feat: drafted thirty-six

chapters/chapter-35.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ summary: >
 
 When Linsan saw the crowd gathered around the inn, she groaned.
 
-Calibo let out a laugh. "They take games seriously around here. If it wasn't for delivery straw, I would have stayed here."
+Calibo let out a laugh. "They take games seriously around here. If I wasn't needed for doing deliveries tomorrow morning, I would have stayed here."
 
 "You mean, if it wasn't for Poladio snoring, you would be sharing a room and sleeping off another hangover."
 
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Miska sat up. "Just bring the wagon up in front of the smithy and help me shove
 
 She shook her head. "See if the---" the rest of the words were in the other language. While the words weren't clear, the tone was and Linsan bristled at the insult.
 
-Calibo pointed at his sister sharply.
+Calibo pointed at his cousin sharply.
 
 In response, Miska hopped off and hurried ahead to open up the doors. She reached in and grabbed the underclothes that Linsan had seen earlier and tossed them aside. "Come on, get the front in here."
 
@@ -56,19 +56,21 @@ Exhausted and aching, the two women backed away as the cousins maneuvered the wa
 
 "What do we do?" asked Linsan.
 
-"Let's get a room for the night. Then come back and see if we can help."
+"Let's get rooms for the night. Then come back and see if we can help."
 
-"Good idea," Brook said. The defeated tone in her voice was heartbreaking.
+"Good idea," Brook said. The defeated tone in her voice was heartbreaking. Her hands shook as she opened up the boot of her car and fumbled through the cases before pulling out a mid-sized one. She reached for another one but then shook her head.
 
-"You won't be able to do much," Miska called out. "Get some sleep, if you can, and find me in the morning."
+"Are you sure?" asked Linsan as she gathered her relatively smaller bag from the seat of the car. She took more time to pull out the violin case and cradled it in her arm instead of slinging it over her shoulder.
+
+"You won't be able to do much at first," Miska called out. "Get some sleep, if you can, and find me in the morning."
 
 "Are rooms okay?"
 
 "Yes, but you should consider getting one for Bobo too since it will be too dark to make it home with a large pit on the road."
 
-Calibo shook his head. "No, I'll sleep in the wagon. Don't worry about me, the inn is going to be packed with the game. It sounds like Saint Gaveil won so they are going to be drinking well past midnight."
+Calibo shook his head. "No, I'll sleep in the wagon. Don't worry about me, the inn is going to be packed with the game. It sounds like Saint Gaveil won so they are going to be drinking well past midnight. I'm still being held in the firepit for last night, so I'd also rather not risk being banned for life."
 
-Linsan frowned. "Are you sure?"
+Linsan frowned. "I'm sure---"
 
 He gestured to the inn just as a cheer rose up inside. "There is no chance I'll find a bed in there. I have doubts you will either. But try. If you can't, I have room in the wagon."
 
@@ -82,17 +84,17 @@ Har's eyes opened wide at the sight of them. "What happened?" he bellowed to be
 
 "Fireball!" Linsan responded just as loudly. "Any chance of a room and a bath?"
 
-Har's pained look didn't need to be told. "We're completely fully."
+Har's pained look didn't need to be told. "We're completely ful."
 
 Brook leaned over. "Can I ask for one?"
 
-Har frowned and then pointed to a large group that was slightly less enthusiastic than the others. "That's my biggest group today but they lost. If you have crowns, they might be willing."
+Har frowned and then pointed to a large group that was slightly less enthusiastic than the others. "That's my biggest group today but they lost. If you have crowns, they might be willing but I doubt it."
 
 "Thank you!" Brook said. She grabbed Linsan's hand and dragged her toward the group. Reaching them, she screamed out for attention. "Oi!"
 
 A half-drunk man looked up. "What you want, Dresses?"
 
-"How much for a room?"
+Brook seemed to ignore the insult. "How much for a room?"
 
 They laughed.
 
@@ -126,6 +128,8 @@ He started for the money.
 
 There was a brief moment of quiet.
 
+Linsan cringed at being the center of attention, or at lest next to Brook.
+
 The other man dug into his pocket and pulled out a key. He started to hand it over, but then changed his mind. He snapped his fingers at one of his companions who fished out their own key and handed it over.
 
 Brook took it, looked at the symbol engraved into the side, and then lifted her hand away from the bills.
@@ -138,9 +142,9 @@ By the time she turned around, the money had been pocketed. "Come on, Lin, let's
 
 At the counter, she held up the key.
 
-Har nodded.
+Har shrugged. "That was a lot of money," he said quietly.
 
-"A bath?"
+The muscles in Brook's jaw tightened. "A bath?"
 
 He tensed.
 

chapters/chapter-36.md

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+---
+title: Waiting
+teaser: >
+  Linsan waits for Brook to finish bathing so she could have her own turn.
+summary: >
+  Linsan waits for Brook to finish bathing so she could have her own turn.
+---
+
+> Why did I fell upon your bed? Was gravity dragging me down or your beauty tugging me beneath your sheets? I pride myself on being the stronger man, but in your presence, I am but the weakest. --- *One Mistaken Night* (Act 2, Scene 1)
+
+Still covered in soot and dust, Linsan was afraid to sit on the bed. If she did, she had no doubt she would be sleeping in a matter of seconds. It was also the one truly clean thing in the cramped room that Brook had paid too much money for.
+
+Two hundred and fifty crowns for a single room? That was far more than Linsan's father made in a month and Brook had slapped it down in a fit of rage and impatience.
+
+She had to admit, having access to money, on the other hand, made life easier. Though, there was no money in the world that would bring Dukan back or return Palisis. Well, money would probably get Palisis back, but it would far more money than Brook had access to.
+
+Linsan sighed and shook her head. She didn't know what she was doing at the moment, other than struggling with her skin crawling with disgust and the desperate need to sleep away the rest of the night.
+
+She glanced at the bed. It was about the same as her bed at home, which was barely enough for her spread out. She couldn't even imagine how both Brook and her were going to sleep in it.
+
+For the countless time since entering the room, she considered sneaking out and taking up Calibo on his offer. Sleeping out in the air wouldn't be comfortable, but she had never shared a bed with anyone before and she had only her mother's plays and stories to fall back on.
+
+Somehow, she doubted sharing a bed with Brook would result in the romantic drama of *One Mistaken Night* and Brook didn't have a husband that would hunt Linsan down like in *Hunter, Prey, Brother*. She chuckled to herself. Her mother played the sister in *Hunter* and Linsan remembered sitting on the edge of the stage with her father as they cheered for her.
+
+Exhaustion turned her chuckle into a giggle. Linsan blushed and covered her mouth until she could control herself.
+
+She looked at the foot of the bed where Brook had put her traveling case. It took over much of the remaining space in the room but she didn't want to move it. Brook had left it open to reveal a neatly packed container with dividers separating bathing supplies, sleeping outfits, and even a morning dress. The corset that Brook had been wearing earlier hung off one edge from where she had tossed it.
+
+To Linsan, Brook's case looked more a case for the costumer, the woman who did makeup and hair for larger plays. It also smelled much the same, with multiple flowery perfumes filling the room. The source came from four bottles neatly tied to the side of a divider with ribbon.
+
+Linsan yawned and she glanced at the door. "Come on, I need a bath too."
+
+She decided to distract herself by walking over to the case and looking over Brook's outfits. With the tips of her fingers, she teased up the top one to look at the one below. It had lace and embroidery on it, which surprised Linsan. She set it down before she noticed her fingers left a faint smear on the white fabric.
+
+Swearing to herself, she clasped her hands and looked over the rest of the case. The morning dress caught her attention. It was the plainest thing she had ever seen in Brook's outfits. Only a little embroidery but with no ruffles or lace. Compares to the frilly dress Brook had tossed behind the lid of the case, the morning dress would have been a far better choice for their fight.
+
+The door creaked open.
+
+Linsan stumbled back, blushing as if she had been caught.
+
+Brook slipped in and closed the door behind her. Her cheeks were flushed, though Linsan didn't know if it was from the heat or the chance she would be caught seen in public. She wore one of her sleeping shirts; the brilliant white material sloped off her shoulders and breasts before reaching down to cover everything but her ankles. Brook's dark curls had been weighted down by her bath. The strands marked a dark calligraphy along her skin and shirt. She had also removed her makeup, leaving a plainer face but one that looked more honest to Linsan than ever before.
+
+"I was just looking," Linsan said.
+
+Brook's cheeks turned red and then she glanced at the bed. "I don't mind. I left it open, didn't I?"
+
+Linsan nodded. She felt uncomfortable in the tight quarters with her former enemy. The need to run away rose up, choking her. It couldn't have been Brook's more intimate outfit. Linsan had been behind the scenes in a multitude of plays where actors would strip with no concern other than switching outfits before their call. Nothing Brook had would surprise her, but somehow being in a room together left her feeling awkward.
+
+She cleared her throat. "I-Is there hot water?"
+
+Brook pushed a strand of hair that had clung to her cheek and pushed it over ear. She nodded and then circled around the tiny room until she could pull herself up on the bed. She almost seemed deliberate as she tucked her ankles to the side before looking at Linsan.
+
+Linsan gulped at her dry throat.
+
+Brook arched her back slightly. The fabric of her sleeping shirt shifted to outline her breasts and hard nipples. Her eyes were wide and focused on Linsan.
+
+Linsan couldn't help but think Brook was searching for a response to her arrangement. Her stomach fluttered with nervousness. There was something about the look, it reminded her of the same one Brook had given her in the car in the village. She didn't know what it meant, only that it was different than every other expression she had seen on her friend's face. Struggling with a blush on her cheeks, she cleared her throat. "I-I should get... I need to take a bath."
+
+Before Brook could respond, Linsan grabbed her travel pack and stumbled out of the room.