The inn had been quiet when they arrived late that night, the only light coming from the glow of a dying fire in the hearth of the common room. Behind a tidy bar the innkeeper dozed, his feet up on the table in front of him as he leaned back in his chair, mouth open and snoring loudly. Leading UrShak by the hand she pulled him towards the stairs at the back that led to her room, vivid memories of another set of stairs in another inn long ago in Cornwall clouded her vision and now it was Inanna that swooned momentarily, clutching the rail briefly to steady herself. Her other hand went to her eyes briefly, rubbing across them and pushing her dark curls out of her face. She only needed to hold herself together a while longer, then they would be in the privacy of her chamber, and well...there was no need to hide things from him, and no point in trying. He knew her far too well.
In some ways, his surprise arrival at the wedding was the best thing that could have happened to her. In some ways the worst. She had so little willpower left now anyhow, so little motivation. Her life had become a charade over the past few months, but a fragile one. Daily she continued to smile and chat, plot and scheme, recruit and negotiate, all that was expected of her as leader of the Wolves, but her heart had left the role long ago. She could continue to fool herself, perhaps, but she knew she wouldn't be able to fool him and if she didn't tread carefully now, this whole illusion would be shattered beyond repair. Perhaps that would be more honest, but she wasn't sure she could take it at this point. Tonight though, as she had done back in Cornwall, she would live only for the moment. Decisions like that were for daylight, not the darkened shadows of a soft fire at midnight.
One hand on the railing to keep her balance, the other sought his in the dark as she continued to make her way to her room, if only for a few precious hours.