The sun wasn't yet up outside and the water didn't entirely wash the sour taste of dreaming from his mouth. It was half tempting to go back to the bar and find something strong enough to do the job right. Instead he drank straight from the bottle, figuring the gold he left back on the counter more than made up for the poor manners.
Gold often did.
"Well, I can't fault you there. We're pretty noisy, aren't we?" Resting his chin on his palm, Molly watched him. He didn't seem any more haunted than usual, that was good. So it was just Caleb being a nerd for magic, that was... safe. But safe was often boring in large amounts.
"Since we're both awake at this gloriously shite hour, care to come with me on an adventure?"
A part of Caleb had rather hoped that Molly would take his drink and return to the room he most often shared with Fjord or Yasha. Instead, he had company, which meant he ought to close his book, didn't it?
He didn't do that. Instead, he focused on it more intently until Molly suggested an adventure.
Molly felt that hook sinking in as Caleb responded. Conversations were like a good grift, sometimes you just had to lay the bait to get their attention.
"Well, I've been hearing that there's a tower nearby where the view of the sunset is actually pretty impressive."
It had been a story he and Beau had picked up while they were out on an errand. It had been mildly interesting at the time, but who had the fortitude to wake up before dawn just to climb a million stairs? The joke was on him.
The tower, more than the sunrise or walk, sounded appealing, but Caleb didn't say that outloud. He considered it for a moment. Was he really considering it? He was already in motion, shutting his spellbook and sliding both books into their holsters on his ribs.
They were probably trespassing, but that hadn't ever stopped Caleb. There was a part of him that considered, as the eldest, he should be more mindful of things, of making sure the other, more reckless members of their motley group didn't get in trouble.
He buttoned his holsters closed and looked at Molly.
"If we want to beat the sun, we should go now then."
"Good man." Molly grinned, getting up and taking one last swig from the bottle before abandoning it on the table. He was hardly dressed for a proper adventure. No coat, no swords. Just a loose shirt and pair of low-slung pants he wore to bed after Fjord had, vehemently, rejected Molly's usual habit of sleeping in the nude.
Ah, well, hopefully, they wouldn't end up in a fight for their lives. He wasn't about to go ruining the moment by rushing off to powder his nose.
After that, all it took was telling the sleepy young half elf at the desk to inform their friends they had gone for a walk if they came looking for them. Then it was out into the dark to try and find this tower before the sun got a chance to show its face.
Caleb had noticed the choice of attire when Molly had come down, and though he let his gaze linger for a moment, it was no more or less revealing than what Molly normally wore, and so he had no reason to comment.
But as they stepped out into the street, the cool, early morning air was enough to make him consider it. He took off his coat and put it over Molly's shoulders before looking this way and that in the street like he hadn't done it at all.
"This way?"
He was guessing, but he had a rough idea of where they were going.
Huh. The coat settled over his shoulders, warm and smelling pleasantly of the soap from the last bathhouse they had visited and something that was probably purely Caleb. It was tempting to tease him, to call him a gentleman and see what it took to make the man blush but...
He didn't want to discourage Caleb from being kind.
So he slid his arms into the sleeves without a word and strode down the street like he owned it.
"Yeah, it's not too far. Might have to climb a fence, though." It was technically private property but it was an open secret that the view from the top of the tower was amazing. "I don't suppose you have something in your arsenal that deal with that, do you?"
As they walked, Caleb kept just slightly behind Molly. He noted the exact moment that he slipped his arms into the sleeves, the more confident way he wore Caleb's coat. Not unlike how he wore his remarkable, bright coat normally.
"Unfortunately, not really," he said, shaking his head even though Molly was faced away from him. "I am more in grabbing things than picking locks. Come to think of it, how are we planning to get in the tower, Mollymauk?"
"Good question," He said. And it was! But Molly didn't bother to pretend he had a plan, he just kept sauntering with a bounce in his step. Were you hoping for more planning from the tiefling who paid a gold for a bottle of water?
Molly turned on his heel, walking backward so he could look at Caleb while they talked. Hopefully, the wizard would warn him before he walked into a wall.
"I figured we could climb the fence and maybe push your cat through a window to get a door open. We'll play it by ear."
Caleb frowned at that particular idea, though it was mostly because Molly wasn't looking at him. Frumpkin wasn't even around, probably curled up in Nott's bed back at the inn or doing other cat-like things, and it would be very simple to make him here, but wouldn't you know. He wasn't.
But Caleb just made a mild, protesting noise to the idea of using his cat for this.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Gold often did.
"Well, I can't fault you there. We're pretty noisy, aren't we?" Resting his chin on his palm, Molly watched him. He didn't seem any more haunted than usual, that was good. So it was just Caleb being a nerd for magic, that was... safe. But safe was often boring in large amounts.
"Since we're both awake at this gloriously shite hour, care to come with me on an adventure?"
no subject
He didn't do that. Instead, he focused on it more intently until Molly suggested an adventure.
Was he curious? Of course. Was he foolish?
Also of course.
"What sort of adventure?"
no subject
"Well, I've been hearing that there's a tower nearby where the view of the sunset is actually pretty impressive."
It had been a story he and Beau had picked up while they were out on an errand. It had been mildly interesting at the time, but who had the fortitude to wake up before dawn just to climb a million stairs? The joke was on him.
"I thought since we're both up it might be fun."
no subject
They were probably trespassing, but that hadn't ever stopped Caleb. There was a part of him that considered, as the eldest, he should be more mindful of things, of making sure the other, more reckless members of their motley group didn't get in trouble.
He buttoned his holsters closed and looked at Molly.
"If we want to beat the sun, we should go now then."
no subject
Ah, well, hopefully, they wouldn't end up in a fight for their lives. He wasn't about to go ruining the moment by rushing off to powder his nose.
After that, all it took was telling the sleepy young half elf at the desk to inform their friends they had gone for a walk if they came looking for them. Then it was out into the dark to try and find this tower before the sun got a chance to show its face.
no subject
But as they stepped out into the street, the cool, early morning air was enough to make him consider it. He took off his coat and put it over Molly's shoulders before looking this way and that in the street like he hadn't done it at all.
"This way?"
He was guessing, but he had a rough idea of where they were going.
no subject
He didn't want to discourage Caleb from being kind.
So he slid his arms into the sleeves without a word and strode down the street like he owned it.
"Yeah, it's not too far. Might have to climb a fence, though." It was technically private property but it was an open secret that the view from the top of the tower was amazing. "I don't suppose you have something in your arsenal that deal with that, do you?"
no subject
"Unfortunately, not really," he said, shaking his head even though Molly was faced away from him. "I am more in grabbing things than picking locks. Come to think of it, how are we planning to get in the tower, Mollymauk?"
no subject
Molly turned on his heel, walking backward so he could look at Caleb while they talked. Hopefully, the wizard would warn him before he walked into a wall.
"I figured we could climb the fence and maybe push your cat through a window to get a door open. We'll play it by ear."
no subject
But Caleb just made a mild, protesting noise to the idea of using his cat for this.
"Play it by ear it is."