Kale woke up to the faint morning light filtering through the window. His eyes opened slowly, and the first thing he saw was Liliana. Her red eyes were half-lidded, still heavy with sleep, her hair a tousled mess against the pillow. For a moment, he didn't say anything, didn't dare to. The sight of her like this, so unguarded, so human, made his chest tighten in a way he wasn't used to.

She stirred slightly, blinking up at him, and he offered a soft smile. "Good morning."

Liliana groaned faintly, turning onto her side. "Morning." Her voice was low and groggy, but there was the faintest trace of a smile on her lips. She paused, eyes narrowing slightly as if remembering something. "Did I really…?"

"What?" Kale asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Never mind," she muttered, burying her face in the pillow. "Just… thinking."

Kale chuckled softly. He leaned back against the headboard, staring up at the ceiling as the warmth of the moment settled over him. Whatever today brought, he felt strangely at peace.

***

Kale stepped out of the room a short while later, whistling softly as he ran a hand through his hair. The hallway was quiet, but not for long. Namara emerged from her own room just in time to catch him, her sharp eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Well, well," she said, sidling closer to him. "Someone's in a suspiciously good mood this morning."

Kale arched an eyebrow. "What? Can't a guy just have a good morning?"

Namara leaned in, sniffing dramatically as if testing the air around him. "Hmmm…"

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Just checking for evidence."

"Evidence of what?" Kale asked, voice cracking slightly.

Namara didn't answer. Instead, she held up a finger as the door behind him creaked open. Liliana stepped out, her hair neatly brushed, her expression calm but with an uncharacteristic smile playing at her lips.

Namara's eyes widened, and she pointed dramatically. "AHA! I knew it! You never smile."

Liliana blinked, her smile faltering for just a second. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on!" Namara said, gesturing wildly between them. "The whistling, the smiles, the obvious post-cozy vibes. You two—"

Liliana raised a hand, cutting her off. "Namara, I suggest you stop talking."

Namara leaned back with a mock gasp, placing a hand over her heart. "Threats, too? Wow. You've really softened her, Kale."

Kale groaned, running a hand over his face. "It's too early for this."

Kale sighed as Namara spun on her heel, marching down the hall. "Oh, this is too good," she muttered, heading straight for the nearest door. She raised a fist and began banging on it like a child announcing a snow day.

"Guys! Wake up! You will not believe this!" Namara's voice echoed through the hallway.

From inside, there was only silence.

"Sadek!" Namara called, hammering on the door. "Come on, big guy, don't ignore me now! This is important!"

Still nothing.

"Wow," Namara said, crossing her arms. "What is he, a rock? He probably sleeps standing up."

Kale groaned, rubbing his temples. "Namara, leave him alone."

"No way," she said, already moving to the next door. "Rika's always good for a reaction."

Before Kale or Liliana could stop her, Namara pounded on the second door. "Rika! Get up! This is too juicy to wait!"

The door creaked open an inch, revealing Rika's face—half-asleep, her golden eye barely open, hair sticking out in every direction. She blinked slowly, clearly trying to process who was at her door and why.

"What… do you… want?" she mumbled, her voice hoarse with sleep.

Namara grinned triumphantly. "Oh, you're going to want to hear this. Kale and Liliana—"

"Namara." Liliana's voice cut through the air like a whip. Her tone was calm, but the warning was unmistakable.

Namara turned, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll let sleeping beauty get back to her dreams." She turned back to Rika. "But seriously, you're missing out. Drama. Romance. Whistling."

Rika stared at her blankly for a moment, then groaned and closed the door.

Namara shrugged, turning back to Kale and Liliana with a satisfied grin. "See? People are going to love this when they find out."

Kale crossed his arms, glaring at her. "There's nothing to find out, Namara."

"Oh, come on!" she said, throwing her hands up. "You're both smiling. You're glowing. This isn't just my imagination!"

Liliana sighed, stepping past her. "Namara, don't you have better things to do? Like, I don't know, annoying someone else?"

Namara gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest. "I'm wounded. Truly. But don't think this is over. I'll get to the bottom of it." She wiggled her fingers at them conspiratorially.

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The trio made their way downstairs, the scent of freshly baked bread and spiced tea wafting through the air. Namara was still grinning from ear to ear, her energy unrelenting even in the morning. Kale, in contrast, looked like he was ready to dissolve into his chair the moment he sat down. Liliana walked beside him, her expression calm and composed, though there was a faint flush of color on her cheeks that hadn't been there the night before.

As they entered the inn's dining area, they spotted Sadek at a corner table. He was already eating, his large frame hunched slightly over a plate piled high with food. A cup of something steaming sat by his hand, and he didn't look up as they approached.

"Well, well, well," Namara said loudly, pulling out a chair and plopping herself down across from him. "If it isn't Mister Morning Person. How long have you been up?"

Sadek glanced at her briefly, chewing a piece of meat before answering. "Long enough."

"Gee, don't overwhelm us with the details," she said, reaching for the basket of bread in the center of the table. "You missed all the fun upstairs."

Sadek's gaze flicked to Kale, then Liliana, then back to his plate. "What kind of 'fun?'"

"The juicy kind," Namara said, waggling her eyebrows as she slathered butter onto a slice of bread. "Our dear Kale and Liliana seem to have had… an eventful night."

Kale sighed heavily. "Namara, drop it."

"Oh, I will," she said, taking a bite of her bread. "Right after I finish breakfast. Maybe."

Sadek didn't seem interested, slowly cutting into a piece of meat, not bothering to look at Namara. "Whatever this is, I don't care."

"See?" Kale said, pointing at Sadek. "That's the attitude we need."

"Sure, sure," Namara said, waving him off. "But we're still going to talk about this later. Over drinks."

Liliana rolled her eyes, sitting beside Kale. "She'll never stop, will she?"

"Nope," Kale said, grabbing a piece of bread for himself. "Best to just let her tire herself out."

Namara grinned. "I'm just getting started."

Sadek cleared his throat. "Eat. We have things to do."

"What's the rush?" Namara asked, leaning back in her chair.

Sadek's gaze flicked to Namara, who was now sitting with her elbows on the table, her head resting in her hands, grinning widely at Liliana and Kale like a cat who'd cornered a mouse.

"Soooooo," Namara began, dragging the word out as she leaned forward. "How was—"

Liliana cut her off, raising a hand with the calm authority of someone who had no intention of entertaining whatever was about to follow. "Don't."

Namara's grin only widened. "Come on, Liliana. I'm just asking as a concerned friend. You seemed… very relaxed this morning. That's so unlike you!"

"Namara," Kale said, his voice warning but clearly exasperated.

She ignored him entirely, her gaze locked onto Liliana. "Just tell me one thing: Was it good?"

Liliana's eyes narrowed, though her cheeks betrayed her with the faintest hint of color. "Do you ever stop?"

"Not for this," Namara said cheerfully, waving a piece of bread around. "I mean, come on, the whole group's dying to know."

"I'm not," Sadek interjected without looking up from his plate.

"Fine," Namara said, throwing a hand toward him. "Almost the whole group. Don't tell me you're not curious, Rika."

"Hmm?" Rika mumbled from behind them, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. She shuffled to the table and dropped into a chair, her hair still sticking out in every direction. "Curious about what?"

"Nothing important," Liliana said quickly, shooting Namara a sharp look.

"Nothing important?" Namara gasped. "Liliana, this is a betrayal of trust."

"Trust?" Liliana said, raising an eyebrow. "You wouldn't know trust if it bit you."

Namara grinned, unbothered. "True. But I do know chemistry. And the two of you? Explosive." She mimed an explosion with her hands, complete with an overly dramatic explosion sound effect.

Rika blinked slowly, looking between them, then yawned. "It's too early for this shit."

"Sadek, help me out here," Kale said, his tone pleading as he reached for his tea.

Sadek took a deliberate sip of his drink, his expression as impassive as ever.

"Wow," Kale muttered, shaking his head. "Helpful."

Namara leaned closer to Kale, her voice dropping conspiratorially. "You know, I've never seen her smile before. What did you do to her?"

Kale groaned, setting his cup down. "I didn't do anything, Namara."

Liliana, her patience clearly wearing thin, gave Namara a pointed look. "If you don't stop, I will make you regret it."

Namara beamed, completely unbothered by the threat. "Totally worth it."

Rika, now halfway through buttering a piece of bread, pointed her knife at Namara without even looking up. "You're pushing your luck."

Namara raised her hands. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. For now." She grinned wickedly. "But I'm watching you two."

Kale exchanged a glance with Liliana, who rolled her eyes but couldn't quite hide the faint smile tugging at her lips.

Rika picked up her tea, taking a long, exaggerated sip. She set the cup down with a soft mmm, her eyes lighting up. "Okay, this is good tea."

Sadek glanced over at her, gave a slight approving nod, and went back to his plate.

Namara sat up straighter, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. She dramatically gestured to herself, palms open to the group. "Once again, everyone is happy thanks to me. You're welcome, gang! Honestly, I don't know what you'd do without me."

Rika glanced at her, deadpan. "Drink tea in peace, probably."

"You're really taking credit for the tea now?" Liliana asked.

"Why not?" Namara said, feigning offense. "If it wasn't for me, we'd be in some rat-infested inn on the wrong side of the city. But noooo, here we are, sipping luxury tea, basking in my brilliance."

Rika raised an eyebrow, picking up her cup again and taking another sip. "Pretty sure the tea existed before you found this place, Namara."

"Details," Namara said with a wave of her hand. "The point is, I facilitated this moment of joy. Without me, this tea, this peace, this very vibe—none of it would have happened. You're all welcome."

Liliana leaned back in her chair. "I'm still trying to decide if you're delusional or just really committed to this act."

Namara placed a hand over her heart, her expression one of mock hurt. "Delusional? How dare you. I am an artisan of happiness, a curator of vibes."

"Curator of vibes," Kale repeated, shaking his head as he stirred his tea. "That's a new one."

"You'll thank me later, Kale," Namara said, wagging a finger at him. "You all will. One day, when you're old and gray, you'll think back on this tea and say, 'Wow, Namara really made my life better.'"

Rika snorted into her cup. "Old and gray, huh? Bold of you to assume we'll live that long."

Namara pointed at her triumphantly. "Exactly! Aim high, dream big! That's my motto."

Sadek took another sip of his tea, unbothered as always. "Your motto changes every day."

"And yet, it's always relevant," Namara shot back with a wink. "Now, everyone, bask in my brilliance. You've earned it. Or rather, I earned it for you."

The group remained still, unmoving, as Namara looked around, her grin faltering ever so slightly at their lack of response.

She threw her hands in the air. "Come on, more basking! This is your moment to appreciate me. You can even clap if you want—don't be shy!"

Rika raised an eyebrow, taking another deliberate sip of her tea. "Yeah, I'm not clapping."

Liliana smiled, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hand. "Trust me, I'm basking internally. You just can't see it."

Kale stifled a laugh behind his cup. "This is as much basking as you're gonna get, Namara. Take it or leave it."

Namara gasped, clutching her chest. "This is the thanks I get? After all I've done? I'm wounded. Betrayed."

Sadek, still calmly working on his breakfast, didn't even look up. "You'll survive."

Namara dropped into her chair with an exaggerated sigh, slumping against the table. "You're all so ungrateful. Honestly, I don't know why I bother."

"Neither do we," Sadek said.

Rika reached over to pat her shoulder without looking. "There, there. You're still our curator of vibes."

Namara perked up instantly, her grin returning. "Damn right I am!"

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