Solus Stayanoga

Solus woke in the dingy little room the inn had given her and stared at the ceiling, her eyes catching the stains and peeling paint. What a mess. This whole venture was a mess - barely workable at the best of times and steadily getting worse. With a sigh she slipped out of the creaky bed and packed her bag, her own voice echoing in her ears.

What have you gotten yourself into now?

Shut up. This isn't my fault.

Oh yes it is. Who decided she needed a group? Who picked the group?

...me.

And now look at you. Lycinth is mixed up in this somehow. He could jeopardize this entire venture! Not to mention Belak.

I don't know that Belak is involved in this.

Oh come on. Old man with a giant frog interested in trees? There can only be one. Besides-

"Shut up!" Solus hissed as she shut her bag with a sharp, angry snap. "There's nothing I can do about it." Standing, she turned to leave her room - and nearly ran into Anastri, standing in the doorway.

"Sorry for startling you. I didn't mean to bother you, but the inn is serving breakfast and it's first come, first serve. And most have already come. Are you interested?"

How long had she been standing there? Solus gritted her teeth, forcing her features to remain neutral. "I'll be down there in a minute."

"Alright." Anastri was watching her closely, a line appearing on her forehead.

Solus glared at her. "What?" she snapped, grabbing the strap of her pack.

"Nothing," Anastri replied hastily. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Now it was Solus' turn to be confused. "As well as I could sleep on that squealer," she answered, pointing out the rickety, much too loud bed. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought - I don't know. Never mind." Anastri shook her head, wiping away some thought. "Shall we go see what's for breakfast?"

Bemused, Solus muttered, "Lead the way," and followed Anastri down the passage. Privately, she was half worried and half relieved. It didn't seem as if Anastri had caught her slip earlier, but at the same time she did seem to have something on her mind. 

What could possibly have shaken the unflappable half-elf?