Uploaded: 09 July 2013
When Ina left later that night, or rather, early that morning, she still refused to accompany Sewell. He didn't see her once she closed the door to his room. She wasn't there when he left the inn later that morning. It was a shame, really, that all that potential should go to waste.
Sewell thanked the innkeeper for his stay.
Outside, the world was starting to smell like summer. The streets were crowded with people going about their daily tasks. The paperboy was there again. Sewell paid him for a paper and tucked it into his robes as he made his way through the streets. Now that he had eaten, there would be no reason for him to take the train. He looked around for a darker street. There was Sable, standing alone in an ally and holding a large bag. Sewell turned down that way and stopped in front of her.
"I take that you're ready." He said, giving her a short bow.
She nodded and slipped her arm around his.
They were hit with the smell of ocean and fish and the sun fell harder here than in Constanceburg. Sewell and Sable stood on a rooftop overlooking a harbor and a bustling market place. Sewell stretched. His body felt loose again.
"We're going to jump." He said as he took Sable's bag from her.
Sable might have squeaked, if she could, when he threw her over his shoulder. He slid down the clay roof tiles and jumped onto a narrow street. Sewell set down Sable and gave her back her bag. The street was under a web of clotheslines bearing the residents' washing. Colorful shirts, dresses, and robes waved them down toward the harbor.
When they got onto the main road, it became impossible to maneuver through the people without running into someone. There were merchants shouting at them. Sailors were carrying goods onto their ships. Banners of red, orange, and gold whipped around above them. It was almost officially summer.
Sable disappeared, but not for long. The smell of the temple still clung to her and Sewell found her digging through her bag in front of a merchant's stall. Money. Most likely stolen from the temple treasury. Sable took her time in choosing the biggest, redest apple the merchant had to offer. She also purchased the second redest and forced it upon Sewell. He ate it as he followed Sable through the street. The inns were overflowing with people. Had he arrived in Vale yesterday, it might have been easier to find a room.
But nothing ever goes as planned.
Sewell tossed the apple core onto the ground. They were heading away from the crowd to a more dilapidated part of town. The buildings here hadn't been painted in some time. A few of them were missing windows. The air was filled with alcohol and the shouting of sailors. Sable walked boldly in front of him.
They came to an inn that, while ugly, was mostly in one piece. It didn't seem to have many patrons either as the common room had only a few guests playing cards at a table. The innkeeper here was a short, thin man with a bristly beard which he had dyed a bright orange, presumably for the Festival of Light--Cyrus's day. He had the fortune to reign over summer.
The innkeeper squinted at the couple. "One?"
Sable shook her head and held up two fingers.
"Oh?"
Sewell nodded in agreement.
The innkeeper asked no more questions, but found them a key and led them up the stairs to a room. The two beds were stained and moth eaten. The room was covered in dust. The only window was tinted by a layer of it. It smelled stale, even to Sable. She wrinkled her nose at it.
