A few minutes passed as the young woman went to change her rags for the clothes given to her by him and the boots Priscilla bought. Once the rustling of clothes stopped, the linen curtain of the fitting room opened slightly and Rionara slowly came out of it.
Her jet black hair and azure eyes contrasted with the white poncho which made her look like royalty for a brief moment. The belted trousers and high boots fit her perfectly as she didn't have any trouble taking her next few steps towards Priscilla.
Rionara stopped at arm's length with her small clenched hands near her thighs. They both softened as she opened them while looking up at the knight.
"T-thank you." She then turned to Jean and bowed her head. "T-thank you for making these."
Priscilla smiled as she replied softly.
"You're welcome, Rio."
Jean placed his hand across his chest and bowed with his left arm flourishing outwards.
"You are more than welcome, dear customer." There was a brief moment where the knight noticed Jean's shoulders relax. Seeing a master of the craft also on the edge felt somewhat refreshing. After that, Priscilla turned to take her leave but not before the shopkeeper offered them his goodbyes. "If you desire anything else, come by again. I shall be waiting."
With a quiet nod, Priscilla left the establishment with Rionara discreetly waving at Jean until she was out of the shop.
Outside, the central street was still quiet. Some pedestrians filled the street but none seemed to pay much mind to either of them.
Upon looking closer at Rionara, the knight noticed how different she was. Her jet black hair that would usually be covered by the dirty hood was now in full view, while the droopy azure eyes now had a renewed glint of hope in them. That made her smile involuntarily.
After noticing her gaze, the girl asked.
"Pris? Why are you smiling?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm just happy." She closed her eyes and breathed in. With the worries plaguing her mind now gone, she needed to find a better place to sleep before continuing on with her mission. She glanced at Rionara with a softened look on her face. "Well, shall we go check this other inn? I think it's better to do it now since it should be less crowded than during the evening."
"Mhm."
They walked together to the central square. Rionara's quiet footsteps on her right made Priscilla feel at ease. Meanwhile, the girl kept sneaking glances at the knight's frame. Her straightened posture, dignified strut and confident gaze all gave her a fuzzy, warm sensation inside her stomach, until a low growl came from the same place. She looked down while holding her belly with both hands.
"Ah…"
She murmured as Priscilla turned to her with a surprised look on her face.
"That's right… I've completely forgotten we haven't eaten anything since yesterday…" She shook her own head while cursing quietly. "It's way past mid day as well… let's hurry to the inn, maybe they serve food as well."
"Mhm."
With a quickened pace, they made their way through the central square to the street behind the guild. Thanks to Rionara's new pair of boots she didn't have any trouble keeping up with Priscilla.
The inn itself seemed simple at first, with only a wooden sign showing that they had rooms available and were open for business.
Priscilla took a quick look around the street in order to gauge the sort of individuals that lived there.
"Hmm…" She mumbled to herself as her eyes darted from person to person, scanning the potential threats. "This seems like a decent place."
Rionara tilted her head slightly as she asked.
"What were you looking for?"
"Potential dangerous individuals. No matter what city you find yourself in, you'll always come across some rotten apples here and there."
"Rotten apples?"
"Yes, as you'll probably know, rot tends to spread—same can be said about people, if you see one dangerous person walking around in an open street like this, you'll probably find even more of that sort."
She walked into the inn and Rionara gingerly followed right behind her.
"Uh huh…"
"Of course, you shouldn't let your guard down. But one glance never hurts any… body…"
Priscilla's words started to trail off as the place they walked in was filled with menacing looking men. None of them had weapons on their person but given their sizes and numbers it wouldn't be impossible for them to overwhelm a single armed person.
Five of the dozen or so men stood up which prompted the knight to rest her hand on the sheath of her rapier. They made their way to the entrance while looking at Priscilla. Rionara nervously held onto the hem of the knight's jacket as the men gathered around them.
"...Can I help you?"
Priscilla asked as she examined each one of the possible assailants. They stood beyond arm's reach—close enough that she could wound two of them before the others could even reach her.
"Never seen you around here before, Lass." The bald tanned man spoke up. His deep voice and muscular frame made it clear that he was the strongest out of the five. "You're not looking for trouble, are you?"
"Not particularly, but trouble seems to follow me wherever I go."
She pushed the guard of her rapier forward which made a distinct clink sound as the rounded guard of the blade loosened from the scabbard.
At that moment the men stopped walking around her and the knight was mentally preparing to strike. The stillness felt stifling—Rionara's trembling hand held firmly on Priscilla's jacket as she tried to keep herself from running away.
The bald man started to grin before he eventually arched his back and laughed.
"Hahaha! I'm just messing with ya. You're Priscilla, right? Heard 'bout you from Geralt."
She raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"Geralt?"
"Aye. That fool of a brother never bothers to visit so I came here instead–"
His explanation was cut short as he was hit on the back of the head with a club. The muscular man came crashing down at her feet—unconscious. Rionara flinched at the loud thud while Priscilla's right hand grasped the rapier's handle.
"Curse you lot." A haughty female voice came from behind the men as an equally tanned and muscular woman made her way through them while shoving them aside like insects. "Stop bothering my clients, you useless bums!"
She held a wooden club that had seen more than its share of struck heads. One of the bald man's friends cowered as he noticed the woman tap the club on her left palm.
"Ah… l-lady Karla… we weren't–!"
"Get this bum out of here and get lost!"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
The four men quickly carried their unconscious friend to the back of the inn's hall. The woman sighed before setting the club down on the counter and turning her attention to Priscilla.
"I'm very sorry for that—are you here for rooms or food?"
"Uh… both." Priscilla's muscles softened as she took her hand out of the handle while quietly sheathing her rapier with her left thumb. "Mind if I ask, who are you?"
"The innkeeper." She took a good look at Priscilla if sizing her potential as a customer. "From your appearance… are you the woman that needed a room for a kid as well?"
Rionara cautiously peeked from behind the knight's legs while raising her left hand.
"Um… hi."
"Ah. So you are the one." Karla looked at the girl and smiled—something that Priscilla wasn't expecting to see coming from a woman that just knocked out a man with a club. "I have a room, but it'll cost you twenty coppers."
"Is that with meals included?"
Priscilla inquired.
"Of course, we aren't exactly a charity but we don't exploit our customers like those fools near the guild."
"Sounds like a rough time."
"Oh, you bet." She made her way behind the counter and picked a heavy looking book from underneath it. "So, what's your name and how long will you stay?"
Priscilla cleared her throat as she gently pushed Rionara to stand beside her.
"I'm Priscilla and this is Rionara. We'll stay here for… let's start with ten days."
"Oh?" That made Karla glance up from the book she was jotting down the names with a piece of thinned charcoal. "That'll be two silver coins if you're looking to have a meal here everyday."
The knight nodded as she pulled a single gold coin from her purse and placed it on the counter.
"Here."
Karla looked at her strangely for a brief moment before reaching for a coin purse behind the counter. Gold coins weren't exactly common in that part of the city—not that Priscilla had any way of knowing.
"Let me get your change."
As the innkeeper counted out the coins from her bag, the knight took another look around the inn's hall and noticed the majority of the people there seemed to be workers, either from farms or tending animals as their dirt-riddled clothing would suggest.
But despite the rag-tag individuals, the place was surprisingly clean. The wooden floor had a few specks of dirt and mud but it wasn't dried which means the place was constantly being cleaned by someone.
"Here you go." Karla raised another sack of silver coins and placed it on the counter alongside a copper key. "Your room is the first upstairs. Enjoy your stay."
Priscilla reached for the key and bag, but the innkeeper leaned over closer to her and whispered.
"Careful to not go out at night—especially with your kid. Some rough looking folk are roaming around the streets lately."
The knight nodded once with a faint thankful expression on her face.
"I see. Thank you for the warning." Rionara's grip on Priscilla's jacket tightened as she heard Karla's words. Her nervousness was swiftly addressed by the knight's warm hand on her small back. "Oh, aside from that, could you serve us lunch? I'm afraid we skipped eating."
"Ah, of course. Just take a seat and I'll have the food brought to you."
"Come, Rio. Let's get something to eat."
The girl quietly nodded—still not letting go of her jacket.