Never Go Off-Script

Chapter 6 - Cedar's POV

The sounds of shouting woke me bright and early the next morning.

I blinked groggily, listening to all the various sounds of the docks — orders being called as a ship pulled into the docks, the sounds of seagulls calling out to one another, and waves crashing against the shore.

I looked forward to my journey to the docks just to wake up to this. Something was calming about it — though I probably only enjoyed it because of how different it was from the Trader's Path.

My mind took its sweet old time to wake up as I listened to the ambiance, staring at the ceiling and feeling at peace. Eventually, I managed to force myself out of bed and dug through my bag for fresh clothes.

Now that I was away from the warmth of the bedsheets, the grogginess of early morning faded quicker, and I was dressed and out the door in a matter of minutes. If I finished restocking quickly, I could get some fresh bread from the food vendors on the dock, and maybe even some energy potion — I felt like I'd be needing it. I wasn't technically supposed to barter food for myself on these trips, but I'd always gotten away with it.

I rushed down the stairs of the inn, and the host greeted me from his desk.

"Good morning, traveler!" he called out, and I smiled cheerfully, automatically.

"Good morning!" I replied, but the man just smiled at me blankly as I neared. Without thinking, I asked, "Could you tell me the best food vendors here today?"

The host launched into an informative script, and I realized too late I had neglected my own.

"Here at the docks, we have all sorts of sellers! The traders come in from the sea early every morning, carrying goods from all sorts of regions! If you're lucky, you might even find some foreign vendors from unknown regions in the realm. They have all sorts of goods that you might be interested in — that is, if you're not scared of encountering a witch! Take a look, and see what trinkets you can find!"

I stared at the host, sorting through his words for an answer to my question — but there was none. "Uh... th-thank you... I'll see what I can find."

As I turned away from the desk to head for the exit, the host called out his parting line.

"Safe travels, adventurer!"

I stopped in my tracks, the floor swaying beneath my feet. The events of yesterday rushed back to me.

Again.

Why did it happen again?

I looked back at the host, my eyes wide, my hands shaking at my sides. He smiled amiably back at me as if nothing was wrong, his eyes glassy. Was there a single thought behind those eyes?

Trying not to panic, I hurried out of the Coastside Inn.

"This is why you never go off-script, Cedar!" I scolded myself under my breath, my heart hammering in my chest. "If I just said my lines like I was supposed to, none of this would be happening!"

But then I faltered. Why was it happening in the first place? Why did I keep going off-script without thinking about it? It wasn't like it was natural for me — I'd never done it before. Was something wrong with me?

I shouldn't be able to veer from my lines. It wasn't right. I'd never encountered another trader who went off-script. I'd never even heard of it happening before. So why was it happening to me?

My fingers were tingling, and I noticed my breaths coming in sharp gasps. Don't panic, I told myself determinedly. Don't think. Just do what you came here to do.