(Venn is pretty sure she can keep surprising him in small ways for the rest of their lives, actually. She hopes she gets to.)

She kisses the top of his head, and then... does he want to  play chess while they hold each other? 

That sounds good! He will worry less about her being eaten by demons while she's wandering the Worldwound if he is playing chess. Temporarily.

At the point where she picks up that his primary concern is being worried about her safety and not her deciding not to come back, Venn relaxes a bit. (She knows, by now, that his worrying will expand to fill the available space. But she's strong, and she'll be careful.)

Chess and maybe some kissing, before she leaves for her noon patrol?

Yes. And then he has some schedule shuffling to do to account for her trip and his own patrol the other direction.

Venn tells Txell afterwards, as they're removing their overcoats, that she's leaving to go on a bardic quest soon. She wants to see the rest of the forts, gather fresh material and inspiration to write songs about, that kind of thing.

"A bardic quest. Are you expecting there to be important variations in the Song of the Alcohol Ration?"

Her eyes light up. "The Mendevian version is different, actually, it goes like this -"

Well it's only to be expected that the words would be different since they speak Hallit but it is interesting that they have a related but not identical tune too, sure.

Venn is also interested in learning what the people are like at the different forts and what their social and professional lives are like!

She promises to bring back lots and lots of juicy gossip.

"You'd better."

Venn sleeps worse than usual that night, but there's a long window of time where she and Blai are both free the next day. Is he perhaps interested in having a sleeping bard in his bed and or arms? 

Yes but he's going to fret the entire time about how she's not going to be sleeping adequately while she's doing her circuit.

If he doesn't bring this up to her, he will not be reminded that she's really very confident of her ability to handle this by napping.

(...it's sweet of him to worry, though.)

Also, how does Blai feel about sleepy bardic kisses? 

A new variant! Is she positive she's napped enough though.

She is positive that this is how she wants to be spending her time with him right now!

That is not the same thing as having napped enough he'll take it, clerics don't get Sleep and she's too strong to go down to one anyway.

Well, you see, if she is still tired afterwards, she can nap while he's patrolling, but if she wants to kiss him while he patrolling, she is out of luck! 

When it's time for Venn to set out westward, she doesn't do any big fancy goodbyes - she'll see everyone here in a few days. She's told enough people about her plan by now that she expects the entire fort will know by the time she passes through on her way east.

(She does give Blai a very long hug, the last time they're together in private.)

He wouldn't rather she go away forever. That wouldn't be better. The part where she is gone would just keep happening all the time, that way.

That does not mean he is looking forward to it happening temporarily. He hugs her extra tight. He is usually conservative about that so he has some margin for special occasions.

"I'll be careful," she whispers, her face pressed against him.

She really hopes that this works out and if it doesn't he's going to be so so sad

Most of the time people go on a circuit around the Wound they live. But it's not just because they're careful, it's because they're lucky, and she can't do that on purpose.

And then she's off!

The far west forts, outside of 11's usual healing reach, are grateful to have her. She gets some interesting stories about the Irriseni defense effort, while she's out there. 

(They've actually been priority recipients of devil's blood whenever someone's come by a supply of that but they're not going to explain this and she'll have to put it together herself and it doesn't stop them from being, in their Chelish way, grateful.)

When she turns back around and goes east again, there's a bulletin up in #8 upon her arrival.

The archmages have closed the Worldwound.

This is the biggest thing that's happened in a hundred years and she's right here