Valetni stirred.<br/><br/>Of late his dreams had been growing less and less troubled, his psyche mending itself even as his body doing the same. Never one to talk much, following the death of Vernasus he had said even less, becoming nearly monosyllabic, and never initiating the conversation. Yes, he had won. But now the game was over, and Valetni was discovering that much of the joy of his competition between him and vernasus came from the competition, and his death had put an end to that.<br/><br/>Sitting upright, he coughed. His lungs still felt as if they were being scoured with steel wire every time he did so, but he had learned to cope, to ignore the pain. He had decided that pain was merely weakness leaving the body. Using his hands to swing his legs around off the side of the bed, he took oak cane that rested beside the bed in one hand. Bracing himself against both the cane and the imminent pain, he levered himself to his feet, ignoring the daggers stabbing him in his calves and thighs.<br/><br/>'Yes' He thought to himself. 'Today would be different.'<br/><br/>But first, breakfast. With each laboring, agonized step, Valetni made his way towards the breakfast hall, pausing on his way to give every guard he met a glance that would have them nervously checking their drink and food for days to come.<br/><br/>Yes, today would be different, even if he had to make it so.