The menu was in Common, a universal language that all races could use to communicate. It didn't matter if you were a goblin, gnome, orc, shifter, or elf, Common was an easy means to communicate and was widely taught amongst the races, most races that is. Elves often neglected to learn the language, preferring their own over anything else. Fortunately for Elmarius his father had him learn it so that he may translate the language for him. Instead of giving their precious coins to yet another servant. Sarya knew the language and taught it to Elmarius herself. She'd have been the one chosen for the job had their father not been ashamed of her. And had his mother been able to stand the sight of her. As Mari read over the menu it didn't take him very long to discover that out of the five dishes they offered, all of them contained at least one type of meat. The only drinks that were available were water, rum and milk. Not even fruit juice, and he could just forget about a dessert. Meat was out of the question and he preferred not to drink milk (although cakes, which are made with milk, were still a weakness of his). Rum would burn his throat without the payoff of getting him drunk. Elves had high tolerance to alcohol and elven liquors were rare. Most other races would kill over if they ingested an elvish liquor it was basically poison to anyone but an elf. He could feel his stomach growling and sighed as he put down the menu. Hakeem on the other hand, was quite delighted by these options. His tail was swishing excitedly as his eyes looked over each option.

"They have fish and milk! I haven't had them in so long!" The cat licked his lips and set down his menu before looking over at Mari. "You're hungry aren't you Mari? What do you want? And you too, Miss Sarya! I will get everything so you do not have to move. I know you are very tired from walking." Elmarius looked over the menu one more time and gave a deep exhale before placing it flat on their table.

"I can't eat in these clothes." He saw the keys on the table and raised an eyebrow when he had seen only two. "Where's my room key?"

"Oh, the woman at the podium only had two rooms left. I thought Sarya can have her own and we can share a room?" The elf's eyes widened and he snatched the key before turning away. He looked around the inn and he could see that it was filled with people. Of course, a place like this had to be popular at the exact time of their visit. He tensed his shoulders before walking away.

"Of course a situation like this would occur... How can this day get any worse?" Hakeem watched the other walk off with his hand in his palm. Was it really that terrible to share a room together? He and his father had slept in the same room for many years. Perhaps it was just another cultural difference or maybe he made too much noise when he slept. When they were forced to camp outside there was a lot of space between each of them, perhaps this was just another change the elf was struggling to get used to. He was an elf set in his ways.

The moment Elmarius had reached the room he locked the door and pressed his back against it. He finally felt like he could breathe now that he was alone and away from that crowded dining room. He placed a hand on his chest as he slowly took in his new surroundings. There was at least a fireplace, a window and a small bathroom. It didn't even smell terrible unlike places they had been to in the past. He walked over to the bed and could feel his chest tighten and his face flush.

"How in the bloody hell are two people supposed to sleep here?!" He grumbled to himself in Elvish before kicking one of the wooden posts resulting in a sharp pain shooting up his leg. He cursed to himself and hopped on his other leg before stumbling backwards into a wall. When his back had come into contact with the firm wood the books on the shelf attached to said wall just above him slanted causing the one on the very end to hit the top of his head. The elf let out an "ouch" before holding his head. It was his luck that the largest of the few books on that shelf would fall right onto his head. That was always his luck it seemed.

"Damn it all! First it was the mud, the inn, the small bed and now this!" He let out a heavy sigh before looking down at the book. His body relaxed when he read the title. It was one that was familiar to him. He stood on his feet and began walking over to the small bathroom, dropping the gear he was carrying along the way. His sword and bag fell to the floor with a thud. The bathroom was surprisingly nice despite not being that large. The bathrooms in his old mansion were the size of the entire bedroom and then some. He looked over at a small opening in the wall with a sign beside it that read "Pull level for hot water. Warning: Bucket will be heavy, call for assistance if necessary." Elmarius raised an eyebrow and slowly tugged on the dangling rope. There was a ring from the bell attached to the lever and not long after that the elevator in the wall began lowering. When it appeared again a bucket full of steaming water was waiting for him inside. There must have been a group of wizards in the basement whose only job here was to boil water for the baths. "What a pitiful existence," Elmarius thought as he imagined a lone wizard, in a bleak basement, casting a single spell for hours. The blonde haired man took it with a bit of a strain and dumped it into the tub. He tugged on the rope again to lower the elevator, as he waited for the bucket to return he went over to a shelf in the room which held a pouch which was labeled, "Soap". The towel rack was also beside this. He dropped the bar into the tub before dumping the bucket of water into the metal tub. He repeated this process a few more times until the tub had been filled. He removed his clothes and sank into the hot water with ease, though he was tall and the basin was not large enough for him to stretch out in. It was a blessing that he could have something like this far from home and he was going to savor it. He raised his arm and brought it to his nose. The pleasant scent of lavender filled it and he gave a deep exhale.

From his position in the tub he could see part of the bed and he was reminded of the scenario that awaited him this evening. He sank lower in the tub until only his eyes and nose were visible. Why did it have to be this way? He let the back of his head lean against the rim of the tub and his eyes looked up towards the ceiling. An image of Hakeem immediately came to his mind. He thought back to when they were walking in the forest, the way the shifter had smiled at him then, the way his fangs just barely covered his bottom teeth. He couldn't bear to see it and only walked past him. Had he pushed him? He hoped not. The longer he looked the faster his heart would race. It felt like it was closer and closer to exploding with each passing moment, especially when the shifter would give him that damn look. Elmarius gave a heavy sigh before covering his face in his hands. The hot water did nothing to cool his flaming cheeks.

"Do you hate me God? I thought you were supposed to be on my side and you've gone and put me in a situation like this!" He groaned and his eyelids lowered as he leaned over the rim of the tub. His eyes slowly drifted over the wood floor up to the bed again. He could see Hakeem sleeping in it. His body was curled up just like a house cat, the soft sound of his purring would fill the room. Sometimes his nose twitched or he licked it with his tongue but then he would be still once again. His tail would be curled up between his legs and his arms tucked in towards his chest. Unless they were wrapped around the elf. Elmarius covered his eyes to rid himself of the image. Why was it that detailed? How could he remember all of that?

"Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop being bloody creepy...He probably doesn't feel the same." He let one hand rest on top of the other and he felt his heart flutter. Hakeem had held his hand not long ago with not one, but both of his hands. He looked worried too. The elf gave a sigh and sank in the tub. "Now you've gone and become a burden to him. Why should he have to worry about me as if I'm a small child who can't even walk on his own feet?" Now his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "He doesn't deserve a weight like that on his shoulders..."