The door closed behind me with a soft click, the sound sealing the room off from the rest of the world. For the first time since this whole ordeal began, I was alone. Truly, completely alone. No snarky demons, no useless angels, no threat of imminent death. Just me, a small, wooden room, and a stack of clothes that smelled faintly of lye soap.
I leaned back against the door, my eyes closed. The silence was a balm. A fragile, temporary peace, but a balm nonetheless. I could feel the exhaustion settling into my bones, a deep, soul-deep weariness that had nothing to do with the walking and the fighting and everything to do with the constant, high-stakes social interaction. My social battery wasn't just low; it was in the negative. It was a smoking, cratered husk.
I crossed the small room and looked out the window. The swamp stretched out before me, a sea of grey-green water and gnarled, black trees under a sky that looked like it had never been blue before. But the tub in the middle of the room promised warmth and peace, and that was all that mattered.
I shed my wet, muddy clothes with a speed born of desperation. They hit the floor with a wet squelch. I didn't even care. I padded over to the tub and dipped my hand in. The water was hot. Gloriously, wonderfully hot. I sank into it with a sigh that was more like a groan, the heat seeping into my sore muscles, chasing away the chill that had clung to me since the stream.
I closed my eyes and let my head rest against the back of the tub. For a long while, I did nothing. I just floated, a boneless, thoughtless lump in the warm water. This was heaven. Or at least, the closest I was likely to get. I could stay here forever. Maybe until the water got cold.
A soft knock on the door shattered my fragile peace. My eyes snapped open. I froze, my heart thumping against my ribs.
"Violet? Are you decent?" It was Angus. Of course, it was Angus. His cheerful, concerned telepathic text box popped up in my vision, complete with a chibi avatar blushing and covering its eyes. [Knock, knock! 🚪],[Just checking on you! Are you okay? 🤔]
I let out a breath, a mix of relief and irritation. "I'm fine," I called out, my voice a little shaky. "I'm just... bathing."
"Oh! Okay! I'll just... wait out here, then!" he chirped. [Take your time! A clean hero is a happy hero! (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡]
I submerged myself completely, holding my breath until my lungs burned. The muffled sounds of the tavern, the world, everything faded away. For a few precious seconds, there was only the warm, silent water and the pounding in my ears. I came up for air with a gasp, water streaming down my face. This was not working. My sanctuary had been breached.
I washed as quickly as I could, scrubbing the grime of the last two days from my skin with the rough lye soap. The water turned a murky brown. I got out of the tub, wrapping myself in the rough, scratchy towel the innkeeper had provided. The stack of clothes she'd given me was on the table. I picked up the tunic. It was made of a coarse, brown linen, and it looked like it would fit someone twice my size. The trousers were just as bad. They were the clothes of a peasant, or maybe a very large farmer. I put them on anyway. They were dry. And they were clean. That was all that mattered. I rolled up the cuffs of the trousers until they stopped dragging on the floor and tightened the drawstring of the tunic until it almost fit.
I looked at myself in the small, foggy mirror over the washbasin. I looked ridiculous. Like a child playing dress-up in her father's clothes. My purple hair was a tangled mess, and my face was pale, with dark circles under my eyes. I looked like what I was: a city girl who'd been dragged through a swamp and nearly killed multiple times. I sighed. So much for making a good first impression.
Another knock, this one louder and more insistent. "Violet? Are you sure you're okay? You've been in there for a while!"
"I'm fine, Angus," I said, my voice tight. "I'm just getting dressed."
"Oh! Okay! Good! Well, when you're done, the innkeeper said dinner is ready! She said there's stew! And bread!" His text box appeared, a chibi version of him happily munching on a loaf of bread. [Yummy! 🍞🍲]
Stew. And bread. The thought of actual, hot food was enough to make my stomach growl. But the thought of facing the crowded tavern, and the demon king, was enough to kill my appetite entirely. I needed more time. I needed to recharge. I needed to be alone.
I finished dressing and took a deep breath. I could do this. I could go out there, eat some stew, and retreat back to my room. I could be a functional adult for an hour. I opened the door.
Angus was standing right there, a wide, expectant smile on his face. "There you are! You look… rustic!" he said, his eyes darting down to my ill-fitting clothes. "But clean! That's the important part!"
"Thanks," I said, my voice flat. "Let's go eat."
I braced myself as we descended the stairs. I expected the demon king to be at a table, glaring at anyone who dared to look at him. I expected him to be a black hole of negative energy, sucking all the joy out of the room. But he wasn't there. The room was still lively, still filled with the sounds of conversation and laughter. The demon king was conspicuous in his absence.
"Where is he?" I asked the innkeeper, who was behind the bar, ladling stew into wooden bowls.
"He said he'd eat in his room," she said, not looking up from her work. "Said he didn't want to be bothered by the 'rabble'." She gave a small, almost imperceptible shrug. "Can't say I blame him. Some of these boys get a bit rowdy after a few ales."
Relief, so sharp and sudden it was almost dizzying, washed over me. He wasn't here. I could eat in peace. I could eat without having to worry about him making a scene, or insulting someone, or looking at me with those infuriating, judgmental purple eyes.
"Right," I said, my voice a little shaky. "A bowl of stew, please."
Angus and I found a small table in the corner, away from the main crowd. The stew was thick and savory, filled with chunks of what I hoped was nothing more adventurous than rabbit and some root vegetables I didn't recognize. The bread was warm and crusty. It was, without a doubt, the best meal I'd ever had.
"This is amazing," I said, my mouth full. "I didn't know I was this hungry."
"It's the adventure!" Angus chirped, spearing a chunk of carrot with his fork. "It builds up an appetite! Nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate a good bowl of stew!"
I ate until I was uncomfortably full, the warmth of the food spreading through my body, chasing away the last of the chill. I could feel the tension in my shoulders starting to ease, the constant knot of fear in my stomach loosening its grip. For the first time since I'd arrived in this world, I felt something that was almost content. The warmth in my chest, the one he'd so rudely 'awakened', pulsed, a tiny, steady beat that was no longer an ache, but a comforting presence. I was so, so tired.
"I'm going to bed," I said, pushing my empty bowl away. "I need to sleep for about a week."
"Oh! Okay!" Angus said, a little too brightly. "I'll just... stay down here for a bit! Talk to the locals! Do some celestial reconnaissance! You know. Important stuff!" [Reconnaissance! (ﾉ>ω<)ﾉ] I didn't miss the way his eyes darted toward a group of women playing cards at a nearby table.
I had to give him a lot of credit. He'd spent the day terrified of the demon king and had nearly been poofed out of existence, yet the first thing he thought to do wasn't to run from this mad experience, but...go play some cards.
Well.
That takes dedication, at least. A very specific kind of dedication.
"Right," I said, not even bothering to question it. "Don't get into trouble."
"Me? Trouble?" he asked, placing a hand on his chest in a gesture of mock offense. "I am a divine being! Trouble is my middle name! I mean, not really, my middle name is Bartholomew, but you get the idea!"
I backed away from the table, a small smile playing on my lips. "Don't get poofed again, Bartholomew."
"I won't!" he called after me, already making his way toward the card game. [Wish me luck! ♪(´▽｀)]
I didn't, but only because with my luck lately, that'd probably only taint his.