The tavern's fire had dimmed to a smoldering red glow.
Raze and Saria Dorne sat in the quiet, side by side, as the night stretched thin between them.
The wine on the table had gone untouched for minutes now.
What passed between them wasn't conversation. It was weight—the kind that hangs when silence says more than words ever could.
Saria's fingers fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. The flame cast long shadows across her cheekbones, softening the lines earned from long years of labor, grief… and longing.
She wasn't just a tavern keeper.
She was a woman who'd survived love's death—and never let herself desire again.
Until now.
Until him.
---
[Bond Interface Active]
Target: Saria Dorne
Tension: 38%
Emotional State: Vulnerable | Guarded | Receptive
[System Prompt: Opportunity Detected — Trigger Memory Anchor?]
Condition: Must use conversational opening about her husband or past.
Reward: +1 INT | Emotional Trust Bridge created
---
Raze didn't rush.
He watched her—not as prey, but as a soul shielding itself.
Then softly, he asked, "Was he kind to you?"
Saria blinked, caught off guard.
"…Who?"
"Your husband."
A pause. Then a quiet exhale.
"…He was," she said. "Kind in a loud, clumsy way. The kind that'd throw himself into danger for others, even if it meant leaving me behind."
Her fingers slowly stopped moving. She looked down at her lap.
"He died during the Goblin Raids. Five years ago. Shielded a child that wasn't ours. Took a spear to the ribs."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. He chose it." Her voice trembled just slightly. "And I chose to keep going."
Raze let the silence return. Not empty, but intimate.
Then:
"I think he'd be proud," Raze said. "But I also think… he wouldn't want you to lock yourself away from the world he died to protect."
That struck deep.
She looked at him.
Really looked.
And saw not a boy. Not a traveler.
But a man—who understood grief.
[Tension: 41%]
Threshold Reached: Emotional Trust Bridge Formed
New Passive Unlocked: [Matron's Memory]
Effect: Increases Bond Acceleration with MILF-type targets who have experienced loss or duty-bound suppression.
+1 INT
[Quest Completed: Melt the Matron]
Reward: +1 SPIRIT
System Update: First Bond Milestone Achieved — Saria Dorne | 41%
---
Saria leaned back slightly, and for the first time, she smiled without hiding it.
Not wide. Not flirty. Just… real.
"You're dangerous, Raze," she whispered.
"You've said that already."
"I'll probably say it again."
She stood slowly, her joints stiff from the long day. But she didn't leave immediately.
Instead, she placed a hand on his shoulder—warm, grounding.
"You can stay here as long as you like," she said. "Just… don't break hearts lightly."
"I won't."
Her hand lingered a heartbeat longer than necessary.
Then she turned.
But before she stepped away, she asked, "Would you… like to meet my daughter tomorrow?"
Raze raised an eyebrow. "You trust me that much already?"
"No," she replied. "But she doesn't open up to anyone. And something tells me… you're going to change that."
She walked away.
And Raze sat alone again. But this time—not lonely.
---
Name: Saria Dorne
Type: MILF – Widow
Bond Level: 41%
Stage: Emotional Trust Bridge (Stage III)
Signature Trait: Protective Submission
Passive Shared Skill Unlocked: [Matron's Memory]
Milestone Effects: Future MILF Bonds will progress faster if emotional grief is acknowledged and healed
Affection Marker: Present
Loyalty: Starting Rooted
---
[New Quest Chain Unlocked: Matron's Daughter — Emotional Echo]
Objective: Earn trust of the daughter through a gesture of sincerity.
Hint: She distrusts flirtation and sees through charm. Use honesty.
Reward: +1 LCK | Access to Hidden Event: Dual Heart Link
Raze stood and walked to the window.
The night wind brushed against his face. Moonlight turned his eyes molten gold again.
A new thread had begun. A bond, not merely of body—but of heart and history.
The system would guide his rise.
But his path?
That would be carved with care.
---
Far from Eldenroot, in a tent wrapped in enchanted cloth and silencing sigils, the cloaked noblewoman knelt before a mirror that shimmered with runes.
A voice emerged—calm, male, ancient.
"You saw him?"
She nodded. "He walked into Eldenroot today. The aura around him… it's unlike anything I've felt. It's almost as if the world shifted."
The voice was silent for a moment. Then:
"Observe. Do not engage."
The woman frowned. "You don't understand. He—"
"Observe. Do not engage," the voice repeated.
She clenched her jaw.
"Understood."
But her heart whispered otherwise.
She had seen his eyes.
And something ancient within her stirred for the first time in centuries.
---
The system pulsed one last time before Raze lay down to sleep.
[Bond Evolution Forecast Triggered]
Target: Saria Dorne
At current pace, Stage IV: Emotional Tension Threshold will be reached
Caution: Emotional history must be resolved before sensual tension is acted upon.
He closed his eyes.
And for the first time in this world, he dreamed.
Not of war. Not of conquest.
But of a woman with strong hands, tired eyes, and a quiet smile he wanted to see again.