((the end of this chapter cuts off suddenly because that's all there is :) I love Orran, and I hope I'll have time to finish his story.))

(ten)

"Where is he?" Leo demanded as soon as Adin slipped out the front door of the tavern.

"I saw him sit down," Adin said, smiling a little. "Definitely a first for me."

Leo's eyebrows went up. "You got him to take some time off?"

"Yeah. At least, that's what he said he'd do. Should we keep an eye on him?"

Leo turned away, shifting bottles at the back of the wagon. "No," he said finally. "He'd lie to me, but not to you."

There was an awkward silence; Adin got the feeling he'd walked into something that wasn't entirely his business. Before he could say anything, though, Leo said, "He only lies to people he really cares about."

"That's…" Adin couldn't think of the right words to phrase exactly what he was thinking, so he finished, "…kind of weird."

"Makes sense when you think about it," Leo said, beckoning Adin over to look at the display he'd set up. "If he told me what was really going on, I'd worry about him, and he doesn't want me to do that. But you're his partner for this trip; you've got to know what's going on." He pointed to the bottles. "Face cream sells the best, hair tonic's second. Wart cream, that kind of depends on what town you're in, if it's on the wealthier side, people are gonna care more about little bumps like that."

"Are you going to yell at me if I ask you again why you're not traveling with him anymore?" Adin asked, opening one of the bottles and smelling it. He caught the same pungent odor again. "What is this stuff made of, anyway?"

"It isn't any of your business, and you really don't want to know," Leo said brusquely.

"Do they work?"

"Orran's not that kind of doctor," Leo said severely. "Are you trying to piss me off?"

Adin cringed. "Orran doesn't mind me asking questions," he said.

Leo snorted. "When I start strutting around like a peacock and talking in circles, you can ask me that again." He glanced aside at Adin. "I didn't mean to be rough with you. I'm sorry."

"Leo," Adin said slowly, "I don't know… what's going on between you two, but I'm just along for the ride here."

Leo crossed his arms over his chest, setting his jaw. "He's been riding this route for years, with a different boy every time, except for the few times I was with him. He knows how to handle himself—you saw that. But this is… this is different. Times are changing, and it's more dangerous than… It's not just bandits, Adin."

Adin made a face. "Then you go with him, and I'll stay here and be retired."

"Believe me, I would love to have it that way," Leo glanced up at the tavern. "Maybe you could work your magic on Orran some more, and he'll let us trade places."

"I don't really think that would go over well with him."

"Probably not."

"I guess you don't want to tell me what the hell's going on?" Adin asked.

Leo studied him for a moment. "What's Orran told you? Anything?"

"Only that he'll tell me everything, just not right now."

"Isn't that just like him," Leo laughed. "If he hasn't said anything, then I can't either. But if he's really taking you with him the whole way—especially now—then he'll have to talk to you soon."

"M'tired of being in the dark," Adin grumbled.

"Chin up, kiddo. I want you to handle the money and watch me for the first hour here, and then you can try it." Leo turned to greet a man looking curiously at the wagon in a tone that was much friendlier than any Adin had heard him use, gesturing to the bottles and explaining their uses.

Adin leaned against the tavern wall, watching Leo work, but there wasn't much to it: people usually knew what they wanted without anyone having to tell them—and women especially didn't want anyone to suggest that they could use some face cream to clear up blemishes and wrinkles.

They worked for several hours, before Leo announced that they needed lunch, and closed up the back of the wagon. Adin was still recovering from his enormous breakfast, but when Leo sat him down and set a plate of stuffed rolls in front of him, he still managed to eat several before he had to stop again.

"Why don't you go upstairs and check on Orran," Leo said, pulling a roll apart to inspect the meat inside. "He'll probably say something ridiculous to me if I go up there, and I'll just be in a bad mood again."

Adin refrained from pointing out that all of Leo's moods so far had been bad, got up from the table, and went upstairs to the room that he'd left Orran in. He tapped on the door, listened tensely for a moment, then opened the door and peered inside.

Orran had been sitting down in a chair when Adin had left him; the man had since moved to the bed in one corner of the room, sprawled out on top of the quilts. Adin froze, staring; he'd never seen the man asleep, or even lying down, and it was strange to see him so vulnerable. He lay so still that Adin had to watch closely to see him breathing.

Sighing, Adin sat down in the chair. After spending so many days cooped up in small spaces, it was exhausting to spend so many hours on his feet. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"Adin, my darling, what are you doing up here?"

Adin startled, blinking forcefully. "What?"

Orran was sitting up in bed, watching him. "Did Leo send you up here? The schemer. Are you tired?"

Adin rubbed his eyes. "A little," he yawned. "Not as tired as you must be."

"You don't need to work as hard as I do, Adin. I hope you've eaten?"

"Yes, sir."

Orran started to get out of bed, and Adin stood up. "If Leo finds out I woke you up, he'll kill me," he said. "You have to rest."

"He sent you up here to see me, didn't he?"

"To check on you, that's all," Adin said. "I shouldn’t have stayed as long as I did, I think I fell asleep—"

"He knows I'm a… a light sleeper." Orran looked at him. "And did the two of you get to know each other while you worked this morning?"

Adin shook his head. "He's not a 'getting to know you' kind of person, I guess."

Orran chuckled. "No, I suppose not. I think sending you up here was Leo's way of telling me I should have my little talk with you." He nodded at the chair. "Sit down."

Adin sat down slowly, staring up at him. "…Leo said you were being followed by something more dangerous than bandits."

"I suppose you could say that, yes."

"…And you're strong," Adin went on, trying to lay all the pieces in front of him to make a whole. "You don't need a lot of sleep. And you have a lot of money, and people know who you are."

Orran smiled. "Nothing escapes your notice, does it?"

"And your eyes are a funny color," Adin finished, feeling he was being made fun of again.

Orran's smile faded, and he sat on the edge of the bed. "I can go a very long time without rest, but Leo's right: it isn't good for me. And I do eat, occasionally, when I come across something that I'm particularly fond of."

"Like what?" Adin asked, completely certain the man was going to answer something like 'the still-beating hearts of young boys.'

"Potatoes," Orran said. "Scalloped. They're my favorite, and you see if Leo doesn't try to tempt me to the dinner table by ordering the cook here to make some for me."