6 - Grief

Nathxena was concerned. Sariel had supposed to join her for a romantic dinner on the tavern's roof tonight, but she hadn't shown. She wasn't normally late to these rooftop getaways. Sariel loved stargazing! Had something happened?

Despite her awkward dress, Nathxena was able to climb down from the roof. A half-drow in a showy dress climbing down from a tavern's roof was bound to raise a few eyebrows, but that wasn't new. She picked up her shoes and walked inside, expecting to see Sariel drunk at a table somewhere.

And yet, she was nowhere to be seen. The tavern was busy, maybe she was hiding in a corner somewhere? Nathxena pulled aside one of the barmaids, Silaqui, to ask her for Sariel's whereabouts.

"I think I saw her upstairs earlier, sweetie."

Right, upstairs. Maybe she was reading? Was she putting on a dress? Nathxena hurried up the stairs, shoes in one hand and holding her dress up with the other.

When Nathxena opened the door to the staff break room, she saw a familiar half-elf, dressed in her characteristic brown tunic, slumped over at the counter. What happened? Was she drunk? There weren't any mugs of ale or beer bottles around her. Was she crying? Had something happened?

Nathxena slowly approached Sariel, tentatively extending her arm to her shoulder.

"Sarry? Are you alright?"

No response. She was just slumped over. Wait... was she asleep? That seemed unlikely, given the hours Sariel usually slept. And yet, it was the only remaining option.

She violently shook Sariel. "Wake up!"

Sariel's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Wh-what happened?" was all she could say before a bucket of water was dumped on her head.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!"

It turns out that Sariel had put on her fancy assassin ring backwards, by accident. When it pricked her skin, the poison had knocked her out. Oops.