Who?

The atmosphere inside is very lively, it looks like a tavern possibly. There are many tables and each has different people sitting around. They're all so busy socializing with others with beers in their hands, that I walk in without being spotted. This only person to spot me stands at a large table at the far back of the place with a curvy woman.

"Welcome, are you a traveler?" She speaks softly, her hair is combed in two parts splitting in the middle. She's wearing what looks like some sort of armor. Maybe she's a guard like that other guy…

"I'm staying in this town for a short period. I'll be leaving in two days for the Capital." I state, I guess traveler is an accurate description. She nods and writes something down.

"There will be a carriage leaving in two days, the one that ordered it is the owner of the Tool Shop, Rodrick. Would you like me to contact them to add you to their list of passengers?" She seems to know the inner workings of the town, definitely a guard.

"I already spoke with Rodrick and I'll be on that trip with them." I wasn't aware of a list but I should be on it, I hope.

"Oh really? Let me check the list I was given." She looks down and goes down the list, it doesn't look very long but she looks up as if asking for something. Something… should I have something? Ah.

"My name is Lottie." She smiles and looks down at the list, finding my name on it.

"It states that you'll be going with Rodrick to an auction, can I see your identification, please?" She waits for me to respond for a minute. I just stand there confused… Would I have those? Notepad, if I have identification papers please respond. If I don't, then don't. Nothing...

"I don't have any, currently." I hope this isn't a strange thing around here, will they notice I don't belong here?

"That's fine, we can issue you a temporary ID, can I have you fill this out?" She pulls out two papers from a drawer and slides them over to me.

I take the papers and look at the questions, they're simple questions. First Name, Last Name (optional), Age, Occupation, Reason for travel. I fill it out and leave my Last Name blank. It's not that I don't have a name to write but since it's optional, I'll just leave it blank.

"Is this fine?" I hand over the papers. She looks through them and looks up to me giving me a knowing smile. That's strange… She hands me a token which appears to be the temporary ID.

"Okay, there you go, if anyone asks for your ID, you can just show them this token. When you get to the Capital, they can issue you a proper ID. This token just shows that you've been at a town and spoke to one of us. I doubt you'll have an issue getting your ID settled." She smiles towards me, her response doesn't explain her weird reaction. Am I her type? I'm so young though… ew.

"Thank you, can I ask what exactly this place is? Is this where the guards gather?" I look around confused.

"Guards? This is an Adventurer Hall, we handle quests and assist adventurers that pass by. You don't know about Adventurer Halls? You must have been extremely sheltered-" She stops speaking, as if she accidentally voiced out her thoughts. Is she assuming something about me? I mean, I hope it's nothing weird. I want to ask more questions but she's making me uncomfortable so I guess I'll ask Rodrick about it instead.

"I must be off, thank you for your assistance." I gesture to the door, she waves goodbye to me. Outside, Grace is still at the corner, this time there's an old man sitting with her. He's smiling tenderly at her while clutching a paper bag in his hands. I was so lost looking at their interaction that I suddenly bump into someone.

"Oh! It's the little Missy!" A loud rough voice shocks me to look up.

"Oh! Nice to see you again." It's the man who helped me get to the Flower Inn when I first got to the town. He suddenly gives me a warm hug, whispering something in my ear.

"You're being followed, be careful." He stops hugging me and looks behind me for a second. I try to stay calm, but feel myself get tense. My fear is noticeable by Mystic who gestures to the others to look around. It takes them only a couple seconds to notice the shadow hiding from sight.

"By… who? Who would..?" I whisper, trembling slightly. He looks down at me and gives me a calming smile.

"Probably just a thief, you look like a rich young lady. Do you want me to walk with you for a bit, to make sure they stay away? I have some free time." He looks like he'd be a good father, suddenly I feel a bit shy. I nod, blushing due to how childish I feel. I feel small, and weak. I don't like it. Thankfully, he extended his help otherwise I could have been attacked by the thief.

"I need to go to the Tailor Shop." I look up towards him and he nods. Mystic walks right beside me, looking up as if to say she's here with me. If we were alone, I would probably hug her and cry a little. I hadn't really let it all sink in, but I'm in a different world now where who knows what could happen. The God of Laziness said I would be safe, but with big monsters out there, who knows what kinds of things actually are out there. And even when I felt safe in town, there was a thief who was following me. I think I just experienced a huge shock.

"You're thinking about a lot, are you okay?" The man looks down towards me, pulling me out of my thoughts. Right, I still have people around me, and the cats are here too. I bet they're gaining a lot right now, out there. I hope they're safe. I want to see them soon.

"I was just wondering about things, sorry for getting quiet all of a sudden." I didn't mean to apologize, but my insecurities are spilling out.