Ceryll jolted awake, putting a trembling hand over her throat in fear that 'His' was still there. Amere didn't budge, too caught up in his own dream to notice her distress. She reached out to touch him but recoiled when she saw the sleepy smile on his face. He was happy; She couldn't bring herself to wake him however she couldn't stand the solitude either.
She kissed her teeth, already knowing what she had to do. Wrapping one of the extra sheets around her shoulders, she reluctantly slid out of bed. The feeling of cold wood was already not her favorite but not it was worse because the floor was damp with nighttime dew. Disgust shimmied up her spine "This is why I prefer carpet." She mumbled to herself, even though she knew she'd have to swallow her pride and walk on. When she left the room, she scuttled down the stairs towards the back of the hotel where she guessed the innkeeper's room would be.
The Inn was deathly silent and if not for the oil lamps that dimly lit her path, she was certain that the darkness would have consumed her. Incoherent whispers raided her ears but every time she tried to decipher their words, they'd vanish. Sadly her husband's face did not follow suit. whenever she saw it out of the corner of her eye, she'd turn to look and she could swear that its outline stared back at her from the shadows.
Minutes felt like a lifetime until she found that her guess was right. Downstairs, near the back of the building, was the Innkeeper's room. Though she'd never been there, she could tell it was his from the sweet musk that leaked from it. It smelled just like him. She gave a small knock and shuffling could be heard before the door opened to reveal a very unkempt and shirtless Innkeeper. His waist-length white-haired had been haphazardly thrown to the side and the top of his long red robe had been slid off so the sleeves pointlessly hung over his waist. He seemed out of breath and his black and gold eyes flickered between surprise and irritation.
She narrowed her eyes, tightening the thin white sheet around her. She had a feeling she knew what she'd walked in on. "You're disgusting. I'll go now." She turned to leave but he yanked her into the room then closed it behind him with a sigh. "Hey, I get you're desperate but trapping me in here isn't going to make me want you." He rolled his eyes; pulling out a black rich-looking fountain pen and a notepad.
"Is there something wrong with the room?" She shook her head. "Meal request?" Again she shook her head. "There's no one else in so you couldn't have a noise complaint."
"I didn't come here for anything hotel-related." He looked up with an unfamiliar look in his eye, tossing the items in his hand onto the desk behind him.
"I didn't think you'd come to me so soon. I guess you aren't as prudish as I thought."
"Eh?" She blinked, confused. There had been some sort of misunderstanding but her fatigued mind couldn't figure out what it was until he began to fiddle with the silk belt of his robe."Ew, no! I'm not here for that either!" She cringed at the thought and just barely managed to keep from slapping him. Why had she come to him? She was nearly a century old, a big girl now. She could deal with a little nightmare. Just as Ceryll's resolve began to build, the wrinkled melting mass that was her dead husband's face flashed in her mind's eye. The innkeeper noticed how quickly the silver fire in her eyes was extinguished by the wave of fear washing over her. It left him curious about just what she had seen but he was too irritated to ask.
"Why are you here, Ceryll?" His groaning inquiry went ignored by the woman who had curled into a ball on his king-sized bed. She didn't reply but it didn't take much for the Innkeeper to figure that she'd come to his room for companionship. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.
He wanted to kick her out the very moment he realized but something about seeing the proud woman in such a pathetic position left him unable to. A sigh of despair escaped him while he pinched the bridge of his nose, peeved by the notion of her staying there without giving him anything in return. Then, he stopped. He could get something out of her if she was desperate enough, the question is how could he do it without being too obvious?
Little did he know, she could feel the malintent of his stare; it was chilling, to say the least. She had been a fool to think that he had even a pinch of humanity however she had and was now stuck in the lion's den without the defense needed to get out of it. At this point, all she could do was bluff telepathy.
"Just because I'm sad doesn't mean I'm desperate, you disgusting asshole. Plus who gets horny when they're sad?" A low sound of confusion rumbled in his throat.
"How did you know that was what I was thinking?" Her pointy ears twitched. She hadn't expected to hit the nose so precisely but what more could she expect from a man like him? Lifting her head from her knees she took in his confusion. His brows were furrowed and his black and gold eyes glinted with both curiosity and skepticism while his slender hands rested on the red rope still tied around his narrow hips. 'If only he had a better personality, she thought. "I'm waiting." His reminding statement interrupted her thoughts and she was forced to reply.
"What? are you upset I looked at your thoughts without permission?"
"I'm guessing you would know the answer to that."
"True but I'm too tired to do anymore mind reading. Maybe next time."
"You're still quite awake so clearly you aren't that tired." She didn't reply. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a bitter sigh. "Anyways, you seem just about fine so get out." His tone was impatient. He wasn't one to banter nor did he like giving services without reward yet she was making him do both. Just the thought made his jaw clench. Ceryll wasn't blind to this but that didn't mean she cared. If she were to be alone after such a dream, there was no telling what she'd see in the dark halls of the Inn. The trip here was haunting enough.
"If I'm alone tonight, I might just go insane." The innkeeper rolled his eyes at the soft-spoken words.
"You were just jesting a second ago, you'll be fine." She gave a stubborn huff and turned away from him so he couldn't see her faltering stubbornness.
"I'm not leaving, you greying pervert."
"Are you trying to call me old?"
"Uh yeah!" He scoffed.
"Firstly, my hair is white, not grey, and secondly, yours is the same exact shade!"
"Yeah well, I was born like this."
"And you think I wasn't?"
"You have been pioneering for sex ever since I got here. I can only imagine how many years you've been doing the same with other women."
"So?" He pulled the wooden chair under his desk, forward so he could straddle the back of it.
"You're stressed because you can't get any." He didn't reply after that but she could feel him scowling at her back. They stayed like this, but she couldn't tell how long since she'd begun to sink into herself, going back to her thoughts of Reid.
Looking back at it without the sense of reality that she had in the dream, she noticed the sense of wandering she felt when looking at him then she thought about the life they shared. His pretty brown eyes once looked at her as if she were the only woman in the world, and his slightly calloused hands would always ruffle her hair in the mornings, even in old age those were the two things that never changed; they kept her anchored. But now she had no more anchor. She was lost.
As usual, the innkeeper watched her but only from the back. He couldn't see the pain that wavered her expression nor the sadness glinting in her eyes, but he could see how her body tensed as she struggled to keep her proud stance. His sigh was loud as he got up from his chair and sat in bed beside her, his hand rubbed her back soothingly. She inhaled sharply.
"Unless your back is thought to be a sexual body part, I think I'm within my boundaries." She barely relaxed and let him try to calm her. "When I had a bad dream, my mother would always do this until I fell asleep." He looked down at her for a reaction but he got none. "She'd never been the touchy type but she always pushed past her boundaries to take care of my brothers and me."
"How many?" Her voice was monotone.
"I have nine brothers, no sisters."
"I bet they're all just like you."
"They are." He gave a warm chuckle, it was nice to see that she still had her usual snark underneath all that gloom. "The last time I brought a girl home was probably 40 years ago for that very reason."
"So you have had a real relationship."
"One, yes."
"What happened?"
"She got boring so I ended up cheating and...well you can guess what happened afterward." Ceryll finally turned to look at him, but he wished she hadn't when he saw the absolute disgust on her face. Her nose had wrinkled and her slender eyebrows were pulled down as far as they could go. He brushed off the cold feeling that washed over him and feigned nonchalant air. "Are you surprised?"
She didn't reply and took his arm off of her back while saying, "I don't want the hand of such trash anywhere near me." There was a venom in her voice that he had never heard before, and it hurt him for some reason. "I was actually thinking you weren't so bad, but wow, that's low, even for you."
"Low enough to get you out of my room?"
"No, just low enough to ruin any slim chance you had of sleeping with me." He groaned and flopped down next to her, burying his face in the pillows.
"It may not seem like it but I do need sleep you know."
"Then sleep."
"But you're here."
"I can be quiet."
"I might moan your name in my sleep." Her nose wrinkled.
"You're lonelier than I thought."
"I had a woman in my bed just last night."
"But she wasn't me, was she?" The innkeeper grumbled something under his breath. "What was that?"
"I said it doesn't have to be you for me to not be considered lonely." Ceryll copied his resting position, while she laid next to him. Her hair fanned out on her back, and a few locks pooled at her side, to blend with his.
"Yes it does, because I'm not easy, and the girls you probably get, are."
"Do you have a point?"
"Easy girls aren't company. They're usually just looking for something out of you, then leave when something better comes along." The innkeeper turned his head so he looked at her rather than the bed.
"And women like you don't?"
"Eh, some do, but the smart ones have these really cool things called standards. I bet..." The innkeeper drowned her out after a bit and softly smiled while she ran her mouth. She was able to give insults now, so whatever was plaguing her had taken a break, for now, meaning his job was done. "not to mention we-"
"Need to get beauty rest so you can afford to keep those standards high, right?" Ceryll was left silent at his interruption, which was the perfect opportunity for him to turn around and mumble out a goodnight before dozing off. She barely replied, accepting her defeat. She could barely remember the last time she was interrupted like that, and honestly, it was a welcome change of pace. In a sense, it reminded her of Reid in his prime. He used to be so snarky and playful; it was what made him so much more worthwhile than the other pitiful humans who would cower or swoon at just the sight of her. She let out a 'tch' once she caught hold of her thoughts
'Ceryll, you know better.' She mentally scolded, 'Comparing men is no good.' The innkeeper gave a low-grown and hung his leg over the edge of the bed before he was at peace once again. His content seemed to rub off on her as she'd begun to yearn for sleep as well. She wouldn't protest though and simply drifted off.