Chapter 25: A Witch’s Disappointment in Love
It impressed me that, even after the market was practically leveled in the chaos, people were still hawking all sorts of things. Ravenna and I managed to snag some suspiciously cheap contraband drinks from another country and took them with us to a low-quality inn, similar to everything else in the Scorn.
The place wasn’t much different from one of the filthiest inns I’d seen in my previous life, where even opening the front door made you feel like you could see an evil spirit through the creaking wood.
Despite smelling like a cadaver, we booked a double room, and I could’ve sworn the old woman at reception whispered something like "poor thing" when she saw my companion’s face. Whatever that meant, it was probably something like "You won’t get anything tonight, good luck next time". I sympathize with you, ma’am, but I didn’t buy this whole bag of drinks for nothing.
After climbing the stairs, which groaned more than a dog in heat, we entered the blessed room. It would never get five stars for its condition, I’ll just say that, and I prefer not to dwell on the description.
Just seeing a rat almost the size of my arm leap out the window gave me an idea of the kind of things going on within these walls. Ravenna entered without much concern, taking in the view from where the rat had jumped, while I took responsibility for putting the bottles on the table and serving us.
"Aren’t there any better places to sleep in the Scorn?"
"There are, but you wanted to spend all our money on drinks, and this was the only place we could afford", the black cat replied without turning around. "Still, it’s better this way if we’re only staying one day. A bed still is a bed."
"Yeah, I agree."
But a nice bed would make things a better too, wouldn’t it?
I decided to taste the alcohol... Ugh, this stuff is strong! Wherever this wine came from, it’s no joke! It’s going to get Ravenna wild in no time!
"Try this..."
I quickly passed her the bottle. The woman didn’t waste any time and downed it, wow, she didn’t even choke, emptying the contents in a flash and wiping the running edge of her lip, savoring our sour pleasure. Wait, is Ravenna a heavy drinker? I didn’t expect that, but no problem, I’ll just have to outdrink her.