[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/ssxt53R/Thalia-Evercrest.png[/img][/center]
[sub]Location: Eye of the Beholder[right]Interactions/Mentions: Sya ([@PrinceAlexus])[/right][/sub][hr]

[indent]Thalia’s arms folded as she listened, her gaze trained on Sya’s ever-moving form. The Blightborn innkeeper was careful—[i]too[/i] careful. She spoke fluidly, but the measured way she chose her words caught Thalia’s attention.

An attack [i]inside[/i] the walls. The guards securing the town. But no mention of the [i]attacker[/i]. No description, no specifics.

Lark, meanwhile, had settled near her side, his posture alert but calm. When Sya addressed him directly, his ears flicked at the sound of her voice, but he remained where he was, tail resting still against the floor. No growls, no raised hackles. Just quiet, steady watchfulness.

Thalia exhaled, weight shifting over one foot. “[color=#663399]Lark.[/color]” She finally supplied his name, though her thoughts were already threading through the holes in Sya’s story, sifting through what was left unsaid.

The lighthearted remark about bribes and harem memberships might have made her scoff on another night. Instead, her lips barely twitched. “[color=#663399]Good to know your principles are unshakable.[/color]” Her tone was dry, but not unkind. “[color=#663399]Not that I have gold to throw around.[/color]” She should have expected as much. Sya wasn’t about to let her out, and Thalia knew better than to waste time trying to argue. Instead, she tilted her head, scrutinizing the Lamia.

Did Sya know who had been attacked? Did she know if the guards had any leads—or if they were already covering something up?

She wanted to ask. Wanted to press.

But the moment she accused, she’d lose her chance of hearing more.

Instead, Thalia adjusted her stance and nodded once, as if accepting the information at face value. “[color=#663399]Fine.[/color]” She exhaled. “[color=#663399]If we’re trapped here, I’ll take you up on that hospitality. My father’s still half-asleep upstairs, but I’ll make sure he’s fine again later.[/color]”

Her fingers tapped lightly against her arm before she finally asked, “[color=#663399]How long do you think this will last?[/color]”[/indent]