Silver Insanity

It is quite dark by the time you reach Dornsby. Heavy clouds have moved in, and the light from the moons is not getting to the ground. Even your vision has trouble seeing much detail in the city ahead - at least beyond the small pool of light at the gate, where a group of four guards appear to be playing some sort of card game.

It looks like you need not have worried about Eenyrl's admittance - the guards are far more interested in looking at you than at some gnoll. One guard, perhaps a little sharper than the rest, takes advantage of the distraction to swap a few cards between the deck and his hand; but none of them make any move to actually, say, get up. Or get their weapons (pikes, leaning against the palisade wall). Or, in fact, do anything that might reasonably approximate guarding.

Aurora starts her horse through the gate and pauses for a moment, about to ask the guards a question. She glances down at her unusual-looking steed, over at the weary Eenryl, and changes her mind. Quickly dismounting, she vanishes her mount and heads into the city on foot at a brisk walk. Warily watching the numerous shadows she makes her way most of the way across the city to the area with taverns and inns that catered to the prosperous merchant sorts who wouldn't pay a penny more than they had to on "luxuries" but didn't want to have to bring guards and locks to be able to sleep safely. Once in that general area Aurora begins looking for a place to stay for the night.

The northern sector of the city is oddly empty, but once you get past the second layer of walls, there are a few people about.

The inn you end up at is the sleeping chimera; a fair sized building that at least claims to have a reasonable level of protections, both mundane and magical. The main room is empty save for a single elderly woman, cleaning up.

She looks up as you come in. "You're in luck - we still have a room open. Eight silver for a room, and," she looks at Eenyrl, "Twelve silver deposit. We're not the cheapest inn in town, I know - but you pay extra for security. Can't be too careful these days, with the wererats and all."

Aurora pulls out seven gold coins from a pouch in her waist and holds them out to the innkeeper, but keeps her fingers closed over the money. "What amenities come with the room?"

The innkeeper gestures over her shoulder at one of the back doors. "There should still be some water drawn up for baths." She sniffs, audibly, "Which I'm sure both you and your... creature... could make good use of. The stew got finished off, but I can still offer you bread and cheese tonight; and we serve breakfast in the morning."

She fishes a key out of her pocket, and holds it out in one hand, while waiting for your gold to land in the other. "Third floor, fifth room on the right."

Aurora nods and exchanges the week's pay for the key. "I don't know how long I'll be staying, if it looks to be more than a week I'll pay additional days past the week when I find out." Aurora heads up the stairs and gives the room a quick inspection. She then heads to the bathing room, leaving none of her gear behind. The water isn't overly warm but that doesn't bother her any. Before bathing she comments over her shoulder, "Don't know if you're particularly fond of bathing but at least sponge off a bit to keep the innkeeper from trying to chase you and/or us out if you would."

Eenyrl eyes the available implements with trepidation, but he manages to remove at least most of the grime from the past few days of travel.

And, as promised, there is bread and cheese and mead waiting for the two of you when you're both done.

Once the two are back in the room, Aurora splits the provided cold meal between her and Eenyrl. After eating her half she strips her boots and pack, setting the former down next to a bed and the latter on the foot of the bed. She tucks the room key into a waist pocket after locking the door, and curls up on a bed with her back to the wall and her feet hooked into the shoulder straps of the pack and seems to fall instantly asleep.

Once dinner is done, Eenyrl simply collapses on the floor - and there is no seeming about the speed with which he achieves unconsciousness.

A short while later, Aurora quietly swings out of bed, donning her boots and pack. She'd let herself take a quick nap to refresh herself, she'd need more sleep later but half an hour would do her well for most of the night easily, the next day as well if needed. She jots a quick note for Eenyrl in case she returns late or he wakes early, though she expects the late push to get to Dornsby would leave him sleeping later than usual. She ought to be back before then, but if she's not hopefully he can either read common or else would be smart enough to ask the innkeep or the hired help to read it for him. She fades from view silently, and a moment later the shuttered window opens and then closes.