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"Over here," Tarquin called out as Neve walked in the door, waving her across the converted warehouse and past the small group of people still around this late at night. She walked through, careful not to jostle the recovery beds lined up nearest to the far wall.
"What can I help with?" Neve's eyes flicked briefly to the cot behind the Templar where Ashur lay resting. There was little she could do for those tainted by the Blight, but it didn't mean she wouldn't try if it came down to that.
"One of your contacts dropped off a bunch of shit for you," he jerked his thumb over to a table with a couple of small crates and stacks of paper, notebooks, and scrolls. All of them looked like they'd taken some fire damage some time recently. "Wouldn't say what it was about, but gave me a smirk and said you'd want it."
"Elek brought this for me? Did he say why?" she turned to the pile, and put her hands on her hips. There was something familiar about a couple of the books scratching at her brain, but not as much as Elek running an errand for someone. Who? The man had certainly been helpful after she'd helped rescue his boss, but this didn't feel related to that.
"Yeah, out of the goodness of his fucking heart," Tarquin shrugged. "No idea. He did have some of his folks help us setup some better spaces for some of the Dragons finding their way back. Said it was good for business. Seems like they've decided we're better than the alternative, even if they do lose a few buildings in their precious market."
Neve handed him a folder she'd brought with her, full of information and leads for the Shadow Dragons to track down. "It's not much, but it might help save a few people, and I feel like we could use any kind of win right now."
Tarquin snorted, but he took the file over to a chair near Ashur's cot and started reading. Neve walked over to the table and looked at the collection. Two small wooden crates, lids closed but not nailed shut, a little burned but in good shape. A stack of paper fragments, all partially burned. Tied in groups that looked like similar paper, and arranged by size so they wouldn't fall out easily. Several notebooks grouped together by size, a few very badly burned, but one or two nearly intact.
Neve blinked as she looked at the notebook in the best shape. A slim volume bound in navy and brown leather, stitched with cream thread. A present for her twenty fifth birthday from a long-forgotten ex. She picked it up carefully from the stack, and flipped open the clasp. The pages were a little brittle, but it was clearly hers. Scrawled notes from a lifetime ago stared back at her, detailing case after case. She blinked back a couple of tears and put it down carefully.
One by one, she examined the other books. Each one, hers. Something lost in the fire and collapse of her apartment. She'd moved these books more times than she could count, and that night, she'd lost them along with everything else. So had a lot of Dock Town. When she'd seen the wreckage that night, she wrote it off as a loss.
Clearly, someone else hadn't.
"Anything good?"
"Did Elek say where he got this?" Neve turned, giving Tarquin a questioning look. The man simply shrugged and shook his head. "It looks like it's junk from my apartment. You know, the one that doesn't exist anymore."
"What, they steal your stuff before the dragon attack?" bitterness rolled off of the question, asking things nobody could answer.
"No, after."
"That's a rare kind of stupid."
Neve hummed in agreement, and started looking through the boxes. A cracked picture frame with her circle diploma, the parchment's enchantment holding even if the container didn't. Several old pens, cups, and bottles of ink. The ink was long dry, but with some effort, they were all quality enough to be of use again. A bag with a collection of jewelry, most of it was hers, though none of it particularly expensive. The amulet from her uncle in the shape of a snowflake.
It didn't take long to go through the remains of her old life in the boxes, since not much had survived. Most if it was sentimental in some way, or practical, like a few sets of small clothes and shirts that used to live in the same dresser drawer that must have miraculously survived. Some of it wasn't hers, so she put that off to the side to donate for anyone who might need it. A few hats, books, and paints might not look like much, but she knew it would probably be a lot for someone right now.
The rest was packed away into one box and one tied bundle of books. She would need to take the notes back to the Lighthouse to see if she could make anything of them, and she'd just put the rest with the stuff she already had there. The place never seemed to run out of new shelves and bookcases for her to store things.
As Neve moved to gather up her things, she looked again at the knot they'd been tied with, realizing she had seen it before. Pulling open the box she compared it to the bound notebooks and letters inside, the neat bundles of clothes, the pens tied together, and they matched. The knot itself wasn't uncommon, but it was really a combination of two knots, secure together but easily undone in a pinch. You saw it a lot on military equipment because it was easy to teach to recruits, and even if you got it wrong, it wouldn't become a snarled mess most of the time.
She'd seen Rook teaching it to Bellara a few days ago. It showed up on all of his equipment, his pack, his boots. Raised in a military family and served for several years before he left. Neve felt her throat tighten and her eyes burn, and let out a shaky sigh. Rana had said he'd been in Dock Town, helping. Searching for survivors, hunting Venatori with Lucanis. He'd been with her when they'd rescued Makal Damas and Ashur from Venatori hands. Even Elek said he'd been around, working with Emmrich to track down a spirit in distress, giving it a new purpose.
Rook had never asked her to forgive him for helping Treviso instead of Minrathous. He'd given her space when she asked. It felt like he'd never be there. But he was, every time she asked after. Even when she didn't. Neve wondered how long it had taken him to track down her old apartment, find all of this, and convince Elek to deliver it. He didn't try to make a good impression, he just … made sure she got her things back.
"What, is the string some kind of clue?" Tarquin's voice cut through her thoughts. He put the folder down on a small table next to his chair.
"Yeah, it is," Neve flashed Tarquin a crooked smile as she picked up her things and he returned her one of his trademark frowns. "Looks like someone had my back after all."