes go up to Gwendolion, who is still smirking. “Are you happy for another reason besides what I think?”

Gwendolion’s smile broadens when you mention her name. “No.”

Arabella rubs her eyes with her slender fingers, sharing a glance with Mikko as they both look at you. You understand why Mikko might be upset since it had been some time since you’ve expressed yourself physically with her, but Arabella has had more than enough attention these past few weeks. You ignore their annoyed staring and continue drinking your coffee.

“So,” since you don’t say anything, Arabella does. “We have all your equipment organized but not stored. How long do you think we’ll be staying here?”

“That depends,” you say. With all your recent contractors being burned, you have a clean slate to not just the region but also all factions…unless they could pull your name before Scarlet’s pyrotechnicians. So, no one should be after you and the enemies you left behind wouldn’t have a favorable opinion with the locals. “What do you guys want to do? I have no reason to build a reputation yet, so we can consider this a vacation of shorts.”

“Vacation?” Arabella says. She doesn’t sound impressed with the location for such a thing.

“If this is a vacation, then maybe we should look at what’s happening around here?” Mikko thinks aloud.

Gwendolion is still grinning and doesn’t offer anything. When she looks up at the table, she realizes she’s supposed to provide something. “Whatever everyone else thinks we should do, I’m OK with.”