"Excuse me. I'm new here and I can't find a good inn. Any recommendations?" Ray stopped in front of one of the stalls that sold fruits and vegetables. An old man was sitting behind the counter with a bored face. It seemed his business wasn't going well.
"Hm. New faces, huh? I don't know. But dôme fruits and maybe that will freshen my memory." He said while scratching his rather bald head as if he's having a hard time remembering something. But that act didn't hide his greed and he just kept waiting eagerly for Ray.
'This old man. Sigh' Ray couldn't do anything so he just pulled a 2 bronze coin from his bag.
He learned how money works in the lower realms in the few days he travelled with Flora. They had four types of coins with different monetary values: there are bronze coins, silver coins, gold coins and finally mithril coins. One mithril coin is worth 100 gold coins, 1 gold coin is worth 100 silver coins and 1 silver coin is worth 100 bronze coins.
"Give me some fruits. That will make you remember, right?" Said Ray as he throws the two silver coins to the old man.
"Coming right up! As for the inn. There is a really good one near the plaza. It's called 'the golden spoon inn'. Good food, good lodging. Perfect for newcomers!" Bragged the old man while he collected some exotic fruits and put them in a bag.
Then Ray left the stall looking for Flora. He found her sitting on a bench. Even the cape didn't hide her mesmerising body that many people that passed by could only stop to appreciate her beauty.
"The old man told me about a good inn near here. Let's go." Said Ray as he gave Flora one of the fruits and he took one for himself too.
"Mmm. Delicious!" Murmured Flora while munching on the fruit with a blessed look on her face.
'Cute!' He could only smile at his partner that was still acting like a small child from time to time.
The plaza was in the middle of the village so they didn't take that much time to reach there. And to be expected, it was very crowded. As if that wasn't enough, it was also really loud. In the middle of all of this mess, there was a considerably big building that stood out. It was a two-story building made of wood with a big sign 'The golden spoon inn' on the front.
"Welcome to the golden spoon inn. Would you like to book a room?" When they opened the doors they were welcomed by a young woman, probably in her late 20s. She was not that beautiful but she had this warm atmosphere around here that made people relax unconsciously.
"We'd like to book two rooms, please." Answered Ray with a neutral voice.
But the receptionist seemed to have trouble "We're very sorry. There's only one room left. Is that okay?"
"No. I guess we will ju-"
"We will take it." Flora cut in and accepted.
Ray was slightly surprised. 'She's okay with that?' he thought.
"W-well then. The room is 15 bronze coins for one night and 5 more coins if you want to have meals in our restaurant." Explained the waitress.
"Two nights, please. And we also want three courses."
"That will be 60 bronze coins."
After he paid the expenses he took the key and left the reception desk.
"Why did you accept? We could've found another inn." Ray was very intrigued to know the reason. He thought that Flora will be uncomfortable with sharing the room with a man. Even though they were very close, that didn't mean they could share a room just like that. Ray was still a healthy boy after all.
"It will take a lot of time to find another inn and also...Um," She had a hard time speaking.
"What is it?"
"I-I don't m-mind sharing the room with you." She said quietly with a blush on her face.
"I-Is that so?" Even Ray couldn't help but blush slightly as he coughed. It was so embarrassing for both of them.