Ch. 19 – An Unwanted Reunion in Ancona

Since they had gone to bed relatively early after all the fighting the previous day, they woke up right at dawn and headed out. The journey back was downhill, and they were able to make good time again, eating as they walked, and made it back to Ancona by the early evening.

They headed over to the guild right away to see Liz. Due to the time, there was almost no one in line, and they were able to see her in a few minutes.

She greeted them with a big smile, “Oh, I'm glad you made it back okay. Did you defeat the Harpy Matriarch?”

Damien nodded, handing over his guild card.

After Liz processed the request, she asked, “Do you want your chest back too?”

Betty quickly nodded, “We're gonna spend the night in town. Maybe tomorrow too.”

Damien nodded in agreement, Yeah maybe we deserve a day off after that. Thinking about the Goddess's words from the previous night, an idea came into his mind. Turning to Bluey, he asked, “Do you and Aurora want to play together tomorrow?”

Betty raised an eyebrow as Bluey seemed confused. “You mean just us two? What about you and Betty?”

“I was thinking of spending time with Betty tomorrow, so you two could get to know each other better.”

Bluey thought for a moment, then nodded. “What if we train together? We could practice with just the two of us.”

Damien nodded, “Sure, as long as it's nothing dangerous, I don't mind.”

Betty tugged his sleeve, “What do you mean, 'spending time' with me?”

Damien blushed, “Well, I was thinking we could go on a proper date or something. We haven't really spent a lot of time with just the two of us.”

Betty smiled and blushed deeply. “Oh...”

“Do you want too?”

Betty hurriedly nodded.

At that point, Liz returned their chest, and they went over to the same inn they had previously stayed at. While it was slightly more expensive, this time he got a room with two beds.

“I can just sleep on the couch...” Betty said.

Damien shook his head. “No, I'd rather we just have two beds. The couch is reserved for a drunk Bluey.”

Betty giggled at this, while Bluey had a rare sense of embarrassment. “Hey! I said I won't drink that much anymore!”

After getting set up in their room, they went down for dinner, enjoying a beef stew.

While they were eating, Bluey asked, “Where are you and Betty doing tomorrow? Are you going to ma-...” she trailed off, catching herself. “Sorry, I'll ask later.”

Damien just shook his head. “I appreciate you thinking about the time and place, but no that's not what my intention was.”

Betty looked over, blushing a bit, “What do you want to do?”

“I was thinking we could do some shopping. Both for some gear, and some regular clothes.”

Betty brightened up. “That sounds great!”

After finishing eating, they went up to bed. Since Betty was going to spend all the next day with him, she told Bluey she could sleep in the same bed with him (squeezing three people in the inn bed's would be a risky proposition).

However, after he had taken a bath, he got out and...everyone else was already asleep. And in his bed was not Bluey, but someone else.

'Aurora, why are you here and Bluey is on the couch?'

Aurora looked up at him, 'I wanted to sleep with Master as well. Am I not allowed?'

Damien shook his head, scooping up Aurora and setting her next to him after he laid down. 'It's fine, it's not like I don't want too' he replied, gently stroking her fur.

Aurora seemed pleased. Instead of responding via Message, she made her feelings known by nuzzling into his face and curling up next to him.

With the soft fur against him, Damien quickly fell asleep.

In the morning, Bluey was extremely excited to be spending the day with Aurora. “Come on, Aurora! Your big sister will get you ready for any fight!”

Aurora seemed just as excited, giving several 'Piyu's of excitement as they ran out.

“Will they be okay?” Betty asked, seemingly concerned.

Damien nodded. “They should be fine. And I can always Message them to check in.”

“That's true...” Betty then blushed a bit, “...are you ready to go?”

Damien nodded, looking over Betty. She was wearing a silky green dress that match her hair, inlaid with silver around the edges. “You look really pretty.”

Betty blushed, “You look...”

Damien looked down. He was just wearing his normal outfit, sans the leather armor on top. “Sorry...”

Betty giggled, “We should get you something first!”

Damien followed after Betty, who was dragging him along by the hand. They went back to the northern part of the city, looking around the shops, until they found a men's clothing store.

“I think this should be good for you. It's not upper-class but still looks like fine clothing,” Betty explained.

Damien nodded, not sure himself and trusting her judgment.

Going inside, the place was fairly busy, with several men and woman measuring customers.

“Do you know your sizes offhand, or do we need to get you measure?” Betty asked.

“Err..I'm a medium, I think.”

Betty blinked a few times. “Wait, is that a...your world thing?”

Damien nodded. “I think people got measured for stuff like suits, but usually it was simplified down.”

Betty nodded, seeming a bit intrigued. “Well, we can just get you measured then.”

After a few minutes, an older lady came over and greeted. “Hello, deary, do you need measured?”

Damien nodded, “Yes, please.”

“Hold still sweetie,” she smiled and started to deftly list off measurements. Betty had produced a small paper and pencil, and was writing each one down as she listed them off.

“And the inseam is 83cm. Did you get all those Mrs. Wife?”

Betty blushed behind her notepad. “Um, we're together, but not married.”

The old lady shook her head at Damien, “Mister, you need tie the knot before a fine girl like that gets away,” she explained. “If you need anything altered, let me know.”

As she walked away, Damien looked over at Betty embarrassed. Betty, however, seemed to want to make her position known.

“Ahh, please don't worry about that. It's normal to get married at our age, but it's not normal for Adventurer's. They usually don't settle down until they retire, or at least until they've earned enough to buy a permanent residence somewhere.”

Damien nodded. “That makes a lot of sense. I always thought I would get married in the future, but I always had other things I wanted to do. Or worry about.”

Betty giggled. “I'm the same.”

Well, that's that then.

After their conversation finished, they started looking at clothing. However, this mainly came down to Betty looking at clothing and Damien giving his opinion.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Do you like this?” she asked, pulling out a brown-vested shirt combo. “It matches your hair.”

Damien shrugged. “I think so?”

Betty frowned, “Do you not have favorite clothes?”

“Not really. Maybe it's the way I was raised, or maybe a guy thing, but I usually just wear something practical.”

Betty nodded, “No, that makes sense...” she trailed off, before going back to the clothing racks.

Damien though for a bit, then added, “What do you think I would look good in?”

Betty blushed a bit, before looking back at the rack and grabbing a vest. Just a vest, which would have left his arms and most of his chest and midsection bare.

“Um...isn't this a bit revealing?”

“That's the point...”

Damien shook his head. “Okay, maybe I have limits at least...”

After some more browsing and compromising, Damien had four different outfits in his arms.

“Now we try them on, and if any adjustments need made, we let them know. Or if it's minor, I can make them.”

“You can sew? Not that I doubt you, I just haven't seen you.”

Betty nodded. “A little bit. My mom taught us how to take care of our own clothes growing up.”

Damien nodded. I guess that's a necessary skill in a world without mass-produced clothing. “Alright, I'll try them on.”

First, he tried on a brown and white button up shirt, with match brown pants. They seemed similar to what he saw many man wearing around town, so he thought with these he could 'fit in.'

Walking out through the curtains, Betty blushed a bit.

“Why are you blushing? Don't I look normal?” Damien asked, a bit confused.

“Yes, but...you...” she trailed off, blushing again. “It's good. Do you like it?”

Damien nodded, looking himself over. “It's a little tight in the shoulders, but otherwise yeah.”

Betty nodded. “I think your a bit more broad-shouldered than the average man in this world.”

Damien went back in, and started to undress. What was that reaction? Is she just-

His thoughts were cut off as he heard a man say loudly 'Beatrice?' This was followed by Betty giving a sharp, 'You! What are-' before stopping.

Damien started freaking out, but he was currently in his undergarments. Quickly pulling on his pants, he went through the curtain.

Outside, Betty was cowering slightly, as a man and woman were standing next to her.

The man looked...somewhat similar to himself. Not exactly the same, he had blonde hair instead of brown, and his was a bit shorter and spikier. But they were both regular looking men around the same age, although this man obviously put more effort into his appearance than he did.

The woman was...very provocative. She was wearing a cleric outfit similar to what Betty had, but it had a giant v-cut in the middle to show off her ample cleavage, and the sides were cut so high on the skirt you could see the sides of her panties.

Damien, however, took all this in during a split second, before putting himself between them and Betty. “What are you doing?”

The man back away a step and blinked a few times. “Beatrice? Who is this, your boyfriend?” he asked, looking over at her.

Betty put her hands to her sides. “Yes, he is! Twice the man you'll ever be!”

Suddenly Damien realized what was going on. This must the guy Betty had had a crush on, and...the woman he had chosen instead.

Betty's response seemed to upset the man. “Really? You're into plain looking girls like that?”

Damien was taken aback and the bluntness of his remark. He quickly wrapped an arm around Betty, pulling her into his bare chest. “Betty is the prettiest girl I've met.”

Betty looked up at him, “Even more than Carleen? Or Bluey?”

Damien sighed, “I mean, they are too, but not the same way...”

“Hey, are you ignoring me?” the man asked.

Betty seemed to be emboldened having Damien next to her. “Shut it, Kevander. Why do you even care? You have this...”

“I'm Feya,” the seductive cleric said, seemingly not having the same prejudice as Kevander. “It's nice to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand to Betty.

Betty didn't seem to know how to react at first, before letting go of Damien and shaking hands with her.

I guess she's not concerned about their past relationships? Or...whatever it was.

Feya then looked at Damien. Taking a finger, she poked his chest, before drawing it down towards his stomach. “You nabbed a fine man here...”

She's forward. Wait, what? I'm not that attractive... Damien looked down at himself. He wasn't ripped by any means, but he did realize he was looking more toned than in his previous world, most likely due to all the walking and other physical exercise he'd gotten in the past month.

Betty seemed unconcerned, giving a proud smile. “Yes, he's very popular with the ladies. I have to negotiate just to get time with him.”

Feya smiled, surprised, “Oh, you are popular.”

Kevander didn't seem to like the attention Damien was getting. Or, the lack of attention he was getting. “Come on Feya, let's get out of here.”

“Ohhhh, but I wanted to talk some more,” Feya replied as Kevander dragged her away.

As they watched Kevander and Feya (who smiled absently and waved while being dragged) leave, Betty let out a sigh of relief.

“So that was...”

Betty blushed, “I'm so embarrassed I ever had feelings for him.”

Damien shook his head, “Don't feel bad. Sometimes it's hard to see people for who they are. And it's not like my prior relationships turned out great, either...”

Betty hugged him again, “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For...being there for me.”

Damien realized what she meant, and smiled, hugging her back. “Of course.”

After Kevander and Feya had left, they finished trying on the rest of the clothes, and since none needed major adjustments, purchased them.

“Do you want to look for Summoner gear now?” Betty asked.

Damien nodded, “Sure. I don't know where to go, though.”

Betty smiled, “Let's go to the place that made my Cleric outfit.”

They walked through a couple blocks away, and stopped in front of a small shop on a side-street. It was obvious it was a place for Adventurer's Gear, as there was several pieces displayed, and several people were inside. The sign above the shop said 'Madame Silvani's'.

“She's quite popular,” Betty explained.

Damien nodded in agreement.

There was almost a dozen Adventurer's stuffed into her small store. At the back end was an old lady, presumably the titular Madame Silvani, holding out a robe and talking with a group.

“Should we browse?”

Betty shook her head, “Let's get in line. I'm...not sure what to even look for...”

They got in line behind the group currently talking with Madame Silvani. Damien looked around the store, taking in the different outfits. Some robes, armors, and even some robes that looked similar to Betty's cleric robe, if in different colors.

After a few minutes, the other group had paid and finished, and they were able to walk up.

Betty gave a small bow, “Hello Madame.”

Madame Silvani smiled. “Oh hello dear. You bought a Cleric robe from me a while back, right? How is it treating you?”

Betty blushed a bit, “It's going well.”

Madame Silvani nodded. “So, that means you need something, right?”

Damien nodded.

Madame Silvani pulled up her status screen, presumably using her Reader menu. However, after a moment, she gave a frown. “Summoner, eh?”

Betty asked nervously. “Is that a problem?”

Madame Silvani sighed. “It might be.” She stood up and walked to the back, coming back a few moments later, dropping a dusty tome on the counter. Opening it up, she fanned away the dust as she started looking through it. “This is a bit embarrassing, but I don't know any special enchantments for Summoner's.”

Betty got on her tippy toes, looking over the book disappointingly (upside-down). “Really?”

Madame Silvani nodded. “It's possible they exist, maybe something to...boost your Summon's power, or maybe even give you extra summons. But unfortunately I don't know them. And if they're not in this book, most Enchanter's won't.”

Betty leaned back, then looked at Damien. “Sorry...”

Damien shook his head, “It's not your fault. If we can't, we can't...”

Madame Silvani chimed in, “If you'd like, I can still get you some basic gear. Would MP restoration help you? I'll give you a discount given the...circumstances.”

Betty nodded vigorously, so Damien nodded as well.

Madame Silvani smiled again. “Excellent. So what kind of clothing would you like?”

Damien thought. “Well, I normally wear leather armor, so maybe something that could go under it?”

Madame Silvani wagged her finger, “No no no, that's not going to work. You need something to wear over the armor. I will make you a cloak. It's going to get cold soon anyway, you'll need it.”

Seeing he seemed to have no say in the matter, Damien nodded.

Madame Silvani grabbed a measuring cord, but Betty pulled out the paper she had taken measurements on earlier.

Oh, Betty was thinking ahead.

Madame Silvani copied them down quickly. “I have several orders, so I will probably have yours ready in...three days.”

Damien nodded, as Betty took our her purse. “How much?”

“With the discount, three silver.”

Damien had to stop himself from blurting out, Three silver!? All my outfits from earlier wasn't even one! Are enchanting services really that expensive?

After saying goodbye and walking out, Damien whispered, “Are you sure that's worth it?”

Betty seemed taken aback. “Of course! It could be a matter of life and death, having enough MP.”

Damien realized she was right. “Sorry...”

Betty shook her head. “Its fine, I know you're just thinking of our expenses. But this is something you don't want to skimp on.”

I need to keep that mindset, too.

Side Story – Bluey and Aurora's Day Off

While Betty and Damien were shopping, Bluey and Aurora were running through the fields outside of town, on a simple mission.

Kill rabbits.

“Master really hates those rabbits, right? He calls them the 'murder-rabbits'.” Bluey said.

“Piyu!” Aurora replied.

“So if we take out a bunch, he'll be really happy, right?”

“Piyu!”

And so, with Bluey's sensing, and Aurora's nose, they found every rabbit they could, and destroyed them.

Some by flame, some by lightning, some by flattening. Some were already being taken care of by other Adventurer's. They were all taken out.

Bluey had grabbed two of Master's bags, and was stuffing each one full with all the rabbits they could. Master will be so happy!

After several hours, while they still had energy, their bags were completely full, having reached the limit of what they could contain.

“Piyu!”

“Yeah, you're right, we should probably head back now. Master hasn't messaged me, so he and Betty must be busy.”

“Piyu!”

Bluey shrugged, “I don't mind. I like Betty too, maybe almost as much as Master. If Master wasn't my Master, I'd want Betty as my Master.”

“Piyuuuu...piyu?”

Bluey shook her head. “I'm sure he will.”

When they got through the gate (getting a couple odd looks from the guards), they started walking towards their inn. However, as they were walking, Bluey felt a small tug on her shirt.

Swinging around so she could see the source, she saw a small girl in a patched dress, looking up at her.

“Hi!” Bluey said with a smile.

The little girl seemed slightly taken aback, but then asked, “Big sister, can you spare a rabbit? Me and my sister are really hungry.”

Bluey thought for a moment. I can probably spare a rabbit, right? What would Master do in this situation? She looked down at Aurora.

“Piyu!”

Bluey nodded, “Yeah, you're right.” Bluey set down one of the large bags of rabbits next to the girl. “Here you go!”

The little girl just blinked a few times. “I just...I just wanted one...”

Bluey shook her head. “That's okay, we don't need all of them.”

The little girl nodded, then grabbed the bag and tried to pull.

The bag didn't even budge.

“Um...big sister, I really just need one...”

Bluey realized the problem. “Oh, sorry, I can carry it,” she said, picking it back up. “Where's your house?”

The little girl got excited, and started taking off down the street.

After a couple minutes, they stopped outside a ramshackle wooden house in a back alley.

The little girl opened the door and ran in. “Mama, sister, I got a rabbit.”

“Honey, what do you-” a lady said, before seeing Bluey in the doorway. “Um...”

“Hi! I brought some rabbits,” Bluey explained, before setting down a bag.

“Wh-...what!?” the lady said, incredulous at the amount.

Another girl, probably a year or two younger then the first child, ran out from a side room, grabbing her mother's skirt.

“Piyu!” Aurora said.

The little girl then ran over to Aurora to pet her, “Kitty!”

Aurora isn't a cat though... Bluey shook her head. “You're right Aurora,” Bluey sat down the other bag. “We've been eating at the tavern instead of cooking for ourselves anyway.”

The woman started crying. “You really mean this?”

Bluey seemed confused. “Yeah, I don't think Master is gonna want them, he'll just be glad they're dead.”

The lady didn't seem to know how to respond, just smiling, “Thank you, thank you so much!”

The little girl who originally called out to them gave Bluey a hug. “Thank you big sister!”

Bluey knelt down and hugged her back. “Let me know if you want any more rabbits!”

The little girl looked at the bags, “I think we'll be fine for a while.”