"Yeah?" he questioned. He had a towel in his hand, drying the back of his hair casually.

Ah, I was just gonna let you guys know . . ." I pointed down. "Tanis needs some food and I wanted to go see the music, so I'm going to run downstairs for a sec."

His dark eyes narrowed. Then he moved back into the room, head turning towards the bathroom. "Vos, Eve wants to go see the band. Hurry so you can take her." He walked further, out of sight.

My face flattened. I guess I couldn't go by myself.

This is what I get for asking.

After a second without a response, Jaden came back into view over towards the bed. "Vos!" he repeated, then bent over to pick up a shirt.

Ikovos's voice came from the other room.

"Considering that I still haven't gotten my shower, why don't you go. You're much more of a music buff anyways."

Music buff? Really? . . . I looked down at Jaden.

He was still bent over. His eyes flicked up to me at Ikovos's instructions, something odd about it . . . but I just waited.

Then, suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, he gulped. He did. Jaden. Not me, him. I didn't know what to do with myself. A hot flush ran through my head. I had a sudden desire to run for dear life down the hall, or maybe just stay still and faint, all indecision either way, how I always imagined it would feel if I was two-feet from a coiled snake.

He straightened up fully. "Alright. . . ."

I gulped. Alright? You're not supposed to say alright! I'm a nuisance, why aren't you telling Ikovos no? Say no, say no . . .

He moved out of view as my internal rambling continued, back a second later without the towel.

"You really don't have to come, Jaden . . . I'm okay by myself." I moved back substantially to give him space.

He clicked the door shut, then eyed me intensely. I tried to hold an affirming face so that he'd be sure I could handle it. He just started walking.

"Okay. We're going to go through all of the places that aren't safe for you to go alone to."

I caught up quickly as he began.

"Wondering around an inn for one. Not safe."

I kept quiet and un-reactionary as we hit the stairs.

"Walking down streets alone. Walking to any of the shops alone. Anywhere that you know there'll be a lot of people. No." His intensity increased. "And don't just go roaming around at night, the woods, the city, doesn't matter, don't do it. . . . Pretty much anything involving either a city or the dark is a no."

My eyes narrowed as we reached the bottom floor.

Then he stopped, looking hard on me and pointing back up, his head shaking openly. "No staircases." He pointed behind me. "No bars."

My turned to examine it. There were like two ridiculously harmless-looking, old, men sitting on the stools, and one bored server behind the counter.

"Where is it that I can go alone?" I asked, looking back at him dubiously.

His eyes narrowed on me . . . then he put his hands in his pockets, head nodding up. "All over that room upstairs, apparently."

For a moment I thought I'd scoff at his absurdity. But instead . . . with his indignant face, and his hands in his pockets, the wet messy hair. His whole demeanor like an incredibly adorable, protective, young boy.

I bit my lip, melting just slightly.

His eyes narrowed further- "I'm serious." -then he dropped into the main room and started walking.

"Okay," I agreed, following submissively, all too happy now to do whatever he asked of me.

He turned his head to eye me once more as we hit the entrance of the sectioned-off room.

The scene we entered was magnificent. Well, at least to me. A large space, lavishly decorated, filled with round tables and oversized couches. People sat dispersed throughout the room, some talking or eating, others just listening to the band, which played in the corner to the right. In the far wall opposite them was a large fireplace, at least my height in size, lighting the whole area brilliantly.

I might have just stood there were I on my own, but Jaden continued forward towards the band so I followed him closer.

The tune was bright and lively, the group itself only made up of a handful of instruments. No lyrics. In Tiver, we rarely got to hear music, barring traveling performers playing in one of the cafes or the Fallstone Inn.

Still, I had loved it ever since I could remember.

We stopped a couple feet back and in the center . . . It would be like Jaden to just march right up to the front.

The members smiled at us in turn. I listened to the spirited rhythm happily, body warming with excitement. The boy beside me seemed quite contented too, if not still a little sulky about my self-safety ignorance.

Looking at him I suddenly remembered what I'd almost said in the smith shop. My face flushed heavily. It took me a moment to get it together.

"So you like music then?" I questioned.

He looked over steadily, but then his eyes shifted only seconds after hitting mine.

Weird.

"Yeah," he answered. I watched as he studied the picks of the guitarist.

"Do you play anything?"

His head shook. "Neh."

Someone cheered at a table behind us, rather off beat from the song. I kept my eyes on Jaden, studying him for a moment before looking back ahead. He'd answered my question so casually, but . . .

"Ever wanted to?" I asked, turning to him bravely. His face appeared solemn for a moment, but then he looked over smirking.

"I don't think I'd have the time." He turned back.

"But if you did?"

His loose, relaxed, posture seemed to tense up at the question.

I bit my lip.

"Not really."

My eyes perplexed. I was sure . . . I turned to him to pursue further, but he spoke first.

"If you're going to get food for your . . . rat thing, we should probably sit down and order. The place seems pretty busy."

I looked around the room. There were a lot of filled tables and only a couple servers in sight. I nodded. "Okay."

Then he led us to a medium-sized table near the fire. A lot of people were finished eating already as we walked over, hence it was rather noisy. I guess everyone was coming in to escape the rain.

Once we sat down a server came by to get our drinks and orders. Jaden got enough for three. When the waiter left, taking our menus and nodding, I leaned forward a bit. "Is Ikovos coming down?"

Jaden nodded. "He thought you'd want to 'debrief' on the day." Then he popped a date out of the bowl on the table into his mouth.

"That was considerate of him . . . ," I noted softly with a smile.

Jaden skewered his eyes at me once, then turned his attention back to perusing the room.

It really was a lovely inn. I tried to examine the whole scene casually like Jaden was, but I pretty much just kept getting stuck at the fire. I closed my hand into a ball. It was weird not having used magic for a whole day. I think I missed it.

"Hey, Jaden?" I asked. Watching the twisting flames dance about the fireplace had given me a thought.

His eyes turned to me immediately.

"You know how you can control the fire that you conjure, like, make it get bigger or smaller, do things you want?"

He seemed to relax a bit at the subject. Either he had been nervous of what I might bring up, or talking about magic just made him comfortable . . . maybe both.

"Yes."

I nodded once, trying not to get too flustered by the fact that his attention had remained on me for over a full ten seconds now.

"So . . ." I considered how to ask this in a way that made sense ". . . Can you do that with any fire? Or just your own?"

The corners of his mouth lifted. "You mean could I make the fireplace behind me go poof?"

I tilted my head, lifting one shoulder in confirmation.

He slid the candle on the table to the space between us and. With a glance it went out. "It's harder, but possible, yeah."

"What about other artisan's?" I tested, shifting slightly.

"Not that we've heard of." He took another date and I leaned forward.

"But we-" His eyes flicked to me. When we'd been in the woods and he'd touched my hand . . . the flame had changed. Same with the fire in the stove this morning.

I knew he knew what I was talking about.

The waiter returned before I could finish. Why did it feel like our conversations kept getting interrupted at the worst points? He set the three drinks, a plate of fruit and bread, then a small box of assorted bits, specially ordered for Tanis.

As soon as he left, my eyes turned directly back on Jaden. He attempted to ignore me for a good while before meeting my gaze with a sigh.

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?"

I narrowed. "Questions are good. They teach you things."

"Not if you already know everything." He shrugged.

My face flattened. "Well, I'm sorry that I don't know everything like you."

Giving up on getting an answer, I leaned forward to take a drink from my straw. As I did I felt the breath of his smile hit me. Then he gestured his hand.

"I have no idea why I'm affecting your spell."

The juice caught in my throat, he actually answered.

I turned up. "Maybe because you helped me the first time?" His head was shaking before I even finished.

"No. Artisans have done that before, and there are never any side-effects."

"Maybe because I'm a girl." I tried.

He shrugged in a "could-be-it" sort of way before looking off.

Thoran had told me that I was the first he'd heard of.

Jaden tapped his fingers carelessly on the table, causing my pulse to quicken.

I scoffed then, head shaking at myself. Maybe because I'm in love with you.

Darn it, Evelyn! I almost slapped my head then and there in front of him. That was completely inexcusable! . . .this was getting bad.

I sunk to take another sip from my sip worriedly.

Jaden continued popping his dates rather obliviously.

"It's still going," complained Ikovos, dropping in beside Jaden.

The darker boy eyed him. "Took you long enough."

Ikovos ignored him.

After wincing at his mention of the rain I smiled. "Did you have a nice shower?"

He grabbed a hunk of bread. "Yeah, it was good. Hot. The fixtures are so nice, the way the water comes out and -"

"If you're going to describe you showering experience anyways, I think she could have just stayed with us."

My eyes widened, dropping down.