When Morgan and Percival got to their room, naturally the biggest one, there was already a hot bath waiting for Morgan. That had been a default setting on Percy’s mansion since he and Morgan had started their romantic relationship. Morgan was an ex-ranger from Eloria and she was used to roughing it so she would never say that she needed a luxury like a hot bath. Rangers could go weeks without bathing, partly because facilities could be rare and partly to mask their scent from monsters and vicious animals. However, a hot bath was a secret treat she gave herself at the end of long tours. Now, she took that luxury when she could, comfortable with the knowledge that it did not make her soft.
She shed her armor and the clothes under her armor and hung up her weapons and put her items into a small chest outside of the bathroom. She did not even react when barely visible servants grabbed up her armor and clothes and carried them away to be cleaned. The whole thing had bothered her the first few times but now she knew that it was foolish to be embarrassed. While she sank into the bath, she spotted Percival at his desk. At the end of each day, he had to write out the events that had occurred in the latest volume of his journals. He did it without fail, even doing it while injured on their adventures. Morgan often wondered how his journals from before they met read, when he was mostly alone working in a library.
As she relaxed, she watched him scribble. Previously, the mansion formed with Morgan and Percival each having their own private rooms, the same as the rest of the party. When the two of them started ‘dating’, the mansion spell had changed to form one room for the both of them reflecting both of their personalities. Considering that the whole thing kind of came from Percy’s mind, it showed how much he thought of her and their companions that it kept changing to match who they were. For all of his glib behavior, Morgan thought he might just be the most sentimental member of the group. His capacity for caring was part of why she had fallen in love with him. It was the adrenaline of so many battles that had pushed them together but it was who they were as people that kept them together.
“So, what do we do next?” Percy asked. He was leaning in the doorway and Morgan had not realized that he had finished writing. She was momentarily speechless as he smiled down at her.
“A lot depends on Cassandra’s success in contacting the Princess and negotiating with the Djinn,” She answered. “I have been racking my brain, trying to think about what allies and assets we can summon for the battle.”
“The more the merrier,” Percy said with a smile. “And just who or what are we considering calling on?”
“I’m open to any suggestions but I think it’s time to call Amien and his pack,” Morgan said and then watched as Percival turned away from her. “Don’t make that face.”
“It is impossible for you to see my face,” Percy said. “There’s no mirror on that particular wall.”
“I can imagine what it must be, my Percival,” Morgan said with a smile. “You’re upset that I even mentioned him.”
“He asked you to be his mate right in front of me!” Percy said in what was just short of yelling. “Do you expect me to like the guy?”
“Of course not,” Morgan said calmly. “I think some of his manners slipped out of him when he and his kin were transformed into werewolves. Regardless, I chose you. Remember that?”
Percy took a deep breath and turned around again to look into her eyes. The moment was all the more important considering Morgan’s current state of dress. “I do remember,” he said. “At a moment where you did not need to pick either of us, you chose me and I chose you back.”
“And where am I now?” Morgan asked with a smile.
“In a bathtub,” Percy said but he smiled because he could already see where she was going.
“In our bathtub,” She said and watched his face light up with satisfaction. “He is just an ally, nothing else. We need to use every advantage we can think of.”
“You talk about this like it is our last adventure,” he said. “Is that what this is?”
“Our last adventure?” she asked. “I’m realistic enough to know that going up against an ancient dragon could be the end of one or all of us.”
“But when we win and live on?” he asked. He always had such confidence which was kind of strange for a librarian.
“Eventually we are going to settle down, right?” she asked. “We can’t just keep adventuring forever. There are so many things that we have all set aside because there has not been time because we’re always off to the next adventure.”
“I thought you loved that,” he said. “This whole thing was your idea.”
Morgan nodded and rose from the bath and Percival handed her a robe after she had dried off. “It was and I have never regretted it. We have helped a lot of people and we managed to make so much money that at some point we started giving it away. However, we can only handle it so long. More than half of us have died along the way. You and I died together.”
He hugged her from behind and then allowed her to shift in his arms so they were facing each other. “Thankfully, or else one of us would have had to see the other dead. We got resurrected. We’re good as new. Better than new.”
She kissed him both because she just wanted to and because it was an affirmation of their lives being returned to them. “Still, it may be time for newer adventurers to pick up the slack so we can have our long deserved rest.”
“I can agree with that,” Percy said. “We’ve had our fair share of adventure and there are stacks and stacks of books I still wanted to read. I bet you want to reconnect with your mother.”
That insight struck Morgan like an arrow. “No,” she said and her face darkened for a moment and then she smiled. “and yes. You know how complicated that is but I suppose I should make time for family after all these years.”
“Then we had better win tomorrow,” he said. “Do you want something else to eat or drink?”
She laughed, seeing right through him. “Not right now. You’re just trying to delay me from contacting Amien. Come on, let’s get it over with.”
“If we must,” he said with a smile.
Tags: Amien, Cassandra Oakspring, d&d, Dungeons and Dragons, Eloria, Fiction, History Check, Morgan Moonglow, Percival Stardane, When it All Ended
Wolf of Words 
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