Chapter 20: Stop at the Inn
After an atrocious 20 minutes of walking, the two finally reach and cross the gate, leaving the district of Florid behind, and finally entering the District of Carlos, an area holding a population with a lower income, assuming Howard's assumption of the city is right that is.
Upon taking a good look around, the buildings here have lost their coat of bright paint and the glass windows Howard knew the city for. Instead, they were replaced with houses built out of a mixture of wooden walls and stone brick frames, fitted with planked roofs and wooden window shutters.
Although the area was theoretically poorer, Kant's nose did not pick up as much of a stench as before. Everything looked a lot cleaner than before. Another oddity Howard noticed was the density of the district overall. The widest and busiest streets here are more comparable to the 'secluded' parts of the District of Florid.
"Where is this inn you have been telling me, Grout? Is it that way?" he asks. Frisk raises his hands and points to a dimly lit alleyway next to the street vendor, hinting at Howard the directions he needs.
"Yes, sir. It is that way, Please, follow me," he replies, successfully taking the hint. Howards walks and "leads" Frisk over to the other side of the alley, where they end up standing in front of a four-story building with a large sign on the top claiming that it was "Jack Holler's Inn."
"Is this the place?" Frisk questions him.
"Yes, sir. This is the place. Do you want to head inside, and grab something to eat? You must be hungry," Howard answers. He hints to Frisk that he is hungry, by adding those few words to his sentence. Hopefully, he picks up on it.
The two enter inside to find a cozy interior and a busy establishment filled with desks, chairs, people, and booze. Today must be a busy day. As the two waited near the counter for the waiter, Howard looked around the interior of the building, hoping it would give him a view of how buildings look inside in the poorer areas.
Starting from the floor, Howard notices the polished wooden planked floor, shining and reflecting bits of light from the lanterns above. For a building that is settled inside a low-income area, he wonders how they managed to afford it.
As for the walls, Howard was flabbergasted to find the interior of the building painted in a coat of white paint! Even the stone columns, the structural frame that held the entire building together, had been coated in paint, this time lime green. As Howard looked around, his curious mind started asking questions.
Wanting some answers to these questions, Howard leaned in to whisper something into Frisk's ear.
"If you want to meet someone here, you might want to rent a private room. You won't want people eavesdropping in on your conversations," he suggested.
"Why do you think I asked you to bring me somewhere with enclosed rooms? Use that brain of yours, Grout!" Frisk whispers back in a passive-aggressive tone. Just as he finished quietly scolding Grout, the waiter finally arrived and asked the gentlemen in the tophat what he wanted.
"I would like a private room for me and eh… my employee here. One bed. We will be staying here for about half an hour to eat and rest. Make it somewhere quiet so nobody can hear us," he told the waiter, who wrote everything down on this black slate using white chalk.
"...Alright, is there anything else? Do you need anything to eat?"
"What are your most expensive dishes?" Frisk leans towards the counter and the lady behind it. She lists down all the strange food items they had available. Although the options were limited, most of them were things Howard was familiar with to some degree.
After reviewing the options available, Frisk starts choosing some he thinks Kant would enjoy, and would give him the strength he needs to continue onward to the safehouse.
"I will have a nice fish-stew and grilled chicken. As for a drink, I would like a bottle of beer to enjoy in my room," he says.
"Would you like to buy something for your worker? You won't want to overwork them to death. Maybe a simple beer bottle as well?" she asks. Frisk turns his head to face Kant, to throw him a question.
"Do you need anything, Grout?" Howard stays silent, looking as if he is thinking it over.
"A simple cup of water would do fine. I don't want to drink any beer. Don't think I should be intoxicated while doing my job," he replies.
"... You realize this is coming out of your pay. Are you sure you want to get some water?" Howard nods. Frisk turns around and asks the waiter if they have any water available.
"Yes, sir. We do have water available. Don't worry, it is not as expensive as you think it is," she replies. He kneels and grabs some keys before handing them to them.
"Take the stairs over there and go up to floor two. Your room is room 24. We hope it lives up to your expectations." Frisk grabs the keys and thanks the waiter, who also acted as a receptionist. He, along with Howard, walks up the stairs, unlocks and enters their room, and locks them inside.
"Well, I hope this place is good enough for you. You have a comfortable bed alongside some food. You didn't get to eat before you departed?" Frisk questions the prince, a little curious as to why he wanted to eat. The man appears to have got the hint.
"I did. However, I vomited them all out before I changed. That place disgusted me beyond belief…" he replied. Howard lies down and spreads his arms and legs on the bed, relieved to have some time to rest his body.
"Do you find the bed comfortable?"
"It is fine, I guess. Not as good as home but… it is good enough," he answered, preferring to remain grateful for what he has rather than throw a tantrum. Now that they are in a place where he can speak his mind, Howard begins asking Frisk some questions regarding the city and himself.
"Say, do you ever wonder how these people manage to afford to build these places?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, you know how all these floors are polished? Won't it be very expensive to do that? How could people here afford it?"
"Well, this is the capital city of the kingdom. If you walk far enough, you can find somebody selling whatever you need. Besides, people here are usually richer than people anywhere else in the kingdom."
"Why is that?"
"Well, the city is near the mouth of the Maria River. Anyone who wants to come here can come via boat. That is how I got here. Besides, it is protected by the most powerful mages in the kingdom. I think you know who they all are."
Frisk was alluding to Kant's parents, the mages at the royal academy, and the dozens of knights stationed in the area. With that much power, no wonder this is the safest place in the kingdom.
"Really? How big is this city? How many people live here?" he asks in another question. Despite having access to the royal library, he was unable to acquire any data about the population of the city, let alone the kingdom! Although it was unlikely Frisk knew an actual number, Howard felt he should give it a try.
"That, I do not know your highness," Frisk replied. Howard, although disappointed, quickly moved on to gather anything he did know.
"I see. Is there anything you do know about the city? If you do, I would love to hear it from you."
"Unfortunately, I am not from this great city. I am from the south," he replied. Howard was taken aback, surprised that Frisk wasn't native to the city. How was he able to navigate this 'foreign' city so easily?
"You are not a local?" Howard queries. Frisk shakes his head.
"No. I was born and raised in Lukeword, in the town of Sanora. I thought I told you this before…"
"You told me you were pretending to be a merchant from Lukeword. You never told me you were actually from there, and you did not mention any specific town or area," Howard explains himself.
"Since you knew your way around this place while being dressed in… that…" Howard points at his attire.
"I genuinely thought you were from here."
"Well, I sincerely apologize for not making that clear. I thought it might not be important," Frisk responds.
"It's fine. Can you tell me more about Lukeword then? If you grew up there, surely you must know a lot about it?" Howard asks. If he cannot get more information about the city of Parados, he might as well ask him about the territory is going to govern in the future.
"I don't think I do. Lukeword is a big place, with a lot of towns and cities in between. I can tell you about the town and area I grew up in, but not much else."
"That's fine. We have some time anyway. Go, sit down on that chair and tell me all about it," Howard points to the wooden chair near the desk. Frisk drags it across the room, bringing it closer to the bed Kant occupies. He sits down and asks the prince where he might like to start.
"How about we start with you then? Tell me about your time in the town, and what you did," Howard requests. By learning about Frisk's life, he hoped to understand what the average man in that area experiences; all information he deemed invaluable. Plus, it might even make it easier for Frisk to tell him more about the city.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone