He rose early, even though sleep had been elusive of late. Turning he sat on the edge of the bed for a few moments, his eyes quickly adjusting to the lack of light of this pre-dawn hour. Fingers ran over the elk fur under him, the gift of a blanket that was too warm for his use but was soft enough that it made for a nice pad to sleep upon, and then rose.

Moving across the room and through the doorway he looked to the private bath, the one all ready and waiting with steaming water. After relieving himself, a towel was taken from the wardrobe and tossed to the chair next to the tub and he stepped over the rim. Slowly he lowered himself in to the water's warm embrace, relaxing back agaisnt the end of the tub.

After laying there for a few moments, his eyes nearly closed, enjoying the soaking his took in a slow breath and with a shift of his legs slowly slipped entirely under the surface of the water.

Seconds ticked by, maybe minutes before a figure that few would recognize resurfaced. Gone was the short muzzle, the whiskers, the fur, leaving behind the visage of a man.

As he sank back agaisnt the end of the tub again, a hand absent of any sort of claws reached for a wash cloth and bar of soap kept within reach of the tub and started working the two into a lather. Sitting up a bit more arms, shoulders and chest were washed as his thoughts drifted, replaying events over the last few days, weeks, and even months.

While it became almost tiresome to continue to explain when asked, he never has truly laid claim to ownership of the Inn. Kairee was the closest thing to an owner the Dragon would ever have, and he didn't' believe even she could truly do so. No. The Inn could have no owner, but it had those it allowed to act on its behalf. 'ree was at the top of that list. Her connection to the nexus tied her to the Inn like no other could be. While he....he just sort of fell in to the whole thing those years ago. And even after trying to, well, escape from it he was drawn back once again.

But it was different now. Subtle, so very subtle at first, like whispering voices half-heard from across the room. Recently however it became more pronounced. The Dragon started ....talking to him. Impressions, feelings, enough to tell him about things taking place inside before he even entered, all through the lightest of touches.

And then there was last night.

Rising from the tub he grabbed the towel and started drying off as he stepped to the rug on the floor. He had some things to attend to that Panther could not, so as he started dressing in some warmer than usual clothes his mind continued to play back the events of the previous evening.

As he returned to the Inn and moved across the porch, he knew as soon as he touched the wall that something was going on inside. He paused, listening, taking it in before entering. A girl in some trouble, about to flee. Not the best thing to do at the moment....so as he reached out to rest a hand against one of the wooden columns that support the roof and rafters overhead, he asked for it to be prevented.

And it was.

The how, the why of this still puzzled him as he pulled on a pair of wool socks and soft leather boots. He would need to talk to 'ree about it. Soon. She may be able to give some insight. But for now there were other things do to.

Grabbing a simple woollen cloak and moving to the door he brushed his fingers over the wood and turned his head slightly. Assured that no one was roaming the upper hall he moved out of the room and down the hall towards the common room. Any stragglers there at this hour would think nothing of the man coming down from the upstairs rooms and heading out at the start of another day.