It was late. The grandfather clock in the inn struck chimed once. Then twice. Eventually, it struck 12 times. Midnight. The room was dimly lit by low burning candles. The creak of a door opening was the only thing that broke the silence after the clock. A slender figure entered through the now open door. His red hair stuck out before anything else about his person. It was bright, unfaltering crimson, and it reached down to his shoulders. The next part that stuck out was his red trench coat, matching his hair. It wasn't exactly designed to keep out cold, it was more or less a windbreaker, but it was down to the back of his knees. It was open, and there was a black t-shirt underneath it. Over his shoulder was a scabbard tied onto him with a brown strap. The sword inside had a black handle, and you couldn't see anything besides that. Under that were legs covered in black pants, loose fitting to his slender body, snugly fit around the waist with a black belt. Under that were black boots, flat footed on the wooden floor. His eyes were large, blue pools of complexity.
He looked around as he continued walking through the room. He walked around tables and chairs set up around the area. He heard breathing from beneath the bar. In, and out. It was relaxed, almost as though someone was sleeping. Actually, he looked over the bar and there was someone sleeping. Unsure why the man had decided to sleep behind the bar of all places, instead of in a cozy bed in his private quarters (he looked presentable enough to work there), he decided to attempt to wake him. "Um, sir?" The man didn't budge. The bar seemed to be clean enough. "Sir?" No reaction. He decided it would be best to actually go behind the bar to wake him, clearly his ears weren't sensitive enough while he was sleeping. As he passed through the small door to the right of the bar, the man seemed to stir slightly. The red-haired man's footsteps were nearly silent as he walked. He knelt down and pushed the man slightly.
The man had a full beard, and he had a full head of hair. There wasn't a single gray hair on his head. He was wearing a clean white dress shirt, which was tucked into his black dress pants. He was big and burly, hairy arms open to the air, and he overall looked like an admittedly well-dressed average Nord. He was still sleeping. The red-haired man pushed him once again, slightly more force in this one, which caused him to begin stirring. "Sir?" He asked once again, seeing if he had finally woken up. The man continued stirring and began to open his eyes. He then sat up. He rubbed his eyes. "Sir?" He looked tiredly at the red-haired man. Then he stood up rather abruptly, knocking the other man over. "Dragon, army, invasion, assassins..." He continued muttering frantically as the red-haired man picked himself up. "Sir?" He was rambling like a mad man, terrified of something. He put his hand on the man's shoulder, but he tossed him off. "GET OFF ME, BEAST!" The red-haired man throw his hand to his sword instinctively. The bearded man backed towards the wall. The red-haired man decided he'd had enough, walking over before smacking the man open-palmed across the face.
It was a powerful noise, echoing for a moment after the action. The two men stood silently for a moment. The bearded man seemed to have calmed down. "Are you alright now, sir?" The red-haired man had a worried expression on his face. "Yes, I believe I'm settled now. I apologize." He rubbed his temples. "...I suppose you're looking to stay the night." The red-haired man looked relieved. "Yes, of course. How much per night?" He began to fumble for his coin purse. "That'll be 5 gold, stranger." The red-haired man pulled out 5 gold pieces. "Could I get your name by chance, sir?" The man smiled. "I'm Edd, but my friends call me Rusty. What about you?" "Just call me Red." Rusty pulled out a key, handing it to Red as he handed over the gold.
Red unhooked the strap over his shoulder, placing the sword and scabbard on the table near the door. He shrugged off his jacket, placing it on the chair pushed into the table. He sat down on the bed, taking off the boots, revealing the black socks underneath. He then pulled the covers over him, laying down. He blew the candle next to his bedside out and laid his head down onto the pillow. Closing his eyes, he let all the stress of the trip go.
The clock rang 4 A.M. The night was beautiful. The window from Red's room had a view all around the town. There was a general store, an armory, a few homes, and a library. At the end of the road was a lake. The moonlight shined off the lake, providing a perfect reflection of the land around it. The stars shimmered, burning brightly in the night sky, the moon's dull glare providing a decent contrast to the black sky around it. There was a forest surrounding the town, and the only noise that could be heard was the wind whistling through the trees. Otherwise it was all calm. Quiet. Dead.
In the dead of the night, the stars shone bright, and in the moonlight, there's one thing within sight.
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