The following morning, Jeanne awoke to a dull, throbbing weight pressing behind her temples. It seemed her physical frame was still entirely unaccustomed to the volatile nature of northern liquor. In hindsight, draining that entire glass in a single mouthful had been an incredibly poor choice.
The moment she managed to pry her eyes open, she found herself staring directly into Talulah's face. The Draco was lying beside her on the mattress, wearing an expression so thoroughly laced with annoyance that Jeanne felt an immediate prickle of dread.
"Awake at last?" Talulah murmured, arching a single brow.
As for why the dragon leader was sharing her bedding, that was a question best directed at Jeanne herself. Specifically, it involved her stubborn insistence the previous night that Talulah was young Fafnir and needed to be forcefully dragged down the hallway for bedtime.
"Ah... haha... completely awake, I assure you."
Memories of the prior evening began to flood back into Jeanne's mind. She vaguely recalled wanting to lead Fafnir back to her room, but when she factored in the excessive weight of the creature she had been hauling and the violent, frantic struggle that ensued...
Jeanne desperately wished she could wipe her own memory clean. Had she forgotten the details, she could have easily used a blanket excuse of a drunken blackout to gloss over the embarrassment. But given the clarity of her recollection, attempting such a ruse was entirely out of the question.
"Since your mind has cleared, would you mind releasing your grip on my tail? I suppose I should consider myself fortunate that Fafnir lives under our roof now; otherwise, I would likely be the primary victim of your nightly escapades."
Following Talulah's pointed gaze, Jeanne realized her fingers were still firmly wrapped around the leader's thick, scaled tail. She sheepishly opened her hand, allowing the tail to instantly whip back beneath the sheets as Talulah reclaimed her personal space.
Still, Jeanne didn't feel any true shame. It was merely a dragon's tail; it wasn't as though she hadn't touched it before during their long travels. If anything, she had simply missed the familiar texture and indulged a brief whim of nostalgia.
"I am utterly astonished by your behavior," Talulah huffed, sitting up to smooth out her tunic, which had been thoroughly rumpled during the midnight wrestling match. "Mistaking a fully grown adult for a child... You spent half the night cycling through your alternate color forms like a flashing lantern, shouting Fafnir's name while hauling me down the corridor. No matter how much I resisted, I couldn't break free from your grip."
She leveled another mock-furious glare at her companion. Jeanne could only offer a sheepish scratch to the back of her head, flashing a strained, conciliatory smile while quietly wondering just how rowdy she had truly been.
Given Talulah's account of her frantic behavior, Jeanne's mind naturally wandered down a slightly exaggerated path of self-recrimination.
"Did I... did I commit any other grave offenses last night?" Jeanne inquired, her voice laced with genuine anxiety.
"Offenses? Let me count them," Talulah muttered, checking off the items on her fingers. "First, you flickered like a broken lightbulb. Then, you proceeded to devour an entire roasted fowl by yourself, before raiding the pantry for three whole loaves of rye bread. I have never seen you display such a ravenous appetite. After that, you drank another measure of fluid, eventually losing all ability to distinguish water from spirits. You happily gulped down six whole pitchers of water that Alina kept pouring for you, believing it was premium vodka."
Hearing the catalog of her table manners, Jeanne let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed that even under the influence of the local firewater, her core discipline had remained intact. She hadn't transformed into a violent, destructive brute who smashed the furniture to pieces.
The only reason Talulah and Alina had realized she was entirely incapacitated was because she couldn't tell the difference when they substituted pure water into her cup. She had been thoroughly intoxicated, plain and simple.
"And then, as I mentioned, you decided I was Fafnir," Talulah continued, her tone souring slightly. "You dragged me back to this room, clung to my back, and wouldn't release my tail until you drifted off. Why must you possess such ridiculous physical strength? I threw my entire weight into breaking your hold, yet I couldn't budge your fingers by a hair's breadth!"
The source of Talulah's lingering frustration wasn't the unceremonious cuddling; it was the realization that despite all her rigorous training and draconic heritage, her raw muscle power paled in comparison to the young saint's innate strength.
They ate the same meals, endured the same marches, and shared the same workloads. Why was the gap between their physical capabilities so laughably vast?
"Hehe... perhaps it is simply a gift from above," Jeanne offered weakly, sitting up on the edge of the mattress. She was incredibly grateful she hadn't completely lost her mind; had she truly gone wild, she might have dismantled the entire cottage with her bare hands.
The morning chatter quickly drew the attention of Alina, who stepped into the room with Fafnir in tow. Seeing the two leaders fully dressed and staring at each other with complicated expressions, the Elafia teacher couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
"You two are finally awake. Had you lingered in bed any longer, I would have been forced to douse you with cold water."
The two looked toward the window, noting that the morning sun was only just beginning to crest the horizon. Rising at such an hour could hardly be considered late.
"Did the little one sleep soundly beside you last night? She didn't cause a fuss, did she?" Jeanne asked, leaning down to pat Fafnir's head.
The young dragon girl puffed out her cheeks like a threatened pufferfish, thoroughly displeased by Jeanne's condescending tone.
"Her?" Alina smiled warmly, recalling the flashing, alternating colors of their resident saint the night before. "She was infinitely more well-behaved than you were, Jeanne."
"Now, let us hasten our preparations," Alina urged, gently nudging the two lingering leaders. "The vanguard details will be arriving shortly to help us transfer back to the moving town."
Realizing the morning was slipping away, Jeanne and Talulah quickly gathered the remaining personal effects from the shelves, preparing to hand over the structure to the logistics officers.
During the packing, Jeanne noticed Talulah staring at a thick leather satchel filled with letters. After a long moment of deliberation, the Draco chose to pack the missives addressed to her estranged sister into her travel gear, rather than consigning them to the hearth fire.
"Those look heavy... let Fafnir carry them for you," Jeanne suggested, eyeing the stack. The collection weighed a good five pounds, a testament to just how many unspoken thoughts Talulah had recorded over the years.
Down at the staging area, FrostNova was checking off the final crates of their inventory when she spotted the four figures approaching. A look of mild surprise crossed her face. Given the raucous celebrations that had echoed through the ranks the night before, a significant portion of the vanguard was still fast asleep in their tents.
"Talulah! Jeanne! You're early," the Cautus warrior called out. "I assumed you would require a few extra hours of rest after your private celebration."
"Big Bear! Go wake those lazy brutes this instant!" FrostNova barked, turning to a nearby Yeti squad member. "Our leaders have already marched across the valley on foot, while our own fighters are still snoring away in their furs! It's disgraceful!"
"But, Captain, wasn't the schedule set for—"
"Move!"
Cutting off the soldier's excuse with a single sharp glare, FrostNova sent the Yeti scuttling back toward the barracks at a dead run.
"How stand our preparations?" Talulah inquired, stepping up to review the parchment sheets in FrostNova's hands.
"Remarkably well," the white-haired warrior replied smoothly. "Jeanne's preliminary organization of our assets was flawless, so our supplies are in perfect order. However, the engineers at the central engine bay encountered a minor mechanical hitch this morning. They require a few hours to tune the core before we can begin our march."
Jeanne puffed her chest out with a trace of pride upon hearing the praise, though Talulah could only offer a bewildered glance, wondering why the saint derived such immense satisfaction from basic paperwork.
Perhaps it is simply the innocence of youth, Talulah mused internally, turning her attention back to the logistical details with FrostNova.
Before long, a stream of bleary-eyed Yeti soldiers stumbled out into the snow, yawning heavily. The moment their gazes met FrostNova's imposing figure, their posture straightened instantly, and they scurried off to their assigned tasks with perfect obedience.
Fortunately, the remaining heavy lifting was minimal. Within an hour, a group of off-duty fighters drifted back toward FrostNova, chatter filling the crisp morning air. Patriot had granted the vanguard a final day of rest, meaning the restless soldiers had nothing better to do than pester their favorite captain.
FrostNova sighed, realizing she needed a valid excuse to escape the relentless energy of her subordinates. She cast a pleading look toward Talulah.
"What are your plans for the remainder of the day?" FrostNova asked, hoping to tag along.
"Ours? I am not entirely certain," Talulah responded honestly. "Jeanne mentioned that once the house is cleared, she intends to take us to a specific location to handle a private matter. She has kept the destination a secret."
"An independent venture? Would you mind if I joined your circle for the afternoon? I have absolutely no desire to remain here and be smothered by these fools."
"I see no issue with that," Talulah agreed readily. "We can confirm the details with Jeanne once she finishes up. I am certain she won't mind the company."
Talulah glanced over FrostNova's shoulder, noting that several Yeti squad members were currently concealing bundles of winter greens behind their backs, clearly plotting to playfully feed their fearsome captain like a common rabbit.
With their grand departure looming, she felt a duty to prevent her soldiers from committing a fatal error in judgment. Talulah, as always, spared no effort in preserving the fragile harmony of the Yeti squad.