Whether it was because they all had been on edge for the past two days, or maybe it was the safety of the inn and the bath and the good food they were able to enjoy, but the whole party slept soundly, without the need for worrying about a watch.  Morning came sooner for some than others, but on the whole, dawn’s greeting light through the shuttered and heavy glass windows woke them slowly.  In the girl’s room, Kharin was the first to wake, the cot not providing the regular comfort of her normal bed, but she was rested and only slightly stiff.  She took a peek at the other two in the dim morning luminescence, noting that Summer was beginning to stir as if she was going to wake soon and Eleanara was curled tightly into a ball on her bed, the covers bundled around her messily.  Kharin laughed and saw Summer crack an eye open.  “Morning,” she called quietly, sitting up and placing her bare feet on the cold ground, wincing in resigned acceptance.

           “Morning,” Summer yawned, stretching hugely on the bed.  She looked over at Eleanara and shrugged, sitting up to look around.  Her eyes opened reluctantly at first and then she took another deep breath.  “What time is it?”

           “I’d wager just after dawn,” Kharin supplied, moving to the window and slowly prying open the shutter to let the light spill in.  It was incredibly bright, reflecting off the field of snow everywhere so that she only cracked it instead of opening it completely.  “Wow.”

           “What?” Summer asked, coming over to see for herself.  “Oh… wow,” she murmured, looking over Kharin’s shoulder to watch the sun rise, glorious and golden, over the mountains, making everything it touched glow.

           While it wasn’t much, the extra light was enough to rouse Eleanara from her slumber and she murmured sleepily, “What time is it?” as she twisted her head around to see what they were looking at.  When they both gestured for her to join them, she wrapped the blanket around her tighter and shuffled over to the window, sliding around the pair so she could look through the window without having to try and see around them.  opened slowly in amazement and she sighed, “It’s so pretty.”

           “Thought you might like that,” Kharin laughed, a smile in her voice as she placed an arm around the smaller woman’s shoulder.  She felt more substantial today and not as if she was going to fall over at the merest touch.  It was reassuring in its own way.

           In the other room, the guys were going through a similar realization.  Eunhyuk woke up groggily when Leeteuk opened the shutter, shielding his eyes with his hand to reduce the snow glare.  “Now that’s not a sight you see every day,” a breathless sigh escaping from him as he looked out in wonder at the white landscape.

           Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand, Eunhyuk shuffled over to Leeteuk and perched his chin on the other man’s shoulder as he looked out too.  “It’s never this bright back home,” he murmured sleepily, reaching up to pat Leeteuk’s free shoulder with his hand.

           Leeteuk agreed with a nod.  He didn’t have to explain, but after a pause, he shut the portal partially and looked at Eunhyuk out of the corner of his eye.  “Come on then.  We should check on the others.”

           Eunhyuk agreed, stepping back and stretching hugely.  He jumped with a surprised grin when Leeteuk poked him in the side, unable to resist such a clear opening.  Playfully, he feinted back and then bolted for the door, still grinning.

           “Hey!” Leeteuk laughed when the door was almost closed in his face.  They called a truce early but Eunhyuk maintained the impish grin.  Together, they paused outside the room Siwon and Kyuhyun were sharing.  Leeteuk peeked in first and laughed, shaking his head in amusement.  Behind him, he could hear Eunhyuk laughing.

           Siwon was partially laying on Kyuhyun, playfully shaking him.  “Come on, Kyu.  Time to get up.  Kyuuuu,” he tried again, jostling the other man’s shoulder.

           Kyuhyun grumbled something unintelligible and shrugged his shoulder, ineffectively trying to ward the other man off.

           Leeteuk pushed open the door the rest of the way and strode over to the closed shutters while Eunhyuk rushed in and perched at the edge of the bed, resting his chin on his hands directly in front of the sleeper.  “Come on guys,” Leeteuk called as he opened the shutter, filling the room with light.

           On the bed, Kyuhyun finally opened his eyes and in the second it took him to focus, he saw Eunhyuk’s face less than a foot from him and he started.  His reaction nudged Siwon off the bed who flailed, unsuccessfully trying to catch himself.  In a flurry of limbs, he landed on the floor with a thud, laughing at himself and then Eunhyuk who collapsed in laughter too.

           “Don’t do that,” Kyuhyun muttered at Eunhyuk and while he tried to remain serious, a smile crossed his face when he said it and he couldn’t help but laugh with them.

           “What are you guys doing in here?” Kharin asked in confusion as she rounded the corner, followed by Summer and Eleanara who were drawn by the laughter and noise.  They took in the scene and shook their heads with amused grins.  “Never mind,” she amended, waving her hands at them dismissively before she turned around and headed back out.

           Leeteuk finally moved to help Siwon up and Summer went by to haul the newly wakened Kyuhyun off the bed.  “Wait!” he cried plaintively, forced to get to his feet or suffer the same indignity as Siwon.

           “Oh come on, sleepy head,” she went on, relentlessly dragging him anyway.  She did give him time enough to get to his feet before leading him out to the dining area.

           Eunhyuk finally used the bed to climb to his feet, wiping amused tears from his face.  “I’m okay,” he assured them with a grin, giving them a ‘v’ sign with his fingers enthusiastically.  Eleanara met his gaze and she smiled appreciatively, grateful for the clarification.  Sure that everyone was unharmed, she was free to head out too.  At the doorway, he just managed to catch a glimpse of Kharin who lagged behind to make sure herself before she turned and disappeared.

           Leeteuk caught him around the shoulder and propelled him forward behind Siwon.  “Let’s go.”

           By the time they all made their way out into the dining area, Gairen was already laying out food for the others.  Platters of ham, hashed potatoes and a pot of porridge were already there and he was on his way back with a tray of biscuits and toppings.  Two set of cups sat next to each plate and a large kettle steamed nearby, resting on a thick towel to keep from scorching the table.  “Coffee?” he asked genially, setting the tray down and carefully making his way around the table.

           “Coffee?” Eunhyuk asked as he took his seat.  The others mirrored his confusion.

           Astonishment showed on Gairen’s face and then he laughed.  “That’s right.  Them up at the monastery don’t have coffee.  Just try it,” he winked, pouring each person a half-cup.  “Black’s just as good but there’s some milk and sugar there,” he gestured at two containers next to the preserves and butter.

           Tentatively, each person tried a sip with varying results.  Neither Kyuhyun nor Summer liked it any which way, even with milk and sugar, and Siwon was the only one content to leave it black.  “How can you drink that?” Kyuhyun asked, glancing around the table uncertainly as he took a large gulp of water to wash the taste out of his mouth.

           “I guess it’s a taste you get used to,” Gairen stated with a half-smile as he took another sip and regarded the rest while they promptly dug into the trays on the table.  They all looked well rested and much better for it and they had the appetite to show it.  Biscuits and porridge he had in plenty but the rest he would need to be a bit sparing with.  Seeing they were content to eat as opposed to converse, he let the edge of hunger die down before he said anything.

           After the first plate was cleared and then promptly filled again, he grinned and leaned forward.  “Whenever you all are ready, we can go see Drell and Vayna.”  Curious expressions met his statement and he set his coffee down.  “They’re our resident tailors as it were.  Granted, they usually work with fur and hard leather, but they’ve a way with cloth too.  If you’re lucky, they might even be able to craft you all something today.  Depends on what they’re working on though,” he mused as he looked away, not sure what they had been doing lately.

           The idea of staying another full day was both enticing and worrisome.  They were all aware that they had to move fast, but if they were improperly prepared, that was just as much folly as going into battle without the proper weapons.  “We will have to see what they will be able to do for us,” Leeteuk temporized for them.  He didn’t want to commit to anything either, but new clothes were a bit of a necessity just now.  He’d also like a chance to see what else they might recommend for the rest of their trek into warmer climes.

           “Do you think we might be able to pick up some basic weapons too?” Siwon asked over his mostly finished cup of coffee.  He was leaning back from the table, his plate pushed out in front of him.

           Gairen eyed them speculatively.  “Now if you don’t know how to use them, they’re just as dangerous to you, ya know…”

           “We’ve got the basics,” Kharin assured him with a confident wink.  “The monastery just wasn’t able to furbish us with weapons this time and the training equipment, well…”  She didn’t even have to finish that sentence for him to laugh in understanding.

           “Alright!” he nodded slowly.  “If you can show Tierne you know what you’re doing, then he might be able to help you out.  I make no promises though,” he held out his hands in denial.

           “What about travel food?” Eunhyuk asked as he fidgeted in his chair.  He shrugged when his question drew amused glances.  “I just thought they might have something better than our travel rations,” he remarked dryly.

           “I’ll get back to you on that one,” Gairen answered evenly.  He was responsible for most of the food production here and they did have some things he made with longevity in mind.  If they were here for another day, it was entirely likely he’d be able to whip up something for them.  “Like I said.  Whenever you’re ready, just let me know,” he assured them, picking up his cup and heading into the back again.

           With the innkeeper gone, they looked around for a bit before they finally felt free to talk again.  “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t remember beds being that nice,” Summer grinned, very much refreshed for the good night’s rest.

           “It’d be better if it wasn’t so bright though,” Eunhyuk muttered, still remembering the light pouring in when Leeteuk opened the shutter.

           “I thought it was pretty,” Eleanara remarked, reaching for another biscuit.

           “Those’ll make you fat if you keep eating them, Nara,” Kyuhyun remarked dryly, clearly done with his breakfast already as he sipped on water, which he nearly dropped an instant later.  “Oww!” he yelped as Kharin kicked his shin under the table and Summer smacked him in the back of the head.  “What?” he demanded, confused and annoyed.

           “That was uncalled for Kyu,” Siwon remarked with a disappointed frown.

           “It’s true,” he defended himself, glancing back at Eleanara who had set the biscuit back down and was looking around uncertainly.

           Leeteuk nudged her lightly with his elbow and she glanced over at him.  “If you’re still hungry, eat,” he assured her.

           “With as much as you stay in bed,” Eunhyuk started, “I’d be more worried about your physique.”  He laughed at the glower Kyuhyun gave him and slid back slightly, ready to bolt if he needed to.

           “Alright, alright,” Leeteuk waved, drawing the attention back to himself.  “We’ve got a lot to do today and this is no time to squabble,” he chided, looking between Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk.  “Now I figure we’ve got time to clean ourselves up and then we can see if Gairen can help us get the rest sorted out.  Yes?” he prompted, looking around the table.  He received varying degrees of acceptance all around.  “Good.”  With that, he pushed himself away from the table and headed to the back, fully intent on taking a leisurely bath.

           The other six looked around at each other, Eleanara still slightly uncomfortable and Kyuhyun still annoyed.  Siwon took that moment to finish off his coffee and follow Leeteuk’s path to the baths.  He had felt a bit gipped too from the night before.

           With nothing left to do but wait around, the rest of the group dispersed back to their rooms.  Not wishing to be by himself or spending time with the sour Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk joined the girls in their room.  It was not long before his more hyper than usual antics had them laughing again.  The antics spiraled into a tickle war, eliciting peals of laughter from all of them until he, in an act of great daring, tried to tickle Kharin.  A knee-jerk reaction to kick caught him in the gut, sending him to the floor, laughing and coughing at the same time.

           Kharin vacillated between feeling slightly guilty and not as she peered at him with some concern.  “What have I told you about tickling me?” she half-laughed.

           Eunhyuk coughed again and then waved one free hand at her, “I know, I know.  But it’s so much fun,” he grinned mischievously, still rubbing his abdomen.

           “You are insufferable,” she laughed, to the relief of the other two.

           “You didn’t have to kick him quite so hard though, did you Kharin?” Eleanara asked, looking between the two in mild concern.  She kept her hands firmly in her lap so she wouldn’t be tempted to try and use her ability, not that he would need it for something so minor, but the compulsion was still there.

           “I can’t help it,” she shrugged, giving him a hand up from the floor.

           Leeteuk peeked in through the open door and grinned, “Who’s up next?”

           “Oh!  Me!” Eunhyuk stated automatically, raising his hand and springing through the door for the bathing area.

           “Is it just me or is he more energetic than usual?” Summer asked as she stared at the quickly vacated doorway in surprise.

           “More energetic,” Eleanara and Kharin both stated at the same time, looking at each other and laughing.

           While they waited for their turns, Summer went to check on Kyuhyun but found that had gone to take a bath too.  When that plan failed, she returned to the girl’s room and like them, started to go through the supplies they did have.  At Kharin’s suggestion, they started to brainstorm what they might be able to add or would be useful on the way down.  Leeteuk and Siwon looked in briefly, agreeing that was a good idea, before they went to dissect their packs too.  Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun returned with a definite amount of space between them, at which point the girls took their turn, glancing into the guys rooms curiously on their way down.