“That makes two of us.”
Neither of them looked away.
Whatever passed between them wasn’t anger, and it wasn’t friendliness either. Just the quiet understanding of two people who knew they were tied to the same mess, whether they liked it or not.
Around us, the tea shop slowly picked up its rhythm again. Chairs scraped. Conversations started back up in low voices. Someone at the far table laughed a little too loudly, the way people do when they’re shaking off the last of a scare.
One of the orcs called out for more honey, and Opal immediately reminded him that tea was for sipping, not chugging like stew.
Little by little, the tension drained out of the room. People leaned back in their chairs. Another round of tea made its way to the tables.
The sharp edge of the night began to dull.
At some point, I realized the ache in my shoulder had dulled from blazing to merely annoying.
I also realized the shop had grown quieter again.
Not because of Gideon this time.
Because people were leaving.
The crowd had thinned without me noticing.
One table emptied and another, and the next…
Eventually, it was mostly just us.
A few orcs lingered near the counter.
Two shifters finished the last of their tea.
The vampire ladies quietly cleaned up the endless stack of cups.
The light had grown softer, too.
It must have been later than I thought.
I leaned back slightly in my chair and looked around.
“Where did everyone go?”
Bella glanced over her shoulder.
“Oh.” She laughed softly. “I guess people finally decided sleep was a good idea.”
Skonk stretched. “I strongly support that decision.”
Twobble yawned so widely I thought he might fall over. “Seconded.”
Outside the windows, Stonewick had gone mostly quiet.
Only a few lanterns still burned along the street.
Inside the shop, it felt… smaller.
Quieter.
Like the night had finally exhaled.
