Eight Intertwined

129 - Grasping

After the travelers returned to Stonegard, they went their separate ways just as they had planned. That left Tressa with Olberic and Primrose, and together, the trio wandered aimlessly through the city's streets. Olberic was doing his best to keep his hands off his sword for the sake of luring the spy out of hiding. If he was blatantly prepared for an attack, then he wouldn't be able to properly get the spy to act. They would see that action as the threat it was, and they couldn't afford that. 

Primrose, meanwhile, was far better at acting like she was in control of the situation, and she wore a loose smile as she led the group through Stonegard. She was more than experienced with smiling in the face of hardship and misunderstanding, so this was just another piece of her daily life. Well, it had been part of her regular routine back in Sunshade, and as long ago as that felt now, it wasn't all that distant in the grand scheme of their journey, so Primrose could slip easily enough into the facade. It was almost terrifying how quickly she had fallen into that old pace, but Tressa chose to not comment on it. 

Instead, the merchant took to looking at the shopfronts in Stonegard. She had looked around at everything there during their previous pass through the town, and she doubted any of the weapons there would be particularly helpful now, but it was still a nice way for her to pass the time. Besides, it was in character for her, and the spy would hopefully know that. If she looked natural, like she was just watching the items in the window with curiosity and wonder in her eyes, then the spy wouldn't have any reason to question her. It would be fine.

However, Tressa's attempts to act as natural as possible weren't going as far as she would have liked. She couldn't help but sneak glanced over her shoulder at Olberic as they wandered through the town, primarily because Olberic couldn't seem to hide his true thoughts about all of this no matter how hard he tried. He was anxious in a way Tressa wasn't used to from him, and that bothered her a lot more than the idea of being followed. That was certainly worrying too, but there was more to it than that. Olberic was usually good at hiding when he was worried about something, and this felt deeper than Tressa could have ever expected. 

"Are you alright?" Tressa eventually asked when she got sick of continuing to pretend everything was fine when it so obviously was not. She glanced up to Olberic where they stood in front of the nearby shop. Their backs were to the rest of the street, so if the traitor wanted to strike, then now would be the perfect time. All they had to do was reach out and try to stab at one of them. It was the perfect bait, or so it should have been. Tressa somehow already knew nobody was going to come after them, and she hated having to admit it. 

Olberic seemed surprised to be addressed at all, and he forced himself to nod in Tressa's direction. "I'm fine," he assured her. "I've had a lot on my mind recently, I suppose... I had a less than fortunate dream last night, and it kept me from being able to sleep."

"A dream?" Primrose questioned, her expression twisting with confusion and worry. "What kind of--" She cut herself off halfway through her inquiry when she saw Therion streak in and out of the shadows out of the corner of her vision. Primrose was quick to pull her attention away from the thief though, instead glancing back to Olberic. "Sorry. What kind of dream?"

Olberic somehow went even stiffer at that, and his hand drifted to his sword on instinct even though he knew he wouldn't be able to actually use it or even threaten to use it as long as they were being followed. "I... I would rather not say," he replied, and Tressa knew that was code for him having seen something in the night that he didn't want the spy to know about. "I've had nightmares for many nights since my home first fell to ruin, and this is hardly new to me. I suppose it's simply bothering me now because of how tired we all are."

Tressa nodded, taking the hint to not push the subject even though she wanted to ask more questions so desperately. They couldn't afford being overheard, and if that meant keeping everything quiet, then so be it. She was fine with that, though she hated just how limited they were when it came to talking about her thoughts. Every word had to be censored and thought out before it left her lips, and Tressa despised it. She turned her attention back to the nearby storefront in a desperate bid to distract herself even though she somehow already doubted it would work. Of course it wasn't going to be that simple.