Chapter 9: Welcome to the Inn
Darkness fell over the town like a sleepy blanket, and mist crept through the air. Here and there, warm glows peeked through windows, signaling that some folks were still awake. But for the most part, the town was deep in dreamland.
Bob and I walked down a dirt road, on a quest to find the inn... in which, we probably should've asked directions to before leaving Liam's house. Along the way, we passed a pair of night patrol guards. We gave them a casual wave. They gave us the kind of look you'd give someone wearing a swimsuit to a job interview.
Which, to be fair, we kinda deserved.
Bob still had on his casual shirt with that stupid cape, now decorated with stain of soup. As for me, i was still wearing my office shirt. It had holes. Scratches. It looked like i just getting out of blender.
I sighed, clutching the edge of the shirt with mild sorrow. This was the first one I ever bought with my own paycheck. Back then, I felt like a proper adult. Now I looked like a homeless people.
"Hey Bob," I said, nudging him, "we really need to change our clothes. People are going to think we're wandering scarecrows."
Bob sniffed. "Speak for yourself. This shirt is vintage," he said, proudly tugging at his shirt. Across the chest, in cracked bold letters, it read "Otaku Forever", complete with a questionable anime character giving a thumbs-up.
"It's vintage garbage," I muttered.
"At least this garbage is still in top condition. Yours looks like it lost a fight with a paper shredder.
We both snorted, the kind of laugh that sneaks out even when you're trying to look serious. Then we kept walking, two shadows melting into the fog like exhausted salarymen escaping overtime and pretending we had any idea where we were going.
"Why do you even want to stay at the inn? Liam was very kind to offer us a room. I feel bad rejecting them," I muttered, kicking a lonely little rock down the dirt road.