[u][b]Ettamri, Renauld, Argen, Oscar – Breaking the Fast[/b][/u] Renauld, Oscar, and Argen’s quest for food and/or adventure eventually brought them to the mess hall, an orderly room lit up by a small fire. Unlike the comfort of their bedroom, the mess hall was a good bit chillier, a draft coming in every time a guard left and every time a guard entered. Many of the guards present were chattering quietly to themselves, wrapped up in furred cloaks. They dipped their portions of bread in some sort of root soup, and though a couple of them looked at the three as they entered, they soon turned away. A Guard assigned to the protection of Fort Stalwart was a good deal above the vagrants-turned-monster-hunters that the soldiers of the Silver Moon Army were, after all. From the howling of the wind and the condition of those guards who came in for their lunch break, it was snowing again, the entrance to the outside wet with melted flakes. Torches illuminated the mess hall and glinted off the motley armor of Ettamri, their companion, but she neither greeted nor even turned in their direction. At the opposite end of the room, an aproned woman, short and well-endowed, spooned out bowls of soup and thwacked the hands of those who wanted a second serving of bread. It didn’t look as if the guards lining up for the meal had to pay for it, but then again, they were [i]guards[/i]. A graying man chewed on a stick as he worked the fire and the dough, pulling out baked loaves that still crackled from the heat of the oven. On one particularly crowded table, half-finished bowls of soup competed with a large checkered board and a small army of tokens. Periodically the guards there would roll dice, before moving or removing the tokens, accompanied by chin-stroking and appreciative grumbling. It wasn’t lively, and there didn’t look to be any alcohol, but when the weather was this bad, expending energy being rowdy was simply a waste. [u][b]Katya, Siwon – Chamberpots and Maidenly Business[/b][/u] Katya, under her covers, waited, her blue eye peeking out from her blanket. How long had she been awake at this point? She no longer knew, but she could hardly hold it in any longer. There was Ettamri. Then Renauld. Oscar. Argen. She already knew that Muu was somewhere else. But why was Siwon still asleep? Geez, how could he be so tired, when even the mage was up and moving? Her inner thighs tightened again, the child’s expression twisting into one of agony and concentration. Stupid Fort people, putting everyone in the same room. At the very least, it was common sense to separate the boys from the girls, right? [b]“Siwon…pssssst, Siwon…”[/b] Katya whispered towards the Fiend Knight, but there was no response. [b]“Siwon? Siwon? Siwon!”[/b] Still no response. Was he [i]dead[/i]? Katya hopped off her bed, pulling stray straws out of her clothes, and padded towards him. It looked like he was breathing at least, but then, why wasn’t he waking up? With one of those straws, the priest began to tickle his face…to no response. Then she stuck a straw up his stupid nose…still no response. Maybe if she whacked him on the head…no, that’s just dangerous. Her bladder protested once more, and Katya’s face screwed up even further. Fine! If he wasn’t going to wake up now, he probably won’t wake up soon! Groping around with her feet, she eventually touched the chamberpot in the dark room, pulled it out to a more open space, popped off the wooden lid, and did what needed to be done in the safety of darkness. Yup, nothing better than an unused pot. [u][b]Muu – Hospitalized Once More[/b][/u] [b]“Not gonna wanna do that, lady.”[/b] A firm, large hand pressed against Muu’s head and forced her back down. As her senses focused around her, the Bladedancer could tell that she was in a wide infirmary, white light spilling from the gaps of the wooden window slats. Around her, there were perhaps another dozen people infirmed, coughing or cursing or groaning or snoring. Her bed felt comfortable beneath her; was it wool that she was resting on? Before she could dwell on it, the upper half of her bed folded upwards, a thick thump sounding as it rested upon a new post. She was sitting up now, even as her head swam from the sudden shifting of her blood flow. Then, a rough hand wrapped around her lower jaw, forcing her mouth open, and a vial of some strange, spicy liquid was shoved in, its contents spilling down her throat. Thankfully, she didn’t choke on it, swallowing the concoction instead. [b]“Good, you drink fast.”[/b] The hand around her jaw released its grip, and as she traced that hand to its owner, Muu was greeted by the face of…a crow? No, it had to be a mask. A man with a crow’s mask, the black beak inches away from swatting her on the face, as opaque lenses peered inquisitively towards her. The rest of the man, thankfully, looked normal, a coat over his white robes as he pulled out a set of tongs from a tray beside him. Wait, white robes in an infirmary? This man wasn’t a healer at all!