The dim glow of lanterns cast flickering shadows across the rough stone walls of the Black Hollow. Aedric leaned against the wooden support beam of their rented space, arms crossed, watching Seris as she methodically inspected their surroundings.
Tessa had already curled up on a pile of old blankets in the corner, exhaustion finally catching up to her. The tension of the past few days had drained them all, but Aedric knew rest wouldn't come easily.
Seris, too, seemed restless. She moved with careful precision, checking the room's exits, testing the sturdiness of the barricaded wooden door, listening for any movement beyond.
Aedric smirked. "You don't trust our generous host?"
Seris shot him a look. "I don't trust anyone in the Black Hollow."
"Smart," he admitted.
After a final glance around, she sighed and settled on the floor across from him, stretching her legs out. The silence between them stretched, filled only by the distant murmurs of the underground market beyond their hiding place.
Aedric finally spoke. "You've been here before."
Seris leaned back, resting her head against the stone wall. "Once. Years ago. I was younger, reckless. Thought I could make a name for myself among the city's thieves."
Aedric raised an eyebrow. "And?"
She smirked. "Learned very quickly that names aren't worth much down here. Strength, coin, and the ability to disappear when needed—those are the only things that matter."
Aedric studied her for a moment. In the dim light, she seemed almost… different. Less guarded. There was something in the way she spoke, in the way her eyes softened just slightly when she wasn't constantly assessing threats.
"You're different when it's just us," he said before he could stop himself.
Seris blinked, her smirk fading slightly. "Different how?"
Aedric shrugged. "Less… sharp. More honest."
She huffed a quiet laugh. "I'm always honest."
"Honest, maybe. But not always open."
She met his gaze, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. "Neither are you."
Aedric didn't deny it. He had spent years surviving, always keeping his true thoughts guarded. But with Seris, it was different. She saw through him in ways others didn't.
For a moment, the air between them felt heavier, charged with something unspoken.
Then Seris sighed and shifted, breaking the moment. "Get some rest. We don't know what tomorrow will bring."
Aedric nodded, but even as he closed his eyes, his mind remained on her.
Something was changing between them.
And for the first time in a long while, he wasn't sure if he was afraid of it.