Opening Act

Since opening day, different colors and sorts of mercenaries who were abreast of the new inn took their time to investigate, and, after having deemed it suitable enough to inhabit, allowed themselves the luxury of making it their hub for bounties from both the king and locals.

Granted, the nature of the city bred different types of entertainment for the unburdened, and proved to be a far more interesting spectacle than the boring nothing-doing of Notre Sagesse. Furthermore, the toughs who frequented favored their feats of strength and boasted in their revelry, ushering in for themselves listeners and, inevitably, others who desired to top that spoken story.

The proprietor and matron who brought this place together stood at the top of the inn, monitoring the bottom floor with interest in the affairs. Newcomers were slowly dwindling as they became regulars, thus seeing any new face at this point was a treat.

And so it was that a new face arrived at the door. The woman upon the balcony squinted, seeing the form of a... kitsune, of all things! This certainly wasn’t the first to grace her inn, even so, these types were few and far between. What’s more is that this was a younger looking girl as well.

Every person present in the tavern turned their head to the sound of the swinging door, and immediately noted the fox ears and tail jutting from her person.

Hm, wasn’t she playing it risky to walk as she did?

“Hey, isn’t that...”
“Huh? It is, isn’t it?!”

There was a small commotion by the bar with a couple of the regulars.

“Hey... that’s Lulu, the kitsune dancer! I’ve seen her before I left Cyrkensia!”
“So, she’s famous? Like Lady Layla?”
“Well, I mean, not quite as famous, but she’s pretty good.”

A celebrity? Maybe a little more small time if some people didn’t know who she was. Still, she was someone who was a distinguished perfomer, and that was worth a little better treatment.

The receptionist, Janette, noticed her come in right away.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted, “Welcome to the Wyvern’s Rest. How can I help you?”

“It depends on the room you request,” answered Janette, “We have a standard rate of forty gold a night.” She folded her hands, her tone taking on a more charismatic tone, “We also provide breakfast for our tenants, and as a grand opening bonus, we also offer an optional free lunch for those who stay for two or more days!”

At the same time, the proprietor floated toward the bar and tapped the shoulder of the patron who spoke earlier.

“Pardon, darling, You mentioned she was a performer?” her question came in a whisper as quiet as she could make it.

“Oh, yeah, she’s pretty good,” he answered in kind.

“Hmmmm... hm-hm-hm... thank you, dear.” The woman proceeded to sit at the bar, her gaze locked onto the kitsune.

“Fumu...” the receptionist stroked her chin gently, “It depends. If you wanted to extend before the lunch bell, you might need to pay the full price for another night.” She picked up a small chart off of the table and pushed it toward her, “As you can see, there is an exponential decrease in price if you pay for any number of days. If you pay for forty gold for tonight, the next night would be thirty gold. The most it would go down for is 20 gold a night after the fourth night of staying.”

“Or,” the proprietor said aloud, “If she performs every night until she leaves, she can stay as long as she needs to and pay just for dinner.” There was a long grin on her face as she winked at the kitsune, “After all, if she is as good a dancer as I am hearing, she ought to have a chance on my stage.” Her hand lifted toward the raised platform in the corner, “... That is, if she can convince me with a little performance.”

Eyebrows raised as the mercenaries in the room turned their heads to the woman, then to the kitsune.

A show right here, right now?!

“Lulu,” said the woman with a nod of her head, “That is a very stage name.” However, she wiggled a finger at the kitsune at the extension of her hand, “We’ll shake hands when you convince me of a good performance, dear. Words are only so good as they are spoken, and I’ve been disappointed before. Nevertheless, I shan’t go on without introducing myself.”

As if a practiced movement, her head tilted upwards, hands resting on her hips, with one foot forward, and crimson eyes locked. “You will call me Madame.” She beckoned the kitsune to follow after her, “Come along, Lulu. We have a dressing room for performers in the back and a few outfits that might fit you. Suffice to say that I’m never underprepared for opportunity!”

---

Lulu Aurelis

“Hoho, I hope so.”

The Madame led the girl along with her into the kitchen. The cook, a tall and burly woman, stood in the corner of the kitchen, chopping ingredients. Her turned her head up to see the two of them enter. “Hm?” she grunted as she saw the smaller girl, “... Who is this?”

“Well, Margaret, if all goes well,” answered the Madame with a beam, “Tonight’s entertainer.”

“Huh. So, stage is not waste of space,” the cook’s eyelids closed halfway as her cold gaze settled on the girl, “A kitsune... what is she going to do, disappearing act?”

“Posh, posh, Margie! Have a little faith in our aspiring dancer,” the Madame puffed her cheeks and waved her hand down, “I’m going to see first hand what she can do, so do mind your own business?”

“Fine.” There was a shrug as she resumed her food preparation.

After the Madame led Lulu through a door on the leftmost wall, she let out a gentle sigh, “I apologize for Margaret. She was rather brusque with you, and not everyone is interested in performing arts.”

---

Lulu Aurelis

“Oho, good,” the Madame chuckled, “I couldn’t stand hiring a pushover.” And, she added in thought, It would be a terrible investment in so many different ways. “And I’m glad you find my taste to you liking, dear! Very kind of you to say.”

They went a little further into a small hallway with a number of doors along the right side. The Madame approached one of the doors, but first turned to face the kitsune.

“Now,” another ear-to-ear smile appeared on her face, “This is one of the more exciting little additions to this inn for me. Before, there was just a huge backstage lot without proper private preparation quarters for performers... but now!” She opened the door with a dramatic push, revealing several wooden racks carrying a beautiful menagerie of expensive-looking costumes of all shapes and sizes. There were six full-size mirrors sitting against the wall, with four vanity drawers for application of makeup. The room was lit by bright, burning candles sitting within glass lamps, allowing the room to be well-lit (in the sense of the period). The decor of the room was floral, of warm, bright colors, with filigree accents in every which way.

“Welcome to my dressing room, a la mode!” the Madame announced with a flamboyant swing of her arms, “This is just the women’s side, mind you! No men are to be allowed unless there is an INCREDIBLY special exception!” She stepped away from the opening of the door, “Please! Come have a look around and gaze upon the menagerie of backup outfits I have available for every shape and curve!”

---

Lulu Aurelis

Immediately, the Madame’s left foot stomped heavily on the ground, and while mouth was smiling, her eyes did not. “Certainly not!” was her instant, nearly indignant reply, “Even if you may be a performer, you look barely the age to wear something like that. Can you imagine the negative reputation of my inn if I allowed a girl like yourself to wear something so risque? I will not allow it!” She plucked the showy outfit out of her hands and threw it across the room into a laundry basket, “Only lecherous old men and scheming fools allow young girls to wear such outfits. Tch, but I guess these things pop up whenever someone is donating. Just think about your audience. Women would not be so appreciative of something that is too saucy on a girl of your looks. You want to appeal to both spectrums, and not in a way to evoke wild emotions.”

She reached both hands into the rack and began rummaging through the outfits, “Since I desire to put you on my stage, I will pi...” she stopped herself as a thought came to mind, then she glanced to the girl, “... Hmm... I’ll have to see a sample of your dance, Lulu. That’s the only way for me to really know what I’m putting my inn up to.”

---

Lulu Aurelis