Kaitlyn sat in the empty, cramped, dimly lit upper hallway of the tavern. Behind her, she could hear Thea moving about in the room but she had no idea what the mage was up to. Her thoughts turned inward and in her mind she imagined all the possible ways this night could have ended differently. If she had agreed to curl up in bed with the mage, if Wendell was alive, if she hadn’t agreed to escort Thea, if she’d never joined the Templars at all. At the robust age of 23, she’d probably be the wife of someone with a child on her hip and one on the way. She’d never gone back to the village she’d grown up in after she left to join the Templars. It seemed a little late now.

The Templar gave a start when Thea came out of the door behind her. Her lids felt heavy. Had she fallen asleep during her watch? She must have been more out of it than she was giving her credit for. Kaitlyn stood up as the mage approach but quickly sat back down again at Thea’s order.

[i]"If you will not stay with me, then I shall stay with you….”[/i] The words hurt. Kaitlyn wanted to say something, to try to explain her feelings better to the mage. Andraste, knew she’d made a mess of it last time. But what else was there to add that wouldn’t make things even more awkward than they were already? 

Kaitlyn watched as Thea rubbed the salve over her arm, while trying to not show her nervousness as the other woman’s closeness. Blue light, similar to the same spell Kaitlyn had used earlier in an effort to cleanse her wound, tingled across her skin. She wanted to tell Thea that trying to heal the wound was pointless, but she couldn’t bring herself to forming the words.

[b]”I don’t need tea.”[/b] Kaitlyn said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. The slave had made the pain lessen significantly although it was by no means gone. [b]”As for taking a break, I can’t make any promised. Maybe you could ask the Darkspawn to go easy on us next time?”[/b] Maker say there wouldn’t be a next time. 

They sat in silence for a while. Despite Kaitlyn’s best effort she could hardly keep her eyes open. Perhaps the mage had put some sort of sleep inducing herb into that balm. [b]”This is just silly,”[/b] Kaitlyn whispered. She wondered if Thea was also struggling to stay awake. [b]”I didn’t pay good gold so we could sit outside a room. Please go to bed, Thea.”[/b] She hoped the mage understood that she meant that [i]bed[/i]. [b]”It is my duty to keep watch. It is my place,”[/b] from the corner of her eye, Kaitlyn could see Thea hadn’t budged yet. [b]”It would make me feel better to know you are sleeping comfortably. We have a long, hard ride tomorrow. Sitting out here all night will only make you more sore and you’ll want to be in top shape just in case-“[/b]