Illnyea and Priscilla ended up rooming together and the boys took the other room.

Before they broke apart for sleeping, Kavil gave Illnyea and Priscilla one last minute health check up. He gave Illnyea something that should help with the pain in her arm so she could sleep before he turned to Priscilla, pressing his glowing palm against her ribs.

"You should be fully healed by tomorrow morning," Kavil said, looking satisfied as he pulled back, "as long as you don't go off on any midnight adventures."

"I solemnly promise to not jump out a window," Priscilla said, sending a cheeky glance to Sulaiman, "but I'd keep an eye on your roommate – who knows what he'll get up to."

Kavil laughed as Sulaiman sighed heavily, rubbing his temples like Priscilla was giving him a headache with her mere presence. Illnyea glanced curiously between the three of them.

"Last time we were here," Priscilla explained, "things got a little crazy so we had to make a hot exit. Sulaiman decided the fastest way was to pick me up and jump out the window of our room."

Illnyea snorted, giving Sulaiman an incredulous look.

His face flushed, Sulaiman said quickly, "And I wasn't wrong – it was the most efficient plan of action and we all got out unscathed."

"Only because I healed your knees," Kavil shot, smiling as Sulaiman glared at him. "You better not make it a habit to jump off buildings just because I'm here to pick up the slack. You'll steal the title of worst patient from Priscilla if you treat your body so recklessly."

Sulaiman twitched and then narrowed his eyes at Priscilla, like the scolding was her fault, and she sweetly smiled as she flipped him the bird.

"Step up your game, Sulaiman," Illnyea said, not wavering when Sulaiman glared at her. In fact, she stood a little straighter and looked smug as she said, "I was declared by Kavil to be the best patient he's ever had."

Sulaiman's eye twitched.

"Don't be fooled by her," Sulaiman snapped, glaring at Kavil now. "Behind that innocent face is a girl twice as stubborn as Priscilla. I once had to carry her home because she insisted on fighting a boar with a sprained ankle and ended up breaking it instead!"

"Kavil, don't believe a single word he says," Illnyea said, pointing an accusing finger at Sulaiman. "He's only saying that so it'll take the heat off him when I tell you about the time he burned his entire calf and hid it from me for three days! "

The look that Kavil sent both Illnyea and Sulaiman suggested he was frankly appalled about their lack of self-preservation and thought they both were bad.

Priscilla laughed, loud and unrestrained, and accidentally drew the trio's attention to her. She couldn't help it – joy had been bubbling within her now that everyone was safe and happy, and listening to her favorite characters, her favorite people, joke with one another pushed her feelings towards a giddy euphoria.

Priscilla finally got her laughter under control and beamed at her friends, cheeks hurting from the force of her smile. Sulaiman looked caught off guard by her laughter and Illnyea blinked a few times at the force of her expression, while Kavil seemed to have leaned in a little closer, his eyes unerringly on her face.

"As much as I'd like to listen to you three banter all night," Priscilla said, only a tad regretful, "we should probably sleep tonight, and I, for one, would love to acquaint myself with a real bed again."

"Have a good night!" Illnyea said to the boys with a smile as she turned to their room. Sulaiman murmured something that sounded like, "No thanks to you, menace."

Kavil's gaze met Priscilla's and he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sleep well, you two."

As they entered their room, Priscilla perked up when she saw that two large basins of water were near the wall. She had mentioned to Tabitha in passing she'd love to clean herself up later and the scary woman proved how competent she was once more. The basins weren't large enough to take a true bath, only about 2 feet across, but there were towels of varying size laid over the side along with small bottles of what Priscilla assumed could only be shampoo. She shucked off her mud-caked boots, eager to finally get clean.

"Take off your shoes and come over here, Illnyea," Priscilla said. Priscilla tested the water with one finger, found it was lukewarm, and ordered, "Sit down."

Looking bemused, Illnyea did as she was told and Priscilla rummaged through her pack until she found her hair brush. She took off her fingerless glove and Asha, leaving them both on top of her pack so they wouldn't get wet. After a moment of hesitation, Priscilla grabbed her only yellow ribbon, twining it around the brush's handle.

"Your hair is in dire need of some cleaning," Priscilla said, kneeling on the opposite side of the basin from Illnyea as she placed down her tools, "but with that damn shield, you won't be able to take a proper bath until it's off and that's a tragedy."

Priscilla quickly wiped a damp cloth across her face to get the worst of the grime off her face, before she tossed it at Illnyea. After Illnyea was done, Priscilla motioned for Illnyea to turn so her back faced the basin. She did so slowly, glancing at Priscilla with confusion.

"But you're in luck," Priscilla said, reaching forward to gently pull Illnyea's dirty braid over her shoulder and tugging off the frayed hair tie, "as I refuse to let you suffer a moment longer."

"You just don't want my muck to get on your hair while we sleep," Illnyea teased as Priscilla began to undo the sections of the braid, flakes of dried mud falling to the floor.

"Oh no," Priscilla said, dead pan, "you've uncovered my real motivations, whatever shall I do?"

Illnyea giggled and they lapsed into comfortable silence. Priscilla took her time unbraiding the hair, taking great care to not pull too hard on the hair so she didn't hurt Illnyea. Once the strands were pulled free, Priscilla gave Illnyea quiet directions to put a towel around her shoulders and lean further back to tip her head into the water.

The water was immediately muddied, but Priscilla paid it no mind as she fell into the rhythm of washing someone's hair. She had never really had long hair before coming into this body, but Mr. –– had gone through a phase where he wanted to donate his hair and grew it out so it went past his shoulders. He had let her brush through his hair while they watched trashy reality television and judged the people's stupidity and she took great pleasure testing out all the hairstyles she couldn't wear on his thick hair. She had only ever washed his hair once because she insisted on helping when they had gone on a hike and he took an unfortunate tumble into a briar bush and it got all tangled in his hair, but it was similar enough to washing clothes by hand that it wasn't hard to figure out.

Gentle, persistent pressure yielded success, and Priscilla made sure that every scrap of caked on dirt and debris in Illnyea's hair went into the water.

With Illnyea's hair pulled back, Priscilla could see the lightning scars that crawled up the side of Illnyea's jaw. They were faint pink lines now, barely visible if someone didn't know they should be there, and now that they weren't glowing sickly light, were honestly kind of cool to look at. Priscilla saw that there were matching scars on her own fingers and a part of her was glad to have that connection with her sister, even though it was a reminder of one of the most terrifying moments in their lives.

She picked up Illnyea's hair and twisted it so the excess water fell into the basin when the last of the stubborn dirt slid off. The water was totally unusable now, so Priscilla kissed her hopes of getting clean tonight goodbye with only minor regret.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Alright, time to swap to the other basin," Priscilla said.

Illnyea tried to twist to look over her shoulder, but Priscilla firmly held her hair so that wasn't happening.

"But you should use that for you–"

"Nonsense," Priscilla said, easily batting away Illnyea's objections. "You've gone far longer than I without a bath, and it won't hurt for me to go one more day without it. We still need to shampoo your hair, after all."

Reluctantly, Illnyea scooted to the next basin and laid her head back.

It took less time for Priscilla to lather the shampoo into Illnyea's hair and massaging it deep into her scalp until Illnyea's hair gleamed a healthy silver once more. She carefully ran her comb through Illnyea's wet hair, starting from the bottom and slowly working up so that every tangle and knot were a distant memory.

"Alright, time to move to the bed," Priscilla said, pulling Illnyea's hair out of the water and ringing it dry. She tossed a towel over Illnyea's shoulders as her sister sat up.

Illnyea was quiet as Priscilla directed her to sit on the ground in front of the bed and Priscilla sat behind her, combing through her sister's hair one last time.

"Do you want it braided?" Priscilla asked.

Illnyea hummed her agreement and nodded, sitting crossed legged.

Priscilla began at Illnyea's hairline, gathering three strands of hair for the beginning of a french braid. Illnyea's side braid had always been practical and simple, but Priscilla knew her sister would look stunning with the more complicated hairstyle that would leave Illnyea with wavy curls tomorrow. Plus, though Priscilla wouldn't admit it out loud, doing a french braid would allow her to spend more time with Illnyea before they had to sleep.

The braid had only had two additional lengths of hair twisted into the braid when Illnyea broke the silence.

"How did you guys know to look for me?" Illnyea's voice was small, like she had to have worked up the courage to speak and she was still debating about saying nothing at all.

Priscilla kept the braid pulled tight and looped in one more section of hair as she debated what to say before deciding to say as close to the truth as she dared.

"I had a dream you were in trouble," Priscilla said.

Illnyea let out a disbelieving scoff, tilting her head to side-eye Priscilla.

"I know it sounds like divination bullshit, but it's the truth, I swear," Priscilla said, gently poking Illnyea's head so she looked forward again and wouldn't undo all of Priscilla's hard work. "I… I just kept dreaming that you were in trouble, so when I got back to Meadowyar and learned that the caravan was late, I knew I had to come after you."

Illnyea mulled over that before asking, "Do I want to know what you dreamed about?"

Priscilla bit her lip, not sure how to articulate the terror she had felt and if she should even share it with Illnyea at all. Her bond with Asha stirred for the first time today as Asha pushed gentle feelings of encouragement and trust towards Priscilla, and the steady reassurance that Asha was here no matter what.

"You know when your magic went crazy?" Priscilla said, twisting another length of hair into the braid.

Illnyea stiffened but she nodded.

"Well, my dreams didn't end with the happy ending we had."

Illnyea sucked in a sharp breath. Priscilla both wished she could see her sister's face and was glad she couldn't, and focused on braiding hair to give Illnyea space to think.

"Thank you," Illnyea said quietly. "For coming for me, even though… you thought I might be dead."

"You wouldn't die that easily," Priscilla said confidently, "even if you were in dire straits, you would just need some help to get out of it. And there's no need for thanks between us – I know you'd do the same if you thought someone you loved was in danger."

Illnyea tilted her head straight back to stare at Priscilla, her golden eyes filled with an emotion Priscilla couldn't parse. But she said nothing, so Priscilla smirked and quirked an eyebrow.

"If you want me to fuck up this braid when I've put in so much effort into making it perfect," Priscilla said, "keep giving me that look. Otherwise, close your eyes and keep your head straight, silly."

Illnyea's gaze lingered for a second before her eyes crinkled in a smile and she settled down, relaxing as she pressed her weight against Priscilla's legs. Priscilla finished up the braid quickly after that, as she had gotten past the hard part by the scalp.

Priscilla tied it off in a perfect bow with the yellow ribbon, saying, "Ta-da! One perfect braid!"

Illnyea stood and walked to the small mirror in the room, her mouth dropping into a small 'o' as she turned her head side to side. Her fingers softly brushed against the strands, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Let me braid your hair," Illnyea said, turning around with a determined expression.

Priscilla raised an eyebrow. Her hair, while not as dirty as Illnyea's was, was sweaty and greasy from travel and fighting. Priscilla planned to comb it before bed, but that was about all she planned to do since she couldn't actually wash it.

"When that's off your arm," Priscilla said, pointing to the shield, "I'll let you return the favor. Besides, you have to take those painkilling herbs now and Kavil said they're supposed to make you sleepy. Can't have you falling asleep and yanking my hair out."

Illnyea's face fell, gaze dropping to the floor as her eyebrows furrowed. She chewed on her lip unhappily and let out a sharp sigh as she picked up the herbs and ate them. But still, Illnyea stood slightly away from the bed without getting into it and Priscilla realized that her sister didn't want to sleep, not just yet.

Priscilla stripped off her dirty clothes as she let her mind wander about how to comfort Illnyea, throwing onto a nightgown that wasn't sweat soaked but still smelled vaguely of swamp (which wasn't great but it was ten times better than last night). Priscilla gave Illnyea her loosest gown and helped cut her out of the stained clothing, taking care to not jostle the shield.

Priscilla crawled into bed after they were both dressed and patted the area next to her insistently. Illnyea grimaced but followed, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling.

"So have you ever heard about the Poison Needle Frog?" Priscilla asked.

Illnyea turned her head, raising an eyebrow.

"It sounds like something I don't want to meet," Illnyea said, looking wary but intrigued.

"You're probably right," Priscilla laughed, "but they're cool as fuck, I swear."

"What makes them special?" Illnyea asked as she turned towards Priscilla a little more, tucking her uninsured arm under her head.

"They're scary smart, using tools and tactics that let them rule their ecosystem."

"What type of tools do they use?"

"Spears they've made from stiff jungle vines that they coat in their own poison, but some adventurers swear they've seen them use hammers made from rocks and slings to drive off other monsters."

Illnyea's eyes sparkled as she leaned in. "What monsters do they fight?"

Priscilla grinned and answered every question Illnyea had, and speculated wildly with her when they met a gap in Priscilla's knowledge. It was cozy between them, speaking in hushed whispers about the monsters that haunted their world and giggling as they began to rank the monsters from cuddliest to 'stay-the-fuck-away-from-us,' with the smart Poison Needle Frogs being rated as 'not at all cuddly.'

Illnyea's eyelids started to droop as Priscilla spoke quietly, and eventually Illnyea ran out of questions and murmured, "Love you."

"Love you too, 'nyea," Priscilla whispered back and Illnyea made a happy sound before she started to gently snore.

Operation yap until Illnyea grew too sleepy was successful.

Priscilla gently arranged the blankets around Illnyea before settling back down with a content sigh. The bed was soft and sleep took Priscilla much quicker than it did Illnyea.

…

Next door, Sulaiman was sharpening his sword with strong, sure movements, his sleeves rolled up to show off tanned, lean forearms.

Sulaiman had been working for nearly ten minutes now, singularly focused on his sword without talking, and Kavil watched quietly, slightly transfixed by the way the muscles in Sulaiman's arms flexed as he worked.

Sulaiman caught him staring and raised an eyebrow, pausing in his movements.

"I can help you figure out how to sharpen the shepherd's hook you picked up," Sulaiman offered, putting his sword aside and wiping his brow.

Kavil wasn't thrilled by the idea, opening his mouth to decline before he paused. Learning how to sharpen the weapon might be like when Sulaiman had taught him how to shoot the crossbow or when Priscilla taught him how to throw a punch, getting up close and personal to correct Kavil's form.

He liked the sound of that.

"Yes, please," Kavil said, fishing out the weapon and sitting eagerly on the bed. Sulaiman huffed a laugh but came over with his whet stone.

"Like this," Sulaiman said, putting the sharp side of the hook against the stone.

Kavil decided to be bold, spotting a little closer to Sulaiman.

"Show me?" Kavil asked, and Sulaiman nodded.

Sulaiman's skin was warm as he grasped Kavil's hands and walked him through the motions. Kavil hid a smile as he listened to Sulaiman's careful instructions, and enjoyed their closeness.

…

Sulaiman had thought it was a good idea to teach Kavil how to take care of his own tools because then Kavil could be self-sufficient. Kavil was a quick learner and listened well, unlike some people, so Sulaiman didn't mind teaching him. The village Kavil had grown up in was a peaceful one, so Sulaiman didn't blame Kavil for his lack of knowledge.

He hadn't even registered how close they were until Sulaiman glanced out of the corner of his eye to see if Kavil was following the latest sets of instructions.

Sulaiman's eyes caught on the furrow between Kavil's eyebrows as he concentrated, then drew down the graceful curve of his smooth, dark cheekbones down to his full lips, which he was biting softly as he focused.

Sulaiman abruptly decided he was done teaching for the evening, sure that Kavil understood everything that had been explained. He ignored Kavil's sound of disappointment and went straight to bed, trying to banish the sight from his mind.

He was not successful and trying to get his mind off it only made Sulaiman think of Priscilla, which then led to remembering when Priscilla and Kavil curled around each other, pretending to be lost in each other. They complimented each other well as they held each other, and Sulaiman did not need to be thinking about whether or not he might be able to wrap his arms around them both.

Gods, why must you deny me sleep? Sulaiman wondered, holding back a sigh as he pressed his hand against his eyes.

He began to think about every mathematical formula he had ever read about, which was a much safer thought to fall asleep to.

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