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Twenty-Nine

The morning breeze carried the mingled scents of fresh-baked bread and wood smoke as Lira and Cali made their way back to The Tusk & Tail. Lira breathed deeply, savoring the warm, sugary aroma wafting from the paper-wrapped bundle of lemon sweet rolls tucked against her chest.

She still couldn't believe Pip had created these overnight, and she marveled at his talent for whipping up something new that was so incredible. Her baking experiments had been a bit bumpier.

“I’ve missed halfling bakers,” Cali said, her tail swishing as she walked. “If I’d known you had baking skills, I wouldn’t have had to take so many detours to Elmshire.”

“Me keeping you in pastries wouldn’t have done much for bringing in coin,” Lira said. “Besides, you didn’t need my help to obtain baked goods.”

"That was one time!" Cali’s ears flattened in mock outrage. "And if she didn't want someone to eat those fruit tarts, that lady shouldn't have left them cooling by an open window."

"The window was on the second floor, Cal.”

"Please. As if height has ever been an obstacle for me." Cali's golden eyes flashed. "Besides, you and the rest of the crew were only upset because the tarts didn’t survive the jump back down.”

Lira laughed at the memory of Cali landing in a crouch with gooey fruit filling crushed under her paws and a red-faced woman shrieking from above. That had been one of their more rapid departures from a village.

"That's hardly—” Lira started, but stopped short as the tavern came into view. The steady rhythm of hammer strikes from the blacksmith rang out across the village, but there was another sound mixing with the metallic ring from the forge—a different kind of pounding, and it was coming from The Tusk & Tail.

Cali followed her gaze, putting her paws on her hips. “Well, that’s something you don’t see everyday.”

There were two figures on the tavern’s roof, one orc and one human, and Lira knew them both. Val's blonde hair caught the morning sun as she straightened and swiped her forearm across her brow, but it was Korl’s dusky green arms that made the breath hitch in Lira’s chest. He wasn’t wearing his usual quilted chest plate, and his thin white tunic showed every ripple of his shoulder muscles as he heaved up rotten thatch.

"Well, well," Cali murmured, dropping her voice to a whisper that only Lira's half-elven ears could catch. "If it isn't your strong, silent admirer."

"Shh!" Lira hissed, though the pair was too far away to hear. "He is not my admirer. He’s an old friend. Besides, he barely speaks to me.”

"Exactly my point," Cali purred. "A man who doesn't talk too much sounds perfect to me. And did you see how concerned he was yesterday when I showed up unannounced? He wasn’t sure if I was friend or foe, and he was ready to defend you.”

"He's always with Val.” Lira gestured at the tall woman. "And who could compete with that?"

Cali tilted her head, studying the broad-shouldered guard with her appraising feline gaze. "She is striking, and there's definitely some Goliath blood there, but I still think you could take her."

"I am not fighting anyone over—" Lira spluttered.

"Too bad," Cali said with a smile. "Because that would be worth watching."

Lira groaned. There was nothing Cali loved more than to tease her, and somehow Lira always fell for it.

“Morning!” Val called down cheerfully when she spotted them, pausing in her work to wave. Beside her, Korl gave a small nod of acknowledgment but kept his focus steadfastly on the task at hand.

"What brings you to our rooftop?” Lira asked, although she suspected she knew the answer.

"Oh, a little bird told us your roof might need some attention," Val replied with a knowing grin. "Or rather, a little dwarf mentioned something about nearly falling through it."

Of course, it had been Sass.

“You really don’t have to do that.” Lira’s protests felt hollow, and she didn’t want to sound ungrateful. “But it’s awfully nice of you.”

Val gave Korl a pointed look, but he was too busy ripping up thatch to notice. “We didn’t want either of you to be in danger. Besides, if rain starts coming through this thing, none of us down below will be happy about it.”

“Well…thank you.” Lira gave a final wave as she continued inside with Cali a step behind her.

Sass stood arranging chairs around the freshly scrubbed tables, her long brown braid swinging as she worked. She stopped when she saw Lira and Cali. “You’re back, and you brought your friend, the archer. ”

Lira tapped a toe on the wood plank floor. “Are you the reason Val and Korl are on our roof?”

"Might have mentioned something to Val about my foot going through that soft spot when we were sitting up there," Sass said, not looking the least bit apologetic. "Pure coincidence they showed up to fix it, I'm sure."

Lira raised an eyebrow. "Just how often do you talk to Val?"

“She’s one of our regulars,” Sass replied with a shrug. “I have to make polite conversation. Besides, you weren't complaining when Korl fixed the stove yesterday."

A twinge of guilt tugged at Lira's conscience. The orc guardsman had already done so much for the tavern, and so far he’d only accepted payment in baked goods.

That reminded her of the sweet rolls she’d gotten from Pip. She glanced at the bag in her arms. "I should take them some breakfast at least."

“Breakfast?” Sass’s gaze went to the bag. “Is that what I smell?”

“Lemon sweet rolls,” Cali said reverently. “They’re heavenly.”

“Did you have something to do with the tavern sign hanging up straight, too?” Lira asked as Sass and Cali followed her into the kitchen.

Sass admitted to asking the ogre chair deliverers to hook it back up, then she set about ooo-ing and ahh-ing over the sweet rolls with Cali, as Lira briskly prepared two mugs of spiced chai. The dwarf and the Tabaxi shamelessly stuffed their faces with gooey pastry as the warming blend of cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger rose in fragrant clouds of steam from the pot Lira left on the stove.

She shook her head at the pair. “You’d think you’d never eaten before.”

Sass held up one hand. “Dwarf’s honor, I’ve never eaten like this before.” She put a hand to her stomach after her third sweet roll. “I cannot wait for afternoon scones.”

Lira laughed, then carefully balancing the mugs with two wrapped sweet rolls in a bag, she made her way up the stairs and to her room. It took some effort to balance herself and the hot drinks as she hoisted herself through the window and paused on the sill.

“Hells!” Val put a hand to her heart at the sight of Lira, her shirtsleeves pushed up to her elbows, exposing ropey forearms. “You scared me half to death appearing like that.” Then she saw the mugs in her hand. “But I won’t say no to a break.”

Lira handed Val a chai and examined the neat rows of fresh thatch. "This is beautiful work.”

"Had to strip it down to the supports in this section," Val explained as she put the mug to her lips, pointing to where they'd layered the new straw. "But it should hold now. We used the good reed thatch from upstream, not that swamp grass they've been passing off as roofing material lately."

Lira noticed Korl's quick glance in her direction before he returned his attention to his work.

“I also brought Pip’s newest pastry creation.” Lira held up the bag that contained two of the large sweet rolls.

"Perfect timing—I'm starving,” Val said, accepting her share with enthusiasm and demolishing the roll in three bites. She washed it down with chai and then brushed the sticky crumbs from her hands. She glanced at Korl then back at Lira. “Think I'll go warm up by that lovely fire Sass has going."

She disappeared through the open window leaving Lira on the roof with the orc. Once Val was gone, Korl paused in his work, carefully wiping his hands before accepting the offered mug.

When Lira tried to hand him the sweet roll, he shook his head. "You should have some too.”

“I already had one.” She nudged the sweet roll toward him.

His eyes met hers for a brief moment before darting away. “You take half, and we can eat together.”

Lira realized that he might not eat it if she didn’t, so she tore the remaining roll into two pieces and handed him half. He took the mug from her and sat on the peak of the roof, his massive frame somehow managing to look comfortable .

Lira settled next to him, and they ate in companionable silence, the sounds of the village drifting to them along with the muffled voices of those inside the tavern below. She caught him stealing glances at her between bites, though he always looked away when she turned toward him.

“Aren’t these delicious?” Lira asked, licking the last bit of lemony glaze from her fingers.

He grunted in response, although his mouth was full of sweet roll.

They’d had a nice conversation the day before, so why was he so shy again?

"Heard you and Sass were sitting up here when she almost fell through,” Korl said, breaking the quiet. “Why?"

“Why what? Why did her foot go through the thatch?”

He grunted. “Why would you sit on a roof?”

Lira drew her knees up to her chest, considering. She supposed that was a valid question if you were an orc who was easily twice her size. “I’ve always liked roofs. It's quiet up here. You can see the stars at night, think without interruption." She gestured at the village spread out before them. "See everything and everyone without being noticed.”

They watched as villagers went about their morning routines—the line snaking out of Pip’s bakery, children racing hoops down the dirt road, the chandler setting up a sandwich board sign outside her shop. Korl’s shoulder was close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him in the cool morning air.

“That makes sense. If I can’t find you, I’ll know to look to the rooftops.” Korl’s deep voice was a rasp that sent a shiver through her.

His dark eyes met hers again, holding her gaze for a heartbeat longer than Lira expected. For a moment, she thought he might kiss her, and her pulse fluttered. But then he rose in one fluid motion and disappeared through the open window, leaving Lira to puzzle over his abrupt departure.

What in the hells was that ? Lira pressed a hand to her racing heart. She’d had less of a reaction the last time a man had actually kissed her.

Had she said something to make Korl leave? Or had he left because he was done with the job and breakfast? More and more, she was learning that Korl didn’t do things the expected way.

"Oi, up there!” Sass stood outside the tavern shouting up at her. "You might have gotten out of making breakfast by bringing me the best sweet rolls in existence, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook for the afternoon rush. Those scones won't bake themselves!"

Lira laughed as she stood and balanced on the pitch of the newly thatched roof. "Rush? We have a handful of regulars.”

"Building momentum," Sass called back confidently. "Mark my words—the rush is coming!"

Shaking her head, Lira took one last look at the village before heading down. Maybe the dwarf was right. Maybe something was building there.