It was dusk. In the west, the sun was falling away, coloring the world in shades of burnished bronze and long, deep shadows. To the east, however, the darkness had come in earnest. Like a general leading an army to war, the moon showed itself first, thin and sharp as a blade. In her wake was left the uncountable multitudes of stars, the vanguard of an infinite host.

The day had been windy to begin with and the eventide promised more of the same. While the spring had come at last and driven some warmth into the land, with the dying of the sun, the looming darkness granted those winds piercing teeth. The banners of cloth and wooden signs for the businesses of Rantel were being thrown about with the menacing gusts. The assorted men, women, and other beings still on the streets were going about their business with all due haste, the wind cutting through the paltry defenses their clothing offered with ease.

Up above, Lakyus saw a dragon mid-flight. It was a small specimen of the species, an adolescent if she was to guess. She also saw how it had to furiously pump its wings just to stay aloft but was finding itself unequal to the task. The burden soon became too much to handle and the creature quickly descended from its lofty height before disappearing beyond her line of sight.

Now if ever there was a bad omen, Lakyus thought to herself. She had never been the most superstitious person, but this had been a very long and trying day. The burden of leadership was one she gladly bore for her companions, but she could feel herself being worn thin and chipped away bit by bit. Her abject failure at attempting to pry worthwhile information from Cardinal Berenice would normally be the sort of stumble Lakyus would forgive herself with little issue. But knowing the crone's eventual fate kept one question alive in Lakyus' mind: what if…?

Keeno was astride her mount at Lakyus' side. The cold had little effect on the other woman, but that was only to be expected considering her nature. Her hood was pulled back, letting her golden blonde hair be tossed to and fro on the wind. Her blood-red eyes caught the reflected light of the dying sun, but Lakyus did not see any of those details. Just her smile. It was not the same smile Keeno had just a few days ago, when she revealed the truth of her vampirism to the rest of the team, one brimming with hope and happiness. But it was a close second. It was a small grin that spoke of being content and at ease.

That, more than anything, helped ease the pressure that had been building within Lakyus all day. From beginning to end, it seemed this day was determined to give her trouble. As another cold gale screamed passed her, she dreamed and hoped that tomorrow would be easier than today had been.

The Shining Gold Pavilion had become Blue Rose's de facto temporary home. Thus, seeing the familiar outline of the lavish building across the open square was a very welcome sight for sore eyes. Keeno surprised Lakyus when she suddenly quickened her pace and dismounted in front of the inn. Taking the reigns to both of the horses, she said, "Let me take care of this. Tina awaits you inside. You go on ahead, I'll catch right up."

There is something hidden in her voice, an almost mischievous element Lakyus would have expected more from the twins rather than Keeno. "What are you scheming at?" Lakyus asked, even as she did as she was bid and turned the animal over to the woman's care.

"Just go, Tina is waiting for you near our apartments," Keeno repeated as her eyes sparkled with hidden amusement. Without awaiting her reply, the shorter woman began to walk away, the horses well in hand.

What game is she playing? Without any other recourse, Lakyus sighed and followed Keeno's instruction, entering the building. Lakyus' mind was too preoccupied to pay any significant attention to the lavish displays of wealth nor to the other individuals minding their own business within the large reception area. Instead she made her way towards the suite of rooms Blue Rose had occupied for the past fortnight. Ascending the stairs and following the familiar route to the team's suite of rooms almost on muscle memory alone, Lakyus was surprised to see Tina leaning against a door in the hallway, but not the correct door.

That can only mean one thing. "This is the room?" Lakyus asked without preamble.

Tina's only reply was a wide, mischievous grin. The young woman had never been one to bother hiding her thoughts or feelings, so her silence was deafening. Instead, with a theatrical flourish, Tina produced the key to the door she was guarding and with a sweeping gesture, Tina indicated the door for Lakyus to open it.

Lakyus suspected this is was something Keeno had organized with Tina before she had set out to the Fortress. I'll play along. Stepping up to the door, she made to open it up, only to be met with a dull thunk, the sound of expensive wood striking something much rougher in the room beyond. Lakyus tried again, putting more force into the push this time. Beyond the doorway, a weight shifted and slowly the door was pushed aside.

Within was a large room. It was another suite of extravagant rooms, very much a mirror of the complement of rooms Blue Rose itself was nestled. The size was where the similarities ended, however. Leather bound couches and chairs, delicate-looking wooden tables, and more furniture besides had been unceremoniously shoved against the walls and into corners to clear as much floor space as possible. To the left and to the right were coarse wooden chests stacked in simple, orderly lines, creating a makeshift walkway down the middle.

Lakyus went down this path, letting her hand glide across the chests, one after another. The wooden felt rough to the skin on her hand. Choosing a chest at random, she stopped and turned to face it. Opening the chest, the light reflected off of the golden contents met her gaze.

Tina followed, leaving Keeno by the door; Lakyus had not noticed their approach. Tina stopped next to Lakyus before hoisting herself onto a nearby chest as a makeshift seat. The rogue reached her hand down into the open chest and grasped as much treasure her petite hand could hold, before letting the gold coins slip through her fingers one at a time. A wide smile spread across her face as the coins fell back into the chest.

The soft sound of each coin striking its fellows seemed unbearably loud. "You find this to be funny?" Lakyus snapped. She cast another slow, evaluative glance around the room. "I don't even want to think about just how much wealth is in this room. And I imagine that Guardian Overseer Albedo took no steps to keep quiet about moving these riches here, to a nearly undefended room!" Thoughts of how many thieves and pickpockets could be present in Rantel filled her mind. With such a high population density and an even greater number of visitors, that thought didn't bare considering. "If we are lucky, we may have a day or two at most before this becomes the hottest room in Rantel."

"That is… I mean, I guess I had not looked at it that way," Tina said as understanding set in. Concern bloomed on her face and she gave the large room another sweeping look, this time with an analytic eye looking this time looking for weaknesses and potential entry points.

"You and your sister need to watch this room. I want constant surveillance here until we determine what to do with this mess. Work in shifts if you must," Lakyus instructed. Both hands went to her face to try and rub away the worry and tension there. "Where is Gagaran and your sister?"

"I'm not really sure." Tina sighed, no doubt feeling Lakyus' own tension. "If you are certain this is an emergency situation, magic is an option again," she continued, gesturing to Keeno at the doorway.

She considered that for a moment. Knowing magic communication was an option once again with Keeno close at hand was nice, but only served to reinforce their need for a true replacement. "No," Lakyus answered, "this is not an emergency, not yet at least." This room faced the east and at the far end of the room, a large bay window showed the advancing night and the weight of the day seemed to crash down on her shoulders at the thought of a moment's peace. That was when she had the idea. "Do you think the two of you could round Tia and Gagaran up by yourselves?"

Tina hopped off the chest to her full height once more. Questions danced behind her eyes, but she gave voice to only one of them. "Yes, I know we can. Will you be alright alone?"

"Oh, I will be much more than alright." Lakyus rested one hand on Tina's shoulder. "This day has been non-stop focus, planning, questions, and answers. Honestly, the idea of some time to myself sounds good, really good."

Keeno followed into the room. "Yeah, we can handle that," Keeno answered firmly. Tina met Keeno's gaze as some message passed between the women unspoken. "You deserve some peace and quiet."

Tina came to a conclusion of her own. She gave a single slow nod of understanding and patted Lakyus on the arm before turning around towards to door. Beyond the threshold of the door, she deftly tossed the key to Lakyus over her shoulder, closing the door after she and Keeno had left, leaving Lakyus alone at last.

Being well and truly alone felt like a precious gift to Lakyus. The room was a mess and ill-suited to her intention, but she had made do with less in the past. Carefully sitting herself down on the polished hardwood floor, she took a deep cleansing breath. Searching herself, she could feel her heart beating. As she exhaled, she felt her heart slow. Quieting the racing thoughts in her mind took some effort but soon her mind was as quiet as the vacated suite.

Before Rantel, before Ainz Ooal Gown, Lakyus would often meditate and visualize herself at one of any number of Temples but now she just could no longer consider that an option any longer. The thread of fate that led her to this arcane city was not one she would change even if given the chance, yet there was a part of her that would always resent Rantel for taking away her blissful ignorance. Maybe in time this place can earn my forgiveness, but not today. Instead, the vision of a forest came to her mind. A babbling brook was nearby and joined with the melody of birdsong.

As the moments passed a sense of calm settled on Lakyus. The weight she carried was, for a time at least, just a little bit lighter.

When the rest of the team returned, Lakyus heard them long before she saw them in the resounding silence. Lakyus moved to the door to open it and welcome her family back to the treasure hoard. Time was not on their side and thus chose to keep the pleasantries to a minimum; she knew they would understand. "I won't mince words. Albedo has put us all in a delicate position, and I can only guess just how much time we have to actually resolve this issue. I trust I don't need to outline the problem?"

"We are drowning in gold," Gagaran answered with a deep reverberating laugh. "Why do you see this as a problem?"

Tia and Tina shared a brief look before giving Gagaran a cool sideways glance. "I know you've been having great fun these past few days, but do you seriously not understand Lakyus' concern?" Tina asked, seemingly on behalf of both of the twins.

Gagaran averted her gaze at the implication. "Okay, yeah, this is another set of expensive rooms we can't put on the king's tab but look around!" She took a step towards one of the chests and gave it a soft kick. The chest didn't move at all and the solid sound that emanated around the room drove home the nature of its contents. "We don't need his tab; we have a king's ransom here."

Lakyus felt a hidden amusement when the twins' gazes quickly turned incendiary. She could try and guess the exact reason for their indignation, but instead of diving into the specifics of their own roguish sense of impropriety, she took a different tack. "I can't afford any misunderstanding on this: this ton of gold is as much an asset as it is a ton of trouble." She gesticulated idly at the window to indicate the growing metropolis.

"If we added up the entire net worth of all Blue Rose, even if we included Keeno's gear… This wealth at least comes close to doubling our total worth," Tia mused aloud, only partially to herself.

A wild estimate to be sure, but it can't be too far off, Lakyus agreed. "Is this a great payday? Yes, absolutely. But only if the team is not pinned in place here, bound to protect a room in an insecure location."

"So, you are wanting to offload this gold, somehow?" Tia asked pointedly.

"Yes, I guess I am, at least enough to fit our adventuring lifestyle," Lakyus reasoned as she spoke. "What I am asking here, from all of us, is to help figure out the ways and means of getting this gold out of here. We need options."

All the women present affected a moment of thoughtfulness. "To be fair, there are options for that, both here in Rantel and the Kingdom at large, in fact," Keeno first interjected into the brief silence.

"How's that?" Tina asked curiously.

Keeno began to walk to the end of the room and saw the city beyond through the window there. "I think you are imagining all the people out there as problems when really, they are all potential solutions." She turned back to the group of women, her eyes shining with excitement. "The way I see things, all this gold needs to get put to work for the team. And really there is no better place than Rantel for that! I believe I can help with drawing out some of those options."

Lakyus could see as much as feel the impact Keeno's assessment had on the faces of her friends. Gagaran's disregard, the twins' caution, and Lakyus' own anxiety all began to shift, however slowly. She did not know their thoughts, but she knew her own. The swell of pride she felt on Keeno's behalf felt like a flame in her chest. She is doing so well here. If she has a network of contacts we can tap into… "A ton of gold isn't very practical for our adventuring lives. I am hoping to recruit a magic-user to Blue Rose to fulfill the role Keeno once did for us. To that end, we need to earmark a portion of these funds for adventuring supplies as well as gear for our new compatriot if they are under-equipped for our standards. That earmark aside? I am open to suggestions."

Tia was the first to answer. "As much as I enjoy the inn, we really need a place of our own now. The Pavilion simply cannot serve as a truly secure base of operations. Too open, too many people, no defenses, among other problems."

"A proper base!" Tina gave a light-humored, lyrical laugh at the thought. "We will need it to be properly furnished of course."

Lakyus thought of Leinas' office and the works of art adorned there. "Keeno, are there many artists in the city? With this war chest, a small investment in some local talent would help build a network in the city as well as bring prestige to the team."

"I'm not very involved in those circles," Keeno answered, "but I at least know they exist. You are imagining becoming a patron of the arts?"

"Maybe." Lakyus lived her entire life walking through the halls of gentry, nobility and royalty alike. While she was among them, she never truly felt like she was cut from the same cloth as those elevated bloodlines. Then, when she was older, she made the conscious decision to be an adventurer. That choice ensured she would forever be a pariah among those noble circles and destroy the fate her family had in mind for her. As intended. And yet a small part of her always wondered how things could have been. Could I have risen high enough to hold a title and demesne of my own? If Rockbruise can have both, why can't I? "Let's call it an extended goal for now."

Keeno understood and nodded. "I will ask around."

"That's all well and good, but I don't think that will be enough to disappear all of this gold," Gagaran mused. There was something hungry about her eyes and a focus which she did not have before. "I don't know all the rules about it, but I've been seeing those magic runes everywhere. Imagine though, if we can get those runes on our equipment…" She let the implication hang while she took a stance as if she had Gazebane in hand, ready for a fight.

Lakyus thought of her blade and wondered if rune-craft even could be used on already enchanted magic items. But if it could be done… "…then our thorns could be even sharper," Lakyus answered aloud, finishing Gagaran's thought. The savage appeal of enhanced battle prowess would be desired by all the adventures present, she imagined. "Yes, I like that idea quite a bit."

The members of Blue Rose continued to speak at length that night in order to outline some further options that the recent windfall afforded them. Ideas, notions, and half-baked possibilities all were weighed and judged on their merits by the women with as little bias as possible. Keeno described the city as a ravenous maw who's hunger for investment and material could never be truly fulfilled and thus helped guide the conversation towards the most practical applications given the state of the city and the Sorcerer Kingdom at large. Time would tell if Keeno was right or not.

That night, after the lengthy meeting came to a close, Tina and Tia stood their vigil with little trouble as Lakyus had requested. At first light, after preparing herself for the day, Lakyus took extra care in preparing a meal she knew the sisters would enjoy breaking their fast. It was a small gesture to show her appreciation. With any luck, this would be the only night they had to carry such a burden. In this matter, time was not entirely on their side.