Lawrence closed the door to the liquor store behind him as he entered it, letting out a slight breath as he looks around, going to lean against the wall to rest for a moment. Today's certainly been a day. Here, I thought it'd just have been a quick trip to the market. Ah well, at least something good came of it! He smiles as he thinks back to his encounter with Rose, before lightly pushing himself off the wall.

He walks over to the mat hiding the trap door, carefully lifting them up, revealing the stairway leading into the hidden basement. Lawrence closes the trapdoor behind him once he starts his descent into the basement, softly humming to himself until he reaches the basement. Mm... Don't think I'll ever get completely used to this place, but it's certainly been helpful

With that thought of the way, he goes to pull down his hood, no real need to leave his face concealed now that he's in a most assuredly safe spot. He then walks around the basement, looking around for Dirk. "Hey, Dirk. You around? I need to talk to you about something." He says, continuing to walk around the basement, looking for the good Prince.

Dirk's day had been pretty uneventful and not especially busy; he had spent the morning working on assembling machine parts for the radar he was building, and the afternoon running errands like he usually did. He had gotten back to the liquor shop at nightfall and he had started working on various things; making plans for future projects and meetings, pacing around the basement of the liquor shop, sketching out and scribbling things in his notebook whenever he got an idea. Around 11 o'clock, he sat down at a table, under the light of a candle, to reply to a few letters he had received in the past week. He had put off this task for too long and he needed to catch up.

As he was replying to his third letter, his eyes started getting hot and tired. Even if his day had been pretty quiet, he was practically always tired, lately, since he usually had trouble falling asleep, and his hard, wooden chair was just comfortable enough for him to start drifting off. At first he was just nodding off, but he eventually fell asleep.

He didn't hear when Lawrence entered the liquor shop, nor when he walked down the stairs. He awoke with a start when he heard the young man's voice calling for him. He recognized Lawrence's voice practically instantly. He got up a bit too quickly and his chair was pushed back, making an awful noise as it scraped the floor. He gritted his teeth, embarrassed. He didn't like getting caught in a moment of weakness. He noticed that his bottle of ink was knocked over when he got up, and so he picked it up, but not before most of his letters were stained with ink. He let out an annoyed sigh.

He decided he would take care of the mess later. He walked over to where Lawrence's voice was coming from.

"Good evening, Lawrence. How can I help you?"

Lawrence winces a little as he hears the scraping of the chair, looking around to discern where it came from, stopping as he catches Dirk appearing out of the corner of his eye, shifting his focus to the Prince. "Good evenin', Dirk. Sorry if I interrupted anything important, but I kinda have something to tell you." He responds, letting out a slight cough, lightly tapping two of his fingers against his head.

Now... How do I phrase this out so it doesn't sound too awkward? He thinks to himself for a couple moments, before his eyes open up, something coming to his mind! Okay, I think this should work... He lowers his hand, before speaking up. "Well... Ah, I kinda ran into Ro- the Seer a little while ago while I was in the Market and after some stuff happened she told me she had something she wanted to say to you." He says, before taking a slight breath.

Well, time to see how he'll react to this, then... "She said... that the Palace was no fun without you around." Lawrence said, trying not to fidget as he waits for Dirk's response, curious as to how he'll react to the fact that the young man apparently had encountered Rose.

Dirk started pacing around the room, trying to subtly rub the tiredness off his eyes as he distractedly listened to Lawrence's greeting. While he wasn't exactly eager to hear what the young man had to tell him, he was impatient to be through with this. He was somewhat annoyed to have to deal with him this late, especially since he had wakened him up; his nap had left him grouchy and for some reason, his visitor was taking his time. Dirk wasn't really paying attention to Lawrence when he finally spoke, and he only caught a fraction of what the young man said, but it was enough for his heart to skip a beat: "I kinda ran into Ro- the Seer a little while ago while I was in the Market".

It had been a while since he had even thought of his friends back at the Palace. During the first couple of months after the Witch took over, he was constantly worried about Dave and Rose, but lately, he had been preoccupied with others things. He always had plenty of work to do, and he was usually too tired to think about anything but work. Hearing Rose's name reminded him how much he missed both Dave and her, and his heart sank.

He also thought about the Queen, something he hadn't allowed himself to do in a long time. He knew Dave and Rose would be safe as long as they would pretend they were loyal to the Empress, but the Queen was an entirely different story. He knew she was still alive since only the King had been executed publically, but they were probably using her to get information, and at this point, he didn't know whether she would be better off dead. He could only imagine what she was going through.

He couldn't afford to think about that, though, so he focused on what Lawrence had said, which wasn't that hard after all. He glared at the young man, who kept blabbling in a casual tone about some message Rose wanted to give him, but at this point, he wasn't really paying attention anymore. Anger quickly took over him. He didn't know exactly why he was so pissed. He was pissed at Rose for being so careless. Surely she knew Derse was crawling with agents. He knew it was probably difficult for her to be locked up inside of the Palace, but she knew better. He was also pissed at himself for not being able to control everything, even if that was slightly irrational. But more than anything, right now, he was pissed at the man who was standing in front of him.

"What do you mean, a little while ago?" He hurled. "Why wasn't I aware of this?" As far as he knew, this could have happened weeks ago. He looked at Lawrence, who was probably expecting an entirely different reaction. The man could barely keep still, and right now, Dirk hated his nonchalance. What did he expect? That he would be happy to hear about his friend? How could he when she could have gotten herself killed? Another thought occurred to him: Rose had been able to make it out of her tower without getting caught, but what if she didn't get back to the Palace safely? If anyone knew about this, she was sure to receive a punishment. More, quietly this time, he said: "Please tell me you at least escorted her to the chain and made sure she was safe."

Something else bothered him, though. He didn't know how their encounter had unfolded, but for some reason, he believed their hadn't been any kind of altercation between the young man and the seer. Lawrence had delivered her message, after all. This was unsettling, since mostly everyone thought Rose was a traitor for siding with the Condesce. Lawrence was probably one of the few who still believed in her, though, which wasn't all that surprising, after all; he probably knew her well, since he had grown up along with her in the Noble Circle. He had to make sure Lawrence didn't tell anyone that she wasn't really a traitor; nobody could know, because the more the word got around, the more chances there were the Condesce would become aware of this. He wasn't entirely sure he could trust him with this.

Lawrence doesn't even skip a beat in response to Dirk's question. "When I said 'a little while ago', I meant about two or three hours back, which would be why you hadn't heard of it until I just up and said it." He states matter-of-factly, holding himself back from letting out a slight 'hmph' after letting loose his response, instead sighing a little.

"Besides, I felt that it'd be best if I only told you and nobody else about this. Just didn't feel it was exactly a smart idea mentioning it to anyone else, really." he said in a somewhat more quiet tone, rubbing his arm a little. "As for your other concern... I may not be the brightest of folks, but I'd at least like a little credit. She's absolutely fine." He responds with a huff, albeit just as quietly. actually feeling a little insulted.

Well... it was a slight stretch, but nothing that'd exactly hurt anything. Besides, he was sure that Rose could certainly handle herself, even in her somewhat mussed up condition. He did after all have faith in her, even if he had about next to no interaction with her whatsoever. In retrospect, though, he should've expected Dirk to react with some negativity about this development. Though that's a little too late now and all he can do is just wait for further reactions from the prince.

According to Lawrence, he and the Seer had encountered a few hours back, which meant that Rose had thought that it would be a good idea to wander off the Moon in the middle of the night. What was she thinking? He could hardly blame her for craving a contact with the outside world–even if he himself wouldn't have fled the Palace like that without a good reason. He hadn't exactly caught what her message was, but the way Lawrence had said it, it did seem pretty trivial–then again, it may have been because whatever Lawrence said never seemed really serious. In any case, whatever Rose's reasons were, if she wanted to get out so badly, she could have at least done so during the day. At night, the streets were a lot less busy than during the day, and a young noble like Rose would be far more noticeable. That also applied to the Palace. Needless to say, Dirk thought that making this escapade had been irresponsible of the Seer... but he couldn't exactly blame Lawrence for that. He was still pissed at him, though, however immature that was.

"Well then, maybe you could be a little more specific when telling me you saw someone who is supposed to be one of the closest allies of the Witch."

Lawrence kept on going, telling the Prince that Rose was completely fine, which actually had the only effect to unnerve Dirk a bit more. How could he say that? He had obviously avoided Dirk's question, so it was clear in the Prince's head that Lawrence really had not made sure Rose was safe.

"Do you expect me to be relieved when you're avoiding my question?"

Lawrence was probably assuming that the Seer was able to handle herself. Which was entirely true; Rose was certainly one of the most capable women Dirk knew. However, in the young woman's position, this barely meant anything at all. Getting spotted by only one guard, or one agent would be enough for her to get locked up in her tower again. The Condesce would probably be notified of the Seer's escapade quickly, and Rose couldn't afford to have her doubt her loyalty. One misstep, and she might end up getting killed. As capable as she was, she was entirely helpless in comparison with the Condesce. Her insight might help her find her way back to her room without getting caught, but visions weren't always reliable.

He knew this wasn't Lawrence's fault, though. Even if he had escorted Rose to the chain, or to the Moon even, he wouldn't have been able to help her get back to the Palace. And Dirk wouldn't have asked him to put himself in danger for Rose's sake either. After all, it wasn't his responsibility. He let out a sigh, walked over to the nearest table, and took a seat. He rested his head in his hand and tried to calm down. He had no right to be mad at Lawrence... Really, he was only frustrated he couldn't do anything to make sure Rose was alright.

"I'm sorry... I'm just worried about her. I appreciate that you didn't tell anyone else. You probably figured, but she's not really siding with the Empress... No one else can know about this, though, alright?"

Lawrence let out a slight sigh, not particularly thrilled by Dirk's reactions. Then again, he supposed it wasn't really the best of times to bother him. Regardless, it was either this or just wait even longer until no one else was around... though he could have probably chosen a better time, in any case... he just listened to Dirk for the moment.

He almost takes a step back as Dirk lets that question loose, letting out a slight sigh. Guess even as tired as the prince looked, Lawrence couldn't really get one over him. He looks away a little, feeling a little bad about not having exactly been honest. Though he honestly doubted there was much of anything he could've done... and in any case he was sure she would have been smart enough not to stand out, regardless.

Lawrence then looked back at Dirk, noticing that he had taken a seat at a nearby table. He didn't follow him over yet, deciding to give the Prince a few moments to himself while fidgeting a little. His attention quickly shifting back to Dirk once he speaks up again, moving to go take a a seat at the table, before speaking up and taking a much more serious, hushed tone of voice.

"I...It's alright. These are rather trying times, after all," he said in response, nodding a little. "In any case... yes. I always did have a feeling about that," he nodded slightly, before staring into Dirk's eyes as he asks the question. "...Of course. It'd only serve to complicate matters if anyone aside from us knew about this, so I'll be sure not to say a word."

Dirk nodded at Lawrence's answer and then leaned back on his chair, placing his hands behind his head and stretching his legs under the table in a relaxed pose. He took a deep breath. He felt a lot more calm now, and he was in fact slightly ashamed about having lost his temper. He looked up at the ceiling but he quickly caught himself struggling to keep his eyes open. Now that he had calmed down, tiredness just hit him again with full force. Which, once again, was sort of embarrassing. He wasn't about to fall asleep in front of Lawrence... He sat up straight again and he cleared his throat as he positioned his hands on his knees, trying to appear composed.

"Did she say anything else?" he asked, studying Lawrence's features.

Something a bit further back behind Lawrence caught his glance; the ink he spilled had spread on the table and it had started dripping on the floor. He got up, cursing under his breath, and strode to a shelf, swiftly grabbing a cloth. He dabbed it on the table and the cloth quickly got drenched with ink. He let out a slight sigh, grabbed another cloth, kneeled, and started scrubbing the ink off the floor. This wasn't very successful; the floor would most likely be stained unless he cleaned it with water, but by morning, it would be too late. He got up again and finished cleaning the table. He picked up the letters he had been working on earlier and threw them away along with the cloths, as they were drenched with ink. He then turned to look at Lawrence, stifling a yawn.

"Lawrence, I just realised... there are no more shuttles to the moon, so where do you plan to spend the night?"

Lawrence's eyes silently scanned Dirk, watching as he stretches out a little, smiling slightly as he seems to have regained his calm, blinking as he takes note of his tiredness, before coming to attention as Dirk asks him if Rose said anything else. He thinks for a moment, before speaking up. "No, there was nothing else aside from that." He answers calmly, staring back at Dirk.

He blinks as Dirk gets up, watching where he goes as he sees the mess on the table. Oh dear... I'm guessing that one's kind of my fault there, isn't it? He lets out a slight sigh to himself as he watches Dirk clean up that whole mess for the moment, looking him over some more, letting out another slight sigh as he looks at the Prince's predicament. Poor guy... Just seems to be drowning in all this. I really do hope that things take a turn for the better... and soon. He then goes back to waiting a little while longer, before seeing Dirk come back, asking Lawrence if he had any idea on where he'd spend the night.

Lawrence stopped for a moment, thinking. While he probably could rent a room at The Royal Boy... It might not be the best idea to be wandering around this late at night. That, and it does seem that Dirk's pretty lonely here, so maybe he could hang here for the night. After another moment passes, he starts to speak up. "Well... I actually hadn't thought about that until now. Though, if you wouldn't mind, I guess I could stay here for the night. Besides, having a little company wouldn't be too bad, right?" He asks, smiling a little as he waits for Dirk's response.

Dirk crossed his arms on his chest and gazed at Lawrence's contemplative expression. He mentally slapped himself for asking that question. He hadn't thought before speaking. His mind followed a similar train of thought as his guest; it wouldn't be safe to wander around looking for a place to stay, even if The Royal Boy was quite close, so Lawrence would probably ask if he could stay... or at least, expect the Prince to offer him to stay. No, Dirk's question suggested an invitation anyway; Lawrence would probably think he wanted him to stay. Which wasn't entirely false. He didn't especially like Lawrence, but he didn't want anything to happen to him either.

Nevertheless, he felt conflicted; he probably wouldn't feel comfortable having to sleep with Lawrence in the same room–and there was nothing personal there. The only person he had ever shared a room with was Dave, and Dave was probably the one person he was closest to. He just wasn't close enough to Lawrence to let his guard down in his presence–and what if he snored? He probably wouldn't get any sleep at all, and he really needed at least a few hours of sleep.

Dirk grinned back when Lawrence spoke, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. Of course, a little company wouldn't hurt, right? ...No, who was he kidding. But he didn't have a choice, now, did he? He couldn't just throw Lawrence out. Besides... he had to admit it was a bit stupid to worry about how well he would sleep while Lawrence's safety was at stake. He tried to hide his annoyance as well as he could as he spoke: "Of course I don't mind. You can stay." He thought to himself that adding how he would definitely enjoy the young man's company would've been a bit too much, so he stopped there. He rubbed his tired eyes once more, hoping that Lawrence wouldn't wait too long before going to sleep.

Lawrence's smile widened a little as Dirk said he could stay, glad that he didn't exactly have to deal with any of the potential dangers outside... before letting out a small yawn, stretching out a little, looking around the basement for something.

"Say... Where are we supposed to sleep in here, anyways?" He asks, a more curious tone in his voice than anything else as he continues to glance around, looking for anything that'd look similar enough to a bed. "Ah well... Doesn't bother me too badly, in any case." He says, before getting up from the chair, sliding off his mantle and draping it over the chair he was sitting in.

He then looks at Dirk for a moment, before speaking up. "In any case, seeing as there doesn't really seem to be anything else on our minds at the moment, I think it should be fine for us to turn in for the night, yes?" He asks still stretching out a little, looking a little tired. Besides... I'm a bit worried 'bout Dirk. The guy definitely looks like he could have used a good night's rest about... a few hours ago, honestly. he thinks to himself as he looks at the tired Prince, waiting for a response.

Dirk let his eyes wander boldly on Lawrence as the young man stretched out, yawning, and this time, he couldn't help but let out a yawn of his own. He watched as Lawrence looked around the room for something, and he grinned; he was probably looking for a bed or something. Well one thing was sure, he wouldn’t find one here. He probably should’ve mentioned that, come to think of it. The Prince cocked an eyebrow at Lawrence’s question.

“There is plenty of floor for the two of us, don’t you think?” he chuckled. “You won’t be as comfortable as if you’d spent the night at the Royal Boy, but you’ll still be able to catch a few hours of shut-eye... hopefully.”

He unfolded his arms and took a few steps to lean on the back of a chair. He watched Lawrence as he shrugged off his mantel coat. He looked at Lawrence as he spoke, staring into the amber of his eyes, and a wave of relief washed over him. Sleep. Finally.

“Ah yes, it should be fine.” he said, grinning.

He stood up straight and strode to another chair which was draped in violet fabric, and picked up his cloak off it, rolling it into a ball. He turned to Lawrence.

“I’m sorry to say I don’t have any pillow to offer to you... I don’t actually have any. I usually um, curl up in my cloak to sleep. Keeps me warm.” he said, scratching the back of his head and looking down at the floor.

Lawrence nodded in response to Dirk's question, stifling a yawn as he speaks up. "Mm.. Yeah, I guess so. Don't really sleep on the floor all that often, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem in any case." he says as he glances around for a moment, looking for a good spot to sleep on.

Mm... Nah, a corner spot probably wouldn't be too good an idea... Maybe against the wall? Should be a good spot... He thinks to himself for a moment before moving over to a spot close to a wall, letting out another yawn as he goes to lie on his side, curling up a bit as he shifts a little, trying to get comfortable.

He then blinks for a moment, thinking about the remark about the pillows, before shrugging slightly. "That's alright, just one more thing that I'll have to make do without, really. Nothing too problematic, is all." he replies, yawning a bit more loudly as he starts to relax, before looking up at the prince for a moment. "G'night, Dirk. Sleep well." he says, before starting to close his eyes, beginning to drift off into slumber..