By the Light of Dawn [Una/Gavin]

Gavin had lingered outside, a silent sentinel for far too long. Almost an hour balanced on weary feet, he feared that his evening might have been a strange nightmare and if he left sight of Una's building all that had happened might vanish. It had been a nightmare perhaps, but not one he'd like to forget and he was reluctant to leave Una's side even while there was bricks between them. He might have even just waited there stoically until she emerged, but when the light of day arrived people began to give Gavin strange looks, perhaps thinking him homeless, a lone elf, weary eyed, mud splattered robes and twigs in his hair. Even his bird offered him no support, Dierdre had long returned home to nap in the comfort of his rafters. Eventually Gavin grew too self conscious and perhaps the sunlight shook a little sense into him. He returned home briefly to find a change of clothes, to comb his hair, but not to sleep.

Gavin returned to the shop within the hour looking more presentable, although no amount of frantic grooming had been able to hide the dark circles under his eyes. It was still absurdly early and the door wasn't open, so he sat down on the doorstep doing his best to ignore more strange looks from the early risers that passed by. What sort of man was so eager to buy soap that he would camp out by the door? Perhaps it was a little strange, a little desperate for him to wait like this. Perhaps he should go home and call on her later like an ordinary person might.

Gavin found himself drifting off against the door, and was asleep before he could change his decision.

Gavin opened his eyes, but he still wasn't fully conscious even when the back of his head smacked into the hard floor, he only really came to when the Matron started yelling at him. Where was this? Why wasn't he in his own soft bed? Gavin tried to find the answers to these questions while rolling protectively into the fetal position avoiding the sharp boot prodding his ribs.

"Who are you? Where's Una?" he managed to slur, rolling into a corner and hastily wiping the drool off his chin with his sleeve. He righted himself into a sitting position and tried to think, bits of pieces of information were coming back to him now. Una didn't live alone, she might have mentioned this woman before in one of her letters. He couldn't quite remember, torn as he was from a dreamless sleep.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't sleeping -I mean I was but only because the door was shut- I'm waiting for Una." Gavin stuttered out a few lines, more coherent now than he had been before. Suddenly his eyes widened and he gazed up imploringly at the Matron "I wasn't breaking any laws!" he exclaimed in a panicked tone, struggling to stand and using the wall for support.