The bell above the door chimed as we stepped back into Radiant Raiment. The warm air hit me after the chill of Solitude's streets, carrying the smell of fabrics and dye instead of sea salt. I had barely taken a breath when Endarie looked up from the counter.
Her eyes landed on me first—sharp, assessing, disapproving all at once. Then they flicked to Taarie. "Well?"
"He'll be staying here," Taarie said without pause, already walking past me as if it were settled. "For a while. I'll use him to help with moving things."
The words caught me off guard. She didn't even ask her sister first?
Endarie's brow lifted. Slowly, her gaze returned to me. She didn't have to say anything for me to feel like I was being measured and found lacking. Then, with the faintest curl of her lip, she muttered, "No wonder you picked him up."
Her tone was dry, pointed. Not aimed at me, but at her sister.
I glanced at Taarie, unsure what to do.
Taarie, for her part, didn't flinch. She only turned her head enough to give me a cool look, then said, "He's just a man who can carry things. That's all. I need someone for that." And with that, she disappeared toward the back, vanishing up the stairs without a second glance.
The silence that followed was heavier than it should've been.
I stood there, stiff and awkward, until I finally exhaled. "…Siblings," I muttered under my breath. "Has to be."
Endarie gave a small huff through her nose—almost a laugh, almost not. Then she moved around the counter, her robes whispering against the floor. "Your room will be upstairs. Second on the left. Do not wander into ours."
"Got it," I said quickly.
She pressed a small pouch into my hand—coins clinking against each other. "Payment. For delivering the dresses."
I blinked, surprised. Somehow, I'd half expected her to refuse to pay, just to make a point. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me," she said, flat. "You earned it. Barely." Her eyes narrowed faintly. "You'll also fetch your armor back from Beirand. It isn't staying in this shop. Not near the silks."
"Fair enough," I said.
"Until then, rest. Eat. You look like you're about to fall over." Her tone shifted, sharper again as she started walking away. "And before you do—go upstairs. Knock on Taarie's door. Tell her dinner is ready. She will ignore me, but she will not ignore someone else."
I hesitated. "…You want me to call her?"
She stopped halfway to the kitchen, glancing back with a cool smirk. "You live here now, don't you? Consider it your first task."
I sighed and rubbed at the back of my neck, suddenly wishing I'd gone to the Winking Skeever instead.
Still, I turned toward the stairs. The wood creaked under my boots as I climbed, the pouch of coin heavy in my hand. Somewhere in the back of my mind, Meridia's voice echoed—the endless orders, the sharp commands.
But this was different.
This was just life. Messy. Human.
I found myself pausing outside Taarie's door, knuckles hovering over the wood. For a moment, I wondered what exactly I'd stepped into here.
Then I knocked.