Three figures were to be seen entering the gates of a bright city through the grey marble and brick gates of the largest city in the lands, where many went to find asylum or to trade. Those who spawned next to the city were considered lucky, and it would seem that a majority did spawn near the city.
"Here we are!"
But back to the three figures.
"Yeah! What was this place called again?" The shortest had sleek black crow wings sprouting from his back, well-taken care of despite being dirty everywhere else on his body and clothes. He had bright blue eyes and dark raven hair, glasses framing his eyes as he stood next to one of his companions.
"It's the most famous in history so far, and you don't know the name?!" The middle height had bright blue hair and small quills on his arms that he tended to pick off. He as well had blue eyes that were framed behind glasses, and it was obvious he had been tested on by the world's curious and unkind. He stood next to the shortest. "Actually yeah, what is this place called?"
"Bright... Yeah." The tallest was taller than the two by a lot, his own wings black and scaly instead of feathery. He also had a black tail and scales that ran over one of his cheekbones and a part of his collar bone. He had dark brown hair and bright purple eyes, his hands turning over to reveal more scales in some places, as well as showing some wrap bandages that covered his arms. He also had some very dark grey horns, the right missing the top half that was supposed to match his left horn. He was stood behind the two, so quiet the two almost forgot he was there. almost.
The middle height hummed thoughtfully "I see." he said "What's the plan then, Whim?"
"We stay here a couple days so Corvo can go find his lady." The tallest motioned to the shortest, who seemed to want to fly up into the sky to search for someone, his wings twitching. "You can go, I'll get you the cords to where we're staying when we find it."
The shortest, Corvo, nodded and lifted off quickly, the other two being left to their own devices.
"I know what you meant, by the way." The middle height said "So I understand what the city's called now!" He smiled brightly.
The taller smiled softly "I'm glad, Scarf." he said "Now c'mon, we'll need to find an inn big enough for the three of us."
"Four if Corvo can finally find the woman he's been looking for, Whim." The middle, Scarf, groaned
The tallest, Whim, nodded to himself as he began walking toward the town plaza, located in the middle, and usually home to the inns they would stay in when they got to towns and cities. The tallest's tail slithered behind him, feeling the smooth rocks below it's scaled bottom, his wings folded neatly on his back, only moving when Whim turned too fast, surprising knowing their full wingspan.
Scarf sped after Whim with quicker speeds than most regular humans. "Wait up!" He said
"You have your Sonic powers, you'll live." Whim said as he eyed the people around himself and Scarf, all of them sparing him a few glances in curiosity. "now c'mon, I've heard about Stampy's inn, and it's good."
"Didn't know know him?" Scarf ran quick circles around Whim "Like, a few years ago?"
"Saved his ass from a creeper, why?" Whim looked down at the other, to realize that Scarf was running again
"Just wondering!" Scarf said "I'll run and find it!" And with that, Whimbreo was left in the sea of the people of Bright Spawn City.
Whim sighed and walked through the crowd, noticing that most people parted in his wake, like a sea splitting down the middle. Weather it was because they feared him o just didn't want to get in his way, he didn't know.
The center of the city was bustling as always, few headed to the markets toward the east, some headed to restaurants to the west, even more headed toward their homes behind Whim as he entered. The male figured that it was around five pm, watching as few took to the sky, though Corvo's figure was easy to make out. More people took notice to Whim in the square, the male headed toward the north part of the city, to where the inns and taverns lay. He peered at those he caught staring, most thinking him to be glaring at them due to how his face rested.
"Whim, I've found him!" He looked down to see Scarf was back next to him, jumping around happily "It smells so nice in there!" He beamed at the taller and older
Whim hummed "I remember Stampy saying something about baking during our brief few days together." Whim said as he allowed Scarf to lead him to the inn his old friend ran.
They came upon the taller building within moments, and Scarf was right, it did smell nice. Scarf entered quickly, Whim taking a second to send their position to Corvo, who would come searching for the other two in an hour or so.
As Whim entered, he was greeted with the heavy sent of baked goods and booze, after all, the inn doubled as a tavern.
"Hello there!" he heard a higher male voice call from around a corner "I'll help you in a sec-" As he rounded the corner, his orange feline ears flicked up in surprise, his orange eyebrows raising as his face became one of shock. "Oh!" He said "Is that you, Whim?"
The taller hummed, the orange haired feline hybrid smiling widely, his tail swinging slightly.
"I've been waiting for you to visit!" The feline, presumably Stampy, waved one of his arms around, the other staying where it was, covered with bandage wraps to his the many scars he's gotten from a few years prior, coincidentally, also how the two met. "How have you been?"
"Found these two guys and they've attached themselves to me." Whim said "Unsurprisingly, they're both looking for love and decided since I travel that they'd tag along forever."
Stampy laughed as Whim heard someone landing outside of the tavern, and in came Corvo, his hair a windblown mess. "I came as soon as I smelled food." Was his explanation, smiling at Whim "Who's this?"
"This is Stampy." Whim introduced the two "Stampy, Corvo. Corvo, Stampy." He looked around "Now where's Scarf?"
"Oh! The blue haired fellow!" Stampy said "I was just getting him something to drink!" He waved the two over "Come with me, he's gotten a table for three."
Corvo huffed "I'm sad he didn't think I could get a girl. By now." he said
"You've been looking for her since you were fourteen." Whim said to the other
"Only five years!" Corvo said, offended as Stampy laughed again as he lead the two toward a table in the back corner, Scarf relaxed in one of the patches of sunlight coming from a near window that shone down onto two chairs.
"You left me behind." Whim said as he sat next to Scarf, Corvo taking the last seat, which was also next to Scarf, in the other seat with the light, yawning.
"I got us a room though!" Scarf laughed, taking a drink from his mug that lay on the spruce table in front of the three. "And food!"
Stampy nodded "Your friend here has an appetite." he said, before hearing the bell again, giving a quick wave to the three "I'll talk to you later Whim, nice to see you again!" and with that, he left.
"He's nice." Corvo said with a light smile
"Yeah, but what's behind the wraps?" Scarf was curious and nosy, though Whim didn't usually mind most of the time.
"Old scars from a few creepers." Whim replied
"Thought you said you saved him from a creeper." Scarf replied
"Did, but the first two got to him first, it was such a bloody mess, thought he was gonna die." Whim said, settling his wings to cover his bare arms, which were growing a bit cold. "Didn't though, he's lucky I had potions on me." Whim remembered the complaints he had to deal with due to the bitterness of the reviving potion.
Food was delivered to the table by a worker as Whim surveyed who'd come into the inn, a larger group that took up the largest tables available. Must be a party for a wedding or something, Whim thought.
"Oh! Food's here!" Scarf loved sweeter things, but he could deal with savory and salty too, but in a place like Stampy's, the sweets were the best things on the menu, so he got every single choice.
"Great." Corvo said, digging into his own portion, while Whim still surveyed over the inn's tavern part, watching as Stampy set the large group into their seats before disappearing back into a kitchen for about ten minutes.
Stampy came back later with a plate and headed toward the trio's table, setting the plate in front of Whim, the sweet scent of apple dumplings assaulting the taller's nose enough to make him look down at the plate.
"Huh?" He said, looking to Stampy
"I figured you'd want some!" The male smiled "They're still your favorite, right?"
Whim smiled at his friend, no teeth "Yeah." he said "Thank you, Stampy."
"Oh he gets the best thing?!" Scarf hadn't seen the dumpling on the menu, because there were none listed "The hell?!"
"I'm Stampy's friend." Whim said cockily, chuckling as Scarf puffed out his cheeks, Stampy laughing as well.
"That and I've been making them in anticipation for you returning every day." Stampy said "Always have someone to eat them at the end of the day, in not you." He motioned to the plate, which held seven of the treats "Always make seven, though." He smiled "Someone won't be happy."
Whim snorted "Snooze ya lose." he said, eating the sweet and almost melting at the taste, only having time to eat sandwiches on his journey before. "Hold shit this is good." he muttered to himself as Stampy left once more, his two friends starting up a conversation between themselves, getting booze for the table whenever they could, though Whim couldn't drink it.
~<^>~ HOURS LATER ~<^>~
The duo, becoming blackout drunks an hour ago, having retired to the room they rented only ten minutes ago, giving Whim more of a chance to watch the now crowded Tavern portion of Stampy's without having to look after two bumbling drunk nineteen year olds.
The group, which Whim though was a party, were more shifty than Whim had initially thought, sparing multiple obvious glances toward the now only person at the corner table, glancing back when they made eye contact only to look back seconds later when Whim had gone to look over the place yet again.
The group, now that Whim counted, seemed to be made up of thirty, two females and the rest seemingly male. They had an air around them, that made them seem like they were the bosses, but Bright Spawn City was a place where there was no rulers, no police force, and no heroes, from what Whim had last heard of, a few months ago.
"Where'd the other two go?" Whim looked over to see that Stampy was taking a break, sitting where Scarf had, the skies having long since darkened into night.
"Too drunk to comprehend anything, so I sent them to bed." Whim replied "Just staying here in case anything... exciting happens."
"Probably won't be." Stampy said "Nobody fights when those guys are here." To Whim's surprise, he motioned toward the large group that kept looking at him.
"Why's that?" Whim asked "They're like a police around here?"
"Sort of." The shorter feline answered "They tend to just clean up the streets and investigate potential... Threats?"
"They keep lookin' at me." Whim yawned, making eye contact with a tall creeper hybrid, who quickly looked away once again "Do they think I'm a threat?"
"You do look roughened up a bit." Stampy pointed out, motioning to a few scars on the male.
"Yeah, but for all they know, I'm a war hero." Whim said
"A war hero that doesn't drink." Stampy said "Yeah, sure." the two laughed, Whim much quieter, but you could tell from his face that he was laughing.
"You know I can't." Whim said "Simply unable."
"Yeah yeah, I could tell." Stampy replied before looking toward the door of the kitchen "Shoot, break's up." he said "You should go get some rest, yeah?"
"A few more minutes is fine for me to be down here." Whim said "I'll go to the room in a bit, no need to worry."
Stampy simply nodded and left, Whim piling up the dishes his friends had scattered all over the table haphazardly neatly together, cleaning up the table in a matter of minutes before he sat back for a minute, simply taking one last look over the chaotic tavern, noticing that the group of thirty was looking to him more often now, and he snorted, standing up to his full height, only a bit taller than the tell creeper hybrid and leaving the tavern portion, going upstairs to room six, the largest room according to Stampy, and settled down, his wings having folded back to neatly when he stood up before.
His sleep wasn't as restless than many nights before, because after all, sleeping on the ground and rocks below his feet, no matter how comforting, was terrible for his back, and lead to sleep depivation.
He hadn't slept well in a long time.