Therobod Straw's funeral was held just a few days after Seren left the Skin & Chalice. Mr Thatch was eager to move things along quickly, knowing that nobles had been directly involved in the death of his friend. After a simple burial in the graveyard outside the Big Village, Thatch bothered Kaio for a good half hour before leaving the women alone at the inn. As Dao and Dal lazed in the parlor, Kaio came to join them in her favorite postion, face-down on the sofa. "Please, please don't let him come again for a while!" she cried. Dal lifted her hand to rest her chin, "With the mourning period in place at least we'll get a break from the rest of them... just think that you're sparing Seren the loss of his virginity. At least let one of us lose it to someone decent."

Dao perked up, "Speak for yourselves!" she said, "Mine was sweet!" Dal tapped her on the head, "Dao, yours wasn't sweet; he was a traveling merchant that ran off with your money along with your maidenhood!" Dao pouted, "He was very good-looking though" she explained, "and I'd say that makes it sweet enough!" Kaio raised her head from the sofa, "What about yours Dal?" she asked. Dal smiled and broke into a rough laugh, "With a man or a woman? My father's friend gave me two pewter coins for it. Then I took that money and bought sweetcakes for the girl who spun wool in the village. We had a sweet time of it, until she told me she'd found a husband..." Kaio sighed, "Oh Lunis, please keep our Seren safe from nobles, merchants, fathers' friends and wool spinners!" she prayed, "I just hope Uncle Moss is keeping him safe."

The doctor from Cinderton had been staying at the inn to take care of Mrs Straw, through unlike their regular visitors, Doctor Flax avoided interacting with the women as much as possible. Dal had moved into Dao's room and the doctor would spend his days with the patient and sleep on the floor at night. When Dao asked him if there was anything she could do to repay him, he assured her that the man who retained him had paid a large salary to deliver the best care possible. Since the man who hired him was also a noble, the doctor didn't dare to disappoint him. Doctor Flax had covered his ears when the gentleman from the Big Village visited this afternoon, but now he had no choice but to intrude upon the ladies' intimate conversation. "Um... pardon the interruption," he said, "but the patient is awake..."

Looking amongst themselves, Dal made the decision to go and speak to Mrs Straw, with Dao and Kaio following into the room after her and standing a short distance away. Adalina had drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the day, but seemed to have regained her senses enough to ask the doctor to find her son. Instead of her dear Seren, one of the vile women from her husband's inn was looming over her bed. "Where... where is Seren...? Why am I in this room?" Dal kneeled at the bedside, "Madam, your son is safe" she said. Adalina leaned closer with some difficulty and whispered to Dal, "Did he... get away from here?" Dal nodded, "He did." Mrs Straw managed a gentle smile, relieved her sweet boy was free. She could remember they had tried to run that night but then her husband had caught them. If Seren got away on his own then that was enough. But... "Where is Mr Straw..? Did he chase after him?"

Dao squeezed Kaio's hand as they listened. "Mr Straw... has died, Madam" said Dal. Adalina tried to sit up but fell back down again. "He's dead? How? How did it happen?" she asked in confusion. Dal tried to support her but Adalina recoiled at the offer of her hands. "Tell me!" said Mrs Straw, gathering all the strength she could muster. The girls behind them worried that Mrs Straw was getting too worked up, and tried to assist Dal in explaining the situation. "Seren was trying to help you..." said Dao, "It was an accident" offered Kaio. Dal put her hands in her lap and told Mrs Straw the most salient point, "Madam, Mr Thatch and the others, they don't know  that it was Seren." Adalina was still processing the information, her dear boy had hurt someone, had killed someone to protect her. "How?" she asked Dal carefully, "How did he...?" 

From the fearful looks on the womens' faces, it was clear that what happened hadn't been a simple accident. Seren must have revealed the spark that she'd fought so hard to conceal. Adalina's dam broke, and her face was flooded with tears. Dao offered her a handkerchief, "Thatch doesn't know about that either" she consoled, "he thinks it was the other nobles that came here." Adalina wiped her face and tried again to sit up, this time accepting Dal's assistance. "What other nobles?" she asked, "Why did nobles come here?!" Dal and Kaio looked at one another and relayed the story of the man and his servant who'd come in search of Seren. "I'm sorry" said Kaio, "Dal tried to send them after Thatch but I got scared and said he must have gone east... But he should have been on his way north by then in the donkey cart, I don't think they would have found him."

Adalina tried to get up from the bed but screamed in pain and fell backwards. "Doctor!" shouted Dal. Doctor Flax had been waiting outside the door and rushed into the room to help Adalina back in a comfortable position. In her confused state she hadn't realized the extent of her injuries. Aside from the bruises and the trauma to her head, her leg had been broken from being thrown down the stairs. Doctor Flax gently lifted Adalina's head and fed her some medicine to help relieve the pain. "Ladies, perhaps you should continue your conversation later" he said. Kaio and Dao left the room, and as Dal was about to follow them, Mrs Straw took her hand. "I need to find Seren before the nobles do..." she told her, "there are things he should know."

Mrs Straw slept through to late afternoon of the following day, when Doctor Flax woke her with the news that a man had arrived to speak with her. In the parlor the women were busy speculating on what business Mr Thatch had come to discuss. "Do you think it's about Seren?" asked Dao, "What if he's still looking for him?" Dal wasn't concerned, "His mother is the last person to give him away, it doesn't matter if he's trying to find him. He won't." Kaio sat down next to Dao and stroked her hair, "Besides, Seren should have his strength back now. Who is Mr Thatch to try and go against a noble?" Dao leaned her head on Kaio's shoulder, "You don't think... since Seren's gone, he wants you to go with him..?" Kaio jumped back and pushed her, "You take that back and don't think about speaking it into existence! I'd rather go back to my Uncle's farm than serve 'Uncle Thatch' on a daily basis!" The bedroom door opened and Dal hushed the bickering women, preparing to send Mr Thatch away with their grief-stricken act.

"Oh Uncle Thatch!" said Dao, "You still remember us though our master is gone!" Uncle Thatch patted Dao's arm as she clung to him, "There there, I only do my duty! Kaio, I'm afraid I can't stay to comfort you today, I still have some business to see to before the day is out." Kaio thanked Lunis in her heart and solemnly nodded her understanding to Mr Thatch. The man left in good spirits, and the Doctor promptly entered the parlor to call Dal and the others to the sick-room. While Doctor Flax waited outside, Adalina organized her thoughts and laid out the situation. "I have spoken with that horrid man. It seems that before his death, Mr Straw had been invited to invest in one of Mr Thatch's ventures in exchange... in exchange for Seren. Now that Seren's gone and the debt remains... he intends to take over the inn as collateral. If I had to lose one, I would pray to Lunis that it be the inn and not my dear boy."

"Do... the likes of you pray to Lunis too?" asked Dao. "Look in my eyes and tell me who else I should pray to" Adalina replied, "I haven't seen my noble spark in over eighteen years." Dal held Dao and Kaio's hands, "And what will you do, Mrs Straw?" she asked. Adalina pondered over her broken leg and swallowed her pride. "I need to find Seren, the sooner the better. But I can't travel alone with my leg like this... I heard the nobles left behind their carriage. Kaio, is it..? Can you take me to where Seren is staying?" Kaio was struck dumb by the proposition, so Dal interjected on her behalf; "If Kaio wants to go home, I will accompany the both of you to her Uncle's farm. But if she wants to stay, I will stay here with her. Okay Kaio? The choice is yours." For Kaio it was an easy decision. "Who wants to stay here under Mr Thatch? I'd rather see Uncle Moss and make sure Seren's okay. Dal and I can take you there, Mrs Straw." Suddenly Dao burst into tears, "And what about me?!" she wailed "Why can't I come? Why do I get left behind with Mr Thatch?!"

Dal put her arm around her sobbing friend, "We'll all go. The three of us will take you, Mrs Straw. But it's only the carriage the nobles left behind. There are no horses to pull it." Dao leaned in and whispered, "The doctor has a horse..." before looking back to check the door was still closed. "We'll need at least two to pull the carriage with four of us on board" said Adalina as she tried to strategize. Most of the cash in the inn had been sent with Seren to secure his place at Ruel Moss's farm, the women were without the means to try and buy themselves one horse, let alone two. Kaio stepped forward, "Mrs Straw..." she said, "Can I ask, why do you need to find Seren so quickly...? Is he in danger? Because of the nobles looking for him?"

Adalina had always hated these women, she saw them as the proof of her husband's disrespect for herself and their son. And yet, she was somewhat touched by the concern they had for Seren. "Seren is... special, as you must know from what happened to his father. Those nobles looking for him can't have anything good planned. But more than their intentions, I'm scared of what will happen if Seren meets any other nobles..." Kaio was even more confused, "But.. isn't Seren noble, too? Why can't he meet with his kind?" 

Adalina recalled those times when he was younger, before she learned how she could keep that power under control. The times when even she was terrified of his strength. "Seren is different" she told them, "His energy is unstable. He was more powerful at five than any noble I'd ever met, but his energy is like a bee sting. The surge is so immense and uncontrollable that once its released he can suffer pain and lose consciousness. It takes too long for the energy to recharge, and his powers lie dormant and forgotten." "Like spark fatigue..?" asked Kaio. The noble she met on the Plains was powerless too when she served him. "Like that..." said Mrs Straw, "But it can last for months... even years. Being weak amongst the commonfolk, it doesn't matter, but if he's left without his spark around the nobles, he won't be able to defend himself. I have to find him before he gets hurt." 

The energy of nobles was not limitless. When fighters were taken to their extremes on the battlefield they would need ample time to recharge before their spark would return, even weeks in severe cases. But the average noble was unlikely to suffer spark fatigue beyond a few hours, and even then it would be the result of some serious exertion. Nobles learned their limits and trained accordingly with their parents and teachers. By the time Seren first conjured his spark, not only was it volatile and strong, but Adalina had already lost her power to help him control it. Just like the difference in his eyes, when it came to Seren's noble energy it was all or nothing. Ultimate power, or absolute weakness. 

"I'll work on Doctor Flax" said Dao, "and Kaio, why don't you invite Mr Thatch over? He's got a pretty nice horse himself..."