Sinine started her day well after the sun had fully risen. She had forgotten to close the curtains before she laid down and gave an annoyed groan as she opened her eyes to the sun shining directly on her face. She blinked as she held her hand up as a shield before sitting up, the book from the night before sliding off her chest onto the bed. 

She gave another groan and rubbed her stiff neck, the result of sleeping with it bent against the headboard. Aside from that her night had been restful and even though she was quickly forgetting the details of her dream she remembered it was pleasant and sported a small smile as she set about her morning routine. 

The walk to work was much the same as it had been the day before though no one stopped her this time. She kept her usual greetings short not wanting to be too late despite having some  leeway from closing the night before. 

Once at the inn she hurried through the front door giving a small bow to a couple of patrons who followed her with their eyes, their gaze lingering longer than she would have preferred. It wasn’t usual for the more crass guests to leer a bit, in fact Sinine had a way of catching the eye of most people even if not in a lecherous way. There was something about her, a magnetism that she couldn’t turn off despite her lack of interest. 

As she hung her cloak on the hook, slender fingers rapped playfully on her shoulders as Lucia leaned into her ear. “Nice of you to join us, little miss.” Her tone was taunting but playful and Sinine shuddered a little at the feeling of the voice in her ear. 

“Like you're one to talk, miss show up for half my shift.” She turned to face her friend who shrugged, unable to deny the accusation. 

“At least when I’m late it’s because I had a blast,” she replied with a wry grin. 

Sinine gave a small laugh as she shook her head. “I apologize for being tardy,” she said, only to be waived off by Lucia. 

“Eh it was a slow morning, we already had more hands than we did work so no big deal. I was actually starting to get a little bored. Speaking of which, did you bring the books?” It was telling how Lucia associated books with boredom and an example of how differently she regarded the written word compared to Sinine. That wasn’t entirely Lucia's fault though. It had always been the policy of the council of regents to ban certain writings considered dangerous for the welfare of the people. However that definition seemed ever expanding and as more and more books were made illegal what remained was bland, sterile and often seemed focused on eliciting resignation rather than hope or excitement. 

Sinine handed the stack to Lucia and the woman frowned as she observed the thickness of the bottom two. “Nothing shorter?” She asked much to Sinines exasperation. 

"Start with the little one on top, it should get you primed for the others,” Sinine responded, sounding amused. She loved books maybe a little more than she should and the excitement for Lucia to read them for the first time was printed on her face.

The other maid just nodded and moved toward the wall of hooks, hanging the strap with the books onto one. Sinine watched with a bit of concern about how Lucia was displaying them. While she wasn’t sure about the larger ones she knew for certain the smaller title was restricted and while they had never had any issues in the past there was always the off chance an official might pass through the inn. 

“Lucy I think they might be safer behind the bar or tucked away somewhere.”

Lucia looked over her shoulder, “But then how will Alastair see how well read I am.” She said with a wink but Sinine looked down unamused. 

“Please Lucy,” she said softly, the taller woman's face falling a bit at her friend's concern. “Alright Sini,” she said as she took them down. “It looks too desperate anyway.” 

Sinine gave an appreciative smile, a gesture that was returned as the other maid slipped the books under her arm and headed to the bar. Despite their teasing she could always count on Lucia and the concern began to fade as the books disappeared under the bar, Sinine’s normal cheerful demeanor returning as they did. 

With that out of the way she remembered the mention of Alastair's name and became curious about where the man might be. She hadn’t seen him when she came in and took a moment to scan the room.

“Where is our bouncer today?” Sinine asked, trying to sound too interested. 

“The boss has had him running between the back and the cellar all morning. Apparently there was a mishap with the last wine shipment  and  there wasn’t any space in the storeroom for this morning's kitchen delivery.” Sinine felt a small pang of guilt, she had told him it would be ok and now it seemed he was in trouble. 

“He was moving crates all morning and now he’s out back sorting out the storeroom.” Lucia continued before raising an eyebrow. “Why the interest? Going to give me a bit of competition, Sini?” 

The small maid shook her head but couldn’t hide the red in her cheeks, “Was just curious is all,” she said in an almost guilty tone.

Lucia regarded her for a moment then cracked a smile. “Well you know what they say about curiosity,” she said. Sinine, though,  wasn’t sure what they said or rather she wasn’t sure what her friend was saying. With Lucia things were far from straightforward and often what she believed went against convention. The woman didn’t elaborate though and instead spun on her heels toward the kitchen as Sinine began her own work day.

There weren’t any customers in need of healing so she spent her morning with her normal maid duties turning over a few rooms and rejecting a few offers to share one with the guests. Around midday the owner called to her, shoving a ledger into her hands. 

“Sinine I want you to go out back and check on that lug we got working for us. Make sure he’s doing a decent job and explain how things work to him would ya.” Sinine responded with a simple nod, taking the ledger and turning away with a pang of anger at how he sought to demean Alastair. 

“And while you’re at it, have him help you with inventory, if he can even count.” Sinine bit her lip and quickly walked away wanting to escape from the man’s benign cruelty. 

Once she was outside she shook her head and breathed a couple of heavy breaths. She hated how condescending her boss could be and wished she could find the courage to stand up to him, even just one time. After a few moments, she made her way over to the storeroom door taking a beat to compose herself. The door was cracked slightly and before she entered she decided to take a peek inside. 

Alastair was sitting on a stack of flour and oats leaning back against another as if reclined in a chair. There was a book in his hand and it seemed to have him enthralled. His lips moved slightly as he read the words and she tried to figure out what they were or what he might be reading. After several lines her guess was a poem of some kind, she often mouthed the words as well when she read poetry and she thought she might recognize a few.

As she took a few moments to watch the man, a warmth started to grow  in her chest before she realized what she was doing might seem strange to any passers by. Stepping back she pushed an errant lock behind her ear and smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles on her apron. She then pulled open the door and walked inside.