White Rose

"I've never met anyone like you, Yoichi. You're as stubborn as a mule! Listen... what did the Princess say in your ear?" Enatsu inquired, angry and intrigued at the same time.

"She said that not far from here, there is a tavern that can offer us shelter for the night. It belongs to an old friend of hers. I think we should go and take a look," Yoichi answered. "She made me understand that it's about two miles in that direction," he added, pointing his finger toward the road.

"Well. Let's go. I'm very tired. My feet aren't resisting anymore," Enatsu complained. The merchant made a gesture with his hand, suggesting his companion to lead the way.

As the full moon rose higher and higher in the sky, the two adventurers continued to walk through the capital's deserted streets. Without people walking, Goldhaven looked even bigger.

Yoichi thought back to the words of the Princess and the mysterious man who had attacked her. Having such an important person on his side could be good, but also a heavy burden.

Step by step, the feet of the two companions advanced along the road powered by inertia, having travelled tens of kilometres in a single day. Just as the merchant was about to lose hope and his knees were ready to succumb to fatigue, a vision brought him back to his senses.

'White Rose' - a small damaged sign read, hanging from a wall via a thick rusty iron beam. The wind made it swing back and forth. A constant creaking followed its movements.

"Oh... finally, here we are. C'mon, you go first" Enatsu insisted, petting Sora. The little parrot demon was already sleeping, perched on his shoulder.

Holding Kenji on his leather pouch, Yoichi put his hand on the cold metal ring of the door. The symbol of a rose was engraved on its wooden wings.

A strong creak echoed in the room in front of them: furniture with natural wood, minimal and aged, gave that place a particularly dated appearance. An old 'reception', consisting of a rectangular, dusty counter, hid a man behind it.

He was sleeping with his legs resting on the counter and the body resting on the backrest. The noise of his snoring was so loud that it covered that of the steps of the two travellers; not even the creaking of the door had succeeded in waking him up.

"Wow. As a friend of the Imperial Family, this guy isn't doing so well," Enatsu mumbled, noticing dozens of cobwebs in a corner of the ruined wooden ceiling.

"Um... hello, " Yoichi greeted, stopping about a meter from the counter.

The man continued to snore blissfully. On his part, no answer.

"Hello!" the young tamer repeated aloud. Suddenly, with an uncoordinated quick gesture, the innkeeper awoke, clumsily falling from his chair.

*boom* - a dull thud, cushioned by the thousand junks behind that old counter, broke the fall. "Hey! Hi, adventurers!" that funny old man stammered, standing up and shaking the dust off his clothes.

The innkeeper was a likeable gentleman more or less in his sixties. A long braid of greyish hair hung from the back of his bald head, filled with due-to-age skin patches.

Long, thin moustaches, similar to cat whiskers, started from the sides of his wrinkled mouth and his narrowed but lively eyes framed the new guests.

"What can I do for you? I'm sorry, I had dozed off for a moment. I'm not used to receiving guests at this time of night. I never receive guests, actually" the innkeeper added, whispering the last part of the sentence.

"Oh, that's… great" Enatsu murmured, speaking behind his friend's back.

Before speaking openly, Yoichi pulled out the Princess's hairpin. He placed it gently on the counter, just before the eyes of the old innkeeper.

The artificial lighting of that inn's main room was poor, if not almost absent. The only light source came from two half consumed candles hanging on the wall behind the counter on two small handmade wooden shelves.

The geezer looked at Yoichi, then had his eyes on the comb. Unable to figure out what it was, he grabbed it and approached it a few inches from his face.

His expression became even more corrugated in an attempt to focus on that little object. When he saw the symbol of the Imperial Family, he looked back at Yoichi.

"Did Sui send you here?" he suddenly asked, looking intently at the two travellers from head to toe.

What? He called the Princess by name. Does he really know her so well? Yoichi thought, amazed by that statement.

"Yes. I know you're an old friend of hers and... well, we arrived a little while ago in Goldhaven, and we are looking for a place to spend the night," he spoke, implicitly asking the innkeeper for a room.

"Of course, of course! Come, I will accompany you to your room. Follow me!" he smirked, without needing any other explanation. Starting to walk very slowly, the old man walked to the only stairway of the room, near the wall to the right of the entrance.

Everything creaked in that place forgotten by the world, even the stairs. Every object or piece of furniture seemed left to itself, and judging by the absence of noise, that innkeeper was the only person in the whole building.

Regardless of the poor state of abandonment of the 'White Rose', the two adventurers followed the man to the end of the staircase, reaching the second floor. Enatsu kept looking around in amazement as if walking through a museum.

"Behold, gentlemen. This is the key to your room. When this inn was the flagship of the neighbourhood, it was reserved only for the wealthiest customers. I'm sorry, but it's the best I can offer you," the old man boomed out of the blue, giving Yoichi a golden key and bowing his head, apologetic.

Acting instinctively, the young tamer put a hand on his shoulder. An old man stink came from his clothes, perhaps as old as he was. "My friend and I thank you infinitely for your hospitality" he smiled, showing gratitude. Enatsu confirmed that sentence with a nod of his head.

"That's why I'm here. I'd do anything for the Princess's friends. I wish you a good night. When you leave, you can leave the key on the counter, even if I am not there," the innkeeper concluded, heading for the stairs.