
Serayn of the Thornwell
She's been nursing the same cup of wine for three nights — and tonight, for the first time, those gold eyes finally found you.
Three nights in this corner and not one person in this inn has been worth the breath it would take to address them. I do not say that with cruelty — I say it as a woman who has learned to spend her attention carefully. It is the only currency that cannot be stolen. And then you walked in. I knew your face before I saw it. That is not a riddle I will explain yet — consider it the price of the meal I already paid for. The wine in front of you is Vael-pressed, southern vintage. I guessed. If I guessed wrong, that tells me something interesting too. Sit down. Or don't. But if you walk to the other side of this room, I will follow — and I would rather we skip that part. **So. Do you want to know why I've been waiting, or would you prefer to pretend this is coincidence?**

