[SCENE FIVE — RETURN TO KARESHKA’S FAVOR | CASTLE WARD | 11:32 AM]Sunlight cuts gold across cobbles. The city breathes above the sewers. Horses ctter. A bard sings off-key three blocks away. And inside one tucked tavern, the party’s scent — wax, iron, vender, and adrenaline — enters first.

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  1. THE RETURN — Through the Tavern Door

  Krummar enters first — heavy, slow steps. Armor scuffed, blood dried.His mace taps gently against his shin as he walks. His eyes scan the room like it’s a battlefield until they nd on Lorin, wiping down the same section of bar for the third time.

  She meets his gaze. Frowns.

  “That’s not sewer water on your chest.”

  He drops the wax jar on the bar.

  “We need tea.”

  “I was already boiling it.”

  He smiles. Just faintly.Sits.

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  2. MEL — Bruised, Bark-Splintered, Home

  Mel walks in with her braid frayed, shoulders scarred, bark-flesh peeling at the joints.She drops her Gulthias Staff against the doorway like a tired limb.

  Lorin appears silently at her side with a bowl of heated water and a cloth.

  Mel doesn’t speak. Just sits on the floor.Lets Lorin kneel beside her and begin cleaning her shoulder with gentle, almost reverent care.

  Mel flinches.

  “You don’t have to—”

  “I want to.”

  Mel’s jaw clenches. But she doesn’t stop her.

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  3. MELODIA — Garter-Exposed and Trembling

  She enters like a ghost — skirt muddy, thighs visible, stocking torn, eyes wide and wet.

  Her moonstone choker glows softly, pulsing with leftover emotion.One hand clutches a half-broken pastry. The other, the scroll tube.

  She stands in the middle of the tavern, blinking — unsure if she’s supposed to move.

  Lorin steps forward.Wraps her in a towel.Holds her like she’s made of gss and knows how close she came to cracking.

  Melodia whispers into her shoulder:

  “Did I do it right?”

  Lorin strokes her hair.

  “You did it beautifully.”

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  4. DAKA — Chest Bare, Ego Intact

  Daka struts in shirtless again — bruised, bleeding, wearing his pirate hat like a crown of foolish pride.

  “LADIES! I survived, suplexed, and possibly developed character depth!”

  A group of regurs cps, confused.

  He limps to the bar, grabs a tankard of cider, and points at Mel.

  “You owe me a compliment.”

  Mel, not looking up:

  “Your teeth are nice.”

  “I knew it!”

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  5. THE TAVERN — Breathing Again? A new customer walks in, sees Melodia trembling in Lorin’s arms, and quietly backs out.? A rat scampers under the bar, pauses in front of Krummar, and drops a ribbon at his feet.? The tea kettle whistles. No one moves to get it.

  Then:A knock at the back door.

  Lorin rises — calmly, slowly — opens it.

  Vajra Safahr stands there.Cloaked. Composed. Staring past her.

  “You have the jar.”

  Krummar holds it up.

  “You sent us into a soul trap.”

  “Yes,” she says pinly. “Because no one else could survive it.”

  Mel steps forward.

  “That wasn’t just magic. It felt.”

  Vajra nods.

  “That’s the problem.”

  She takes the jar carefully. Looks at Melodia.

  “You altered it.”

  Melodia sways.

  “It… wanted to be sung to.”

  Vajra narrows her eyes. Curious. Almost afraid.

  “I’ll be back. With questions. And possibly wine.”

  She vanishes in a teleport shimmer.

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  [TIME: 11:53 AM]The tea is ready.The wounds are cleaned.Melodia is asleep on Lorin’s shoulder.Mel sits beside the hearth, legs tucked under her, sharpening her bde with soft, furious care.Krummar has resumed reading his business ledger aloud to a sleeping rat.Daka is flexing for a drunk noblewoman.

  Peace. For now.