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"I still say we should just set up camp near the woods, Lorenz."
"Leonie, after all the hard work you have done today you ought to sleep in a comfortable bed. One that I am more than happy to pay for."
Leonie’s brain wants to keep arguing against wasting money on an inn, but her aching muscles are begging her to let Lorenz pay for a room.
"Alright, you've twisted my arm enough. But I’m only letting you pay for one room!”
Lorenz smiles and sighs. “As you wish.”
As the sun sets over the plains of Leicester, Leonie and Lorenz ride their horses toward the nearest inn. They’ve spent the day assisting with the reconstruction of a village destroyed by the war. After hours of hauling stones and pushing heavy carts, they’d hoped to make it back to the monastery before nightfall. The rapidly dwindling sunlight tells them they’re unlikely to reach Garreg Mach tonight.
“The closest inn is the Shooting Star Inn, about a mile down this road.” Leonie informs Lorenz
“Have you stayed there before?” He asks.
“Once, when I was traveling with my last mercenary troop. It’s pretty bare-bones for an inn, so don’t expect anything fancy!”
Lorenz lets out an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose I can do without room service for one night.”
Leonie grins as she looks toward Lorenz. “I can’t tell when you’re being serious anymore.”
Lorenz simply winks.
They slow their horses to a trot as the Shooting Star Inn comes into view. It’s a rustic looking place, one that has seen its fair share of travelers over the years. Leonie’s right about it not being fancy, but the warm lamp light and the smoke billowing from the chimney give it a homey, inviting air.
Lorenz and Leonie guide their horses to the adjoining stable. As they dismount, they’re both thankful they have no heavy armor to doff. They both wear simple traveler’s attire, clothes that won’t tell anyone they’re Alliance officers. At his insistence, Lorenz carries their bags.
“Y’know, if you offered to carry my luggage five years ago I probably would have told you to eat dirt.” Leonie jokes as they walk towards the front door.
Lorenz smiles affectionately as he responds. “I know you were raised to be self reliant, just as I was raised for chivalry. But if you insist on carrying your things…”
Leonie rubs her arm. “Gee, I dunno. My shoulder is still pretty sore.”
Lorenz sighs. “Hilda has been a terrible influence on you.”
Lorenz puts down their bags as he reaches the door. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. It’s a large, garishly purple carrier stuffed to the brim with gold pieces. “Remind me what the price for the least expensive room was?” Lorenz asks.
“Oooh Lorenz, put that away.” Leonie says, her tone calm but insistent.
Lorenz is puzzled, but he does what she says. “Is there a problem?”
“Wait until we’re at the front desk to bring your wallet out.” Leonie explains. “We don’t want to announce to the other travelers that we’re rich… I mean, that you’re rich.”
He nods. “I understand.”
“This inn has a safe reputation, but you can never be too careful. Acting like you’re loaded is a good way to get mugged or scammed.”
“So you propose I pass myself as a commoner? Very well, I see no difficulty with that”
Leonie snorts, then chuckles to herself.
Lorenz seems to deflate at Leonie’s skepticism. “You don’t think I can do it?”
Leonie smiles as she responds. “Lorenz, no offense, but I'm pretty sure just the way you talk would be a dead giveaway."
A devilish grin appears on his face. “So you’re suggesting that I…change my voice?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Leonie says. Her tone is apologetic, as if she’s worried she hurt his feelings. “I was just saying…”
"I accept your challenge."
Leonie raises her eyebrows. "Challenge? What are you talking about?"
Lorenz winks again as they walk through the front door.
The main foyer of the inn is a small, simply decorated space. A short, nebbish-looking man sits at the front desk beside a narrow staircase leading to the second floor. Apart from him, Lorenz and Leonie are the only ones in the room. They approach the desk.
“How can I help you folks?” asks the desk clerk.
As Leonie opens her mouth, Lorenz steps up to the desk. And in an instant, his posh Gloucester enunciation is replaced with a thick southern Leicester drawl.
“Hey there, buddy! My gal and I are lookin’ for a spot to crash tonight!”
The clerk looks at him blankly. “Uh…okay. Will that be one room or two?”
Lorenz keeps up his backwoods voice. “One, please. By the way, does the room come with a spittoon? I’ve got a hankerin’ for some chewing tobacco. It’s been too long since I had a good spit!”
Lorenz hears a squeak behind him. He turns to glance at Leonie. She’s biting down on her lip, eyes wide, face scrunched as if she’s trying not to laugh.
“Is somethin’ wrong, missy?” Lorenz asks, his voice cracking slightly.
Leonie slowly shakes her head, not trusting herself to open her mouth.
Lorenz turns back to the desk. The clerk stares at the pair like they’ve grown extra heads, before handing over a key. “Room seven, second floor. If you’re looking for a bite to eat, we’re serving chicken stew in the pub.”
Southern-fried Lorenz continues his routine. “That’d be real swell, pal! Chicken stew is my favorite! When I was a kid my dear ol' pappy used to make a chicken stew that would…”
Lorenz hears a long, loud snort behind him, followed by Leonie’s raucous laughter. Hearing Count Erwin Gloucester referred to as “pappy” finally caused her to crack. When he turns to look at her, she has practically keeled over, almost wheezing between each laugh.
“Shucks, lady, what’s the…” Lorenz sputters. The sound of Leonie’s cackling is too contagious, and he finds himself unable to continue his charade. Lorenz too breaks into a giggle fit.
The clerk is now thoroughly confused. “Is there…anything else I can do for you?”. Lorenz recovers his composure long enough to reply with a simple “no, thank you.”
Leonie is still a helpless mess, clutching her stomach as a few more guffaws escape from her lips. Lorenz hands her a handkerchief to wipe away the tears now streaming down her face. He’s secretly glad they’re the only ones in the lobby.
“Enjoy your stay.” says the exasperated clerk. Lorenz waves his hand as he picks up their bags and leads the still laughing Leonie up the stairs. He can hear the clerk muttering to another inn worker. “I meet the weirdest freaking people at this job”.
Leonie is just catching her breath by the time Lorenz escorts her into the room at the end of the hallway. It’s a sparse room, indicative of the cheap price they paid for it. Leonie tosses her bag aside and plops onto a stool at the foot of the bed. She stares at Lorenz and smirks before uttering a single word.
“Wow.”
Lorenz stares at his feet, his cheeks tinged pink. His voice has returned to his usual decadence. “I apologize. I’m afraid I was lost in my character”.
“No, no, don’t apologize.” Leonie chuckled. “I’m pretty sure that whole routine added five years to my life. And just so you know, I would pay actual gold to watch you call your dad ‘pappy’”
The two start to chuckle again before Lorenz responds “I sincerely doubt he would be amused by that.”
The laughter subsides again, and for a few moments the two sit in a comfortable silence. Lorenz pipes up again.
“Will you promise not to tell Claude and Hilda that I was speaking in such a manner? They’d never let me hear the end of it.”
Leonie laughs again “Even if I did tell them they’d think I was full of crap. It’ll be our little secret!”
As her laughter subsides, another idea occurs to Leonie. "I suppose this means I'll have to talk like a noble when I visit Gloucester manor." Leonie puffs up her chest as she emulates Lorenz's voice. "Balderdash! Poppycock! Servant, bring me my check book!"
Lorenz titters at Leonie’s surprisingly accurate impression. “That won’t be necessary. I would much prefer it if you acted like yourself."
"Aww…" Leonie says, trying to ignore the way her face has heated up. "You really know how to flatter a girl, I don't care what anyone else at the monastery says."
Leonie gets up from her seat and pulls Lorenz into an embrace. “I like you best when you act like yourself too.”
Lorenz kisses her on her forehead. The pair gaze at each other lovingly as they hold each other.
“But you’re going to have to keep up that voice for the rest of our stay.” She grins deviously.
“Surely you can’t be serious”. Lorenz groans.
“That clerk already heard you! If you suddenly change your voice back he might think you’re strange.”
“I’m quite positive he already thinks me strange.” He smiles brightly. “But if it means getting to hear your delightful laugh again, that would be an acceptable trade.”
“So whaddya say”, Leonie smirks. “Wanna get something to eat?”
“Yee-haw!”
Leonie bursts out laughing again.