"Dear my sweet baby boy,
How's my Little Jo Jo, been? I know you're much taller than me but you'll forever be my little Jo Jo so deal with it!
I can't believe that even though we live in the same town it still takes forever for you to visit your mother. I know being the morning guard of the treasury in the Lord's mansion is tough work and I know you're doing this to help keep this inn, running.
Business as an innkeeper in a town that no one visit is and will always be hard. But couldn't you drop by every now and then? Even if it's late at night, even if it's just for a moment...
I just want to see you and catch up on how you have been doing. Be a little nosey with your dating life and fulfill the needs of a mother's heart.
Come home soon,
Hugs and kisses
Love Mummy."
*Ding Ding*
The chimes of the door ring out. The old innkeeper slowly looks up as she takes off her glasses.
" Welcome to Barrett's family Inn..."
Mrs. Barrett greeted but at the sight of a young lady, her dress was filled with mud and tears that look like she just survived a hard battle. Sooth covered her face, sweat made her hair fizzy and her high ponytail was undone in certain parts. Above all of that, a sweet little baby with big blue eyes filled with wonder sat on her shoulders. Mrs. Barrett went from calm to immediately worry.
" Oh, goodness gracious! Are you alright? Are you in need of any medical attention? Let me help you."
Mrs. Barrett exclaimed as she rushed to Philomel's side.
" I'm fine, thank you for your worry. I just need ..."
Before Philomel could ask Mrs. Barrett immediately interrupted.
" Don't worry darling, just follow me. I know exactly what you need."
Mrs. Barrett chimed as she placed a hand on Philomel's back and lead her down a hallway. Philomel smiled already seeing a comfortable bed in her mind's eye and extremely looking forward to a good night's rest. Before Philomel knew it she was face to face with a wooden tub of hot water.
" You can leave your clothes in a basket on the shelf. I'll be outside, please give me a shout if the water temperature isn't to your liking. I'll add more wood to the fire. Have a relaxing time."
Mrs. Barrett said with a bow before closing the door behind her. Philomel could only stare at the wooden bathtub and the door in disbelief. Little One seeing so much steam and water gathered in one place started babbling in confusion as he tried to grab the steam in his tiny hands.
" Well, since we're here we might as well... right?"
Philomel asked as she picked up Little One off her shoulders.
[ Yeah, I'm just going to do a time skip here. Hard to write a scene about a woman taking a bath without making myself look like some pervert. The worst part has to make it look innocent since it's in a presence of a baby.
I thought to myself as I covered the magical orb and put down my pen. Looking up from my cubicle, I watched for a moment the billion other fate writers hunched over their book of fate, writing down what's meant to be and trying to steer these free spirits toward their fated end.
My mind soon began to wonder how one of Morpheus's dreams ended up as a demon. Could it have been a subconscious dream? Morpheus always does have many dreams at one time. Maybe dreaming fewer things would be able to regain control of the subconscious dreams. Would that have prevented one of Morpheus's dreams from becoming Helder's minion? How the hell did Helder even manage to turn his dream into a minion? When was the dream even turned? I should probably talk to dustman Mirauleo about this and get some clues.
Hidden Side Quest: Dreamer or the Dream?
Task: Talk to Dustman, Mirauleo, and find clues about Sandman, Morpheus.
Well, best get back to work, I don't get paid to be lazy around all day. ]
Philomel could feel the tense muscles relax as her sores felt the burn against the warm water. Little One silently sat in her lap as he observes the ripples within the water finding such a simple pattern fascinating. Philomel's eyes couldn't help but flicker as she felt the lulls of sleep pulling at her.
*Knock Knock*
Philomel jolted at the sound.
" Darling, your friend is here along with your luggage. I leave them here next to the door. When you're done come down to the dinner area. Your dining experience awaits."
Mrs. Barrett informs through the door. Philomel couldn't help but wonder how long had she been in there.
" Thank you for informing me, I'll be right out."
She thanked Mrs. Barrett as she gazed down at her slightly wrinkled hand holding Little One close to her. Little One seems to be more than amused with dunking a bright yellow rubber ducky down under the water and watching it pop back up as quickly as it went down. His little hands with a tight grip around the toy, silently wondering why didn't half of it stay down like his own body.
" Okay, Little One, time to go. Say bye-bye to Ducky for now."
Philomel grinned as she asks for the ducky with an open hand. Little One gave it to her and she stood up from the water. With a quick dry, change of clothes, brushed her hair, and the same for Little One, she finally felt ready. As soon as she opens the door, she finds Mrs. Barrett waiting outside for her with a big basket in hand.
" Let me take care of your dirty clothes. I have also prepared a set of soft slippers for your weary feet. Wearing boots all day must be suffocating for your poor feet."
Mrs. Barrett said with a smile as she placed a pair of pink rabbit ears soft slippers in front of Philomel's bare feet.
" Oh... thank you."
Philomel smiled back as she place her dirty clothes into the basket.
" This way, I picked a twin bedroom for you and your friend. Hopefully, that's to your liking. You can leave your luggage there before heading over to the dinner area."
Mrs. Barrett said as she passed a room key to Philomel that had a tag at the end with the number 1.
" You must be quite starved after such a tiresome day. I know I would be."
As soon as Mrs. Barrett mentioned food, Philomel's stomach let out a grumble. Mrs. Barrett softly laughed which made Philomel smile awkwardly in reply. It took Philomel a mere moment to open the door, dump her satchel next to the door, and locked it. Not even bothering to spare a glance at the room while knowing that food was waiting for her.
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