Septus is left alone and to his own devices for a while longer. Luckily for both men, a sound outside in the streets below rouses one of the dogs, in turn waking Rickard. A man shouts irritably just below Rickard's window at a couple of children, who, in their haste to dart past him, giggling, cause him to send a pail of water crashing to the dirt road. He swears and hollers after them, but they pay him no mind. Ruhan is at the window, paws up on the ledge. While he makes no sound, Tivit is at his side, and he begins to bark and snarl and howl. The man below glances up, startled, offers the pair of golden-eyed hounds a few choice swear words as well, and continues on his way.

There's a muffled, half-ass attempt to quiet the dogs down from their master. Tivit listens, albeit begrudgingly, and both dogs return to the bedside, but it doesn't matter. Rickard is already awake, and he knows he won't be able to fall back asleep again. Besides, judging from the light creeping into the room, he's already slept longer than the agreed upon time. 

The houndsmaster staggers from bed, his good eye still fogged with sleep. Even in his sleepwalker's state, he manages to dress with an eye half-closed and his dogs pacing about him frantically. Of course he doesn't have the burden that Septus does with donning armor: his leather jerkin and quilted doublet are simple enough to struggle on even in his groggy state. The only real problem he encounters is his boots, and they end up on the wrong feet at first. He notices, blissfully for pride's sake, before he leaves the room and corrects this problem. Awake enough by the end of his dressing, he has enough sense to check the room for any final belongings before he shoulders his satchel and departs the room.

The dogs bound down the steps ahead of him, preceding his arrival, earning a few contemptuous looks from what little early-morning patrons litter the common room. Rickard crosses the main hall to shoulder the door open and loose his hounds upon the street so they might run and relieve themselves. Once the last of the three bolt past him and out the door, he turns and moves to join Septus at his table.

Rickard rubs his eyes as he drops down into a chair across from Septus and grunts something of a greeting to his partner.