Vitae Memorandum

79-Harmonious Resolution

Even after all that had happened, there was still more that was needed to be done. Celese was in need of change, and there was now only one person left in a position to instill such measures of change.

The fighting quickly concluded after the fall of the fortress lord. With nothing to sustain the operations of the fortress, most of its functions simply shut down, stopping the flow of enemies. Those still active were easy to finish off, putting an end to the conflict. Still, despite this, Lwyn still knew there was more to be done. She had yet to provide a conclusion to the world flow's destiny going forward, to shape the future of Celese as a whole. She also still needed to figure out how she could locate the world's veil, so that she could finally apply her mother's core to it. She also had plans to hold a funeral tomorrow, honoring her mother and father's passing in the moment the world was saved. First, she needed a place to escape to, somewhere she could relax with her friends.

Lwyn opened the front doors of the Citadel Inn, leading the way for her friends. It sorta felt like she was revisiting her childhood, which might have been intimidating given the sort of unhappy lifestyle she had been left with at the time. Still, with everything else she had worked to overcome, she wanted to return to her roots, and relax in a peace that had ever been deprived from her. The young girl at the front desk jumped alert at the sound of the door, and turned to greet her new customer. Seeing Lwyn before her, the girl went stark pale.

"Hello, long time no see. Looks like nothing has changed, though I guess you've had a lot more customers than usual of late. We're looking for a place to stay the night, to relax after a long day of work. I don't suppose room 718 is available, that might be perfect. Oh, and please pass the bill up to my account at the Citadel, I trust nothing else will be required beyond that." Lwyn looked around after getting no reaction from the statue of a girl who was too terrified to breath. It didn't matter, she still remembered how stuff worked around here. She noticed that the key for 718 was still on it's rack, which was good news for her.

The innkeeper's son entered the room, now formally fully the innkeeper after his father's official retirement. He had heard some kind of commotion at the front, and went to investigate. There, he found Lwyn, still waiting for her key. The young innkeeper also went pale on recognizing the Arch-Magus' heir, the same woman who they had on staff as an adopted member of the family, the same woman they had mistreated all of those years. He noticed his little sister had also frozen in this situation, so rushed in to clean this mess up.

"Ah, greetings Lady Lwyn. We welcome you to our humble establishment. Is there..." "718, the key right there. Thank you, it seems the young girl has had a long day, possibly with all the commotion going on around here. I won't need directions, I still remember the layout of everything around here. We will just head to our room and make ourselves at home." The young innkeeper passed Lwyn the key with a nod, letting Lwyn pass into the halls beyond. Once they were past, he started shouting instructions to staff while berating his sister for her neglect. Lwyn shrugged, it really seemed like nothing had changed in her absence.

As they were all getting settled into room 718, a maid rushed into their room, still shaking in fear. "Hello, I will be attending to you this evening, making sure everything is in order. Dinner hours have ended, but I'm certain that such esteemed guests could have an exception made for them. Is there anything you would want provided for you?" The maid's lines sounded scripted enough that Lwyn knew she was told to recite them. None of this was lost to Lwyn, she could still remember being in the girl's shoes. They were all very hungry, so the offer was not one they would care to dismiss. The girl returned shortly after with food, clearly exhausted by what was being asked of her.

"Ah, thank you for the food. Please, sit down with us, take some time to relax. It would be nice to hear how things have been going while we've been so busy." "I would, but I uh..." "Seriously, just tell him that room 718 has made a special request, he'll understand, especially considering the details. Oh, and feel free to enjoy some of the food yourself. I happen to know what the conditions are like around here, if you're the one they have picked to do rough jobs, you deserve the extra care. I was doing the same thing, not all that long ago, I know how it is. Back then, I had a customer offer to share her food, and it gave me the strength to keep going, so I just want to return the same thing in kind." Lwyn smiled gently to the maid in her gesture of kindness, Mhyl herself remembering the story Lwyn was talking about. It had been Mhyl who had made that gesture all that time ago, eager to help and support Lwyn against her despair. It seemed Lwyn was inclined to pay such a gesture forward.