Kitsune in the Shadows

Chapter 74 – Breakfast At The Inn

As soon as I could no longer feel Ovia’s presence, I opened my eyes to find Ava sitting on the side of the bed.

“They seemed nice,” She said as she reached out and patted my head.

“Mm…”

I struggled a bit to get myself out of bed, realising quite quickly that my body was still feeling a little weak from our last day on the road.

“Hey now, you don’t need to push yourself,” Ava got off of the bed and helped me onto my feet, “We’re here now. We can take things a little easier for a bit… and to be completely honest with you, I’m not in the best shape myself.”

“… That… sounds good…”

“Well, I’m glad you think so,” She laughed a little as she spoke, “But for right now, how about we get out of these clothes and put on something a bit more comfortable? I, for one, could go for a big breakfast right about now.”

Without me saying anything, Umbra came out of my shadow, already carrying two fresh sets of clothes for the two of us.

Were you… waiting for us?

“Well done Umbra,” Ava gave Umbra a scratch under their chin as she took the clothes and divided them up, “Kierra, I’ll face away while you get changed first.”

“Okay,” I said as I took my clothes from Ava.

The outfit was nothing fancy, just a pair of shorts and a reasonably comfortable shirt. Not that it really mattered all that much what I wore, as I wasn’t planning on taking my cloak off while we were out.

As I took off my shirt, I took a moment to hold my pendant in my hand. The gem had the slightest sliver of light on it once again… I ran my finger over the stone, hoping that just maybe I could rub it off and go see Ovia again… But nothing happened.

…

Umbra hopped back into my shadow as I quickly got changed, watching Ava’s back the whole time to make sure she didn’t go against her word… even though I already knew she wouldn’t.

When I finished, I went up and lightly tapped Ava on the shoulder.

“All done?” She asked as she turned around, “Guess that means it’s my turn now.”

Without even waiting for me to look away, she immediately started undressing. I immediately spun around, feeling a little embarrassed.

All I heard from that point on was a faint giggle, the ruffle of feathers, and the quiet sound of clothing falling to the floor.

“I’m all dressed now.”

Looking back, the clothes she had put on weren’t all too different to mine, although, unlike me, she had already put on her cloak.

“So, should we go see what we can do about breakfast?” She asked.

“Alright,” I reached for my cloak before quickly throwing it on and pulling the hood up over my ears.

“You don’t need to keep the hood up anymore if it isn’t comfortable. This place is a little bit more relaxed than Casgolau.”

Relaxed?

…

But you’re still hiding your wings under your cloak.

How relaxed could it really be?

…

I just kept my hood up as I made my way to the door, although Ava quickly ran in front of me and opened it before I could even put a hand on it.

“After you,” She said as she gestured into the hallway.

“Mm…”

The two of us made our way down the stairs to find the old lady from before sitting behind the front desk. As soon as she saw us she smiled and waved for us to come closer. However, as I looked at her, I noticed something obvious that I had somehow completely missed the first time we saw her. On the top of her head were two wolf ears.

“You two must have had quite the journey to get here,” She said as she started rummaging behind the desk, “You slept for a whole day… Oh! But don’t worry, I didn’t go into your room. Those two boys came and told me that you’d need some space.”

Boys?

Who would-?

“It was just a particularly long day yesterday… or I guess the day before yesterday,” Ava said as she laughed a little awkwardly.

“Oh, please don’t worry about it,” The old lady pulled out a few pieces of paper along with two small pouches, “Those boys showed up early in the morning with your payment for that request you were on. Oh, and where are my manners? I’m Daleia, and I’m the owner of this little inn.”

“Well, my name is Ava,” She took both the papers and the pouches, looking them over briefly before tucking them inside her cloak, “And this is… um…”

Ava looked at me, clearly hoping for me to say something.

“Ms Wolf, at least that’s what I’ve been told,” Daleia smiled warmly towards me, “Don’t worry about anything. If that pup Joran opened up to you, I know that you’re not that bad a person.”

Joran?

Are the boys Joran and Elwyn?

“Sorry, sorry, the two of you are probably starving,” She stood up and walked out from behind the desk before gesturing over to a table, “I’ll have something ready for you immediately, and don’t worry about payment. I’ve already taken out what you owe me.”

As we sat down, she made her way behind the bar and into what I could only assume was the kitchen.

“I can see why we were recommended this place now.”

“Mm…”

Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait much longer until Daleia came out carrying two bowls. She walked over to us and set them down at our table before taking a seat herself.

“You don’t need to wear that hood in here if it’s getting too stuffy,” She said, “No one in here will have a go at you for being a beastkin. If they would’ve, I’d have already shown them the door. That is if they hadn’t already run away with their tail tucked between their legs.”

No.

…

I know better than that.

I just ignored what she had said and started to eat. The food was admittedly nothing more than a simple soup, but I couldn’t deny that it felt particularly filling in the moment.

“She’s just been through a lot,” Ava spoke up for me, “She isn’t trying to be rude.”

“Oh, that isn’t a problem at all. As you can probably imagine, I’ve had all sorts come through that door over the years,” Her expression softened, “Honestly, those boys that sent you here were much more of a handful than the two of you have been so far. Honestly, I think we might as well still be strangers with how little those two rascals come to visit… the audacity of them.”

Despite what she said, it was obvious from the tone of her voice that she cared for Joran and Elwyn.

“Really?” Ava spoke in between spoonfuls, “When we were travelling with them, they did seem a little rough around the edges, but that’s about it.”

“Well, that’s how they are now,” She let out a playful sigh, “The first time they came barging in through those doors, they were on the run from the guards. That pup had gone at someone he shouldn’t have… they only stayed for a night before getting on a ship and heading off the island. Of course, they came back later and stayed here properly. But it’s hard for me to see them as anything other than troublemakers. Whenever they pass through here, something always ends up happening.”

I just continued to eat as Ava and Daleia continued to speak.

Eventually, both Ava and I finished the food that was given to us. Daleia promptly stacked the bowls before setting them over at the end of the table.

“So, what did you think?” She asked.

“Much better than what Elwyn was serving us,” Ava responded.

“Of course it’s better! I might have taught him everything he knows, but that doesn’t mean I taught him everything I know. A good chef always has their secrets.”

“Completely understandable,” Ava nodded her head.

“Oh?” Daleia’s ears perked up, “It sounds like I’ve been visited by a kindred soul. Do you cook?”

“Do I cook?!” Ava immediately started exaggerating everything she said, “I don’t just cook. I make art for the soul.”

“Oh my, it seems that I need to sample this ‘art’ of yours sometime.”

“I would gladly oblige.”

“But unfortunately, sometime isn’t today. I’ll wait until you’re at your best so you can just spend some time relaxing for a while,” She pointed over her shoulder at the kitchen, “Oh, and if the two of you come to the bar this evening, and I’ll make sure to have dinner ready for you.”

“And what might dinner be?” Ava leaned in close.

“Today, I’m making our speciality,”  She puffed out her chest as she spoke, “The most tender braised lamb shoulder you’ll ever eat.”

“Ooh, that sounds great.”

“Oh, it is. Especially when you’ve just come off a long journey like you have,” She smiled as she spoke, “You just don’t get the chance to experience good slow-cooked food when you’re always on the move. It makes it that much better when you finally get to settle down for a bit.”

“I’ll have to see about that.”

“I hope you do.”

The two of them just started laughing together before eventually calming back down once footsteps could be heard at the top of the stairs.

“It looks like I’m going to have to leave you two now,” She stood up and dusted off her dress, “But I hope you have a lovely stay while you’re here.”

Daleia then made her way back behind the bar as people started asking for breakfast.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Ava immediately turned towards me, “You can whisper if you want to, but I’m sure no one is paying attention to us.”

What’s the plan for today?…

…

…

I… don’t know…

…

I just came here because of the note…

…

“Hey, are you alright?” She asked.

I promptly nodded but still couldn’t come up with an answer to her first question.

“I’m… not sure… I don’t know what to do now…” I whispered into Ava’s ear just to be sure no one could hear me.

“Hmm… that makes things a little difficult… I’m sure you don’t want to just sit in the inn though. I did promise that I’d make sure you wouldn’t have the time to be lost in your thoughts,” She smirked, “I know that I might not be the best guide in the world, but I’ve at least come through here before so it’ll be better than nothing.”

…

I wasn’t sure how to respond to her. I knew she meant well, but all she did was bring up the memories of when she made me that promise.

…

“Hey, you probably just don’t know what to do because you don’t know what you can do out here,” She wrapped her arm over my shoulder, “We can just take a day or two to walk around the place. I’m sure something will catch your eye eventually. There’s so much here that you probably couldn’t even imagine after being stuck in Casgolau for so long.”

“Mm…”

“Look, how about this? We go see what this place is known for! The port! You’ll get to see the port itself, the people that live here, the boats as they come and dock,” Her face suddenly lit up, “Oh! And the sea! I still remember the first time I saw it. I almost didn’t believe it was real. It just kept going and going and going, as far as the eye can see, many times over at that.”

But… I know what the sea is…

…

Is it really that impressive?

…

…

But what else am I going to do?

I do want to find clothes for Ovia… but I have a whole month…

I can’t spend a whole month doing just that…

…

“Okay,” I eventually gave in.

“Then let’s head out right away,” She got up from the table before stretching, “I’m sure you want to get out of here before this place gets too crowded for breakfast after all.”