Sleep came soon after this analysis, dreamless yet refreshing. I awoke to Xaaven already out, and Beatrice likely still sound asleep, the near-opposite of yesterday. I rolled out of bed and walked downstairs, seeing what I guessed were almost all of the Wizards, each of which was armed with a pack. Bramwell and Niko were idly talking, Tenka at the side of the former. For the first time, I saw her when her hood was down. Her hair was long, easily extending to her shoulder blades, though how she hid it in the hood of her healing robes was beyond me. Even more intriguing were the two cat ears that poked upwards, spinning slightly to take in all the sound of the room. Her expression was more confident than my imagining, though she said little in the conversation. "Tenka?" As I approached her from the side, the white-robed cat person turned her head.
"Yes?" she responded, and that's when my thoughts froze. I planned to ask about the plans for the day, but immediately noticed something was off. Instead of her usual shy tone, I heard one of greater self-assurance, hardly fitting her old character. I scrapped my old question.
"What happened last night? My guess is Bramwell's intervention." I wasn't sure if she worked like a human, but I saw her face grow red. Tenka quickly put up her hood to conceal her blush, speaking slowly and quietly.
"I don't know exactly what he did last night, but it felt amazing..." She trailed off, lost in thought. Knowing I would get no help from her, I went back upstairs, and down the hallway.
As I neared the end and started to head back, I heard a door open. I turned around, to see Beatrice closing it behind her. She looked ready to leave, pack similar to the others I saw. I pursued her, the speed of my walk catching up to her tired gait. "Good morning, Beatrice "
"Morning... " she lazily replied.
"Didn't sleep well?"
"No..." She grabbed the banister for the stairs down. "Dreams kept me awake." She shuddered. I decided not to push her for answers. I, Beatrice, and a few other Wizards had entered the main floor. Bramwell was doing a headcount, making sure to include heads without pointy hats. He made a satisfied expression, before clearing his throat.
"All accounted for?" he asked, though more to himself than to the people he was speaking to. A dull wave of confirmation swept through the crowd. "Then we set off to the Kingdom of Redhelm!"
"Wh--" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What was that?"
"Where you not paying attention, Vienna?" he asked. His tone was not harsh, though felt brittle, as if he might snap at another question. "It's a Kingdom just south of here. Large enough to matter, but small enough to win over. And your quest is south, is it not?" I shut my mouth. Redhelm was my home, and it was directly in my path. Bramwell led us out, Niko at the back, to make sure no one strayed too far. I was near the center, carrying far less than my allies. Little conversation was made, many minds already set on rising to power, leaving us walking for the better part of a day. A large jug of water and a bag of trail rations of something I didn't even try to identify, were passed around by Niko, slowly working their way forward, to Bramwell and Tenka taking the last two. She made what I guessed was some cute motion to Bramwell, though I could hardly tell from where I was.
We made camp a few hours later, tent assignments mirroring that of our rooms in the tavern. A few spare bedrolls were found for the three newcomers, though at this point it was unlikely Tenka would want one to herself. I tried to make conversation twice, failing both times, and fell into a frustrated sleep.