The moment ‘shopping’ was mentioned mother’s back pain was forgotten. She was reluctantly sitting down, letting her son do the cooking. And blushed up a storm when Marlin smuggly gave her a big steaming plate of baked eggs, sausage and bacon. Telling her she needed to recover her strength,

Marlin tortured her with a eyebrow wiggle, to make absolutely sure, she knew what he was talking about.

Marlin introduced his parents to the concept of bacon and how to make it and both of em dived into the project, his father usually the one to hunt game, had gone out of his way to hunt down some wild boar, they had their own smokehouse now, and salt was apparently very common.

the flavor or actual smoked bacon without all the additives and crap big corporations pulled was incredible. Genuinely healthy animals who had a good life tasted better then the ones in forced captivity, who knew? The ones that got loved? Absolutely mouthwatering. Especially when they got lovingly taken care of by Betty.

they had tamed some wild boars a couple of years back, and within one or two generations they were full blown domesticated pigs fat and happy all of their lives.

His mother loved releasing them onto soil that needed to be turned. The little balls of bacon loved digging around and with a little nudge they became avid little helpers in turning soil for the next harvest.

animals were weird they didn’t like dying of course, but they forgot very quickly who was next to them 5 seconds ago.

this world is an animal rights activist nightmare. Betty had laughed hysterically when Marlin had discreetly inquired about animal rights.

“sweety~ i don’t even have any rights, only nobles and royalty do. She had said to him laughing through her tears”.

ow that had totally not been a red flag.

Long before he knew it, they were well on their way to a nearby town. There were no roads for the first 2 hours only thick lush forest, it made Marlin almost regretful he hadn’t taken survival. He couldn’t make heads or tails of where they were going.

Billy fully grown into a god damn goat-steed, happily trodded along, it was a big day afteral. When Marlin informed him he was getting a saddle fitted for him, he had taken it as THE official initiation into steedly knighthood, with Billy’s antics Marlin had quickly learned to just go with it and only steer the ship, don’t stop it.

As they finally hit a well traveled road and the first signs of civilization where seen, some farms in the distance and a small town crested on a hill with wooden walls and palisades. It hit Marlin how in these last 5 years he had only been around the little cabin.

From time to time he had been bored, but he had happily put off first contact with civilization. He was never good around crowds. There was plenty to do. Sparring and sharpening his skills, helping Mother with the crops, chores around the house.

But it hadn’t escaped him, that his parents hadn’t exactly jumped at the opportunity to show him to the world. The closer they got, the quieter they became.

“Is there anything i need to know? Or prepare myself for? How will people react to who and what i am? Can they even tell”?

Bradford sighed, “i guess we can’t push this off any longer”, he said and handed Marlin a small mirror.

Marlin took it, he was curious he had seen his face in the reflection of water but his adventures through the forest never produced a calm lake for an accurate mirror.

He looked at himself and was a bit shocked, it was similar to how he had looked in his old life but morphed into angry chad, he looked fierce, an early beard was already forming, his hair long pulled back. His eyes were a VERY striking blue and when he brought the mirror closer he could see the blue shimmer.

“are you kidding me? My eyes glow? And do i have a severe case of resting murder face”,

Bradford showed the white glow in his eyes and then made it disappear again. “It took me till my 5th level until i could make the glow go down and control it enough. And you only have a resting murder face, when you are thinking too hard so relax”.

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“so everyone gets to see im born under the ominous star”?

“yes to be honest it has been so long since we left the cabin and the both of us got so used to your eyes.. we kinda forgot”. Betty said, guilt could be heard in her voice.

“How bad will it be”? Marlin asked, Bradford shrugged, “not as bad as you seem to think right now. Your eyes being blue is a good omen an indicator of your strength of character”.

“I must warn you though. Please control your… anger. Your rage do not let it out”.

Marlin looked at Bradford. “Explain”, he demanded.

“your eyes, they turn red when you become enraged. When you were taunting, those thugs it turned into a deep crimson red”.

“Did you know in that moment you wove tyrant speech, into your sentences”?

Bradford wasn’t done

“the promising whispers of pain and agony could be heard by everyone present”.

Marlin stopped dead in his tracks. And steadied himself. It reminded him a little too much for his liking of his short time spent with Sadanis.

“why didn’t you say anything sooner”?

“O hey son! Be nice! if you are angry your eyes turn red”!

Bradford deadpanned and gave Marlin an eyeroll. “I was looking for a moment to talk about it last night. Then! you! had the bright idea of telling your mother about ropes! then this morning you swept us all up in your desire to go hunting which lead to us going shopping”!

He breathed in, these outbursts were rare for him, steadying himself after his uncharacteristic outburst. Betty patted him on the shoulder. “Pray tell when, would i talk about this”?

“Well whenever my eyes went red beforehand”?

Bradford sighed. “Yesterday was the first time you did. Whenever you used rage in our spars your eyes just flared a more intense blue. But when you were angry with those thugs it was different, you wanted to hurt them. Right”?

Marlin nodded. “Thanks that actually gives me something to work with”, Marlin could distinctly remember the difference. Using rage in his sparring with Bradford was an intense euphoric glee a way to sharpen his mettle. Against the thugs it had been dark, ominous and murderous.

“so people will tolerate me if i just keep my eyes blue”? Bradford nodded in response.

Betty decided to jump in. “Sweety I wouldn’t worry about it, you give off ‘bad boy but not really vibe’, lots of girls are into that”.

Now it was Marlins turn to give his mother a deadpan look.

“And will that include me getting chased by their boyfriends after i swoop in with my natural charms”?

“ow don’t be silly”! Betty elbowed him playfully. “People in this world take relationships very serious Marlin. Once two people decide they wish to pursue real intimacy and not just casual sex they make a significant commitment”.

“If they showed no loyalty to that commitment, they wouldn’t just lose out on a potential partner. But their reputation will take a hit, if they cannot be trusted with someone’s love how can you trust them in business or your back”?

“We don’t have laws like your old world to keep betrayal in check. At least not between the common folk”, Bradford continued. “A man or woman’s word has more value then his or her life”.

Marlin took the information, and pondered for a moment. “How do you deal with criminals”?

“we kill them sweety~ what else”?

Hearing Betty say that so casually was unnerving.

“so if i stole an apple….”?

“ow that’s not a criminal! that’s you being hungry! If you can’t pay for it, the person will simply ask for some of your time. Usually we do everything by half hour workloads so if you can’t afford something a deal will be struck for you to work for half an hour and how much of someone’s goods or products you can get”.

“Many warriors or fighters end up helping out a blacksmith’s for a year or so, to get their hands on a good weapon”. Bradford chimed in.

“Is that what im going to do”?

Betty looked genuinely hurt he could even think they would do that to him. “Never mind mother it was but a fleeting thought, i figured you wanted to put me through character growth or something. I mean this town is only 3 hours away. And i could have some actual sleep for once”, Marlin teased

Bradford looked incredibly smug and Marlin realized he had made a grave mistake, especially when Bradford walked closer.

“Marlin… do you think your mother and i have … a lot of sex”?

“yes”?

Betty smirked. “We are … average, sweety. I have higher constitution then you but i am about average. im quite innocent compared to what people in the big city get up to”. She teased him.

“so you are saying that unless i go deaf i will never have a proper sleep”? Marlin really didn’t like where this was going.

”sweety~~ your mother and father aren’t… loud, you have expert level perception. You hearing and sight are much better then the average person”.

Marlin was starting to get the picture, people in this world fucked like rabbits, him sleeping in an inn he would be hearing multiple people going at it.

Bradford nodded. “It’s true we used to be a lot louder”.

”ok i get it, im the problem not you. country bumpkin for life”! He yelled.

They bantered on like this until they finally hit the little town.

Marlin was nervous, there was a guard but he was sitting down, he glared at Marlin’s eyes for a moment and Marlin and Billy glared straight back with mock offense, and the guard smirked and continued his nap.

“so far so good”, Marlin mused. And it was, until he saw all the people including some of the other sentient races that lived in this world. And he saw why people had such high libido.