[Orual]

"I just wanted to ask you something... what's wrong? And what's so good? You looked happy and worried at the same time. Did you see something out there?"

Don looked inquisitively at Rie, her brown eyes meeting Rie's green. The young woman smoothed her dress over her knees and sighed. "Everything's happening at once tonight, Don," Rie said, and, putting her hands behind her neck, fell back onto the bed.

"What do you mean?" Don asked, stretching herself out on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Well, Nurumaiel's back, for one thing. I mean it! She's tired and she'll probably be in bed by now, but Talômi almost caught me, and she distracted him so I could come up here. But when I came up here, I can't understand why I am up here. I'm running away from my twin, and I want to be done with it, and I just..." Rie groaned loudly and covered her face with her hands. "It's been the most confusing night of my life. And I don't think it's over yet."

***

Talômi went to the innkeeper and softly asked for a room. Once he got the key he went upstairs, unlocked the room, and quietly began to unpack. He had taken next to nothing, but he carefully folded each item of clothes and put it in the drawer. In that way he and his twin were opposites; he could only imagine what Rie's room looked like.

"Like a tornado hit it, I imagine," he laughed to himself. His laugh trailed off into a little smile, and he sighed and went to the bed. He was exhausted.

He had made some progress tonight, though. That Nurumaiel seemed like she might be able to help. And even if she can't, I've made a friend, he told himself. Her kind blue eyes made him feel at ease, and her patience had loosened his tongue so much...he could not remember speaking that much to anybody but Rie in years. If ever.

He pulled off his boots and crawled in under the sheets. If Rie was at the Inn tonight, she'd be there in the morning, and he was about to fall asleep on his feet. With the smile still on his face, he drifted off into a restful slumber.