After breakfast, Ceryll left the dining hall to go cool off. The innkeeper watched her go before releasing his tongue. "Who died and made her the queen of hostility?"
"Her husband, but he didn't make her queen; he made her Lady." Amere's voice was bored as he was still caught up with the biscuits in her mouth. After all this situation, her personality and the overall drama were things he was used to. Ceryll has always been prone to it.
"Wait...you mean to tell me that that 'thing' is nobility?" The Innkeeper chuckled incredulously while brushing his long white hair over his shoulder. Amere noticed the way his gaze flickered between interest and irritation leading him to believe that the odd elf was likely jealous.
"Was, the people ran her from the province."
"Sounds about right." Muttered the Innkeeper, "She must have been awful to them."
"Just because she's like this now doesn't mean she's always been like this. She treated her subjects like they were her own family." The jaguar's look of uninterest morphed into one of disheartenment while his snappy tone shifted into a sadder one. "And the kids loved her so much. I'm sure they cried when they heard what happened." The two males sat in silence as if contemplating the situation before Amere broke it. "Be more understanding before you insult her because, from the looks of it, I doubt you've ever experienced grief." With that Amere left the dining room and The innkeeper was left to ponder what he'd learned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Amere found Ceryll, he was surprised to see that she hadn't been crying. Instead, she was sitting perfectly straight on the bed of their room, motionless. The risen sun's light reflected off of her deep brown skin and a few glimmers of light that shined through her long white locs much like the sun gave the moon its light. With the look of desolation present in the woman's eyes, she almost resembled a statue, making the sight all the more bothersome due to how expressive they usually were.
"Ceryll?" He whispered, "Are you okay?" She silently faced him, dull eyes barely flickering with recognition. The trance-like state was offputting but he felt comforted when he got a verbal response the second time he called her.
"U-uh yeah...yeah I'm fine. I was just meditating." Amere tilted his head, ears slanted.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. We can go now." She strolled past him, giggling when she noticed he wasn't following her. "Does this mean I'm meant to leave without my trusty familiar?" He didn't bother answering too focused on the bizarreness of what he'd just witnessed.
Later, he found himself dodging a carriage running at full speed. Bastia was quite lively today. The town square was bustling with elves of all kinds--including the high elves who were notorious for their avoidance of the riff-raff. Amere was captivated by their rich clothing and looked up at the beautiful woman at his side in comparison. She was worth so much more than every one of them, yet her outfit couldn't begin to compare. As far as he was concerned, she couldn't fall any farther than she already had. On the other hand, Ceryll didn't even look twice at her ex-fellowmen nor reminisce on what her elven life used to be. No, she was quite content with herself. The humbling experience of going door to door for job opportunities even gave her a sense of nostalgia. 'Is this what normalcy feels like?' A small sigh left her lips. 'It's so...nice'
However, the feeling soon faded as Ceryll was plagued by countless rejections. No one wanted a woman whose face they weren't allowed to see, especially if she were to work in their house. The common argument was, "What if you steal something?", and her reply was always the same, "I'm only dark elf here within miles, and even if I weren't, how many of them wear a veil?" Her argument was valid but it didn't really matter since the people weren't truly worried about their possessions. The real issue was that she was intimidating. She spoke too eloquently and walked too proudly and no one wanted a maid whose mannerisms made them look lesser. Not to mention the shroud of mystery that her mouth veil created didn't help her case. The day continued like this, with the two of them scavenging the busy city for any job opportunity they could find; each one was a failure. A defeated Ceryll found herself watching the sun sink behind the serene forest silhouette with tired grey eyes.
"Does this mean we need to try this again tomorrow?" sighed Amere from beside her. He already knew the answer which irritated him, but he'd be cruel not to at least pretend her cared about her poor attempts at reentering common folk society.
"Yeah, I guess so." Was her glum reply as she restlessly smmothed outh the fabric of her dress.
"You were really hoping for one, weren't you?" questioned Amere for the same reason he asked the last. When Ceryll replied with a nod, he worked to comfort her. "Don't worry, you'll get one eventually." Cooed the massive cat. Even though she wanted to say otherwise, an amused yet sultry voice came from before them.
"If you don't, my inn is happy to take your money."
"You are such an ass." She huffed as she briskly approached the fair-skinned owner of the failing hotel.
"I'm a lot of other things too so want to..." His flirt was hastily cast aside by the woman's snappy remark.
"No, I will not join your bed tonight." By now, Ceryll had pushed past him, making her way to the elegant wooden staircase that led to the second floor and her room.
"You're such a prude, at the very least, you could give me a blush."
"Why would I blush over the words of a man who would sleep with a rat if he was certain it didn't have rabies?" A deep laugh rumbled Amere's intimidating form while the innkeeper kept his peace "Considering your silence, I must be right." He didn't get to reply before she walked into the room, and Amere closed the door. This left the man to stare at the second-story balcony in silence before going off to handle his own affairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the room, Amere comforted the woman through the room's bathroom door while she showered.
"Amere, I just dont know what I'm going to do. What if I don't get a job?"
"I'm certain you will, but if you don't, then you always have this place." He reassured her.
"I have to pay to stay here, remember? What happens when I run out of money?" Amere shrugged, despite her inability to see him through the door.
"I don't know? Give him what he wants?"
"I'm married, Amere."
"Correction: you're widowed, and you didn't deny that you'd do it if you weren't." She rolled her eyes and turned off the shower using the engraved sorcery symbol that marked its walls
"I mean, I won't lie to you, he's not bad looking at all. He's just a man whore. Even if I were single, I don't think I'd sleep with him in fear of getting some type of disease."
"Reasonable enough." Hummed the big cat while his friend walked out of the bathroom with her towel. Too lazy to move, he simply followed her with his blazing red eyes.
"Speaking of which, have you ever even had sex?"
"Why?" She hummed out an 'I don't know' while she shimmied into a nightdress she'd found in one of the drawers. It was likely from an old resident, but she didn't care much.
"I guess the conversation just got me curious."
"Huh." Amere hopped onto the bed to curl up like he had the night before. "Well, to answer your question, yes but not often."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Because we practically grew up together." His deadpan answer made her laugh before she climbed into bed to cuddle with him, allowing them to fall into peaceful silence for a little while before she spoke again.
"Amere," her voice was but a mumble, "be honest with me. Do you think I'll manage to find a job?"
"Oh, I'm certain of it. Men love appealing to pretty women."
"True, but the question is, will they pay me well?"
"If he's desperate enough, maybe." Ceryll's light giggle was music to Amere's ears giving him the courage to come closer to her and ask the question that was on his mind. "But on the slim chance you can't find a job, can we go to court for your position?"
"Amere-"
"At that point, you wouldn't have a choice, and it might just be easier than you think." She couldn't deny that he had a point. She wasn't accepted by humans anymore, and no other creature made her feel as at home as elves did. Plus, it'd only be a last resort meaning it was unlikely she'd have to do it anyway.
"Fine, if I can't get a job, we'll go for my status." Amere's rolled onto his back, satisfied with her answer.