It didn't take an expert to recognize a demon, a fairy, a goblin, an orc or the more popular of fantastical species that littered modern fantasies. For that purpose, recognizing just what the woman in front of them was required zero effort but wondering what the sides of her head looked like. The dark haired woman, a short, provocatively dressed lady with sharp feline features and pointed cat ears smiled at them wistfully, "Here for a service, Nya?" a sense of suggestive lustful desire seeped through her slothful tone, glancing between the two rather ravenously.
Neither of them spoke a word, short seconds of dumbfounded silence following the rather vague question, a beastkin? Nera's gaze shifted over the woman's body, surprised and a little terrified at the prospect it entailed, just how far from reality was this going to get? The smile playing along the woman's face widened at the ensuing silence, flashing them a toothy grin before widening the entrance inside, "Rented beastkin can be applied for at the counter, do come inside, Nya!"
They were ushered through the door still stock still and silent, far too many things were making far less sense, far too quickly. Thomas eventually turned on his heels, facing the bronze skinned woman as she shut the steel door, "We're actually here for a room"
"Everyone is honey, I'm usually not up for groups but—"
"No! a place to stay the night" He interrupted, "It's been a long day.."
Nera nodded beside him, the current progression of events were revealing the situation to be far more serious than they'd originally thought. If an actual beastkin was strutting around then exactly what other things were? Suddenly the Newspaper that'd been placed beside the petrified teller made a lot more sense than she actually would've liked, Thomas was slightly right when analyzing her own reaction there, abominations, demons? That was worldly news? The emerald green slits of enrapturing feline beauty stared between them and quickly nodded, "Of course, we also offer lodgings, Nya!"
The woman skipped towards a pinkly lit counter up ahead, scurrying across the lobby floors shamelessly illustrated in heart shaped cat tails whilst practically void of basic waiting room comforts, like the place hadn't been decorated with the idea that anyone would be waiting around after booking a room with a…catgirl? Vacant in a person's presence, she worked her way around the counter whilst fishing for a pair of keys along a board with only five left hanging, concerning considering the fact that over a hundred others were missing.
"We do apologize for the lack of choice, not many come here just to sleep, Nya" She shot a sly smile, gesturing for the two to follow.
Contrary to the dilapidated image outside, they were ushered through a dimly lit hall enclosed by an exquisitely carved wooden door that was shut as they entered. The ceilings to the area seemed carved from dark stone flushed under pinkish gemstones protruding from jagged openings, the walls were of a similar material though polished and further decorated by deep grooves filled with shimmering gold. For a moment, the two were largely deceived from the fact that the place was most likely a prostitution center.
"Most customers are actually into old time roleplay" They heard the woman speak in front of them, glancing back with a smile and her hands tightly clasped around the keys behind her back, probably having noticed their bewilderment, "Oh! And pardon my rudeness, I forgot to introduce myself! Ravinia Rossella Roanove, though my clients call me cuddles"
She slightly bowed, still moving forward as Nera raised a brow, "Why would they call you cudd—"
"About the costs?" Thomas questioned, Ravinia's feline expression sparing him a languid glance.
"First time occupants are given a night free of charge, it's also come to my attention how terribly Ill fit we are for normal guests" she purred, they'd turned left at this point after what felt like hours down the same hallway, leading up a flight of spiraling stairs made of polished wooden steps and stone-like railing. They stepped onto a platform with a door of similarly exquisite oaken nature and polished carvings that lead down a similar though much shorter hallway system, Ravinia led them forward as Thomas pressed onwards.
"So what'd be the price to stay another night?"
"Illicit services"
"Huh?"
"Huh?" They stopped by a door not any more decorated than the hundreds of others they'd passed by already, the only difference was in the lack of pink gemstones fashioned on either side in replacement of a normal lamp. Ravinia shifted and gestured at the door whilst passing the keys, "Here's your room"
It was a black stone key inlaid with bright silver, thin and grooved by a variety of dazzling patterns. Disgustingly enough, a key chain hung on its ring; two cat tails intertwined in the shape of a heart, classic. She unlocked the door, wafted by an intoxicating level of perfumes and scented candles. Ravinia shrugged, the room itself was surprisingly mundane. Two beds, a double dresser on either side, a sofa and a bathroom door. Thomas took a step inwards, followed lazily with Nera in tow.
"Another night would cost you, two copper quills and a month would cost you sixty" She evenly stated, glancing over Thomas with a wink, "Nya!"
The door eventually shut as the place gradually grew silent, the exhaustion settled in and the trepidation did so rather quickly. Everything they'd experienced thus far swept through her thoughts in flashing succession, so it wasn't just a parallel world issue, it was a completely different universe entirely. A cat girl, demons and.. abominations? She held her head in tired thought, hearing the shuffles of clothes and glancing to see Thomas pleasurably taking off his coat.
"And what's got you all smiles?" He turned to her, fixing his expression a bit, failing at it and relenting to the bliss.
"Nothing" he eventually mumbled, half of it caught under his breath as she raised a brow, "Nothing? So I'm to acclimate your shivering excitement even whilst god knows how far away from home as..nothing?"
He gave her a furtive glance, fidgeting at the tie being pulled off his neck and tossing it onto one of the beds in the room, "I-no, it's just..was she flirting with me?"
…
"Nera?"
She took to her own dark trench coat, tossing it over a dresser and crashing onto the room's second bed. Thomas gave her a worried look of concern, "So it wasn't flirting? Is that just how these people talk?"
"Thomas..I'm tired" He sat on the bed, glancing at the door, "So no?"
"Get some sleep and you'll figure it out yourself"
"Th-That's not an answer!"
"Mhm" She shifted over the soft sheets, letting the exhaustion take over like a slothful possession. Somewhere, maybe somewhere deep in the recesses of her mind, the ease in which she allowed sleep to take over came from a faint hope that perhaps it really was all just a dream.
§
'Damn..'
Around seven in the morning, a knock on the door roused them both from sleep. Nera groaned with the warranted hesitation of having woken up from a pretty vivid nightmare, sorrowful was the realization that it hadn't been a nightmare at all. It really hadn't been a dream, the two bedded room, the black stone key poking at her waist through the thin fabrics of her pocket were frighteningly annoying but it was true..it was all true.
She let out a disgruntled curse and shifted in bed, grabbing at her head and sulking in the reality of what this actually all was. of course Thomas was the first to suggest opening the door, shattered from the grogginess of an exhaust ridden slumber and seemingly guided by the throes of his lower half. The door swung open and night black hair cascading over clear bronze shoulders and deep slit emerald eyes peeped in from outside, "Morning to ya!" her voice chimed, stepping in through no sense of hesitance to privacy on Thomas' end of the ordeal.
Nera shifted and rose from the bed to sit upright, waving a hand in silent acknowledgement of her presence. Ravinia smiled, "Good night's sleep, Nya?" She tilted her head cutely, turning towards Thomas' closely approaching figure whose gaze was sifting over the coat and tie thrown over his bed as he smiled back, "Yeah, great place to stay the night"
Nera groaned and lifted herself off of the bed, "I'll just get moving"
"Already leaving?" She slowly stood from the bed, lightly grabbing at her coat and shrugging at him towards Ravinia's question.
"Visiting a library" She evenly stated, if there was more to this situation than even this then what was this world's history? How far from reality had they really been taken? She frowned over at Ravinia, and just how many more surprises were in store? Thomas glanced at her as Ravinia grabbed for the tie tossed over the bed and slung it around his neck, gently tying it for him.
"Then we'll be waiting" She smiled as Thomas, flustered, peeled the tie away from her and fished for his coat whilst fumbling with his hands. It was an awkward process of indecisiveness, whether he wanted to say something or leave was an amusing sight to behold.
"Yeah.." He flashed a smile, turning in Nera's direction and walking towards the door, "Thanks…, we'll definitely swing by when we can afford it"
The door shut with a soft thud and a regrettable sigh of disappointment, was it the right words? How awkward was it? Truthfully was the added sense of surprise at his own priorities, they were currently stuck in another world and his mind seemed dead centered over something woefully off subject. He suddenly felt a hand patting against his shoulder and looked up to witness Nera's slightly amused smile.
"What?" The smile across her face widened, "Smooth, very smooth"
He groaned as they started down the hall, still fidgeting with his tie as the deep pinkish hue of the embedded gemstones above had gained a somewhat clear white hue "That bad?", he glanced at her.
"Worse but hey, that could be her thing"
He lightly shook his head, making their way through the wooden door enclosing the short hallway, "Right and what's all this about a library, is this anytime to be reading books?"
The amusement slipped from her face, frowning at it for a moment. It was the 1960s, they had to have computers right? No, those were publicly available by the 1970s and in a completely different world entirely. "We can't keep asking around over what these people consider basic historical knowledge"
"So we're going to learn it all!?"
"The important parts, besides, it's just books" Thomas groaned but seemed to realize it as the only logical course of action, they turned back into the long winded hallway leading to the buildings reception hall as his brows furrowed halfway there.
"Where is the library actually?"