CHAPTER 35: The Fish's Tail

Unlike Natal who was rich enough to own a magical storage of his own that was enough to store both his and Anared's luggage, Ashen carried his on his back coupled with the fact that he wasn't going to their city, he was going further to the City of Lakod where his parents lived.

Even though he had no plans of living with them, Ashen still thought it would be more comfortable to be homeless in a city you were familiar with than one in which you weren't.

"Remember...just the first floor," Anared reminded him as he waved to Ashen who nodded and waved back before turning around, having decided to leave early since he had more distance to cover than they did.

Ashen got on the cheapest carriage he could find after going through more than ten and a long time of bargaining with the final carriage he chose, wearing down the carriage driver until he couldn't decide whether to just zoom off in annoyance or carry the cheap schoolboy in front of him out of pity, seeing that it was rare for them to be allowed to go so close to the academy in the first place.

Amongst the noise and chatter from other passengers as they curiously stared at him or more like at his uniform, Ashen finally got to the City of Lakod, getting off a few streets away from where his family lived, harbouring no intention whatsoever to bump into his parents at all. 

Dropping at an inn with an old and bent sign on top of it called the "Fish's tail" which told Ashen everything he needed to know about it, seeing drunk men and women with overly painted faces coming and going out of it.

Ashen had thought that wearing his uniform would make most people think twice about hurting him, but as was about to enter, he couldn't help but feel like it just brought more unnecessary attention his way.

"Boyyy," slurred a drunkard with a keg of wine in his hand who he ducked away from as he seemed to be half-blind and intent on barging straight into Ashen who had just been about to go through the doorway of the inn, 

"You berra wosh wer your go...ump," hiccuping into the air before he could finish his sentences before being surrounded by women hoping to take him home and show him a good time, while relieving him of whatever money he had left before he spent it all on more wine.

Walking in, Ashen was already second-guessing his actions and the smell of the inn alone made him feel like he didn't think his actions through and it wasn't too late for him to go back home to a warm bed, food and parents who longer saw any worth in him.

Still, he bulldozed himself right to the counter of the inn, ignoring all the curious gazes he drew from both men and women, 

On getting to the counter, he had barely gotten there when the innkeeper who seemed busy with a keg of wine looked straight at him with a confused expression on his face before speaking.

"A' Yer lost, boy?" He asked in such a deep voice in a way that if Ashen had been meaning to rob him, he would think twice about it from his voice alone, not to mention, how he towered over him with a good two feet.

"No actually. I want to rent a room," Ashen replied quickly in a more high-pitched voice than he would have liked.

"Here?" He asked while still staring intensely at Ashen almost as if he had no intention of missing any important detail that he could get from his appearance.

"Yes," Ashen again replied with a nod, feeling sweat patches underneath his armpit, as he felt like the inn seemed to become quieter the more time he spent in it.

"Alone?" The innkeeper asked again with a look that told Ashen that he didn't think he was completely alright.

"Yes-s," Ashen replied wondering who else the man thought he would stay here with when his cheeks slightly reddened as he recalled the many scarcely clothed women he had seen at the door when he came in.

"Hmmm," was all the reply he got from the innkeeper who looked like he didn't believe him in the slightest.

"A bronze coin for three nights. It would also include three meals and a half a bucket of water for wiping your body clean. You eat what is prepared. There are no special orders," the innkeeper said as he pointedly looked at him, his gaze landing more on his uniform as he spoke to him.

Recalling how all he had was a few silver coins with no change, and from the description, he was given, Ashen couldn't help but feel like he had chosen an inn that was way too cheap but the more he thought of his academy fees for his third year which was thirty gold coins, Ashen couldn't help but feel like he made a good decision.

"I have a silver coin," Ashen said picking  one out of his pocket before placing it on the counter, 

"I'll leave it with you, and we'll calculate my change if there's any when I eventually leave," 

"Okay," replied the innkeeper, swiping the silver coin, fast enough for Ashen to almost miss it as the innkeeper placed a key in its place.

"Climb the stairs. It's D'last room on the corridor. Visitors are allowed since it's your room as long as no trouble is caused," The innkeeper said giving him the same look of suspicion he had given him previously when he entered the inn.

"Wha...what?"

"I have no intention to have any visitors whatsoever," Ashen said louder than he wanted to, defending himself even though he hadn't been outrightly accused of anything.

"Say what you may...but some prefer Women and some prefer men. But young people like come here only for one reason and one reason only," the innkeeper shrugged, as he continued cleaning the empty beer glasses in front of him, no longer paying as much attention to Ashen as he did before.

"Food and a half bucket of water would be delivered to your room," He said catching a whiff of something in the air as he watched Ashen turn around to walk away to his room with a look of exasperation on his face.

"This place smells worse than the insides of a fish and the man, goes ahead to indirectly tell me that I'm the one smelling," Ashen thought in annoyance, climbing the stairs up to his room while inhaling the different kinds of smells that engulfed the room, from vomit to stale food, and a creamy tang in the air that he couldn't identify.