Young Writers Society

"Excellent. Until then." He strode off.

Ky watched him go, then reluctantly headed for Gaius’s office, working on building up charisma as she went. She needed a favor. That was it. In and out.

She knocked on his door.

Gaius was, for once, napping at his desk. He'd fallen asleep on a letter yet again, and when he jerked up at the sound of the knock the ink came away on his face. "Enter," he said blearily, wiping at his eyes and cheek and smudging the ink inadvertently.

“Hi!” Ky walked in with a forced smile, but it faltered when she saw him, brow furrowing. “…are you okay?”

"Why wouldn't I be?" His brow furrowed.

Always so grouchy. “…you’ve got…” she gestured vaguely at her own face. “…ink?”

He looked down at his hands, then touched his cheek. His fingers came away dark. "Ah." He produced a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at the mess. "I must have dozed off. What can I do for you?"

“Um… I think Rönn is back. Captain Bay saw the stone.”

"Is he?" His eyebrows shot up. "He's early. Are you going to meet him?"

Ky nodded. Obviously. “…um… the deer, though… we haven’t been putting those out…”

"Because he hasn't been here. It would be a waste of food." He wiped at his face again. "I'll have them sent over again."

She wasn’t stupid. She knew why. This was her making an indirect request, not a stupid observation. But she forced all of those thoughts down. No room for ego. And she got what she wanted. So she inclined her head. “Thank you.” She took a step towards the door.

Gaius dipped his head. "Anything going on with the ghosts?"

She hesitated, shaking her head. “No… they’ve been surprisingly quiet lately.”

She would have thought Narfi would have been back to bother her by now.

She regretted the thought as soon as she had it. Ky usually wasn’t superstitious but there was something about all this unrest that made her so. She’d probably run into him leaving here now that she’d made the mistake of acknowledging he existed mentally.

Shit.

"Have you found anyone to protect you? Is the totem working?"