“Ah, finally! Cap Flortia!” Daniel, a young man of wild brown hair and lanky build in light shirt and pants, exhaled with a satisfied grin and stretch himself wide. Three hours of being confined to an overfilled train was rather exhausting after a while and it felt good to actually have space to move. At least they had been smart enough to reserve a pair of seats for their journey.

The white roofs of Cap Flortia stretched out before him, flowing down the mountain hillside before parting around the bay shore. Build at the central peak halfway up the mountain, the train station looked out over the full breadth of this beautiful crescent town. From the cozy suburbs on the left and east to the more bustling and tight shopping streets to the right and west. And onwards the blue ocean stretched out beyond where the town’s crescent tips yielded to its waves.

Cap Flortia’s wide streets were a nice change from the cramped train wagons, much to Daniel’s relief.

His suitcase seemed similarly relieved to finally have some space to move because it had started to wander unaccompanied down the streets in search of its own destiny.

“Up! Agh!” Daniel sputtered startled and stumbled as he failed to lean on air before noticing the wayward rolling luggage. Scrambling after it he managed to catch its handle just in time. Foiled from finding its own destiny once more. Or something like that.

“Phew, that would have been bad.” Daniel sighed in relief, wiping away his forehead, and turned around to wave at his companion.

“Haa, two weeks of vacation~! It feels good not having to work.” Tania, a tall and slender beauty of long, black hair dressed in pants and a sweater that looked just a bit too warm for the current season, sighed happily as she joined him.

“Even if I do like my job.” She mused with a smile, tapping her chin.

“Well, you also get the fun part of it.” Daniel pouted in playful complain. 

“You don’t have to keep up with the schedule.” Tania shot back.

“True…”  He nodded sadly in compassion, hand over heart gazing down… and then grinned haughtily. “I just manage it. So, you better be grateful I got you two weeks of freedom~”

“And who was the one to build up all of the good will for that…?” Tania drawled loftily, crossing her arms.

Their eyes narrowed at each other and sparks danced between them in challenge…! And both grinned wide.

“So, where’s the hotel you grabbed us at?” Tania asked curiously and hefted her own suitcase over her shoulder.

“Just a sec.” Daniel replied as he pulled out his smartphone, flicking away the messages from their friends.  Jake and Luna had already settled into the hotel to wait for them but Natalie and Marie were still strolling around the town.

“Shouldn’t be too far…” He mumbled to himself as he pulled up the map and hotel address.

———

The summer sun shone bright above Cap Flortia and gave the town a glittering, vibrant look. Really, the only thing missing to finish the tropical feel were some palm trees and similarly tropical flora. And as Daniel and Tania followed the map to their hotel, they positively took note of how lively the streets were. People in all manner of costumes and cosplays wandered about, chatting about this and that while animatedly gesturing here and there. There was no question to be had that they were for the same reason: The Cap Flortian Anime Convention.

“Ooh, I wish I had a good cosplay to go with…” Tania sighed longingly after a particularly well-crafted kitsune cosplay. Those nine fluffy tails of blue looked incredible!

“Who would you go as…?” Daniel asked curiously, too preoccupied with the map to look to the side. Why did there have to be so many unmarked side streets?! They had to turn around three times by now!

Tania threw him a deadpan stare when a mischievous sparkle entered her eyes and a grin flitted over her lips.

“Hm…~” She hummed demonstratively as if deep in thought.

“Maybe as Gao Mako?” She finally offered with a playful wink. “I think I would make a pretty good shortstack, wouldn’t you say~?”

Leaning over to him, she pushed her small and petite breasts against her sweater. Which didn’t really do much.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Daniel blinked and looked up from his phone. A somber sigh escaped him.

“Ah, I’m sorry to say this… but there’s no way.” He replied with his head bowed sadly, gazing back to his phone. “For you will always be a beanstalk. Forever tall and flat.”

So he solemnly declared. A wide grin split his face.

“Asshole.” Tania rolled her eyes amused and punched him in the shoulder.

“But seriously, who would want to go as?” Daniel asked her actually interested, looking back up with a more genial smile.

This time Tania put real thought into her answer, tapping against her chin as they continued through the streets with the pleasant background playing out around them.

“Hm… Blaze Vermillion, maybe…? I always liked her.” She mused.

“Definitely gotta dye that hair then.” Daniel nodded firmly and pulled ahead swiftly. Suspiciously so, in fact. Tania’s eyes narrowed as he was suddenly three meters in the lead. Her eyes widened in realisation.

“Oh, you’re not gonna dye my hair at all!” She shouted after him as his brisk walk turned into a light jog. 

“Get back here!” Her eyes twitched irritated even as an amused grin made itself wide on her lips.

“Catch me first, then!” Daniel grinned right back and his jog  turned into a full run.

With an exaggerated scream of indignation and look of determination, Tania rushed right after him. Joke about dyeing a girls hair without her permission and you face the consequences! Double so because she knew he got it planned out already!

And so their leisurely walk to the hotel had turned into a full on chase, much to the wonder and amusement of those watching from the side.

———

Zaunder’s Inn found its origins as a safe haven for sailors during the early days of Cap Flortia’s founding. Since then it had been down from Clan Zaunder heir to heir to the present day. One of the oldest family establishment that had early on become a place for travelers to rest. It was easy to mistake the inn turned hotel for only a small establishment as the front facade hadn’t changed much, but the backside had been built out and expanded by a lot since its inception.  And within all these years Zaunder’s Inn had certainly seen its fair share of strange and curious guests. Felicia Zaunder, the youngest daughter of Clan Zaunder, however was pretty sure that it had never seen anything even close to the bright and vibrant chaos that the first Flortian Anime Convention had brought to town.

Anonymously she sat behind the counter, working as the receptionist as was Zaunder’s tradition for all heirs, and watched bemused the colourful bunch that gather within the lobby. This was completely out of her ballpark but Felicia had long since learned to hide her confusion. And there was too much pride in her to actually allow herself to stay confused.

She pulled from her intricate study of the average anime con goer back to her actual job as the entrance door swung open once more.

“Welcome to Zaunder’s Inn! Do you have…?” Felicia began with a genuine smile only to trail off in awkwardness as Daniel came barrelling through the now open door. He had barely made it two steps in before Tania tackled him from behind, clinging tight to his back. His balance was applaudable as he only stumbled slightly from the sudden addition of one extra person and a fully packed suitcase… but in the end gravity won out and he laid sprawled out on the ground.

“No dyeing my hair, capiche?!” Tania declared firmly through a strained smirk, holding Daniel pinned to the ground. Fist grinding against his head.

He was shaking. Shaking and near tears from laughter beneath her as he tried to catch his breaths

“I give…!” Daniel barely managing to get his words out through his giggles. “I only have green dye, anyways!”

“Oi!” Tania squawked in mock affront.

Daniel took a bit but he finally managed to gasp for enough breath.

“But, ah, could you let me go please…? Promise, I won’t dye your hair. But we’re kinda making quite the scene here…” Daniel noted amused between more giggles, nodding towards the groups of obvious con goers watching them openly with wide grins and laughter. And more than one phone was currently pointed at them.

“Oh, don’t mind us~” One blonde girl grinned wide at Daniel and Tania. “We’re just preserving comedy gold for the future!”

And demonstratively she held up her phone.

Tania blushed hotly and slid off Daniel’s back, giving him a dirty pout. He just shrugged sheepishly back in a clear what-can-you-do kinda way before hopping back to his feet and dusting himself off as he turned towards the receptionist, ignoring the vengeful stare of his pouting friend.

Felicia sweatdropped as she shook herself out of her disbelief. They had to be filming a comedy or something around Cap Flortia. She refused to believe something like this could happen unscripted!

“We have reservation under Krautberg.” Daniel smiled at her as if nothing had happened and she quickly smoothed over her - with VENGEANCE - returning confusion with an amicable smile. Good service and discretion were what every Zaunder prided themselves with.

“Of course. Just one moment please.” She replied and turned towards the list of reservation. Behind her eyes her mind firmly set in stone what she had already suspected. Truly, this was the most chaotic day in the history of Zaunder’s Inn. So why did she feel that this was just the start? 

“How could this go even weirder…?” Felicia mumbled perturbed to herself as she noted the name Krautberg and opened the key safe beneath her desk.

“What?” Daniel blinked.

“What?” Felicia repeated startled by Daniel’s question, then she blushed and quickly caught herself. Hold it together, Felicia! You’re a Zaunder Heir! With a smile she blithely ignored her blunder and held out the key.

“Here’s your key. Room C37 on the third floor. The lift is right besides the stairs. The hallway next to it leads to the dining hall, breakfast and dinner start at 7 and end at 10.”

“Thanks.” Tania smiled through her still burning embarrassment while Daniel cheerfully accepted the key.

“Have a nice stay…!” Felicia called after the duo as they left for their room.

“Hopefully we will!” Tania laughed brightly back and the Zaunder Heir was once again left to her thoughts alone. 

Cordial she turned back to her job but while she kept her smile warm and friendly, face calm, internally she had turned hard and determined. She was going to get to the bottom of this weirdness! Now, where to start with her research?