Myiesha and Harith entered the dining hall. The onlookers behind sighed in relief at the close call they had. Most of them turned their heads and looked at Kiba. They couldn’t understand how he could get scot-free after what he said about Dark Stars.
Kiba ignored their gazes and left the corridor along with Ashlyn. A few minutes later, they arrived in front of the reception of the inn.
The reception was handled by a tall, slender female receptionist who was in her mid-twenties. She was a blonde with silky hair, red lips, and creamy skin. All over, she was really attractive like a model out of a top fashion show.
That was something to be expected given Garrick Angel Inn was the most costly inn in the fair.
For a middle-class family living in cities, the price of one day stay at the inn would be equal to their yearly expenditure. The inn not only spent resources in a lavish design and ambient environment but also on the staff. And a pretty female staff was rather a must in the hotel industry. The same principle was even used in the inn even though it was located in The Fair at the Desolate Blood Forest.
The receptionist rose to her feet and greeted Kiba and Ashlyn with a warm smile. The desk in between was made of vibrant glass on which virtual screens floated. She swept them out and gave her full attention to the patrons.
Kiba placed his hands over the desk and rested his head on them.
"What can I do for you?" The receptionist asked. She has checked the logs a few moments ago so she knew a few things about them.
She was aware they already have two costly rooms booked in the inn along with an advance. She wondered if they were checking out and leaving the fair to explore the forest. Most of the patrons in the inn only visited the fair for temporary peace and safety to relax before resuming the perilous journey.
"You can do a lot of things," Kiba answered with a faint smile. "But whether you will do them or not is the question. So tell me, what can you do for me?"
His tone and demeanor left no doubt his words were flirty.
The receptionist was caught off-guard by his remarks. She asked a standard question and expected a straight answer in return. Not such a cheeky response that left her speechless.
She was indeed taught how to tackle flirty customers but none like Kiba.
Kiba’s eyes moved from her face to her chest where her name tag was attached.
"Monica, please relax," Kiba brought his gaze back on her face. "I was just trying to make a conversation. I’m not here to make you uncomfortable, and if I did, I apologize."
Monica smiled in relief. She was glad a rich patron like him was not making things difficult for her.
Her training kicked in, and she said, "No, you didn’t make me uncomfortable. But I will accept your apology in case you do something in the future."
"Something I do..." Kiba thought with a smile. He obviously understood she was responding to his flirtation from earlier with a similar response. He was impressed by her reply and the way she handled his remarks.
"So what do you want me to do?" Monica inquired.
She was now at ease with him.
Unknown to her, both his flirty statement and the apology that followed was a way of warming her up so that she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with him. This was one of the simple techniques used in the seduction process during a first meeting.
It left the target aware that the opposite party was interested in her but also play it cool enough so that she doesn’t feel creepy by sudden advances. The tension between the two states worked as a psychological nutrient for further steps.
"Well, for now, I want to know something," Kiba answered. His hypnotizing eyes bore into hers. "I and my companion met some acquaintances of our in the dining hall and they asked us to meet them in their room later on. But I forgot their room number and it would be embarrassing to ask them."
"Ah... just tell me the name and I will search," Monica replied.
Most hotels and inns didn’t allow the sharing of such information. After all, there was a risk of potential conflict if the patrons were engaging in an illicit affair and their relatives confirm it after getting information from the staff.
Garrick Angel Inn was the same but Monica didn’t feel she was violating some privacy rule. The Fair was an absolutely safe place where no one would dare break the laws. Even still, in other times, she wouldn’t share such information but now, she didn’t mind.
"You are truly a lifesaver," Kiba said with an exaggerated sigh of relief. "I’m looking for Shawn and Amy. They are engaged and are here with their group."
Monica tapped a finger on the glass desk and a virtual screen popped up. She entered a few instructions and a minute later, she said, "Shawn is in room A-105 and Amy is room A-106."
"Oh!" Kiba was surprised. He was expecting them to share a room but then he thought, maybe, the rooms were interconnected. He couldn’t ask Monica to confirm for the obvious reasons.
"I want to thank you for saving us from embarrassment but words won’t be enough," Kiba said as he retraced his hands from the desk. "How about we thank you over dinner if your shift is finished by then?"
"Well..." Monica thought for a moment before nodding. "I would like that."
***
Ten minutes later.
Kiba and Ashlyn stepped on the staircase. Ashlyn looked at him as they walked ahead while wondering why he did what he did just now. She was also curious why he was so eager to thank the receptionist and offered her dinner with both of them. Why not just alone?
What she didn’t know was that he was using the lamb and lion principle of seduction...
"What do you plan to do?"Ashlyn asked as they arrived in front of their rooms.
"Rest," Kiba answered as he opened his room. "And collect some information based on what we know of your acquaintances."
Ashlyn didn’t ask further. She stepped into her place and he entered his.
Kiba passed through the drawing-room and stepped into the bedroom. He jumped on the king-size bed and rested for some twenty minutes.
"Time to do the boring work now."
With his back to the headboard, he retrieved a few items from his storage dimension. A digital tablet, laptop, and eight crystal business cards.
The cards belonged to his various non-profit organizations such as Wife Pleasuring Service Ltd, Mistress’ Massage Center, Naughty Bunny Corporation, and a few more.
Kiba shuffled the crystal cards and placed them on the bed. He then activated his laptop and tablet.
"Sighs~ No network," Kiba was annoyed. Ever since he entered the forest, he was virtually cut off with the world. There was something in the forest which acted as EMP waves and nullified electronic signals to the outside world.
"I can’t always rely on Claudia," Kiba thought. "But without her, it is almost impossible to use Law of Four and Magic of Six..."
If he was a devotee of god, then he would be surely praying to avoid a situation where he would need to use the above methods.
"My luck won’t be that bad, right?" Kiba wondered aloud.
He closed his eyes and his senses moved through the inn.
At a time like this, he was grateful to have his powers even though they were a double-edged sword. His senses rushed towards the rooms Monica informed him about.
He noticed both Shawn and Amy were outside their room, standing in the corridor. The other members of their group were absent. Most likely, they had stepped into their rooms for some rest after lunch. The engaged couple planned to do the same, at least one of them do.
Amy swiped the key card and the door to her place opened up. She stepped inside and walked ahead but stopped when she noticed Shawn entering.
"What are you doing?" Amy asked a question she knew the answer of. Her mood was not good and so she hoped his answer would be different from what she expected.
"Love, I thought I could massage you," Shawn answered. His voice was filled with smugness that was hidden by his face.
"No need," Amy replied, annoyed. "Last time you said you will massage me, you tried to do something you shouldn’t have."
"We are engaged for god’s sake!" Shawn was frustrated. "Couples do more than what I wanted."
"We are yet to be married," Amy shut the door on his face. "And stop thinking from your dick all the time."
Shawn couldn’t believe her fiancee just did what she did. She was always sweet to him even when she refused his advances. Yet now, she slammed the door in anger and said types of words she never had.
Just what was going on? Has he done something wrong?!
"Maybe she is on periods," Shawn thought of reasons he has heard about woman’s mood swings. He refused to believe the girl who has fancied him would say such things otherwise.
Inside her room, Amy sumped down on the floor.
"How could I have liked him when he doesn’t care about me at all..." Amy felt tears building up in her eyes. "I wanted to do everything with him and yet, despite our engagement, he wanted to get in the pants of that cursed woman."
Amy thought of the scene that trespassed in the dining hall. She was angered by Shawn’s conduct. She felt bitter, frustrated and also lacking as a woman. After all, her fiance was desiring another woman in front of her. Sure, he didn’t say it openly but his intention was clear to her.
As of now, she questioned her self worth. She sadly wondered if he engaged with her to have her... Was her crush for him unfounded? Would he break up after getting what he wanted?
Back in his own place, Kiba opened his eyes and thought about Shawn and Amy. The latter clearly liked him, perhaps even loved. It was unknown how the relationship was established but it was clear Shawn was not in love, at least not in the way Amy wanted. Shawn desired Ashlyn far more than he liked Amy.
"Humans often desire and pursue what they cannot have due to an intense desire to feel validated."
Kiba couldn’t help but recall the words Elissa spoke to Zed a decade ago. She has told him about living beings attraction to the impossible.
The thing you want the most is the thing you can’t have...
Kiba shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He brought his eyes on the business cards and picked the one he wanted.
Maiden’s Love Circle.