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Rivayn poked his head into the solar, disappointed to find it empty. The sounds of laughter echoed down the hall as the rest of the Scions enjoyed a rare evening of peace. All but one.
"Where in the seven hells could she be?" Rivayn grumbled under his breath. The Waking Sands was not a large facility. There were only so many places Yda could hide. But why was she hiding in the first place? It was unlike her to miss out on even the smallest of festivities, and none of the other Scions had seemed to so much as notice her absence.
Rivayn could hear Thancred's deep laugh behind him as he quietly pushed open the door to one of the Waking Sand's storage rooms. There she was, perched atop a stack of crates with her back to the door.
"Yda?" he asked softly from the doorway. She gasped, nearly losing her balance as she whirled around to face her intruder.
"Rivayn?" she asked as she saw him. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," he told her as he pushed the door all the way open. As the light from the hallway spilled into the room, Rivayn could see that Yda's eyes were red and her cheeks puffy. He had rarely seen her upset, much less to the point of tears.
"I'm fine," she told him before he had the chance to ask.
"You're hiding alone in the dark in a broom closet," Rivayn reminded her, crossing his arms over his chest. "And I've never seen you pass up an excuse for a party."
Yda sighed, hanging her head slightly. "You really should go back and join the others," she urged him. "I'll be poor company tonight."
Rivayn chuckled as he moved to sit on the crates beside her. "What kind of friend would I be if I left you to wallow in a closet alone?"
Yda smiled lightly as she leaned back into the stack of crates across from him, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Rivayn asked after a moment.
"Not really," Yda returned after a moment of hesitation. She glanced over her shoulder toward the door, then sighed.
"I'm sure they're just trying to give you some space," Rivayn offered.
"Why aren't you?"
"Taking hints has never been a strength of mine," he explained with a smile. "It's a wonder Aestyr hadn't killed me long before we even met all of you."
Yda chuckled. "She seems to more than tolerate you now."
"Bless my lucky stars for that," Rivayn replied with a laugh. His smile faded after a moment. "You going to be okay?"
"Of course," Yda told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'll be back to my old self by tomorrow."
"Do... you want me to go?"
Yda opened her mouth to respond, but caught herself. "No," she admitted.
"Then I'll stay," Rivayn told her, smiling and stretching his arms as he leaned back into the stack of crates. "You are missing Thancred making an absolute arse of himself."
She laughed in spite of herself. "That's nothing I haven't seen before."
"And nothing you won't see again," Rivayn added with a grin.
Yda smiled. "Thank you, Rivayn."
"It's nothing you wouldn't do for me," he replied, returning her smile. "So, back to Thancred making a fool of himself..."