After hearing Winter ask "Are we there yet?" for the thousandth time, Sage was finally about to snap, with veins appearing on her neck and forehead. Luckily—for Winter—the floor number came into view, subsiding her annoyance.
"You're lucky," she muttered under her breath. "Soooo lucky."
Unbothered by her remarks, Winter dramatically dragged himself up the stairs as if he were climbing a hundred floors.
"Could you take any longer?" Sage questioned, annoyance blatantly bleeding from her tone as she reached for the door.
"Right, sorry," Winter replied, with an apologetic smile. "Kind of forgot why we came here for a second."
Steps passed under his feet as he quickly appeared next to Sage, startling her in the process. His fingers wrapped around the door's handle, pulling it open for Sage.
There was a brief tug on the corner of her lip before it was replaced with something more serious once more. The scene hadn't escaped Winter's sight, yet he knew not to push—at least not at the moment. He could relate to her feelings at the moment, knowing how much fear gripped one's heart in moments like such. His mood switched swiftly as he began to take the situation at hand more seriously.
Sensing the change in his posture, a part of Sage was relieved. After the events of the previous night, she wasn't sure how it would affect their current relationship—even if he did appear close on the outside—but seeing this gave her peace of mind.
Because even though she was strong and could survive most encounters with her own strength, at the end of the day, it was Winter who was truly their backbone.
Sage prepared herself and stepped through the door. Her vigilance rose as she took her bow in hand, notching an arrow onto the bowstring. Winter trailed closely after, glancing into the stairwell for oncoming visitors. Sensing no movements, the door shut—gently—behind him before he too equipped his spear in hand.
As they looked around the empty corridor, Sage's breath slowed, finding no signs of fighting or blood. But that didn't mean there weren't any walkers up here, just not any in sight.
"Where's her apartment?" Winter asked; Sage nodded her toward a short hallway on the left. "She lives down this way.