Abia was taken aback by his high praises of the simple inn. Beyond the doorway was a quaint room: not too small like that of a water closet, but not quite lavish to the point of unnecessary. When one first looked inside, a double bed was in one’s line of sight. It had two feather pillows and a wool blanket for the cold nights. Against the wall above the headboard was a window where one could enjoy the view of the serene and clear night sky, or of the forest that began on the outskirts of town, its trees spreading out as vast as the mountains in the far distance. Just to the left of the room was a floral folding screen from another land, behind which one could have the privacy needed to change, bathe, etc. To the right was a small closet to unpack one’s things, and next to it a simple desk with a box of matches and a lantern upon it, contained within was a large three-wicked candle, already lit to give the room the faint light needed to see all that was inside at this time of night.<br/><br/>Abia entered the room and pushed the screen aside, showing a copper tub already filled with hot water. Next to it was a pail with more water if he needed and a clean towel to dry himself off. There was not much in way of decoration beyond the single painting of a lake that hung on the wall just next to the doorway. While his kind words still confused her, she supposed to a traveler who had been roaming about on his own without a roof over his head, this would be the equivalent to being in the lap of luxury.<br/><br/>“Thank you,” she accepted the tip from the man and slipped it into the pocket of her apron, fully aware of the practice, having been in the service business for most of her life. “If you have need of anything more, you’re welcome to knock on my door. My room is down the hall, right next to the stairs. If I’m not in there, I’m down in the tavern, cleaning, cooking, or serving. Just pop in and wave me down. Have a good night.” She gave him one more smile and left him to his own devices.<br/><br/>——————————————————-<br/><br/>Abia made her way back down and noticed many of the patrons have already begun leaving. The bar started emptying. Guy had already left, leaving Abia a healthy tip on the table which she scooped up and put in her apron pocket with the other coin she had received a moment ago. Sarah became bored with the conversation, moving from the bar to the stage, sitting at a table to listen to the pianist play her a soft tune.<br/><br/>Abia returned to her post behind the counter and started cleaning up some of the stray glasses left by those who had already left. There were still some locals milling about, but the bar overall had gotten much quieter compared to previously.