Kiden kept walking, trying as hard as he could to ignore Lucius's irritating banter. He kept hoping the Shade would get bored of being ignored and leave on his own, but Lucius was as persistent as ever. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Look," Kiden whirled around and glared at the kid. "I'm kind of busy right now, so could you kindly scram?"
"You don't look busy to me," Lucius responded, frowning. The boy was hopelessly clueless.
"Well, I am," Kiden snapped, unfolding his long black wings behind him. "I have... stuff to do. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Lucius opened his mouth like he had more to say, but Kiden quickly turned and flew away before he had a chance to speak. He let out a sigh, glad to finally be rid of the little pest, and let himself relax and enjoy the solitude of his flight. That shadow from earlier still bothered him, though. Could Lucius really have kept up with him like that? Kiden was the fastest flier he knew. He would have left the smaller Shade in the dust. Come to think of it, what was it the kid had said?
"I just saw you flying and thought you were up to something fun."
True, he had been flying when the shadow fell upon him, but Lucius could just have easily pursued him after he saw the thing. But if that was the case, what was chasing him earlier? Kiden felt a chill run down his back and shook his head. It was probably just another Shade trying to talk to him. He probably just panicked for no reason. Yes, he was sure of it now. Of course that's all it was.
Below him, the Shade hotel came into view. Kiden figured his may as well step inside and gather his bearings. He dropped onto the sidewalk and stretched his weary wings. He had done a lot of intensive flying today, and now his shoulders were sore. He walked down the alley leading up to the hotel doors and stepped inside. The interior design was always interesting to look at. The manager was stuck in the past and his hotel reflected it. Kiden ambled over to the front desk, taking in the intriguing style of the lobby. It would make a fine place to crash for the night. He asked for a key and received one for room 21.
A soft rumble of his stomach made Kiden realize just how hungry he was. He looked around for somewhere to grab a bite to eat and caught a whiff of freshly baked pastries coming from a room off to the side. A sign above it read 'Champagne Room'. He wasn't in the mood for any liquor, but those pastries smelled delicious, so he wandered inside.