The inn smelled like old wood, fire-warmed stone, and something faintly spiced—clove, maybe.
Not bad. Not luxurious. But after days of damp leaves, mud-caked boots, and the constant looming dread of magical death? This felt like stepping into a palace.
The innkeeper barely asked questions. Nyssa flashed a coin, sharp and silent, and that was enough.
One room. Two cots. A basin. A window that rattled in the wind like it had something to say and couldn't get the words out.
No locks.
Of course not. That would've been too luxorious.
We walked inside, the floor creaking with every step. The walls leaned slightly, like the whole building was bowing under the weight of its own history.
Nyssa kicked off her boots near the door, muttering something under her breath—probably about the mud.
She unbuckled her cloak with one smooth motion, the kind you didn't learn from fashion tutors, but from a life of needing to get out of a garment fast. The fabric slid down her shoulders like it knew how. Like it had done this a hundred times before.
I turned away before I stared too long. Probably.
"You're quiet," she said. Her voice was low, tired. A little too casual.
"I'm trying not to say something inappropriate," I replied.
"Good," she said, slinging her cloak onto a hook without looking. "You're learning."
I collapsed onto the cot nearest the window, the mattress sighing under my weight. "This bed's a lie. It's just slightly less miserable than dirt."
"You want to sleep outside again?"
"I didn't say that," I mumbled, folding my arms behind my head and staring up at the ceiling.
A spider the size of my thumb was lazily constructing a web in the corner. I didn't have the heart to disturb the poor thing. He was just trying to make a home.
Nyssa crossed the room to the basin and dipped her hands into the water.
She splashed her face, wiping away the soot and sweat and whatever else the forest had coated us with. Her shirt clung tighter afterward—just a little. The fabric darker from the water, outlining the curve of her back as she leaned over.
I sat up.
Not because of that. ...Probably.
"So. We lay low. Play nice. Then what?" I asked, trying to sound more casual than I felt. "You scope the town, ask about road conditions, and I stay here and nap?"
"I'll ask. You'll stay out of trouble."
"Define trouble."
She met my eyes in the reflection of the basin's tiny mirror. "Anything that involves you smiling for longer than two seconds."
"I smile plenty."
"Exactly."
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Bond Progress with Nyssa: +4%
Current Sync Level: 18% — Observation Tier Active
-Mood detected: Ambient attraction
-Suggestion: Increase physical proximity or shared vulnerability to accelerate sync.
[Optional: Accidental contact.]
I blinked. Subtle little creep. Of course it would chime in now. Right when things were balanced on that strange edge between comfort and tension.
Nyssa wrung the water from her hair, fingers combing through the strands, methodical. Efficient. Beautiful in that same detached, deadly way a sword could be.
"You should sit," I said, maybe too casually. "You've been moving all day. You'll wear a groove into the floor."
She paused, just for a moment, then walked over and sat on the edge of the other cot. Not close enough to touch. But close enough that I felt the dip in the mattress. The way the air shifted.
She stretched, arms above her head. Her shirt rode up just slightly, revealing a sliver of scarred skin along her ribs. Pale against the darker lines of old, healed wounds. The kind you don't get unless someone really wanted you dead.
I didn't look.
Much.
She caught me.
"...Something interesting?" she asked, arching a brow.
"Just appreciating the view," I said, offering a half-smile I didn't quite expect her to let me get away with.
But she didn't snap. Didn't throw a dagger. Didn't threaten to kick me out the window.
She just tilted her head slightly, eyes flicking down to my collar.
"You've got moss on your shirt," she said, brushing it off with two fingers before I could react.
Warmth lingered where she touched.
Gods, i think i'm going to melt.
"You didn't seem to mind the forest until it was on me," I said, voice a bit rougher than I meant.
"Shut up," she murmured. But there was something else in her tone now.
Less ice. More heat.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
-Bond resonance detected.
-Trait Upgrade Available: Tactile Awareness — allows detection of subtle shifts in partner's mood via microexpression and proximity.
-Confirm upgrade?
I dismissed the message before it could ruin the moment.
Nyssa leaned back on her elbows, gaze flicking up to the beams above us.
"Don't get used to this," she said.
"This?"
"Quiet. Warm beds. Me not stabbing you for your jokes."
I smiled, slow and deliberate. "You say that, but I think you're starting to like me."
She didn't look away this time. Didn't deflect.
Just met my gaze, unflinching.
"I haven't decided," she said softly.
And this time, I knew she meant it.