What's with the volatile reaction? "Yeah. You're Caris-"
"Shut up! Don't say it out loud!"
To my surprise, she quickly moved to cover my mouth with her hand. She then dragged me towards the nearest inconspicuous alleyway before finally letting go. I would've tried to escape, but I couldn't even if I tried. Seriously, a level 2 against a level 60? Not a chance.
"I'd say that I want an explanation, but it's clear that you don't wanna talk about it right now," I sighed, rubbing a bit of spittle out of my mouth as I spoke. "Still, are you a princess in hiding or something?"
"N-not exactly... I'm just adventurous, is all."
I sagely nodded at Shizu's confession. I suppose this was Guidance's storyline for her; an Imperial Princess wanting a bit more freedom in her life, thus commissioning a [Somatic] to help her achieve her goals.
"Look, Stranger, I... kinda have a lot to think about right now," she continued. "I now have an ability that might as well be a [Manifest], and I just met a literal [Eld God] in the form of Guidance. I just really wanna rest."
I let out a commiserating sigh, "Sure thing, Shizu. And... uhh... sorry about all of this."
Even if it wasn't all my fault, I still had some semblance of responsibility for her current predicament. She might just be a quest giver back then, but now she was a full-blown person within the game. And even I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around all of this.
"Don't be," the princess waved her hand at me. "I suppose this was simply the will of the Gods. I don't usually take stock in the mysteries of the world, but now... I'm not so sure anymore."
A peaceful silence settled between us, the bustle of the city echoing out in the distance as we seemingly sank into our respective spots. I didn't know why Shizu was still here, but I appreciated her company as I snuggled into some decently comfortable cranny. I wasn't gonna sleep as much anyway, so why bother with a bed?
...
....
Ookay? A few minutes have gone by now, surely, and Shizu was still here... "Shizu?"
"Y-yes?"
Odd response... "I thought you wanted to go home?"
Her eyes immediately shifted from side to side. "I... err... I don't think they'll let me back in anyway..."
I raised an eyebrow at her response, "How so?"
"Well... I'm kind of a grown-up version of myself now?" she meekly responded. "The guards probably wouldn't even recognize me."
"Oh...." I absently responded. "Well... That's a problem."
A tense silence followed suit. A part of me instantly knew that I was responsible for her now; part of it being that I was the man, and a part of it being the fact that I somehow knew that I was older than her. Even if she now clearly looked a bit past my age, she was still that same teenager that I met a few hours ago. Or was it a day ago? I really should set that straight soon...
"Uhmm... Do you have anywhere else to sleep?"
"I don't think so," Shizu hesitantly replied. "All of the Imperial safehouses here have guards stationed in them, and I don't think they'd even let me get in even if I was still err... small."
Huh... "How about some kind of inn? Do you have any money with you?"
The princess shook her head, "I don't make a habit of taking money with me. And I haven't really..."
She trailed off, her head tilting to the side as she avoided my gaze. What was her problem now? "What is it?"
"I don't have any experience in buying things..."
Well.... That was a confession and a half. Then again, she was a princess, so obviously she was loaded. "Then I guess we're not getting you into an inn."
Shizu paled immediately, her meek attitude now in full force as she began panicking from where she stood. She wasn't saying anything, but I just knew that this was gonna be her first time spending the night out in the middle of the street.
"C-can't we just ask for an inn to house us for the night?" Shizu reasoned out, almost begging as her eyes watered. "I'll pay them after I get back to the palace."
"Didn't you just tell me that they won't let you in anyway?" I reluctantly countered. "How are you gonna get money then?"
"I-I can prove myself to Father!" she replied, more like bargained, really. "I'll just have to request an audience like the rest of the citizens."
I let out a sigh... How did it come to this... "Look, stay calm, okay? I'll think of something."
{CHIME!}
At the familiar sound, my eyes widened. I didn't expect there to be a side quest for this. Assuming this was a side-quest, of course.
[Side Quest: Night Problems]
Okay? What was this now?
[Find an Inn to spend the night in]
I blinked at what I just read. I didn't think this was even supposed to happen.
"Stranger?"
"A Side Quest just popped up," I explained. "It wants me to find an inn to spend the night in."
At my words, Shizu quickly perked up, hope filling her eyes as she smiled, "Truly?!"
"Yeah?" I questioningly answered. "It's not like I have anything better to do right now."
But then, how was I supposed to spend the night? Wouldn't this thing require money? Wait... "Shizu? Do you know what a Leaf is?"
"A Leaf? You mean a Kattleynan Leaf?"
That's it! "Is it some kind of currency?"
At my words, an epiphany seemed to dawn on the poor princess. The hope she had from earlier bloomed even further as she responded, "Yes. They're used to pay for goods and services throughout the Empire."
"That's good!"
I had some of that. A lot of it even after that unintended side quest that I managed to complete earlier. If I could access it, then I can let Shizu sleep on a bed!
"Take us to an inn. I have the money."
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