“Please sign your name and today’s date here as well,” the immigration bureau clerk stated plainly, while pointing to the bottom of perhaps the hundredth document in a stack.
Once again, Ren found himself lost and without any concept of time, but, rather than being trapped in a mythical forest, he was trapped in a nightmarish labyrinth far worse: bureaucratic hell. ‘I envisioned awaking in a new world would have a bit less… paperwork.’ Perhaps some things really are constant between universes.
Once Ren had signed the sheet, the clerk reached over to his side of the desk and took it.
“Well, Mr. Gavriel, I believe that should be all for tonight. We’ll get your papers to you as soon as possible, hopefully in the next week or so. Do you have any other questions before we wrap this up…?”
After jogging his mind, Ren reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope; the same letter he had shown the optio earlier, in addition to a second one, recommending him for imperial service. “Would these expedite the process at all?”
The clerk looked over the letters and, with a suddenly surprised look, got up from the desk. “Excuse me for a moment.” he said, leaving the room in a rush.
Ren was left alone in the room as the clerk did… something. Unsure what to expect, Ren just took it as it was and twiddled his thumbs. After a few moments, the clerk rushed back into the room. “We’ll have your documentation ready for you in the morning.”
Ren was shocked. “Oh? Really?”
“In the meantime, please take this.” the clerk said, handing Ren several coins. “This will be enough to cover a bedroom in the Yar Grand Hotel three blocks south of here. You really can’t miss it, and they'll be able to accommodate for the Anglish language.” Quickly shoving the documents and letters into several folders, the clerk kept speaking. “In the morning, once your paperwork is ready, a guardsman will be here to escort you to the nearby Imperial Guard facility. Now then… we’re closing soon, so if you wouldn’t mind, sir…”
Ren, still somewhat stunned from the sudden change in mood, stood up.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Thank you for your help, really.” They quickly shook hands and Ren walked out of the room as the clerk closed the door behind him.
‘What the hell was that?’ he thought to himself, leaving the huge facility behind and he began to search for a so-called “Yar hotel” to the south.
• • •
Yar Grand Hotel. Room 217.
Sara looked down at the note in her hand, then back up at the grandiose structure before her. Shivering, she put the note back in her coat’s pocket and crossed her arms. The sun was beginning to set; while not quite the great mountain ranges further north nor the infinitely-spanning tundra wastelands beyond them, Palantti was still far colder than much of the Empire as autumn set in.
She entered the massive, eight-story neo-renaissance structure and was met with an immediate warmth; before her stood a large staircase, with several tables to her left and a receptionists’ area to her right.
“Excuse me, miss, but would you happen to know where room 217 would be?” she asked one of the receptionists.
Looking down at Sara, the receptionist pointed over to the staircase. “Of course. Down the hall, up the stairs and on the left.”
“Thank you.”
Sara took a deep breath as she went towards the stairs. After all, she hadn’t seen her cousin in years.
She knocked on the door - room 217 - and waited.
“Occupied.” said a female voice from within the room.
Sara rolled her eyes and knocked on the door again. After an audible groan, footsteps approached the door.
As the door unlocked and opened, Sara stood up straight and tried her best to smile.
“Like I said already, we’re… Sara? Oh my goodness!”
She came out of the room and the two embraced.
“Is Elia here? It’s been so long!” the woman asked, looking down the hallway on either side. Wearing a black nightgown, she stood more than half a cubit taller than Sara, with dark brown hair and red eyes like Sara’s own. The difference between her and Sara was made obvious, though, as she smiled; unlike Sara, she lacked the characteristic large, sharp canines that all pure-blood Upyirs possess.
Sara shook her head. “She already had plans. I decided I’d come over to see you myself.”
The woman sighed. “Well, I’m glad you could come, anyways. How did you find out where I’m staying?”
“Well, uncle Bram-”
“Maria? Who’s at the door?” a deeper, male voice said from inside the room.
Surprised, Sara looked around Maria; at the same time, Maria's eyes widened as she turned and looked back into the room.
Sara squinted. “Who’s this? I don’t remember ever hearing about…” she said in a hushed tone.
Maria turned back around, with a panicked look. “He’s an, um… he works at parliament. We spoke a little bit ago, you know? He’s a really effective activist, and has a lot of money, enough to pay for... um, we have the same values and stuff, and I think that after this we really might-”
Sara’s demeanor changed as Maria spoke. “I never took you for…” she growled, her two sharp fangs on clear display. “Do you really think anybody back home would find this kind of behavior acceptable? You’ve already separated yourself from the rest of us - not the least after taking thousands of grandfather’s denars with you, which you’ve apparently spent already - and now you’re selling yourself to parliamentarians too?” She stepped forwards with a determined look. “I don’t care about the coronation anymore. You’re going to come home with us, and I’m going to deal with... this.” Sara said, her pupils now reduced to small slits. Her eyes began to glow a bright scarlet as she tried to push her way into the room; as she did so, Maria grabbed Sara’s wrist and held her back.
“Stop this. I hate when all of you get like this. I knew they’d send somebody- and I don’t care. I’m going to do what’s right, and none of you monsters will keep me from doing it!” She shoved a shocked Sara back into the hall. “LEAVE. US. ALONE!” Maria shouted, slamming the door in Sara’s face and bolting its locks shut.
Others doors began to open to see what all the commotion was. Deeply embarrassed, and with tears swelling in her eyes, she turned around and began to leave the hotel.
Distraught and looking down at the hotel’s checkered tile floor, she walked and turned towards the stairs before-
• • •
“We have three rooms available for one night. A single-bed room will cost you 20 denar, sir.”
“Ah, okay, um, here…” Ren said, handing over the odd coins he had been given.
The desk-clerk nodded and thanked him. While she counted the coins, he couldn’t help but become somewhat anxious; he had no clue how much a “Denar” was - the money he had handed over was only a few small, silverish coins about the size of a nickel.
The clerk looked up. “I’m sorry, this is only 18 denar.”
Ren furrowed his brows. “That’s all they gave me to pay, I just arrived from the Northern Forests, and they redirected me here from the Immigration Bureau down the street, so I-”
“Oh, you’re an outsider?” the clerk asked, interrupting him.
Ren stood up straighter. “Yep. Just appeared here recently. Pretty literally.”
“Sorry about all of that, then - you should be good to go! We have a discount for outsiders.” she said, standing up. “I’ll go ahead and get your key for you.”
She disappeared into a room behind her desk, and came out with an antique-looking key, stamped with the number 237. “Thank you, and enjoy your stay!”
As he looked for his room, he quietly thought to himself about the events of the past few days. Ren was fairly impressed by his circumstances; just days prior he had been sleeping on damp moss. Now, he was in a luxury hotel. And, really, he hadn’t done much of anything to deserve such an increase in standard of living. Perhaps things wouldn’t turn out too bad after all; he just needed a job, some cash, and-
“Umpf!” a small voice said, bumping into him.
Ren snapped back into reality. “Oh, my bad, I- Sara?”
