As soon as the party reached in front of the inn, they stopped.
Rather, Lady Hau stopped and Iris was forced to stop as well. The expression on Lady Hua's face begged Iris to listen to and follow her words.
"Can you give me a second alone? I want to talk with someone before you come in. I want to clear the air with my guardian" Lady Hua looked worried, her lower lip bleeding due to the force of her upper lip.
The injury irked Iris to correct it but she knew it was not time to do that.
Not now.
"I understand. Give me a call when you need me inside" Lady Hua nodded at Iris in thanks and then she was gone. Iris was left outside the inn alone.
Not that Iris minded very much.
She had expected to be left alone for some time while the other two discussed their options. It had been a considerable big possibility and one Iris had prepared for.
There were other ways for Iris to get her way with Lady Hua after all, kidnapping one of the more valid ones.
Iris decided to find an appropriate place to take a bath and change her clothes. The wet patch on her lap was not a good second impression after all.
When she got back, she found Lady Hua in front of the inn. She seemed to be looking around for her.
"There you are. I thought you left me here alone. Be gentle with Sasha please, she means well. She's just worried for me" Iris understood that sentiment.
Iris could only assume that Sasha had been the innkeeper and Lady Hua's legal guardian. She had seemed like a formidable guardian, one Iris could respect.
"I will be careful" Iris promised and Lady Hua relaxed just a tiny bit. She seemed worried for some reason and it did not sit well with Iris.
Was Sasha that bad?
"Also, please try and smile. You'll come off as gentler if you do and make Sasha comfortable as well" Lady Hua requested, her voice hopeful.
Iris tried to pull her face in a gentle and happy expression but she could tell that she had not been successful. The frown on Lady Hua's face deepened even further as Iris tried to laugh.
"No, stop. Don't do that or you'll make it even scarier. Just be your normal self and things should be alright" Iris instantly groomed her face in a neutral expression and Lady Hua finally relaxed.
"That's so much better. But what's with your expression? Were you born with that cold expression or is it the magic?" Lady Hua wondered and then looked worried.
Iris shoved at her shoulder gently and Lady Hua finally seemed to get the hint.
"Alright, in we go. Sasha, she's here" Lady Hua did not wait for Iris to gather her thoughts, she just pushed the door open.
The innkeeper, Sasha was sitting right at the front counter, her eyes sharp and searching. They quickly looked Lady Hua over, assessing the other for injuries before they moved to Iris.
"So you are back? How did you do it? Make Lady Hua believe your web of lies. I'm quite curious myself" the innkeeper asked, her voice full of venom. Any other person would have been scared off by that tone.
But not Iris.
She just stared the other down, her eyes right into the innkeeper's own and there was a small stare-off between them.
"Hey, this is not the time for that. Iris, show her what you showed me" Lady Hua decided to interfere before things could get ugly. Despite her lack of self-care, she did know the hope to read the room.
Lady Hua could likely tell that things were getting tense and had interfered.
"Is something wrong with your mark? I admit that I did not get a good look at it before but if there's a problem with it then you should crawl back to the council. Why come here at all?" the innkeeper asked in a bored voice.
It was clear to Iris that the innkeeper had already made up her mind about her and was not willing to relent.
Desperate times called for desperate measures indeed.
"There is nothing wrong with it. Please feel free to examine it" Iris extended her bare hand in front of the innkeeper and watched as those eyes widened.
The innkeeper seemed lost for words, her eyes locked on Iris's hand and the other one had a death grip on her wrist.
"The mark of Isis. But it should not be possible. Is it even legit?" The innkeeper was barely able to force those words out, her eyes finally moving to Lady Hua.
"Seems legit. I can feel a sort of bond but I can't say for sure. Though it did hurt when I tried to go against it so I would say she's the real deal" with the claim of that mark confirmed by Lady Hua, the innkeeper finally allowed Iris's wrist to go.
Instead, she sagged into the chair behind her back and seemed a little dazed.
"How is that possible? They were all dead, I watched them all die. Were they all not dead?" The innkeeper asked in a hollow voice.
She seemed to have lost something, her eyes having a dangerous look. Iris could see the will clashing inside the innkeeper and so could Lady Hua.
"Maybe we should listen to Iris now? She surely knows what is going on so it could not hurt to give her a chance" the innkeeper finally nodded, her eyes troubled as she looked up.
The fire from earlier seemed to have died down but it could still be rekindled. Iris had to make sure it was in her favor this time.
"It all started with my encounter with the commission a month ago. I was not affiliated with them -" and Iris told them of what happened (omitting various details on the way).
She told them about her run-in with the commission, their actions, and unwillingness to help.
Of her encounter in Oreta, her plan, and her will to help. The setting up of a new court of Isis and the force required.
Lady Hua and Sasha did not stop her in-between but she could see the questions and worries on their faces. The questions came as soon as she finished.
"The council agreed? How did that happen? Do you think this is a ploy? To catch us off guard?" the innkeeper asked in a tight voice. There was hope in her voice but dread as well.
"I don't know why they agreed but we decided to take it as an opportunity. The first court of Isis fell because no one was ready for an attack. This time, we have a chance to protect it all" the other two finally seemed to be coming around.
It was difficult to sway them both with only her words. Her cold tone generally acted as a turn-off for most people but not this time. It gave her words a strength that pulled the other two.
"I still have questions but I'm willing to listen. I want revenge as well but more than that, I want Lady Hua to be safe and happy. I can tell that a traveling life is not for her so maybe she should go with you" Lady Hua looked ready to protest.
And that could not be allowed. Innkeeper Sasha seemed to have no interest in coming with them herself and that looked like a problem.
"Lady Sasha, I have a proposal to make to you"