And how did we get here? (OLD)

^and they looked at me and I looked at them/ref

!!!DISCLAIMER THERE ARE ROMANTIC IMPLICATIONS IN THIS CHAPTER!!!

If their father noticed something under their pillow in the morning he didn't mention it.

--start of the trial week back to regular POV--

Once I woke up I refilled on soul at the pleasure house (access to the springs there was surprisingly cheaper than I thought) did the final preparations for the trial week. I had set up the sign explaining I was gone for the week and had cleaned up the stall, taking anything usable. 

I didn't want someone to steal my materials and make me end up having to buy new ones. I headed home and when I heard knocking at my door I figured it was time to go to wherever I end up staying. I grabbed the last of my stuff, put my mask on, grabbed my umbrella, and opened the door. 

Sure enough it was a retainer like those from the white palace dream place except alive. As soon as we got to the elevator I recognized the area. Am I heading to- honestly not surprised, I mean it makes sense if you really think about it. When the king said centralized he really meant centralized.

After moving past the guards into the actual palace I eventually got to the room I was staying in, thankfully I had already filled up on soul so I wouldn't have to explain why I started glowing after I entered. I didn't want bugs assuming it had something to do with the king because no thanks.

Once I got inside my room I was given a map of the inside, a schedule, and a quota for the day. I looked and- 50??? That's pretty low considering I don't have to do anything else really. I guess this is a trial for a reason, plus he probably has no idea how many I can make in a day.

I unpack my stuff before getting to work. After looking around the room I find a bin of uniform rocks, I shrug and grab enough for the day. I start out with a good 25 and leave the other half for later. I get bored pretty quickly and decide to explore the room I'll be staying in for the week.

There's a clock, a bed that's surprisingly comfortable, a small desk with some paper and ink pens, a closet, and a thing to hang a nail up on the wall. I don't really need to hang my nail up because I have my bag. 

I decide to look in the closet and there's already some cloaks in there. Surprising absolutely no one, none of them are close to long enough to hope of covering my ass. I decide to try and memorize the palace layout, or at least the area of the palace I'm in since this place is HUGE.

I look at the clock on the wall, it's still early enough. I decide to try and memorize the ways to the places I have to go first. I don't have to walk far as there's those infinite soul totem things here like in the path of pain, although they're plain totems instead of the statues in the game.

It's pretty close so I just mark it on my map before moving forward. Next would be the kitchen, I head over to the kitchen which isn't very far but it's not very close either. I mark it on the map as well and decide to come back whenever I run out of my own snacks that I brought.

So on and so forth until I get to the area where guard training happens. I think it's technically a courtyard but anyways. It wasn't specified as a place I need to be but I need some form of entertainment and fighting sure as hell is entertaining.

I watch as the guards who were finishing up what looked like simple training against training dummies. I move on and think about where to go next, I end up deciding to just go back to the room I'm staying in.

I pull out my map and get startled out of my thoughts by a loud ass bell. I rub my head and thankfully the minor headache goes away pretty quickly, I can tell that's gonna take getting used to and start walking only to almost immediately walk into someone.

 I get up and as I'm about to help them up an apologize I realize the bug I bumped into was hollow. After standing there for a sec I help them stand up and make sure they're fine. I'm just glad it was them and not some pissy noble with their head up their ass.

"Oh sorry hollow knight" I patted their head in apology, some people may find it weird but I like to be nice, plus I like hollow even though they don't express much, I know it's not their fault.

 I was just heading back to the room I'm staying in and bumped into you my bad." After I explain and wave goodbye I head back to the room I'm staying in to take a nap. I finish off the rest of the scraps so that I have my quota done. 

Once I take off my mask and flop on the bed I fall asleep pretty easily. I wake up to knocking on the door, I put my mask on again and answer it. When open the door I see the king standing there. 

"Have you finished your quota for the day yet? Also from now on there will be a retainer to collect them, I'm just coming here in person to find out when you'll be done with them from now on." I lean against the door and look at the clock. 

It's like 7pm so I'm not surprised he's at the door. I take the now enchanted rocks in a bin with wheels and give it to him. He takes that as my answer and heads off, well someone's in a hurry. I go back to sleep after a bit since I don't really have anything to do at the moment, maybe tomorrow.

--earlier when hollow bumped into scraps hollow's POV 3rd person--

They were walking through the hall when they saw scraps, they had been a bit startled, not by the fact that they had been in the palace because they had overheard father sending the retainer to bring them to the palace. 

They were startled because they hadn't expected to bump into them, they had expected them to be a bit lower in the palace, since this is where they train (although). They had frozen for enough time that they had both bumped into each other.

Scraps pat them on the head after apologizing and said something about heading back to their room. They watched as they waved goodbye and headed off, presumably to the room they mentioned before.

They continued their rounds around the palace, and maybe they spent a little more time thinking about scraps.

(A/N gay gay homosexual gay)