A Quest for the Stars

~Caesar~

“What was that about?”

Mrs. Hunter and the pirates had already fallen asleep in the wagon, leaving only Caesar and Cecilia wide awake for the trip to Helix City.

“What’s there to say, Cap’n?” The halfling woman leaned back with a relaxed pose. “It takes a strong man to do what he did, and I find that attractive.”

“If you say so. You think maybe he had a girlfriend? Like the blonde or the elf?”

“I doubt it. They were both pretty quiet when I made my move.” Cecilia yawned. “I’m up for late night drinking, but it’ll take some time before we reach the capital. Mind if I take a nap?”

“Sure, I’ll wake you when we’re there.”

Caesar remained awake while the rest of his crew slept in the back. Their trip to the capital was a short, three-hour wagon ride, and he didn’t mind being left alone for that long. His crew earned their rest and the party that will come later.

“Morning!”

A ghostly pirate with a blue, translucent hue floated between Cecilia and Caesar. “Did I miss anything?”

Caesar greeted the pirate with a smile. “Hey, Beckett. How was your nap?”

“It’s called the Star Dream, young man. And it was great. I see you put that rope I left you to good use. I must have missed something.”

“You could say that. We met a knight and his babe squad and together we drove away a group of giants wanting to eat us.”

Beckett grabbed his head painfully for a moment, then looked in the direction away from where the wagon was going. “Caesar, how many of them were there?”

“The giants? I think there were four of them, but I already lost count.”

“And this knight you mentioned?”

“Oh, him? Well, there was him, then there was that cute blonde, and an elf and her machine. I think that last one was a summoner.”

Beckett gasped. “You fool!” The pirate pointed in the direction of the compound. “I count two, no, three treasures that way!” He hopped in place. “Where’s your treasure, boyo? I told you not to lose sight of it!”

“Relax, old timer. If you hadn’t taken that nap, we would have detected your treasures right away.” Caesar dug through his pocket and pulled out a greenish blue gemstone that gleamed in the ghost’s presence. “See? It’s right here.”

The gemstone had a four-star pattern of an acute angle. Caesar was amazed to witness three of the stars form in the shape of arrows, which then pointed in the direction of the compound.

“Huh. What do you know?”

***

16th of Cobre, 1659 - 12:23am

~Lenoria~

“Warmth at last!”

The chatter at The Drunken Chef Inn came to a halt as the door swung open and Lenoria made her party’s presence known with a boisterous announcement.

Alistair was not far behind, stopping the door from slamming shut just in time and held it open for Clara to enter. The sign outside warned patrons to leave weapons in their rooms or at the door, and no eidolons or animals were allowed inside. Clara had dismissed Tsukuyomi before letting herself in, and she was followed by Alistair who gently closed the door behind him.

The scent of cooked meat and strong cider greeted them kindly as they approached the counter. The same couldn’t be said for the innkeeper, however; the gruff half-orc male wiped a tankard with a dirty rag and hinted no sign of hospitality even when the trio stood right in front of him.

“My daughter cooks, I brew the ale, and the apple cider’s imported. When she ain't cooking, someone else is. If you don’t like the prices, leave.” Without looking at them, the gruff innkeeper pointed at the sign above them.

Nodding at the girls, Alistair confidently grabbed his coin purse and said “Evening, good man. We’d like three rooms, please.”

“Sorry, boy. We only got two.”

Lenoria got a worried look from Alistair, but he quickly reasserted himself and looked back at the innkeeper. “Very well. How much is it to park our wagon here?”

“Three silver pieces.”

“Half the price as a regular room, from what I can tell from your signage.” Alistair grabbed four gold coins and set them on the counter. “We’ll take the two rooms and the parking. Use the extra for our food, and if we owe you anything, let me know so I can make up the difference.”

The innkeeper looked at the girls, then grinned at the boy. “Heh. Whatever you say, boss man.”

Alistair turned to leave. “I’ll sleep in the wagon tonight. Please make use of the amenities, food, and drinks. Just don’t let the tab go over 10 gold pieces.”

But, once again, he was stopped by Lenoria’s hand gripping his wrist.

“I wonder if this will work?" Lenoria cleared her throat. “Alistair, don’t be ridiculous. It’s a nice gesture, but I don’t want you catching a cold.”

“I don’t want to, either, but I see no alternative.”

“I do. There’s three of us and two rooms.” Lenoria gave him a half-lidded stare. “So, how about we share rooms?”

Pearl rolled her eyes and Clara observed inconspicuously. Lenoria felt a nudge from who was presumably Apus as she summoned the courage to be bold again. She enjoyed teasing Alistair earlier and was willing to see how much she could push that boundary without making him uncomfortable. For that, she was thankful to have met Thomas; from him, Lenoria learned what not to do with a person you’re trying to court.

But Alistair’s indifferent response concerned her. He was slightly worried, at best. “Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable on my account.”

“He’s actually thinking about it?” Keeping her cool, Lenoria glanced backwards to address the innkeeper. “Are there baths in the rooms?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied politely, “all rooms have one. When you have so many ass-smelling adventurers wandering in during the dark hours of the night, I’d say it’s a worthwhile investment.”

His backhanded compliment aside, the innkeeper's response was music to Lenoria’s ears. “That’s perfect.” Keeping her seductive look, she trailed her finger across Alistair’s shoulders. “What do you say, Alistair? Wouldn’t you want a hot, relaxing bath before coming down for dinner? Your shoulders must be stiff from all that fighting. I could use a strong pair of hands for my back, personally.”

“I think you should reword that carefully,” Clara whispered.

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Lenoria whispered back. Still staring at Alistair, she continued. “I think it’s very sweet how you look out for us, but you should reward yourself every now and then. It’s okay, I promise!”

After a pause, Alistair nodded at the girl seriously. “You’re right. We all did a good job today, and I do feel grimy. I could use a bath.”

Even with his serious stare, Lenoria’s heart nearly burst out of her chest. “Oh my gosh, is this really happening? I-I don’t think I’m mentally prepared for what's next!”

Alistair extended a hand for the innkeeper. “Sir, are the rooms ready now?”

"Now?! He's that eager?!"

The half-orc handed over two sets of keys. “Ready and waiting for you, boss.”

“Waaah! M-my heart! Stay strong, Lenoria! Stay strong! Just keep calm and follow his lead!”

***

A stack of clothes was held tightly by Lenoria as she and Clara entered their new room. Alistair had escorted them to the second floor of the inn and opened the door for them. It was nothing fancy; the room had a rough 15x15 measurement with a single bed and a nightstand on both sides, and the only source of illumination was the moonlight coming from the single window straight ahead of them. A door to the right was ajar, partially revealing a wooden tub.

Sulking and defeated, Lenoria remained quiet while Alistair went over future plans.

“I really appreciate you two for sharing the same room so there could be one left for me. And don’t worry, dinner is still on me. Let’s get ourselves cleaned up and meet at the tavern below, okay?”

“Sure thing, Alistair,” Clara said with a smile.

The lad looked over at Lenoria, who was now pouting. “Um, is everything to your preferred accommodations, Lenoria?”

“Huh?” Lenoria snapped out of her thoughts and forced a smile. “Y-yeah! The bath smells nice and the moonlight is beautiful.”

“Glad to hear it. The inn is open all night, so I’ll check in on you in an hour. We’ll sleep in after dinner, for we have a long day tomorrow.” He grabbed the door handle and paused for a moment. “Oh, and thanks again.”

Lenoria waited until Alistair closed the door and stepped away before grabbing a pillow and screamed into it.

“Uh, Lenoria…”

Lenoria tossed the pillow away. “This is horse crap! Can’t he tell when someone’s hitting on him?!”

~Alistair~

It was a tiring day for Alistair. Starting early morning picking up Lenoria and Clara, then spending the majority of his day keeping everyone alive had a toll on his body and mind. He looked forward to the bath he would surely enjoy thanks to Lenoria and Clara being kind and considerate enough to bunk together just so he could have the remaining room available.

He opened the door at the end of the second-floor hallway and pocketed away the key. It was a lot smaller than he had expected, measuring ten feet in length and ten in width. Just like the previous room, another door led to the bathroom. An assortment of soaps and perfumes were ready for him to use, and Alistair took care to use the unopened ones.

There was a pamphlet on the nightstand.

The Drunken Chef Inn boasts warm rooms, comfortable beds, and the kitchen open all night.

The inn staff is not responsible for stolen items, kidnappings, injuries, or brawl-related deaths.

“Huh. I wonder what Lenoria was going on about earlier?” Alistair left the pamphlet on the stand. “No complimentary massages here.”

Returning to the bathroom, Alistair noted that the tub, although made of wood, was magically operated; all he had to do was clap his hands and water would pour from out of nowhere. The temperature was set to lukewarm, and once he cleaned up most of the dirt by soaking himself with a pail of water, he sat down inside the warm tub.

Once he was finished and dried himself up, he dressed up with a simple green pair of slacks and a tan tunic. With the soreness of the day finally catching up to him, he took a moment to rest by sitting on the bed.

When you’re done playing knight in shining armor, come look for me. I’ll take care of you.

Cecilia’s words came to mind, still fresh as if she was there with him. “But…I’m not playing,” he said to himself. He rubbed his left cheek, still picturing that moment they shared together. All he could feel was discomfort and a slight sense of embarrassment; he felt anxious the moment it had happened and long afterwards.

You’re a good man, Al. I’m not going to lose a friend just because he got careless.

Friend? They barely knew each other. Yet, from the moment they met, Lenoria was all smiles around him. And now that she had explicitly told him how she felt about him, he wondered if this was truly okay.

I'm single, as a matter of fact. Thank you for keeping him away from me.

W-will I see you again?

Kyaaa! Mr. Adams, is that a declaration?

The signs had always been there, at least. Alistair just didn’t catch on. The girl he was traveling with was a sharp contrast from the halfling; Lenoria hadn’t made a single move until after she confessed, and he appreciated her honesty. In fact, the only thing he hated about that moment between them was that it ended too soon for him.

“What is this…?” The paladin’s heart raced, each beat pulsing through his body and growing a vortex of emotions in his head. Flattery became happiness, happiness became calm, calm became complacency before it finally shifted to guilt. “N-no, I can’t. W-we have to be steady, remember?”

As eccentric as Lenoria was, she had shown him kindness and compassion. She not only ventured with him on a rescue mission, but she and Clara did so without complaining, even at the expense of a delay in their trip. And yet, despite it all, Lenoria continued to smile at him as if to reassure him that he made the right call. Women like them were one in a million.

Having someone pine for him the moment they met was a pleasant surprise for him. He felt nothing similar for Clara, but he respected her as a comrade and was equally happy for her part in distracting the giants. And while Cecilia was nothing like either girl, at least she took his confusion in stride.

He had to be more confident.

A blue light blinked on the nightstand by his bed. Alistair had left his backpack there, and he immediately reached out for it. From it, he dug out a glowing blue stone. Other than the polish and its blue color, it appeared to be an ordinary rock about the size of his hand. He tapped it once with his finger, and after a few seconds he could hear Gabrielle’s voice coming from it.

“Sorry to call you so late, Alistair. Did I wake you?”

Alistair put on the best smile he could make. “N-no, ma’am. We just checked in at the inn in Hammer’s Reach.”

“Hammer’s Reach? That’s only twelve miles away from Helix City. Has there been a delay?”

Alistair stared at the moonlit sky. He took his time recapping everything that had happened since his departure from Helix City, including the fight he had with the leader of the giants himself. Once he was done, he could hear the clapping of hands from the other side of the conversation.

“That is marvelous, Alistair. I wish I could have been there.”

“If you had been there, the giants would have been pummeled in seconds. If not you, then Lord Beau or Lady Orwell would have welcomed the challenge.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Alistair. Had it not been for you, I doubt Lenoria or Clara would have gotten this far.”

“I-I suppose you’re right, ma’am.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Gabrielle spoke again.

“So, has Lenoria made a move, yet?”

“She took the initiative not too long ago. I was surprised w-when she asked me out. I feel something in my stomach, and my heart beats every time I remember our earlier conversation. Is that normal?”

“Sounds to me like you feel something for her, too. You two are welcome to take time off to relax, but I won’t allow anything beyond a one-week delay. Is that understood?”

Two weeks at most to make it to Goodsprings. The team had been making good progress despite the delay, and Alistair welcomed the opportunity to rest. He definitely would love to spend the entire day resting tomorrow.

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll make it to Goodsprings in two weeks, at the latest.” The boy’s eyes sharpened when he suddenly realized something. “M-ma’am, how did you know Lenoria was going to make a move?”

“I didn’t. I pretended to know since you wouldn’t shut up about her, and you naturally spilled the beans.”

The paladin pouted. “That is unfair, ma’am…”

“Oh, relax, will you?” A laugh came from the other side. “Lenoria wouldn’t stop thinking about you, either. She was grateful you saved her life, you know?”

Lenoria had made that abundantly clear. Alistair still remembered the hug she gave him; calloused fingers, but smooth arms around his neck and shoulders.

“I won’t keep you. Go to your woman. I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”

“S-she’s not my woman!” Alistair may have blurted it out, but he didn’t take back what he said. “W-we agreed to take things slow!”

Gabrielle chuckled. “Whatever you say. Just stay safe. And keep the girls safe, too.” The light from the rock faded away. Alistair set it on the nightstand and rose to his feet. He was surprised to hear Gabrielle approve of their budding relationship. However, while she was good at keeping secrets, he feared it was only a matter of time before word got out into the noblewoman's inner circle and its immediate vicinity.

And then there was something on his mind that had bothered him ever since Lenoria asked him out. Would she still like him if he hadn’t been there to save her back at the park?