Snippet #2077007

As they approached the gate Shadow began to feel slightly apprehensive of a possible fight given his elevation on horseback and how hard it would be to hide his eyes from the guards. It was at that moment that Sereinia began to say hello to the guards when someone else seemed to recognize her and a conversation began in which the guards opened the path for them to enter the city.

Shadow was slightly taken aback by it, but none the less grateful that they wouldn't have to kill the guards.

"I guess that went well, right?" Sereinia said after a sigh.

Shadow looked over at her, but carried no real emotion on his face.

"Yes, that did go well. I'm glad we didn't have to fight the guards, but we shouldn't get too comfortable. Now that we're here in this city, Mayumi and I have some business to attend to over the next several days."

Shadow got down off of his horse and took the packs he had put in the saddle bags out and carried them over his shoulder.

"Time to drop the horses off and find a place to stay. I suggest we stay here during our visit." He said, pointing to the Lion's Head Inn just fifty feet away.

"It's fairly large, easy to spot from a distance, and close to the entrance of town. There are other reasons I have chosen this Inn rather than searching for another one, but for now you'll just have to trust me. Anyway, Mayumi, take these horses to the stables and I'll take all of our supplies to the Inn. Meet us here when you're done and you and I will discuss our business and how to get it done."

Once finished speaking Shadow made his way to Mayumi's horse and took the extra supplies he'd placed in her horses saddle bags and hoisted them over his other shoulder. Mayumi's own belongings were few in number so he let her keep them with her while he turned around and waited for Sereinia to get off her horse and follow him into the Inn. Once inside he spoke to the young man at the counter and paid for a two week stay on the top floor of the four story Inn. Shadow liked being at higher elevations and near rooftops as it made traveling easier at night.

The room Shadow paid for was really four rooms turned into two. The walls had been removed to allow for a larger space without as much to get in the way and had been modified to have three windows instead of four as each room usually had its own window. Mayumi and Sereinia had one room with two large beds and Shadow had the other which was more of a single bed and a workspace than a real room. Once he unpacked their belongings he walked over to the window on his side and opened it, taking a seat on the edge and looking out at the city.

It was an old habit of his to memorize the terrain of the rooftops and label key landmarks in his mind. He had a photographic memory and found it very easy to mark buildings and other such important objects so that he knew his way around before he even had to really set foot in the city streets.

He waited patiently for Mayumi to return to the room, which would be a few minutes since the stables were a decent distance away near one of the other city gates. She wouldn't be long though, so Shadow simply sat and waited.