[Ren’s POV]
Two evenings after our dinner, an invitation arrived from Sera Voss. She asked me to join her for supper at her estate, though the wording was casual enough that I suspected she didn’t want to make too much of it.
I accepted.
Her estate was quieter than I expected when I arrived. The staff greeted me politely and led me inside, where I found Sera waiting in a sitting room. She had changed out of her usual formal attire, wearing a simple dress with her hair loosely arranged. Without the merchants, visitors and business associates surrounding her, she seemed almost like a different person.
"You came," she said, setting aside the book she had been reading.
"I was invited. I thought it would be rude to refuse."
"That’s a convenient excuse."
"It’s also true."
She gave me a small smile and gestured towards the sofa. "Come and sit. Supper won’t be ready for a little while."
I took the offered seat, and she returned to hers. For a moment, neither of us spoke. It wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly, but the setting was different from the restaurant. There were no other diners, no waiter interrupting us, and no convenient menu to study whenever the conversation slowed. It was just the two of us.
"How has your week been?" Sera asked.
"Quiet, for the most part. I’ve been exploring the city and trying to decide what to do next."
"Still travelling?"
"Eventually. I haven’t found a reason to stay in one place for long."
"Perhaps you haven’t been looking hard enough."
I glanced at her. "Is that your way of suggesting I should stay?"
"It’s a question, Traveller."
"Ren," I reminded her.
"I know your name."
"Then we’re making progress."
She shook her head, amused, and reached for the cup on the table beside her. I noticed that she seemed more relaxed than she had during our dinner. There was still a certain guardedness about her, but she wasn’t constantly measuring her words or watching for some hidden meaning behind mine.
We talked while we waited for supper. She told me about a shipment that had arrived late and a merchant who had apparently mistaken her patience for weakness. I listened, occasionally asking questions, and found myself genuinely interested in the answers. Her work wasn’t something I understood particularly well, but the way she spoke about it made it clear that she had earned her position rather than simply inherited it.
"You make it sound as though every day is a battle," I said.
"Some days are worse than others. People are very good at finding ways to complicate simple arrangements."
"Maybe you should hire better people."
"I have. They still find ways to disappoint me."
"Then perhaps the problem is you."
Sera raised an eyebrow.
I leaned back, keeping my expression innocent. "You seem to attract troublesome people."
For a moment she stared at me before laughing. It was a more genuine laugh than the ones she’d given me at dinner, and I found myself smiling along with her.
"You have a remarkable talent for making yourself unwelcome," she said.
"I’ve been told it’s one of my better qualities."
"By whom?"
"People who don’t know me very well."
She laughed again, and I decided that was probably enough trouble for one evening.
Supper was served shortly afterwards. We continued talking over the meal, though the conversation gradually moved away from business. Sera asked about my travels, and I told her about some of the places I’d passed through. I left out the details that would have raised questions I wasn’t prepared to answer, but there was enough to keep her interested.
At one point, she set down her utensils and studied me. "You speak as though you’ve spent your entire life moving from one place to another."
"Not my entire life."
"Then what made you start?"
I considered the question. "I suppose I wanted to see what was out there. Staying in one place can make the world feel smaller than it really is."
"And now?"
"Now I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for."
Sera looked down at her plate, turning her glass slightly between her fingers. "That’s an uncomfortable position to be in."
"It can be. But I don’t think everyone needs to have their entire life planned out."
"Some people don’t have the luxury of leaving things undecided."
There was something in her tone that made me pause. I had seen glimpses of it before, usually when she spoke about her business. The responsibilities she carried weren’t something she could simply walk away from.
"Is that how you feel?" I asked.
"Sometimes." She looked at me again. "I’ve spent so long making sure everything around me stays in order that I rarely consider what I would do if I didn’t have to."
"Would you know?"
She gave a faint smile. "I honestly don’t know."
It was the first time she’d admitted something like that to me. I didn’t try to turn it into another opportunity to flatter her. Instead, I let the silence settle between us, giving her room to decide whether she wanted to say anything more.
After supper, we returned to the sitting room. The staff cleared the table, and Sera suggested we stay a little longer. I agreed, and we continued talking. The evening had become less like a second date and more like two people who had finally found the time to speak without an audience.
At some point, she moved to the window. I joined her a moment later, standing beside her as we looked out over the grounds.
"You’re quieter tonight," she observed.
"Am I?"
"You were doing most of the talking at the restaurant."
"I was trying to make sure you didn’t regret accepting the invitation."
"And now?"
"Now I think you’re capable of telling me if you regret inviting me."
She turned towards me. "I haven’t regretted it."
I met her gaze. There was no teasing in her expression this time, and I found myself taking a moment before answering. "Good. I’d like to see you again."
"You’ve already said that."
"And I meant it the first time."
Sera looked at me for a few seconds before stepping closer. The movement was small, but neither of us seemed particularly interested in pretending it hadn’t happened.
"You’re rather persistent, Ren."
"Only when I have a reason."
"And what reason is that?"
I looked at her, then lowered my gaze briefly to her lips. "I think you already know."
She didn’t move away. Instead, she reached up and straightened the collar of my shirt, though there was nothing wrong with it. Her fingers lingered for a moment before she withdrew her hand.
"You talk less when you’re nervous," she said.
"I’m not nervous."
"Of course not."
I smiled, but before I could come up with an answer, she leaned forward and kissed me.
It caught me off guard for half a second. Then I returned the kiss, placing a hand at her waist as she moved closer. The kiss was gentle at first, almost tentative, but neither of us seemed particularly interested in ending it. When we finally separated, she remained close enough that I could feel her breath against my face.
"Still think you’re not nervous?" she asked quietly.
"I might have to reconsider my position."
She laughed softly, and I kissed her again.
There was no rush after that. We stayed together for a while, talking between kisses, and when I finally asked whether she wanted me to stay, she looked at me for a long moment before taking my hand.
"Yes," she said.
I followed her from the sitting room. Whatever reservations either of us had brought into the evening seemed to have faded, and the rest of the night belonged to us.
Much later, I lay awake beside her, staring at the ceiling. Sera was asleep, her head resting against my shoulder. I hadn’t expected the evening to end this way, but I couldn’t say I was disappointed.
A familiar chime sounded in my mind.
[COMPANION BOND UPDATE]
Target: Sera Voss
Bond Progress: 50%
I glanced at the notification, then dismissed it. The system was pleased, apparently. Good for it.
I looked down at Sera, careful not to disturb her. For once, I wasn’t thinking about the next objective or the next problem waiting for me. I had spent enough time treating every interaction like another step in a plan.
Tonight, I decided to leave it at that.
Fifty percent was a good result, it meant that she was almost halfway in it. It meant that if I were to try and kiss her, I had fifty-fifty percent chance of succeeding. And I wanted more for than that, I wanted a one hundred percent chance of success. And I had to apply a little bit more pressure, before I can begin making big moves such as those.
A few more dates like these and I would have her in my pocket.