Sunlight split the dawn of a brand new day. It was the beginning of another days work at the Citadel Inn.
Lywn had been, as expected, awake for a while now. Tenets would be expecting breakfast soon, after all. She had a responsibility to her customers! Her family had high expectations of her. It was their family business after all, keeping the Citadel Inn going. Her father owned everything, as his father did before him. The family business had been going strong ever since the Magus Citadel was first created, so long ago. As such, even being a merchant family, their family was incredibly rich and well regarded, a very high class merchant family indeed. And since it was the source of the family's wealth, the whole family pitched into it. Her elder brother would be the next one to take over the family business, and being an established adult already gave him a management role in the business. Her boss in fact was the selfsame brother. Her younger sister also worked here, but being the young treasure of the family left the same sister with few responsibilities. Typically, such a sister could be found relaxing lazily at the reception counter, waiting to greet the next customer. Being held in such high regards, her position was considered yet another reason for good days of business.
Not everything was smooth for the Qtehlatys family, especially for Lywn. The reason she was given such heavy workloads had little to do with being the middle child, even if that might not have helped. What haunted her was that she was adopted, she wasn't a true member of her own family. Everyone knew this, and everyone treated her like this. This wasn't even the worst of it. While she had kept it secret her life, as she was told to, her family was still then the only ones to be familiar with the most awful secret she held. She was a half-elf.
The prejudice against a half-elf in Celese is more than just bad. Her parents were a human father and a half-elf mother. Both of them were killed when she was very little, her mother because her presence offended someone, and then her father died because he was defending a half-elf. In a way, that means she's only a quarter.. elf.. but that didn't make it much better. It only made it easier to hide. Her ears would only barely give her away if you got a clear look at it for more than an instant, they are only barely 'mis-shapened', themselves having only the faint edges kin to elves but somehow being very rounded. Elves also tended to have a much lower stamina than humans due to their physique, but she did well enough that you couldn't tell. Her sight was only slightly better than what would be typical of a human, and completely paled compared to an elf, but this distinction was so slight she didn't even need to hide it. Some people just see a bit better, it happens. She was lucky how much she got from her father, probably the only reason she was still alive within such an important business. Though, she did learn that the Arch-Magus himself had a few things to do with the adoption when it occurred, though she never understood why he bothered. It didn't really matter, anyway.
What mattered right now was customers. She didn't exactly have an easy job, in fact she was kinda the default for the worst of jobs. Calling her a maid would be putting it nicely, calling her a janitor would be an understatement. She was thankful that she had finally finished hand-washing the clothes of that one gentleman who had found himself too inebriated last night.. and had... inebriated all over his clothes. She suspected he would be waking up rather grumpy, so getting his stuff promptly in order was exceptionally important. It didn't stop anything though.
"The service here sucks, I thought you guys were supposed to take care of my stuff last night, this shirt still has a wrinkle. It's also blue for some reason." The customer was going relentlessly on the subject with her brother when she arrived. Her brother might have known the shirt was originally blue, that didn't phase him at all. "I'm getting complaints from our customers about your level of service. This is coming out of your pay, you know." It always came out of her pay. At this point, she hardly even got paid. She was taking all this abuse for really cheap.
After getting scolded, she knew she had no time to feel sorry for herself, it was on to the next disaster. Breakfast was right around the corner, and she had people to wait upon.
"Hi... I would like some... uh.. right... some of that egg-like eggs that you have, and I would like it... uh... I want it done so that its an egg, but done, so like, its shiny and..." "Lywn, you're slowing things down, get your butt in gear and collect everyone's orders!" Her father was quick to scold her as most of the other customers started looking impatient. The inevitability of her circumstances left her expecting nothing more. Like always, something would go wrong, and she would get in trouble. That's just the way things work. She's a half-elf, after all, that's how it always works.
Unsurprisingly then, breakfast ended right where she expected to be. "You couldn't even get right that fine gentlemen's order of poached eggs. Countless errors this lunch hour..." "It was breakfast." ".. this breakfast hour, and don't you be back-talking me. This is all coming out of your pay, you know, and you will certainly be expected to make up for it during lunch." Her brother was getting really good at this whole thing. These kinds of words used to come from her father when she was little, but ever since her brother stepped in, he's taken over these responsibilities for their father. Father was probably so proud of him..
The lunch rush typically started right after the breakfast rush, but there was always a short period between where she was free to go off on her own and tidy stuff up. She did so while contemplating her awful circumstances. Clearly, the way she saw things, the whole problem here was that she was a half-elf. Specifically, this was going on because people knew she was a half-elf. If she was around people who did not know this dark part of her, none of this would be happening. It's been weeks in its making, but she had been working on a plan.
For a while now, she had been saving up, spending less than was possibly healthy, working extra hard for some under-the-table tips, all to collect the stuff she would need for her master plan. And, at this point, she had everything she needed. Hidden away in her dark space, the cupboard she calls a bedroom, was the supplies she needed to run away from home. She knew, however, that running away from home by herself would be stupid. Working at an Inn, she had a way better alternative. This place was centric to an endless flow of travelers, all seeking respite at the most established Inn ever told. Those travelers came from places, and were going places. Where ever they were going would be way better than here. The only problem was that, to just go with travelers, she would have to develop the right rapport with the right people. This has been easier said then done, the right opportunity had yet to arrive.
Lunch however was inevitable. "Hi... uh... I would like... uh... a breaded. It should... uh... breading around savory but shiny..." "Lywn!!" Sometimes, her ability to save money at all was the only thing that surprised her. Lunch thus went like lunch typically does.
".. is completely inexcusable. This will be coming out of your pay, and your lunch." She had to be thankful she had a high stamina for a half-elf, even a human would find these conditions difficult. "By the divine, a grilled cheese sandwich.. how is that difficult? Now get back to work!"
She went to her regular afternoon cleanup routine. This basically involved checking and cleaning up every single room in the Inn. At small recompense, she wasn't expected to cover every single room, there is no way she could do that fast enough. The regular Inn staff would be involved.
"Oh, Lywn, your room list for today is ready. Here you go." It was an illusion of kindness, but it was a blessing. None of the staff directly treated her poorly, they only followed orders. Which is precisely why her list of rooms were effectively picked as the worst cases of rooms in the entire inn. Yup, that blue shirt guy, he's here, 671. Down a bit more, the gentleman with the incredibly precise orders, he's here too, 542. He should be back in his room this afternoon, but will still expect his room to be cleaned. He will, as obvious, relay his expectations of how he wants his stuff to be organized. There were many others than those two rooms, so as obvious she was free to just start wherever she wanted.
As always, it was going to be a harsh afternoon. Things always were, as expected. However she couldn't expect how things would pan out, late that afternoon.
Three guests arrived simultaneously. One was in an elegant dress, a rosy dress, but not as practical as she had worn originally. The next looked almost drab in the mixture of greens and browns that showed no real interest in looks. The last wore an azure dress, much more practical then her peer, except for the fact that it was dripping wet. "Oh, good day.. miladies.. How can I help you today?" Lwyn's sister had jumped from her seat at their arrival, and was doing her best to keep her composure before the guests. The other staff weren't excited to get involved at all.
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"I-I'm" "Terribly sorry for any trouble, I'm just looking to book a room." The third girl just stood there, saying nothing. It was obvious they weren't together. It was also obvious they haven't been here before. Worst, they all looked like trouble. At least, to everyone at the front at the time. Lwyn could hear the commotion as she made her way down the hall. A strange and unexpected guest? That could be an opportunity! She quickly dashed to the front.
"I'm sorry, I heard a commotion, is everything alright up here?" "Lwyn! Perfect timing, so very glad to see you. We have three customers here that are finding it challenging to complete our registration process, and it would be perfect if you could help." Her sister's eyes were beaming with hope, she was free! Her brother, just in that nick of time, showed up too, took cast of the situation, and judged that this was a Lwyn job.
"Brother, I'm sorry, I've been still working on my list, do you want me to go back and keep going then.." The light vanished from her sister's eyes as everyone pivoted to the brother. Her brother, however, was shaking his head in resolution. "No, no, you've been assigned a more... essential task, I'll see that your work gets passed on correctly. You, you were on break, now you aren't. Lywn, give her your list." The staff approached Lywn, still nervous about the current guests, and so whispered quietly. "So which ones are left?" "I was working in the same order on the list, start with room 542." "Which one was 542 again? Oh, no matter, you're busy, good luck." "Yeah, you too."
Lwyn then guided the three women into what effectively accounted for a meeting room. It was the best opportunity to discuss business. She then focused on the first two women.
"Am I right to assume that the three of you aren't together?" "Righ-" "No, I came here all by myself. Why, is something wrong? Did I get anything mixed up? This is an inn, right?" Clearly, there was even an order of operation between the first two. "Yes, it is an inn, this is the Citadel Inn, the most well established inn.. ever. You ... weren't aware?" "N-" "Oh! I, uh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that complicated things. I'm not, uh-.." So now all of them were flustered, but her questions were answered. None of them knew what they are doing. That actually made everything a lot easier.
"Okay, so, our smallest room right now, unbooked, is for four people. You're going to have to room with someone in this case, so would it be an issues if I just booked all of you together?" "It-" "Sorry, I'm terribly sorry to put each of you through this, and hope you would be so kind as to have me." "And you, madam?" By natural order, she made sure to as the same individually of the second woman, so that she could actually finish a statement. "Ye-yes, of course... yes." So, slow, but she's worked with worse. Not bad. The third she still deliberately ignored. "Okay, great, lets return to the main room and get your key picked. I will be there myself shortly, just make sure you get all your stuff together." It felt good, having things actually work this well. The first two women made their way out of the room.
The third, going with the flow, turned to follow. Lwyn closed the door before her, with just the two of them in the room. This startled her, and while caught off guard, Lwyn shifted the fancy hairband the woman was using. Her suspicions were instantly confirmed. Having spent her own life hiding her ears, she could easily spot all the signs.
"So you're an elf." She wasn't speaking any longer in Izhaethyx, and had instead shifted to Elaethyx. Mhyl was almost dizzy by the chain of surprises. "Ye-yes, I am. Finally someone says something that makes sense!" It was as Lwyn suspected, the real reason Mhyl was so quiet was because she didn't understand Izhaethyx at all. In truth, the elven library had no reason to record anything in the human's language, so she was never exposed to it. Books were instead translated into her language before they were shelved in the library.
"So, do you know you are at a human Inn?" "Yes, I.. yes, of course! Wait, why are you putting so much emphasis on human? I know I was hiding being an elf, but I don't see any problems!" "And, how fluent are you in the human's speech?" "Oh, easy, I've studied plenty, so I know all of the cultural... wait, you're making this sound big." "Quite big, it's like humans and elves don't even speak the same language - level of big!" "It.. wait, what?!" Her chain of shock broke a record with that one, and you could see her mentally putting the pieces together, finally. This had her blown away for a moment.
"So.. how am I..?" "Obvious, I know your language too, so, we can figure stuff out, right? We should get you registered too with the others. Sorry, but you're going to have to share the room with some humans. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" "No, no I guess not.." "Though, if you came from the Elnir, I expect there might be some trouble getting your coins converted, unless you have any other coins." "Wait, coins, is this something I needed?" Oh boy, this was going to be a problem. The elf did not come bringing coins at all. She could still make this work, the other two could probably accept a small price hike, especially the first one, but she would still probably need to dip into her own savings just to make this happen. It was going to be risky, but even adopted, she was still a true daughter of a merchant. The price of opportunity was worth it, even considering the risks.
"Sis, you're back. Had me worried there for a bit." "Sorry about that, was handling all of the negotiations. Room 718 is still free, right?" "It is, is that what we will be going with?" "Of course." Lwyn picked up the key from her sister and guided the three misfits down the hall. Once there, where they got to see the room they would get, she shifted to finances. As planned, she asked for slightly higher than the room was worth, and she dismissed that Mhyl had already paid when the other two started to wonder why they were alone paying. Lwyn then recommended every took the time to get comfortable, and she would return later to help them further. She then went to her own stash, and withdrew the remaining funds, praying this would be worth it.
"I have 718's coin here, ready to go." "Oh, perfect, then everything went smoothly, thank you." "Hmm, quite, it's good to see you making up for today's earlier mistakes." She went to go check in with her sister, bringing the required coins. Both women had used completely different coins, so she had to carefully swap some out so that it looked like equal payments from three different sources. Her brother was there already, already trying to be critical about her work.
"The dinner rush is starting soon, so I'm going to need-.." "Oh, about that, 718 has made a special request that they want dinner in their room." "Ah, I see, well, that will be on you then, they are your customer, after all. I expect you to focus on their every need." "Yes, of course." This was already priceless. Her brother was going to shoetail her into her regular routine, but 718 was making exception out of everything.
She returned to 718 and checked on the selfsame customers. None of them had any specific needs at the time, but she disclosed that dinner will be conveniently brought to their very room for them, and that they could leave an order with her for what they will want to eat tonight. This caught them by surprise, this was far more service then they were used to, no wonder everything started weird. She gave all three of them menus, taking special care to point to the pictures for the elven customer, who then quickly understood what was going on. After collecting their orders, she made her way to the dining hall.
"Uh, so I ... uh... what I want is the meaty that is juicy but with the stuff so that it's meaty with shiny..." "Okay, I've got the order for room 718!" She passed by the poor unfortunate waiter who would be replacing her this dinner rush and dashed into the kitchen. The girl eyes were pleading for mercy, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had her own customers to look after.
She returned not long after with their dinner order. Thanrie was trying to scare Mhyl with some casual conversation, or specifically was trying to be nice with conversation that Mhyl couldn't understand. Qheria looks like she was trying to interject, but hadn't had any opportunities yet. "Foods here!" Everyone looked up at their saviour, all rather hungry and feeling very out of place. She spent dinner with the three women, listening to Thanrie recite tales of her journey in the softest and most gentle of fashions. Which was her customer relation perspective reinterpreting the most obvious and yet rude conclusion, that Thanrie was naive and... while she didn't know it, the word that we would be familiar with for this stereotype is "Blonde". It's not that it matched her hair description in the slightest, this wasn't even a stereotype in their society, but her ginger hair had nothing to do with her ability to have a mental grasp of the situation. Later, she approached the second of the set, individually and quietly, and asked her some very direct questions, being as patient as she's needed with certain other customers. Qheria's being so soft-spoken was clearly her greatest fault, she was considerably shy! Not the most shy she's seen, she's seen some pretty shy people, but Qheria's level of shy still ranked really well. Finally, she made an opportunity for Mhyl and Lwyn to talk privately, and learned about the bookworm exposure she's been given. She didn't get many details about the library, or why she was always there, but enough to know just how little of the wide world this girl has had experience with.
Three misfits was an understatement, these girls would need some help going forwards. Which is great, because that fits perfectly with her plans. The time had finally came.
She left and tracked down her brother, and when she found him, she explained with some fabricated details just how much 718 was going to need some constant help. Her brother began to pale at the details. "So, I think the safest thing to do is for me to personally spend the night in their room caring for their every need. Would that be a fair assumption?" "Ye-yes, definitely. I had instructed you to ensure that their every need was met satisfactorily, and I fully expect you to drop everything to ensure it. As I've read, they will be gone mid-afternoon, and then we can once again relax. Until they leave, they are your full and only responsibility. Am I understood?" "Yes, absolutely!"
Everything was going perfectly. As the rain outside started to fall, Lwyn's excitement grew. This was a golden opportunity. For once, she would sleep very well.
At least, she thought she would, settling into her rudimentary sheets among three other sleeping strangers, as the thunder began.