In their quaint apartment, Thayva paused in the doorway to where her husband was nearly done organizing books. She leaned against the doorframe, watching him and his cleanliness quirk lovingly. She sighed softly, not wanting to interrupt or add more stress about having to add something else to their shopping list.
When he turned and spoke to her, she tried to give him a small smile. “It will be, love. The dining hall is back to normal. The children and staff scrubbed it spotless, and I sent them off to bathe. We all need that tonight." She was sure she smelled quite rancid, though she had long since grown fairly used to the stench. "But, Ferdinand informed me that we’re dangerously low on cleaning supplies,” she finished with a frown.


Nick, dressed similarly to his companions, gave a snorted laugh in agreement with Aurelian. His mind already wandered back to the book, as well as a couple academic assignments, as they waited for a couple tables to free. He grinned when Jorn showed a concern for the dwarf.
“Uh huh,” Nick raised an eyebrow when Jorn looked to the floor. “And you’re thinking about her." He placed his hands on the back of his head and leaned toward Jorn as he continued in a playfully taunting voice. "Bet she’s thinking about you, too, wherever she is."

"And we don't have enough for more, is that it?" Serapis sighed. "Or at least, we technically have the cash, but it needs to go elsewhere. Right. The sooner we have a meeting to figure out what to do, the better."

----------------

"That's what I'm afraid of" Jorn replied, referring to Laura. "Why do I get the feeling that it's meant to be?"

"Maybe a higher power or something 'up there' said so?" Aurelian suggested. "I think I read something about that in class. Not sure how it works, though."

Thayva mirrored Serapis’ sigh and nodded. “I’ve asked a couple of the staff to spread the word of a meeting once the children are in bed.” Her tail curled around to the front of her body, and she gripped it lightly in one clawed hand, messing with the cuff near its tip. “It will all work itself out in the end. It always does,” she said distantly, just as much to reassure herself as Serapis.


Nick let out a loud laugh that gained a glances from a couple other boys near them. “Your one true love!” he whispered, leaning slightly toward Jorn so only the human and dwarf could hear him, a smirk still on his face. “Now that’s an interesting pair!” He leaned back and crossed his arms. “You’d make such an adorable couple.”

"Well, this isn't the first time we've had a tight cash situation" Serapis said. "Although, having trouble affording cleaning supplies is rather alarming." He paused for a moment. "We can start gathering the staff in a few minutes."

-----------------

Jorn sighed, giving Nick a look. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's not like either of us really... like each other yet." Such things were still at least a few years off. "It's no surprise that things might be a bit odd. I know that a halfling and a dwarf aren't really a common couple in the wider world."

"This isn't like most places. We probably have more in common with the dracons and lizardfolk who live here than with many of our own species" Aurelian said.

"We're kinda dressed like dracons, almost." Jorn said, patting his chest.

"Feels good, doesn't it? For oprhans, I suppose we're really lucky." Aurelian replied.

"Well, I guess so. Yeah" Jorn admitted. "What do you think, Nick?"

Thayva shook her head at Serapis’ last comment. “We have a while yet before the children should be in bed. It’d be wiser to wait. Less of a chance a pair of stray ears will overhear. We need not worry the children. They have enough of those as it is.”
She glanced to the nearest window as a loud peal of thunder shook the orphanage. The flames of the lanterns hung about the room flickered as if they, too, felt the raging storm outside as a harsh flash of lightning fought against the soft orange glow of the flames.
A frown pulled at Thayva’s lips as she hoped they would suffer no external damages from the storm.


Nick shrugged, offering no other insight into the non-relationship. He leaned around Jorn, watching as the few boys in front of them went to take their turn, making the three friends next.
He looked to Jorn when he heard his name, his mind taking a short moment to fully register the conversation.
“It’s better than begging on the streets,” he muttered. “We get an education, learn how to handle ourselves in a fight… There’re a couple free spaces,” he pointed to where four tables had freed up.

"And right on cue, the weather itself changes to reflect our situation" Serapis remarked, chuckling. "Want to bet on any other omens? Buzzards circling over the orphanage? Locusts devouring the nearby fields? Maybe a plague of frogs? Though in all seriousness, I've been thinking. It may fall to us to take matters into our own hands. If we cannot raise the needed funds, we shall just have to find them the old-fashioned way. Like we used to before we opened this place up."

--------------

"And free massages. People actually pay good money to get these done outside" Aurelian added as he lay down on one of the tables. The masseuse, a female elf, got to work on him immediately, starting with his upper back and shoulders. The muscles there were especially tight after cleaning up the mess in the cafeteria.

Jorn lay on his back as he got his feet taken care of by a female halfling.

“It’s been brewing all day.” Thayva went to close the window in the room as a wind began to whip violently at the curtains. “Catch enough of the frogs, and we’ll have that extra meat for the table!” She gave her husband a small smile, but the expression sobered as he continued. She sighed deeply. As much as she hated the idea of one of them being away from the orphanage, she nodded.


The night brought with it a fanfare of thunder and flashes of lightning that kept many kids, especially the younger ones, awake, huddled beneath their blankets. Rain beat down on the roof, a gale battered the house, and phantom gusts rushing through the halls made the flames of the few sconces remaining lit flicker, threatening to go out.
In the dining hall, with their duties done for the day and the children in bed, the many staff members had gathered, their posts to patrol the halls afterhours temporarily abandoned. Thayva stood with her husband near the head of the group, fidgeting with the tip of her tail, and letting Serapis do the talking.


In the boys’ dormitory--a room crowded with beds with only enough empty space for them to maneuver through the aisles--Nick was among those who could not sleep. While the thunderous snoring of a few of the other boys filled the room, the booming thunder drowned out even that. With an irritated sigh, he glanced to the door in the dim light filtering through the room, grabbed a candle from beneath his bed, and lit it with a quickly muttered spell.
Tossing his blanket aside, he went to the bed belonging to Aurelian. He placed a hand on the other boy’s shoulder and shook.
“Aurelian!” he whispered, flinching as another blast of thunder felt like it shook the floorboards beneath his feet. “You up?”

Serapis did a quick head count, making sure that all of the staff were present. A couple of them were absent, a male and female kobold. But he knew that those two were either asleep or were off doing things not fit to mention. He knew how their species had certain drives which were hard to resist. In truth, he wished that he could just go to bed with Thayva and enjoy her company, but he had responsibilities to attend to.

"Alright, enough delays. I'm glad to see all of you here, especially at this late hour and on such short notice. Thank you all. By now, you may have heard that the orphanage is low on funds and attempts to solicit more have been less than successful. After a review of the finances, I have concluded that some cuts will be needed at least in the short run." Serapis paused for a moment as he let his words sink in.

"I have also determined that until these wars are over, the donors to this orphanage will likely not have the funds needed to help us at anywhere near our current level of operation. Much of their income is swallowed up by taxes, requisitions, and damage from the war itself. The truth is, we will need a source of funding for at least another year or two, either until the wars come to an end, or at least lose some of their intensity." He let out a sigh.

"Therefore, I have decided to seek out the funds personally. It is a risk, I know, but I may have to resume my old status as an adventurer to obtain some treasures, which will then be sold to support the orphanage." He paused for a moment, and waited to see the reaction from Thayva and the staff. So far, there was a confused murmur rippling throughout the crowd, but no questions were directed to the dracon as of yet.

-----------------

Aurelian slowly woke up, reluctant to move after his massage. His muscles were still half-asleep, and they still felt quite good. Getting up would bring a quick end to the relaxation.

"Ugh... this better be important. Don't tell me that you're afraid of a little rain" Aurelian said.

Thayva raised her chin slightly when Serapis declared his decision, her gaze turning momentarily from the reactions of the staff to her husband. Her jaw set, but she gave no indication of arguing the decision. After all, he would not have jumped to such a decision if he had not already looked into every other possibility. She herself had spent a fair amount of time trying to secure finances, but to no avail.
“So where do we sign up?” a dwarf shouted above the peels of thunder that nearly constantly rolled through the night, his arms crossed and face unreadable from beneath his thick beard. Only his beady eyes gleamed in the lamplight flooding the dining hall. “’Cause yer daft if ya think yer goin’ alone.”
A rumble of agreement rose from the staff as a few others with a warrior’s heart and skill offered their assistance as well.


“Ha, ha.” Nick rolled his eyes. “You’re a rock if you can sleep through--” As if on cue, another clash of thunder filled the house, quickly followed by another flash of lightning that lit the curtained windows, and an immediate, lower rumble.
“I heard talk about a meeting tonight,” he began, pausing with a scowl at each thunderclap that drowned out his voice. “In the dining hall. I was going to go check it out. You coming, or staying?”

"We're still working out the specifics, but it is to some ruins located about a week's march from here. And before you all line up, we're not going to take many of the staff. Most of you are needed here and my wife and I can handle ourselves. Still, some help would be appreciated" Serapis replied, sparse on the details.

-----------------

"I... if it'll get you to quit bothering me, sure" Aurelian replied, stretching out with a yawn. He gently let himself down from the bed as his feet touched the floor. Careful not to make much noise, he followed Nick. "If we get caught, I'll be sure to let them know whose idea this was!" he whispered.

Thayva’s scaly brows furrowed. Serapis had already found the first hunt, and from the sound of it, he expected they would both be going.
“Jus’ say the word, Serapis!” The same dwarf thumped a fist to his chest. “Ye’ll have a line a mile long.”
“When will you be leaving?” a halfling woman called.
“Have you any plans in place financially for the span between your departure and return?” a lizard man asked, the beginning of his question intersecting with the end of the halfling’s.


“I’d go with or without you,” Nick replied as Aurelian got up. “So there wouldn’t be anyone to keep bothering you except your own curiosity.”
Once the human was on his feet, Nick turned nad headed toward the front of the dormitory. He shrugged at Aurelian’s playful threat.
“We’ll weasel our way out of it. Tell them we got thirsty or something.” With that, he quietly opened the door and crept out into the corridor beyond.

"I don't imagine we'll be gone more than a couple of weeks, a month at absolute most. We're not that short on funds" Serapis explained. He noticed that Thayva wasn't all that happy, or at least looked that way. "I also don't know when I'll be leaving, but if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to confer with my wife." He stepped to the side, where he could speak with her in private.

------------

It took them a few moments, but they reached the door to the hall in which the meeting took place.

“Jus’ say the word, Serapis! Ye’ll have a line a mile long.”
“When will you be leaving?”

Aurelian turned to Nick, his annoyance at being woken now completely forgotten.

"Something's up. They wouldn't be talking about getting treasure to support the school unless..." Aurelian whispered as the two dracons exited the room, heading for the door. "... I think they're coming!"

Thayva nodded her agreement to Serapis, and followed him through the dining hall, her hands clasped regally behind her back.
“A little warning that you’d made up your mind would have been nice, love,” Thayva said with a sigh once they were out of earshot of the others.


“No doubt there,” Nick whispered back. Panic at being discovered blossomed in his chest when he, too, noticed the dracons coming toward them.
He looked around for somewhere for them to hide.
“Quick! This way!” He ran down an adjoining hall leading toward the front doors as quietly as his bare feet would let him, keeping close to the shadows clinging to the walls.
About half way down the hall, he stopped, listening for any sigh he and his friend had been spotted.
He was about to give a sigh of relief, when a gentle knocking echoed down the hall, only to be drowned out by a peal of thunder. He glanced to Aurelian. “Did you hear that?”
Before the human could answer, he held up a hand to silence his friend, when the knocking came again, this time louder and fiercer. Someone was beating on the front door.
“Go get the headmasters!” Nick ordered, looking to Aurelian a moment before sprinting down the hall toward the front door.


The wind howled through the forest, making even the mighty trees bow to its power. The rain pelted through the foliage, the world lighting in a near constant stream of lightning that cast eerie shadows about the dark woods.
Valera and Seaella made their way slowly through the forest, their heads bent against the wind, and clothes and hair soaking wet. They had lost track of the path long ago, the trees offering little assistance in finding it as they fought their own battle to remain upright.
Valera gritted her teeth, the weight of her drenched cloak slowing her down further. Even her thin, lightweight armor felt heavy. Seaella trudged a couple steps ahead, never straying far from her sister, and casting her worried glances from time to time.
When another gust blew through the trees, blowing Valera’s hood from her head, the older elf gripped the staff in both hands and leaned her weight on it as her strength threatened to fail her.
“Lera!” Seaella shouted over the storm, her cloak whipping about her as she hurried back to her sister.
“I’m fine!” Valera growled through her teeth unconvincingly, her face twisted in pain.
“No, you’re not!” the nine-year-old groaned. She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m going to scout ahead for shelter!”
“What? No!” Valera reached out to grab the girl’s cloak, but she missed as Seaella bounded away. “Seaella!” She tried to follow her sister, but her legs threatened to give out, forcing her to return her weight to her staff.
Could this night get any worse? She let out a groan.
As if to answer her question, movement in Valera’s peripherals made her turn around.
The next flash of lightning shed its electric light over the forest, flashing over the knotted fur of three massive, emaciated wolves a few yards behind her, their eyes glittering hungrily from where they couched.
With a painful inhale, Valera held her staff in front of her with both hands, the gem in its top glowing softly and creating a gentle, silvery-green haze in the wet air.
She heard Seaella’s voice call through the forest, the thunder cutting off her words so she only got short snippets:
“—era!... house ahead!”
“Seaella! RUN!” Valera bellowed, her voice easily slicing through the night.
As if the wolves, too, took her words as an order, they darted forward.
Valera turned and ran. “GO!” She shouted when she nearly ran into her sister. She pushed the girl ahead of her and into a clearing with one hand while swiping her staff behind her, sending out a burst of light to momentarily blind the wild dogs at their heels.
At the vast clearing’s center, sat a large mansion, the lightning eerily illuminating its dark form. A couple warm, fiery lights glowed from inside, flickering with the howling of the wind.
Without the meager protection of the trees, the full force of the storm hit the two in a harsh wave.
“Whatever you do, DON’T STOP!” Valera shouted from a few feet behind her faster sister.
She turned to see where the wolves were as she felt her light spell break, her well of magic dwindling as quickly as her little remaining strength. The wolves were not far behind.
She shouted when she slipped on a patch of grass particularly slick with rain and mud. She fell onto her stomach, and a searing agony filled her chest and radiated through her body. For a precious second, her vision was flooded with starbursts. The raging storm momentary dulled in her ears, and Seaella’s voice calling out her name sounding realms away.
A metallic taste in her mouth, she rolled over and blindly swung her staff with the movement, sure the wolves would be on top of her any moment. A burst of pure energy exploded from the staff as one of the dogs leapt for her.
The burst caught the dog midair and sent it flying with a pained yelp. Its companions fared only slightly better as they rolled across the ground from the force.
Though the world spun around her, Valera got shakily to her feet, panting heavily and glaring wildly at the dogs, daring them to make another move for her or Seaella.
Apparently deciding there was easier prey in the forest, the three wolves turned and ran back into the woods with defeated snarls.
With a pained moan, Valera fell to her knees, her head bent and teeth grinding together as she grasped her staff like a lifeline.
“Valera!” Seaella slid to a stop beside her sister, an arrow nocked in her bow.
“Keep going!” she hissed, forcing herself once more to stand, darkness lurking at the edges of her vision. But she refused to give into it. Not until Seaella was safe inside. Head bent and an arm wrapped tightly around her midsection, she and Seaella climbed the couple stairs to the wraparound porch of the mansion, unconsciousness creeping ever closer no matter how hard Valera fought it.
At the door, the wood illuminated by the meager light of Valera’s staff, the teenage girl reached up weakly and rapped at the door. The impact of the side of her fist against the wood sent another shockwave through her, her knocks drowned out by another clash of thunder. With a heavy moan, she sunk to the porch, her palm running over the door and her staff clattering beside her.
“VALERA!” Seaella dropped her bow, went to her sister’s side, and helped lean her back against the house beside the door.
“What...” Valera gritted her teeth as she reached for one of the pouches at her belt. “Whatever happens, don’t let anyone get this.” She unhooked the fabric pouch and handed it to Seaella. “Understand?”
“Lera...” Seaella bit her lower lip, her voice quivering.
“Understand?” Valera leaned her head against the house as Seaella nodded, the older girl’s eyes closing.
“Lera?” Seaella’s wet eyes widened when she did not receive a response. Checking quickly that her sister still breathed, she scrambled to her feet, clutching the pouch tightly.
“HELP!” the child screamed, a fist pounding against the door with all its strength. “SOMEONE! Anyone,” she finished in a quiet sob.

"Ah, well, nothing's set in stone, my love. I had to tell them something, although there really is a ruin some distance to the north of here. I apologize if that was a bit sudden" Serapis replied. "Anyway, we can discuss this in the hallway and-" He heard a sound coming from the hall. It was somewhat faint, but someone was knocking on the door in the middle of the storm.

"Someone's trying to get in. Probably to get out of the rain." He opened the door to the hall and saw Nick and Aurelian.

“Go get the headmasters!”

"What in the name of-?! What are you two doing up?!"

"We'll explain later!" Aurelian replied. "Someone's at the door. I think they're in trouble!"

“HELP!” “SOMEONE! Anyone.”

Searpis opened the door to find some newcomers outside. "What is happe-?" He saw that one wasn't moving." "Come on inside, quick!" He moved to help the unconscious female indoors.

Nick skidded to a halt when he heard Serapis’ voice, but only paused long enough to make sure the dracons were coming down the hall.
At the prospect of someone at the door, in this weather, Thayva hurried behind her husband and Nick. At the door, she placed a gentle hand on Nick’s shoulders when he went to open it. She shook her head, and guided him behind her, letting Serapis open the door.


Seaella’s small body shook with sobs, the tears running down her cheeks only mingling with the drops of water already plastering her short hair to her face. She leaned her weight against the door, trying to steady herself for another round of knocking.
She gave a surprised shout when the door pulled inward, momentarily knocking her off balance. But she hopped quickly to her feet, her free hand going to the dagger at her belt. Her eyes widened as she took in the two beings standing directly in the doorway. Though neither lizardfolk nor dragons, they bore a resemblance to both, a mix she had never before seen in her short life. But, peeking out from behind the female of them, was a male elf who looked around Valera’s age, his eyes wide in surprise. The two locked gazes for a fraction of a second.
Not knowing what else to do, and with her sister in desperate need of care, Seaella quickly collected her bow and Valera’s staff, her eyes never leaving the dracons. Though the staff was much taller than her, she leaned it against a shoulder, wondering if she could use it if these two odd beings ended up being foe instead of friend.
Valera moaned softly, her body still limp, as Serapis helped her inside, her silvery-green cloak dripping with rainwater.
“Get her to the infirmary,” Thayva told Serapis, Seaella following at their side, careful to not let her sister or the dracon out of her sight. “I’ll get the healers.” With that, she turned and hurried down the hall to where the staff had gathered.
“Who are you?” Seaella demanded of Serapis, her voice frantic. She flinched as another peal of thunder rumbled through the house. She glanced behind her as she noticed the elf-boy following them.

Serapis lifted her up, pausing only for a moment to answer the question.

"My name is Serapis, the headmaster of this orphanage, and I could ask the same of you. Please, come on inside. We were in the middle of something, but it'll have to wait for now." He suppressed a shudder at the bad timing of this sudden intrusion. The staff were expecting him to return to the meeting any minute, but someone's life was almost literally in his hands at the moment.

He easily carried Valera to the infirmary, removing her wet cloak as he lay her on a spare bed. Aurelian kept up with the group, looking up at Thayva as he walked.

"So... er- headmistress? Should Nick and I do anything? I'm sorry that we're up past curfew."

Seaella’s steps faltered for half a heartbeat.
“An orphanage?” she interrupted. Of all places, they had managed to stumble upon an orphanage? She did not offer Serapis her name, instead glancing back to the two boys behind them. The female dracon hurried back down the hall toward them at a near run with two other women, one rather stout with her hair pulled back, and the other tall with dark curly hair.
It had taken Thayva only a moment to collect two of the few staff knowledgeable in healing magic, the three catching up with the others before they reached the infirmary, joining the back of the group.
Seaella leaned the bow and staff against the wall beside the bed Serapis laid Valera on. She gathered her sister’s cloak from him, dropping it in a wet heap at the floor by the weapons. Forgetting about the one weighing down her own shoulders, the garment left a trail of drips in her wake.
“What’s going on, Serapis?” the taller of the women asked as the shorter went to the opposite side of the bed.
Thayva looked to Aurelian when he addressed her. When he finished, she glanced between the two boys, her lips pursed together.
“Return to your beds, boys,” she answered, her voice stern, but not unkind. “We have something more pressing right now to handle than a broken curfew.”
Nick nodded and slowly headed toward the door, glancing back at the stout woman as she placed two fingers aglow with a white light to Valera’s temple.
Seaella tried to keep an eye on everything at once, but her head began to pound with the effort, and she felt suddenly exhausted. But she had to make sure Valera was okay.

Serapis sighed inwardly. "Yes, an orphanage. For children of all races. Many parents have died in the ongoing wars, some children are kicked out of their homes, a few have spent their lives on the streets. We provide-"

His little speech was interrupted a moment later. “What’s going on, Serapis?” He turned around.

"Oh. Well, I- we, my wife and I were holding a meeting to address a funding concern for the orphanage. Turns out we need more money, and we plan on going to some ruins to get it. Some ancient treasure."

He saw the healing magic being applied to Valera. At least it appeared to be healing magic.

-------------

Aurelian followed Nick as they headed back to their dormitory. "Lucky we got off the hook this time. I think" he said, careful where he stepped in the dark.

The taller, tight-lipped woman now standing beside Serapis pursed her lips. “I’m aware of that, Serepis. We,” she nodded to her shorter companion, “were there. I meant here.”
“Mae,” the plump, curly-haired woman interrupted, looking up from Valera, the glow around her fingers diminishing. “I need to get her armor off.”
“I-is she okay?” Seaella squeaked, setting her bow against the wall then leaning against the side of the bed her sister laid in
The plump woman looked to her. “She will be.” She looked to her companion as Mae strode to a folding screen sitting against the wall and brought it toward the bed. “But you need to go with the headmasters. We’ll take care of her.”
Seaella shook her head.
Mae frowned, and looked to Thayva for help.
The dracon stepped toward Seaella, then knelt down in front of her.
Seaella gripped Valera’s staff tightly, holding it awkwardly in front of her, the bag her sister had given her held just as firmly and dangling down the shaft.
“I’m not going to hurt you, elfling,” Thayva said soothingly, offering a reassuring smile. “As intimidating as we may look,” she glanced to her husband, “we’re only here to help. But your... friend? Sister?”
“Sister,” Seaella answered in a tight whisper.
“She needs tending to. And our healers need quiet and privacy to work.” Thayva slowly held out a clawed hand toward her. “Will you please come with me? We can get you something to eat and warm to drink while we wait for Mae and Poppy to finish. They’ll notify us immediately when they’re done.” She looked to the healers for confirmation.
Mae nodded, her fingers impatiently tapping the side of the curtain.
Seaella glanced indecisively between the healers, Valera, and Thayva. She bit her lip for a moment, then finally nodded.
Thayva gave her a warm smile. When the child made no move to release the staff to take her hand, Thayva straightened and stepped slowly toward the door, her eyes on the girl to be sure she followed.
Seaella reluctantly stepped from the bed, her head turning to glance back at her sister frequently as she slowly followed Thayva out of the infirmary and toward the kitchens. Her grip never loosened on the staff or pouch, her mind ever on her sister and chest aching with worry.


“No kidding,” Nick said with a snort. With his vision better in the dimness of the mansion, he stepped confidently toward the dorms. He glanced back over his shoulder. “Hope they’re both okay, though.”

(100th post!)

"Whatever you ladies need, we'll provide it, even with the budget issues" Serapis assured them. For a moment, the thought of having to triage medical resources played through his mind, but he quickly shoved those thoughts aside. Things weren't that dire. Not yet, at least.

"Just... if you could excuse me for a moment. I have to address the staff." He quickly made his way back to the meeting, where the workers were getting restless.

"Oh. Sorry about the delay. We've had some injured guests come into the orphanage and I've had to see to them. I'll make it quick: I'm assembling a group to find some treasures in a ruin to help finance this place until more conventional sources of funding are available. We can discuss specifics later." The crowd grumbled a bit but seemed to accept the situation. The dracon quickly ran off to find his wife and Seaella. It didn't take him long to find them, given how empty the hallways were at night.

"Thayva! Oh, there you are. I see you two are getting some food?" He turned to Seaella. "And please, help yourself to whatever food you'd like."

------------

"I'm sure they'll be fine" Aurelian remarked, climbing back into his bed. "Still, something big is going on. I hate it when that happens. The grown-ups always tell us that nothing is wrong and that the best way we can help is to go to sleep or be quiet or- or something like that."