alexei sat in the back room of the tavern, reading. he would be surprised if anyone else came in at this time of night- it was far past sundown, and people didn't often travel through this part of the forest when it got dark like this. it wasn't safe- there were bandits, and wild animals, and the paths were overgrown and hard to navigate without light.

he shut his book, setting it down on the desk. his gray eyes flicked briefly over the other desk in the room, long deserted. he never touched it. he left it as it was- papers scattered, a book open with the top of the page just slightly torn. a few droplets of dried ink stained the wood, the pot still open. a quill was propped up against it, black ink encrusting the silver nib of the quill.

alexei sighed, pulling his hair back as he walked back out to the front. it was a little messy. there were still four rooms available of the thirteen they had. most of the rooms had three beds, and were shared by the travelers without much complaint. those with extra money sometimes paid for a single room, if they really wanted the privacy. the lounge was deserted, dim. the quiet was nice, but tonight it made him feel like something bad was going to happen. he liked to have background noise, as it distracted him from the constant feeling that he was being watched. that was why he hated this part of the forest. it hadn't been like that when they'd first been established. and there had been a lot of things in between that had led up to the development of this feeling. even so, having the justification didn't make it any less creepy.